Home Theater Systems
A Complete Guide to Our Design Concepts
Understanding speaker configurations, room acoustics, and why every installation is different. Professional home theater engineering, custom loudspeaker design and installation in Sedona, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Prescott
Section 1: Understanding Speaker Configurations
Introduction
Home theater speaker configurations are expressed in numbers like 5.1, 7.1, or 7.1.4. Here's how to read them:
First Number: Main speakers at ear level (front left, front right, center, surrounds)
Second Number: Subwoofers (.1 = one subwoofer, .2 = two subwoofers)
Third Number (if present): Height or Atmos speakers for overhead sound
5.1 Systems — The Foundation
A 5.1 system includes:
• Three front speakers: Left, Center, Right
• Two surround speakers: Rear left, Rear right
• One subwoofer for bass
This configuration provides full surround sound and works well for rooms up to about 300 square feet. The center channel anchors dialogue to the screen, while surrounds create ambient effects and spatial awareness.
Most people underestimate the importance of the center channel. In movie soundtracks, 60-70% of the content comes through the center speaker. A weak center channel means unclear dialogue, which ruins the experience no matter how good your other speakers are.
7.1 Systems — Extended Surround
A 7.1 system adds two additional surround speakers:
• Front stage: Same three speakers as 5.1
• Four surrounds: Side left, Side right, Rear left, Rear right
• Dual subwoofers for more even bass coverage
The 7.1 configuration creates more precise surround effects, especially for larger rooms or multiple seating rows. Four surround speakers let soundtracks pan effects more smoothly around the room rather than just left-to-right.
Dual subwoofers aren't just about more bass — they're about smoother bass. Every room has acoustic nodes where certain frequencies either boom or disappear. Two strategically placed subwoofers help smooth out these variations.
Dolby Atmos & DTS:X — Height Dimension
Atmos systems add overhead sound by including a third number in the configuration:
• 5.1.2 = five ear-level speakers, one sub, two height speakers
• 7.1.4 = seven ear-level speakers, one sub, four height speakers
Height speakers can be in-ceiling speakers aimed at the listening position or upward-firing modules that reflect sound off the ceiling. In-ceiling provides better accuracy but requires installation work. Upward-firing is easier but depends heavily on ceiling height and material.
Atmos truly shines with well-mixed content — helicopters flying overhead, rain falling around you, or ambient sounds creating a complete 3D soundfield. But it's only worth the extra speakers if your room can accommodate proper height channel placement.
Section 2: Room Acoustics Matter More Than You Think
Why Your Room Is the Most Important Component
You can spend $50,000 on speakers, but if you put them in an acoustically poor room, they'll sound worse than $5,000 speakers in a well-treated room. Room acoustics determine:
• How sound reflects off walls, ceiling, and floor
• Where bass accumulates or cancels out (room modes)
• How clearly you hear dialogue versus reverberation
• Whether your surround speakers create envelopment or just sound like effects
Common Room Challenges
Hard Surfaces: Tile, hardwood, glass, and drywall reflect sound like mirrors. Too many reflections create echo and mud dialogue clarity.
Room Modes: Every room has resonant frequencies where bass either booms excessively or disappears. These are determined by room dimensions and can't be fixed by just turning the subwoofer up or down.
Asymmetrical Layouts: Off-center seating, openings to other rooms, vaulted ceilings — these all create acoustic challenges that require compensation.
Furniture Placement: That couch against the back wall? It's probably sitting in a bass null. Those bare walls flanking the seating? They're creating early reflections that smear stereo imaging.
How Mike Knows Audio Video Addresses Room Acoustics
This is where our custom speaker approach provides massive advantages over off-the-shelf systems.
Standard speakers are passive boxes with fixed crossovers. Whatever acoustic problems your room has, those speakers can't adapt. You're stuck trying to fix room problems with furniture placement and acoustic panels.
Our custom speakers include built-in amplification with digital signal processing. This gives us 8 parametric EQ bands per driver, delay correction, and crossover control for every component. When we measure your room and identify acoustic problems, we can compensate for them with surgical precision.
Got a bass mode at 63Hz that's booming? We can notch it out by 6dB with a narrow Q filter. Have early reflections muddying dialogue? We can adjust the center channel's off-axis response. Ceiling too reflective for Atmos? We can compensate with directivity control.
This level of room correction isn't possible with passive speakers and receiver auto-calibration. Auto-calibration applies generic filters to all speakers equally and can't address individual driver issues. We tune each driver independently based on actual measurements in your specific room.
Section 3: The Calibration Myth — Why Auto-Cal Isn't Enough
What Receiver Auto-Calibration Does
Modern receivers include auto-calibration systems (Audyssey, Dirac Live, YPAO, etc.). These systems:
• Place a microphone at your seat
• Play test tones through each speaker
• Measure frequency response, level, distance, and timing
• Apply correction filters to flatten response
This sounds great in theory. In practice, auto-calibration has serious limitations.
