Home Theatre System Buying Guide
A home theatre system is a set of audio components you connect together to make a home theatre or surround sound setup. The main device in a home theatre setup is your TV or projector. You add a receiver or a sound bar to your TV and pair it to external speakers and a subwoofer. A traditional surround sound home theatre system has 5.1 or 7.1 channels and includes one subwoofer and five or seven speakers including a center speaker, left speaker, right speaker, and two or four-tower, bookshelf, or ceiling speakers.
home theatre system buying guide
Receiver-based home theatre systems are available with a variety of channels. The most common channels are 5.1, 7.1, and 9.1. The first number is the number of speakers in the system, and the second number is the number of subwoofers.
A home theatre system or home theatre in a box is a simple setup because the speakers are designed to use the specific channel they will support. Your front left and right speakers will be designed to have the biggest impact as most sound comes from them, your centre speakers will be ready to push out dialogue, and your rear speakers will enhance your audio. The subwoofer will add deep bass beats and highlight sound effects.
Your receiver or sound bar will have a remote control or app you can use to connect and control your audio and video devices. Some remote controls will not pair with all components so you may want to choose a universal remote control for your home theatre setup.
While most home theatre systems will offer wireless speaker connections, some do connect via speaker wire. You can read more about the pros and cons of a wireless vs wired home theatre setup in this article.
Your needs and allotted budget is what will help you narrow down on the home theatre options. In most cases, people spend a lot on setting up the room, interiors and on the television set. However, the speakers and amplifiers are neglected by many. The size of the room, free space and speaker placement are other things to be considered. If you have a small room, you can opt for a home theatre package that uses bookshelf sized speakers. If you have a slightly spacious room, you can go for a 7.1 setup with a package that comes with either bookshelf or floor standing speakers.
The speakers also play a crucial role in delivering good audio performance. While some home theatre packages come with bookshelf speakers, some of them come bundled with floor standing speakers. Generally, home theatre systems come with either 5.1 channel or 7.1 channel speakers. Here, there is a subwoofer that reproduces low frequencies and others are satellite speakers for the front, center and rear channel speakers. In your home theatre setup, you can have the speakers placed on the floor or you can mount the four satellite speakers in each corner of your room.
The total power output of the amplifier is usually denoted in watts. To be able to offer enough power to the connected speakers, it is important to ensure that your receiver is powerful enough. Ideally, for optimum performance, look for an A/V receiver that delivers at least 100 watts of power to every channel. Another term used to specify the performance of speakers and the amplifier, is impedance. Most speakers are rated at 6 or 8 Ohms. In the case of home theatre systems, the amplifier and speakers are paired properly by the manufacturer.
The connectivity ports and the number of options available on an A/V receiver is important. While slightly older A/V receivers come with HDMI 1.3 ports, the latest models may come with HDMI The new standard offers support for Audio Return Channel (ARC), 3D video and Ethernet over HDMI. The ARC on HDMI 1.4 sends audio from the TV to A/V receivers, sound bars or home-theatre-in-box (HTIB). HDMI ARC not only eliminates the need of having a separate S/PDIF for audio connection, but also offers flexibility to upstream the audio data. Ideally, look for an AV/ receiver that come with at least three HDMI input ports so that you can connect multiple devices, such as a gaming console, Blu-ray / DVD player, laptop etc.
While a remote control is included in almost all home theatre packages, the control features are very important. Ideally, it should have the required buttons to control all the features available in an A/V receiver. Also, look for build quality, operating range and the type of batteries the remote works on.
The dimensions of the A/V receiver, its weight and build quality are other important points to consider. Its design should have enough vents to ensure that the heat generated over continuous usage is let out properly. Look for the function keys available on the receiver. Ideally, it should let you control most features of your home theatre.
guide for home theat re is good, but it should be with examples . the specific features availability recommendations are useless if the models are not quoted . i am looking for a home theatre for my lg 4k oled 55 inch tv to be fixed in a hall of 22 by 18 ft. your suggestions are good but where to find them.please help if you can
If you want to enjoy the cinematic experience without leaving the comfort of your home, home theatre projectors are for you. Used in the place of a regular TV, these projectors are designed for streaming content of movies and video games. Image quality is a very important factor when it comes to home theatre projectors; they display very high-resolution video and images, including 4K and full HD. Sound quality is another important quality of home theatre projectors. The built-in sound features are often superior to most other types of projectors, and they are often easy to hook up to sound bars and other speaker systems to further heighten the viewing experience.
The difference between the darkest areas and the brightest areas the projector can display is called the contrast ratio. Having a high contrast ratio means that the projector can produce high-quality and easily defined colors, and the better the picture will look. Contrast can be affected by outside light sources and is most noticeable in dark areas, such as home theatres. For spaces with ample natural light, such as an office, contrast ratio is not as big of a deal because overhead and natural lights can wash out slight differences between colors.
There are many kinds of projectors out there, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Finding the right projector for you requires learning the distinctions between each and how they can affect your business or home theatre setup. The different specifications and light source types can tell you where each projector excels and further inform your purchasing decision. By taking your time and finding a projector that is compatible with your devices and favors the media you wish to project, you can save money and find the perfect device for you.
Right now, I'm looking for 4 powered speakers to use with our sound system at a small theatre. I'm one of the board members and I in charge of finding the best speakers for our little theatre. We perform in an open floor setting. It's a large room and we put up pipe and drape to create a backdrop for the audience. I want to put one speaker in each corner so I could have stereo or Quad sound and make the sound move around the room when needed. I thought it would be best to have hard wired (XLR cables) powered speakers so they can be moved around and plugged in anywhere. Any suggestions on the best speakers for this setting? I can spend $500 - $800 for all four. I already have a mixer. I would also like to place them on stands in each corner. So, I'm thinking of buying two sets of two speakers with stands.
When buying a home theater projector, you want to order one that has a 4K resolution and offers HDR compatibility. While less discerning people may be satisfied with a 1080p projector, by buying a 4K home theater beamer you get a far superior image that will thrill your visual senses.
Buying a set of speakers for your hifi or home theatre system sounds easy right? Find the biggest ones with the most Watts and you're all set. Anyone who's spent some time researching speakers before purchasing will tell you there's a whole lot to learn and many things to consider. Spending some time on research now will mean you end up with speakers that suit your needs and you'll be happy with for years to come.
Before you start thinking about brands, drivers, specs or power ratings, put some thought into what you actually need your speakers to do. Will they be dedicated hifi speakers, used in a surround home theatre setup or both?
The best way to determine how your music sounds on different brands or models of speaker is to simply try them. Reading reviews and endless discussions about what to choose are no substitute for actually sitting down and playing music. This is where your relationship with your local hifi store will pay off. Take along some music that you know well and listen to a few different speakers to get a feel for how they sound. If you're buying speakers to use in your home theatre and your store has a theatre demo room then make the most of it. It's also worth taking the time to make sure you have your music available at high quality. Although portable media devices offer convenience, the music they carry is usually highly compressed and will be missing a lot of detail. Take some music on CD or check if your store has access to high quality streaming options. It's a good idea to choose music that will cover a few different areas such as strong bass, strings, vocals, quiet passages etc. It's good to use music you're familiar with so you're more tuned to picking up differences and you will quite likely hear new parts in the music you've never even heard before.
The exception to this is the subwoofer. There are companies that specialise in making these and do an excellent job of it. The sub is an important part of a good home theatre system and it's worth putting some effort into finding what works for your situation. It's also common for good systems to have two smaller subs instead of one large one. Having two subs will help to eliminate any dead spots in the room and ensure the same great experience no matter where in the room you're sitting. 041b061a72