I have recently purchased Creative Gigaworks 7.1 Surround Sound
Speakers, but I am not sure how to set them up to get that real
surround sound that everyone wants. How do you do it, and if you don't
want to do it, is there any way to hire someone else to do it?

Ok surround setups are not that hard. Really good ones usually require
hiring someone. Don't use the guy from Best Buy or Circuit City. I
would go to the phone book. Chances are you can do alright on your
own. It should also be noted that computer games are the only current
application for 7.1 surround. DVDs use 5.1. Theatres use either 5.1,
10.2 or rarely Sony SDDS 7.1. SDDS is not supported by Sony anymore.
Someone correct me if I am wrong.


I assume you also have a sound card similar to teh SoundBlaster Audigy
2 or another surround decoder. Here is how 7.1 channels are notated:

LFE-Bass or Sub (the .1)
L-left surround
Lc-left center
C-center
Rc-right center
R-right surround
Ls-left surround rear
Rs-right surround rear

For a diagram: http://www.pantherproducts.co.uk/Articles/Audio/surround_sound2.shtml#7.1%20Channel%20Setup

The speakers should be at or about ear level. The sub should be
centered somewhere in front of you. You might need stands or wall
mounting to get the speakers properly positioned. The general goal is
to have all speakers equidistant from a central point (that magical
sweet spot). Some people prefer positioning rear speakers farther
back, but this is more of a volume preference for theatre systems.
Anyway, The speakers should be about 6 feet from the sweet spot, or
primary seat, shown as the big red dot in the above link. If you are
seating three or four people on a couch, you will want to have the
speakers farther away, as the people on the edges of the couch will
hear the left or right channels abnormally loudly.

If you install it and play with it a bit, you will probably get it
right. Someother points to consider:

If your walls are reflective or echo, you will get ghosting. Shelving,
art, tapestries and even acoustical tile can mitigate these problems.

If you have someone install it, look for a company that specializes in
home theatre systems. it won't be cheap, but it will be near perfect.
They can also tell you if you need to deaden walls.

Get good cabling if you haven't already. Low impedance cabling is important. 

good luck, and enjoy!