Limitations of Auto-Calibration
Limited Microphone Quality: The included measurement mic is typically a $30 part. It's not accurate below 40Hz or above 15kHz, so it can't properly measure subwoofer or tweeter response.
Single Measurement Position: Most systems take measurements from one seat (or average multiple positions). This means optimization for one location at the expense of others. If you sit off-center, you might get worse sound than before calibration.
Generic Filters: Auto-cal applies the same type of correction to every room. It doesn't understand that your specific 50Hz boom is caused by a room mode that needs a narrow notch filter, not a broad low-frequency cut.
Can't Fix Speaker Problems: If your speakers have poor off-axis response or cabinet resonances, auto-cal can't fix that — it can only apply EQ, which often makes things worse by trying to correct problems that aren't correctable with EQ.
Processing Overhead: Receiver DSP has limited computational power. Complex correction requires significant processing, which introduces latency and sometimes audible artifacts.
How Professional Manual Calibration Works
Mike Knows Audio Video uses professional measurement tools and manual calibration:
We use calibrated measurement microphones (not receiver pack-in mics) that are accurate across the full frequency range.
We measure at multiple positions throughout the listening area to understand how the entire space behaves, not just one seat.
We identify specific problems — room modes, early reflections, speaker mismatches — and apply targeted corrections rather than generic filters.
For custom speakers with built-in DSP, we calibrate each driver independently. This is fundamentally different from receiver-level EQ. We're correcting at the speaker, before crossover, which provides far more control and avoids cumulative phase issues.
We verify results with listening tests using reference content. Measurements tell us what's happening objectively; listening tests confirm it translates to better subjective experience.
The result: systems that measure flat, sound natural, and maintain imaging and dynamics that receiver auto-calibration typically destroys in pursuit of ruler-flat frequency response.
Section 4: Choosing the Right System for Your Space
Room Size Considerations
Small Rooms (Under 250 sq ft): 5.1 systems work well. Limited space means surrounds are close to listeners, providing excellent envelopment. Consider speakers with controlled directivity to minimize wall reflections.
Medium Rooms (250-400 sq ft): 7.1 systems provide better surround immersion. Room is large enough that four surround speakers create smoother panning effects. Dual subwoofers strongly recommended for even bass coverage.
Large Rooms (400+ sq ft): 7.1.4 Atmos systems shine here. Larger space allows proper height speaker separation for convincing overhead effects. Multiple seating rows benefit from extended surround speaker array.
Ceiling Height Matters for Atmos
Atmos works best with ceiling heights between 8 and 14 feet. Lower than 8 feet and height effects feel compressed. Higher than 14 feet and upward-firing speakers can't effectively reflect off the ceiling — you'll need in-ceiling speakers.
Vaulted or angled ceilings complicate Atmos significantly. We can make it work with careful speaker placement and calibration, but it requires more effort than flat ceilings.
Room Shape Impact
Rectangular rooms with length-to-width ratios between 1.4:1 and 1.8:1 are ideal. Square rooms create severe room modes. L-shaped rooms require strategic speaker placement to cover all listening positions.
Open-concept spaces present challenges — sound escapes to adjacent areas, surround speakers lack reinforcement, and bass management becomes complicated. These rooms benefit most from our custom approach where we can optimize speakers for the specific acoustic environment.
Budget Considerations
Entry Level ($10,000-$15,000): 5.1 system with quality components, professional installation, proper calibration. Focus budget on front three speakers — they handle the majority of content.
Mid-Range ($15,000-$25,000): 7.1 system with custom front speakers, dual subwoofers, acoustic treatments. This is where custom speakers start providing dramatic advantages over off-the-shelf options.
High-End ($25,000+): Complete 7.1.4 Atmos with all-custom speakers, advanced acoustic treatments, dedicated seating, lighting control. Every component optimized for the space.
Section 5: Beyond Speakers — Complete System Components
Display Options: TV vs. Projector
Large TVs (75-100 inches): Excellent brightness, works in ambient light, simple installation. Best for media rooms that serve multiple purposes.
Projectors (100-150+ inches): True cinema experience, requires light control, more installation complexity. Best for dedicated theater rooms where you can control lighting.
The screen size should match your seating distance. For 4K content, seat about 1.5x the screen width away. Closer and you see pixel structure; farther and you lose immersive impact.
Source Components
Modern home theaters typically include:
• 4K/8K AV receiver or separate processor and amplifiers
• Streaming devices (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV)
• 4K Blu-ray player for highest quality content
• Gaming consoles (often the most-used component)
With our custom powered speakers, you have more flexibility on receiver choice. Since amplification is built into the speakers, you're not dependent on receiver power ratings. This often allows budget allocation toward better video processing or additional features.
