GoKawiilRoom acoustics are the easiest thing you can fix and often the one thing everyone overlooks. Hard surfaces like bare walls, tile floors and large windows reflect sound waves, creating muddied sound and echo that affect dialogue and sound effects. Anthony Grimani, President of Performance Media Industries and several other audio engineering firms, as well as a former sound engineer with Dolby Laboratories and Lucasfilm THX, states that more than half of what you hear in a regular room is sound bouncing off hard surfaces like ceilings, walls and hard flooring.
The fix to this problem isn't buying foam panels that would require a whole overhaul of your living room. Instead, you can improve this with rugs, curtains, artworks and framed photos. So, start decorating!
The right way to position your speakers
Where you place your speakers is half of this equation, while the other half is how you point your speakers. The front left and right speakers need to be about a foot away from side and back walls. They also need to have about the same space between them as there is between the speakers and your seating position. The speakers should also be angled toward your main seat, so start poking at them until they're positioned just right.
The center channel should be placed directly above or below your TV, aligned with the screen's midpoint. Since this speaker carries most of your movie dialogue, keeping it aimed at ear level matters.
For 5.1 surround systems, you have to position the speakers to the sides of your seating area, always aiming towards your main seat, ideally at or slightly above ear level. For 7.1 surround systems, the back speakers should be placed behind your seating position. Randomly placing your speakers wherever they fit in the room will undermine every effort you make to improve sound quality.