Surround Speakers

The surround speakers are the rear left and right channel speakers in a surround sound system. In a soundtrack, this is where you would hear most of the ambient, atmospheric and special effect sounds such as wind, rain, or a plane flying by.  Generally these speakers are placed in line or just behind the left and right of your listening spot, slightly higher than your ear level. Working with the other speakers in the arrangement, they help to create the effect of movement of sound through space. For instance, a car speeding by would be replicated by moving the sound from one speaker to the other as if it had passed you in a manner similar to the way it would in real life.