Seating & Viewing Environment
Dedicated theater seating provides optimal comfort for long viewing sessions. Key considerations:
• Seat height affects screen angle and surround speaker effectiveness
• Multiple rows require riser platforms for clear sightlines
• Reclining seats need 3-4 feet clearance behind them
Lighting control is essential. Dimmable lighting, LED accent lighting, and automated control integrated with system operation transforms the experience. Nothing ruins immersion like getting up to manually dim lights mid-movie.
Acoustic Treatments
Even with advanced speaker calibration, acoustic treatments help:
• Absorption panels on first-reflection points reduce echo
• Bass traps in corners tame room modes
• Diffusion on rear wall prevents slap-back echo
• Ceiling clouds reduce overhead reflections
Treatments don't need to be ugly foam panels. Many options integrate aesthetically — custom made fabric-wrapped panels in custom colors, decorative diffusers, or architectural solutions that double as design elements.
Section 6: The Mike Knows Audio Video Difference
In-Home Demos Before You Commit
We bring multiple system configurations to your home so you can hear the actual difference in your space. Site surveys are $250, fully credited when you move forward. This lets you make informed decisions based on real performance, not showroom acoustics.
Custom Speakers Designed for Your Room
Our WubWub Audio speakers are handcrafted in Arizona with:
• CNC-machined cabinets designed specifically for your room geometry
• Built-in bi-amping or tri-amping with dedicated power per driver
• 8-band parametric EQ per driver for surgical room correction
• Crossover control and delay adjustment at the speaker level
This isn't possible with passive speakers and receiver-based correction. We're optimizing at the source, before acoustic problems compound.
Professional Manual Calibration
Every system gets professional measurement and manual calibration using studio-grade tools. We don't use receiver auto-calibration — we measure your room, identify specific problems, and apply targeted corrections that preserve dynamics and imaging.
Complete System Integration
We design entire systems, not just audio. This includes:
• Display selection and optimization
• Source components and media management
• Lighting control and automation
• Seating recommendations and placement
• Acoustic treatment design
• Custom HDMI cables and wiring
• Universal remote programming
Long-Term Support You Can Rely On
10-year warranty on custom speakers. 2-year installation warranty with unlimited service calls including training. Maximum 15 clients per year ensures every installation receives obsessive attention.
Section 7: Common Questions About Home Theater Systems
Do I really need a center channel?
Yes. The center channel handles dialogue and anchors sound to the screen. Without it, voices come from the left and right speakers, which only works if you sit perfectly centered. Move off-axis and dialogue wanders. A good center channel is essential for clear, natural-sounding dialogue at any seating position.
Can I add Atmos height speakers later?
Yes, but plan the wiring now. Running wires through finished ceilings is expensive and disruptive. If you think you might add Atmos within a few years, run the speaker wire during initial installation even if you don't buy the height speakers immediately.
How important are dual subwoofers vs. one larger sub?
Two smaller subwoofers almost always outperform one larger sub. Bass distribution is more important than total output. Two subs in different locations smooth room modes that a single sub (regardless of size) can't address. We typically recommend dual subs for rooms over 300 square feet.
What's the difference between AV receivers and separates?
AV receivers combine processing and amplification in one box. Separates use a processor (no amps) plus separate power amplifiers. Separates provide better performance and flexibility but cost significantly more. With our powered speakers, this distinction matters less since amplification is built into the speakers — you primarily need the processor for switching and decoding.
How much should I budget for acoustic treatments?
Plan 10-15% of speaker budget for treatments. Basic panels and bass traps make significant improvements. More important than quantity is proper placement — treating first-reflection points provides more benefit than randomly covering walls.
Should I prioritize screen size or audio quality?
Audio. Counterintuitive, but true. A 75-inch TV with excellent audio provides better overall experience than a 150-inch screen with mediocre sound. You can always upgrade displays later; speaker installation is more permanent and foundational.
Section 8: Ready to Design Your Home Theater?
Let's Design a System for Your Space
We bring multiple system configurations to your home so you can hear the actual difference in your space. Site surveys are $250, fully credited when you move forward. This lets you make informed decisions based on real performance, not showroom acoustics.
Every room is different. Every client has different priorities. That's why we start with a consultation to understand your space, preferences, and budget.
We'll discuss room dimensions, acoustic challenges, desired system configuration, and how you'll use the space. If you'd like, we can bring multiple system configurations for in-home demonstration so you can hear the difference before making any decisions.
If you live in Sedona, Prescott, Paradise Valley or Scottsdale schedule a free phone consultation and let's talk about what's possible in your space.