How do you pick a good home theater system?

How to Pick a Home Theater Sound System

• Answer:

  A new surround sound system to go with your top-of-the line television can create your ideal home theater setup, but it may also break the bank! Audio salespeople may encourage you to buy expensive add-ons, such as superior-quality subwoofer speakers. Whether you're shopping for a complete unit or individual pieces, you should know how to pick a home theater sound system for your needs and your budget. Difficulty: Moderately Easy Instructions Pick a Home Theater Sound System Look for audio systems that fit the size of your room. If you're setting up a home theater in a small den, you may not want to have a five-speaker surround sound system. Remember that more speakers mean you'll have more wires to hide unless you buy a wireless system too. Consider three-speaker or single-speaker systems. These setups will both place the speakers at the front of the room and aim them towards the viewer. Be sure to look for speakers with a wide frequency range to make up for the lack of a subwoofer and tweeters. Find out if your home theater can act as an amplifier for the speakers or if you'll need to buy a dedicated amp. Most speaker packages will include everything you need to set them up, but if you're piecing together your own sound system, you may need to budget several hundred dollars for an amp. A 100-Watt amplifier will give you more than enough power for almost all home theater applications. Think about buying a complete home theater in a box if you're new to home theaters. These packages are very affordable and provide you with both audio and visual equipment. You can always upgrade your speakers in a few years if you find that you want better sound quality. Research different speakers and audio systems to find the best performance-to-price ratio. A store employee can often give you lots of technical specs about each system, but he may not tell you about the quirks of certain products. Check out the user reviews at sites like Audio Review (see Resources below) to read what consumers have to say about different products. Tips & Warnings Tip: Single-speaker systems for home theaters take up the least amount of space, but are also some of the most expensive setups. There are single speakers that are able to create surround sound in smaller-sized rooms. Tip: Be sure the necessary length wires are included with the speakers you pick. Warning: If you don't have a subwoofer, be sure that your system can handle frequencies less than 400 Hz. If not, you'll be at high risk of blowing them out.