When you think of surround sound systems, you probably think of gigantic speakers mounted on the walls around a large room. Modern technology has helped a little with this — these days, it’s possible to get a solid surround sound system in the form of a few speakers combined with one of the best soundbars.
But even then, for the best results you need to be able to place speakers slightly behind you, and in a best-case scenario beside you and above you too.
So what do you do if you want surround sound or 3D audio in a smaller room? Are you simply out of luck?
Well, while your results might not be quite as impressive as what you could get in a large room, there are actually plenty of ways to get a high-end surround or 3D sound system in a small space — whether your budget is limited, or you have plenty of cash to burn.
Curious how? Here’s a look.
Method 1: Use headphones
The first method is actually pretty simple — don’t use speakers at all. Plenty of modern headphones support 3D audio, including Dolby Atmos, at least in a virtualized kind of way.
For Apple TV users, it’s pretty easy to use headphones to get solid surround sound. Apple’s Spatial Audio tech is among the best-virtualized surround sound tech out there, and you can use any recent AirPods models, including the AirPods Max, to get a pretty good approximation of Dolby Atmos audio when watching compatible movies and TV shows.
That goes for those with a Sonos soundbar and the Sonos Ace headphones too — the two can communicate through a proprietary connection to deliver spatial audio.
One step closer to using real speakers is to combine a soundbar with open earbuds. Open earbuds let outside audio in, allowing you to hear the audio from the soundbar itself.
The earbuds can then be used to play the surround audio, and together, you’ll get a more natural sound and better immersion. So far, unfortunately, the only way to achieve this is with the Bose Smart Soundbar with the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds.
So what are the downsides to this approach? Well, the main one is that it really only works for one person. You can’t connect multiple pairs of Bose Ultra Open Earbuds to the Bose Smart Soundbar, and while you can connect multiple pairs of AirPods to an Apple TV, you can’t use Spatial Audio with more than one pair of AirPods connected to your Apple TV.
Still, if you mainly watch alone, using headphones may be the cheapest and most space-efficient way to get surround sound or 3D audio in a small room.
Method 2: Upgrade your soundbar
While technically not true hardware-based surround sound, you can get a pretty good representation of surround sound or 3D audio with a modern high-end soundbar.
Why is that possible? Many modern soundbars are built specifically to not only play audio towards the listener directly, but also towards the side walls (which bounce back towards the listener to simulate side speakers), and even towards the ceiling (which bounces back down towards the listener to simulate height channels).
Even some mid-range soundbars, like the Bose Smart Soundbar and Sonos Beam Gen 2 support tech like this, though if you have the cash, you’ll likely get better audio from a higher-end model like the Sonos Arc Ultra or the Samsung HW-990D.
The biggest downside to this approach is that while you’ll definitely get more immersion, you won’t get a great representation of rear channels — and even the side and height channels that are simulated won’t be as impressive as those actually delivered through speakers.
It’s a great way to save space while still, at least, getting a little more immersion.
Method 3: You could still mount wireless rear speakers
In smaller rooms, it’s common to have a couch up against a wall — which means there may not be room for actual rear speakers behind the main viewing position.
Thankfully, depending on your situation, you could still place speakers on that rear wall to get more immersion.
To be clear, in surround sound systems, rear speakers shouldn’t really go directly behind the listener anyway. Instead, they should be slightly behind, and to the sides, typically pointed towards the listener (though this can vary with smart speaker setups that use reflections).
In smaller rooms with a couch against a wall it still might not be possible to place speakers on that wall — given some of those speakers might extend just as far as your head. Unfortunately, the wireless solutions that leverage actual side placement (on the walls to the side) are limited.
You’d expect speakers as smart as the Sonos Era 300 speakers, when combined with a Sonos soundbar, to work excellently in this setup, given the fact that they can bounce audio in all different directions — but they’re unfortunately not built for that.
Instead, it might be worth using small wireless surround speakers (even the Era 100 speakers), placed on the rear wall, to the sides, and angled slightly down towards the listener.
Method 4: Bipole speakers
If you’re willing to set up an A/V receiver and use speaker wire to connect all the different speakers in your room, then it’s worth considering bipole speakers, which can be placed to the side of your seating position instead of to the rear.
They should also be placed higher than the listening position.
Bipole speakers essentially play audio in two different directions, and can be used for both the “rear” and “side” channels in a surround sound system. Again, you’ll need a receiver and the ability to run speaker wire around the room, or in the walls, to leverage bipole speakers.
You’d also then use them in conjunction with a center channel, left and right channel, and a subwoofer if you can.
Method 5: In-wall speakers
If you have cash to spend, own your home (instead of renting), and are willing to do some DIY, then perhaps you’d be interested in speakers embedded in the walls rather than mounted or placed on a surface.
This will require some work — you’ll need to run speaker wires through the walls and connect them to an A/V receiver, and you’ll need to buy and install speakers inside the walls.
In a perfect world, this would involve speakers placed in the wall behind you and separated to the sides, (bonus points if you can move the couch forward a few inches), in the two side walls, and in the ceiling for height channels.
You’re likely to get a better experience even if you just go for in-wall rear speakers. In this situation, you’d want to place the “rear” speakers above you, separated to the sides, and pointed down towards the listener.
All the biggest home theater companies make in-wall speakers for this purpose, including the likes of Polk Audio, Klipsch, and Focal.
What’s best for you?
So what’s best for your situation? Well, there are a lot of variables so it really depends, but here’s a basic look. If you’re on a budget and watch alone, the headphone route may be your best bet.
If you don’t want to add extra speakers to the mix at all, simply buy a soundbar that has side and up-firing speakers. And, if you don’t mind adding extra speakers, frankly, most people should still just buy smaller rear speakers, and mount them on the rear wall (separated to the sides of the listeners, angled slightly down towards the couch).
The other options make for a great experience, but are reserved for those willing to spend a lot of cash and run a lot of wire — and if that’s you, it’s perhaps even worth getting professional help for your specific room.
No matter what, the size of your room doesn’t have to mean you can’t enjoy surround sound — you just have to be a little more precise in how you approach it.
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