One important step in setting up a home theater system is balancing the sound of all of your speakers. It is important that the volume of each speaker is set such that neither the front nor the rear speakers will be too loud. Also, even more important is that the left and right speakers are balanced. However, balancing of speakers may be difficult since it is hard to judge whether the front and rear speakers are set up properly unless you have a test signal which outputs an equal volume on all channels.

To eliminate speaker cable, many people use inexpensive wireless surround sound speakers for the rear channels. These speakers are active speakers and thus have their own volume control. Often the transmitter that comes with these speakers also has a volume control. This makes it a bit more challenging to balance each speaker. The simplest way to balance speakers is to use a measurement microphone. Some home-theater vendors will supply such a microphone free of charge. You may also be able to rent such a microphone at an accessory parts store.

To calibrate your speakers, connect the microphone with the home theater receiver. Then set up the wireless link. Finally, start the calibration routine. Check that there are no errors or warnings.