- 1). Look at the numbers for the surround sound system. It will be either 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1. The first number represents the number of speakers (excluding the subwoofer) you have connected to the one (second number) receiver. A 5.1 surround sound has one center channel, two front channels and two rear channels. A 6.1 is the same, only it has 2 center channels. A 7.1 surround sound system is designed for larger rooms and has one center channel, two front channels, two middle channels and two rear channels.
- 2). Look at the input connections the surround sound receiver offers. Older surround sound receivers only accept RCA and coaxial audio cables. However, if you have an HD television and you want high definition audio, look for receivers with both HDMI audio connections and optical digital audio connections.
- 3). Check to see if the surround sound is wireless. Typically the only wireless speakers are the rear speakers. This is because the other speakers in the surround sound setup are close enough to the receiver that you are not going to see the wires running through the room. Rear wireless speakers are helpful because wired speakers have wires running from the back of your room to the sound receiver.
- 4). Look for lossless audio support. CDs and DVDs are a compressed audio format that all surround sound systems support. However, noncompressed audio files, known as lossless, are often found on blu-ray players and discs, giving you a higher quality audio stream.
previous post