Choose the room and seating position
Measure the room and confirm speaker placement space
Pick a home theater configuration (2.0, 3.1, 5.1, 5.1.2, 7.1, etc.)
Select an AV receiver or home theater processor
Choose TV size and mounting location
Set TV height so the center of the screen aligns with seated eye level
Place the TV centered on the main seating position
Run HDMI cables from all sources to the AV receiver inputs
Plan speaker wire routes for all speakers to the receiver location
Install the front left and front right speakers at equal distance from the TV
Angle the front left/right speakers toward the listening position
Place the center speaker directly above or below the TV, centered
Position surround speakers to the sides or slightly behind the listening position, angled toward seats
Place subwoofers for best bass response (single sub near the front or dual subs if available)
If using height speakers, mount them above or use in-ceiling/in-wall placements per your layout
Connect all speakers to the AV receiver (front, center, surround, height, subwoofer)
Connect the subwoofer using an LFE/subwoofer cable (if supported) or speaker-level input as needed
Connect the TV to the AV receiver using HDMI ARC/eARC
Connect streaming boxes, game consoles, and Blu-ray players to the AV receiver via HDMI
Connect a network cable or enable Wi‑Fi on the AV receiver
Turn on the receiver and TV
Enable HDMI-CEC/ARC or eARC on the receiver and TV
Set the receiver video output to match the TV input
Run the receiver’s room correction/auto-calibration (microphone setup)
Confirm speaker sizes (small/large) and crossover settings during calibration
Set channel levels and distance based on calibration results
Set the subwoofer crossover frequency and phase options as guided by calibration
Configure audio format settings (e.g., Dolby Atmos/DTS:X) based on your speaker setup
Set up video calibration (aspect ratio, HDR mode, resolution, refresh rate)
Enable HDR settings on compatible sources and confirm correct TV HDR behavior
Set lip-sync/audio delay if needed
Configure speaker routing (which channels map to which speakers)
Test each channel using the receiver’s test tones
Verify surround and height effects using known demo content
Adjust bass/treble or dynamic range settings to taste
Save the calibration profile(s)
Label cables and secure all connections
Re-check cable seating and tighten speaker binding posts or connectors