With all the new sound technologies, Dolby digital, surround sound and many others, it is important that you set up your sound system correctly in order to get the best out of your audio systems and home cinema. Speaker stands are so great for many different reasons. Firstly, they lift the speakers away from the floor. And secondly, the stand itself reduces vibrations. This means that your speakers will be working at their full capability.

Old speakers were very, very simple. You'd find the tweeters and woofers in together which would mean that the sound quality was usually pretty poor. Now you have surround sound, with multiple channels and speakers that are capable of producing the kinds of sounds that will make you think you are at the centre of the action. Surround sound makes it so you not only hear voices clearly, but things like cars racing around a track can actually go from one side of the room to the other. Sounds like rainfall and whispering, which are soft and distant can be heard quite clearly. This makes home theater systems seem like you are watching the real thing and can make you jump out of your seats when explosions happen.

It is important that you place your speaker stands at the right height so that you can hear the sound when you are sitting down. Some varieties of stands have the capability to be adjusted to different heights depending on how you want them, there are others that can be mounted onto walls and ceilings. How you place your speakers is just as important as the components they are connected to. The first thing you should do when placing your speakers and stands is to read the instructions that comes with them. The makers of your speaker stands and audio racks know what they are doing, and have done extensive testing to make sure they produce the best sound.

When positioning your speaker stands in a good sized room, place them at least eight feet apart, but you can shorten this distance for smaller rooms. They should never touch any walls, because this could affect the sound quality, as they will vibrate against the surface. You should place your speakers facing where you are going to be watching television, or listening to your stereo. This way the sound is always in your direction, and not pointing somewhere else. Make sure there is nothing blocking the front of them, since this will muffle sounds and make it harder to get the full effects.

When looking for speaker stands, make sure that they have a solid base, and that the speaker platform is the same size as the bottom of the speaker itself. Putting some rubber under the speakers will reduce vibrations. After you've set up your speakers, sit down where you normally sit when watching and listening. Next, turn on the unit to make sure that all the speakers are correctly pointing towards you. Then you're good to go!

Although speaker stands may not be the top of your list when you want to improve the sound quality of your stereo, it is very possible that speaker stands could go a long way in helping to better your AV setup. If you do plan to use speaker stands to improve the quality of your stereo’s sound, you will need to have the right stands, positioned in the proper places for maximum benefit.

First you will need to decide what speaker stands you will need.

Loudspeaker stands will improve the bass in both bookshelf speakers and stand mount speakers. With speaker stands, the speaker is placed at the perfect height, close to level with the listener's ear. The best stands are heavy in order to provide as little vibration as possible. If your speaker stand is not heavy enough you can always fill the bottom with sand, but only if you have sealed speakers. Lead shots can be used if you'd prefer.

The sound your stereo system makes can be improved by correct positioning and location. You will want to place your stereo stands about 200mm from the rear walls, plus they should be about 700mm from the walls on either side. Your speaker stands should also face slightly inward toward each other. Placing the speakers close to the rear wall will improve the bass sound. Furthermore, you don't want to place the speakers too close to the wall, as the bass will sound too boomy.

Another rule is to not place your loud speaker stands too close to a TV stand, as the drive unit magnets may cause some interference with the TV’s picture and sound.

If your speakers are new out of the box, it’s important to know that speakers do not sound their best when they are new. After about 50 hours of moderate use, the speakers will 'break in' and the sound will improve. For this reason you will not want to bother trying to adjust your sound with speaker stands until the speakers have been used for some time.

Once you have used your speakers for at least 50 hours you can then begin using speaker stands or audio racks and placement to help improve the sound of your speakers.

As you are positioning the speakers, test the sound. When you are testing different positions, always return to your normal listening position to work out whether they're in the right place. You'll be able to get a great sound quality by placing the speakers in the right position.