Hooking Up Your Home Theater System
Nowadays the entertainment auto traffic is towards the electronic store rather than towards the multiplex movie theater. The expense of compiling a home theater system has been coming down for some time and now is within the reach of many more people. As with any new technologies, as economies of scale kick in and demand grows, the price becomes affordable to the masses. More consumers are taking advantage of this and are revamping their old TV room to accommodate a new home theater system. The possible environment can rival that of a real movie theater.
In order to replicate the movie theater experience more closely, in both the visual and the auditory, planning the layout is of paramount importance. A rough drawing with approximate scale will be of great help. The set-up of a home theater system is sufficiently complicated enough to warrant the time spent measuring and drawing.
First, all features of your home theater system should be understood before you attempt to deploy the components. The size of the screen is the first consideration as it is both the focal point and the largest piece. How does the room accommodate the screen? You should measure out the possible locations before you move or hang the screen. Take a look at the space around the screen and determine if the speakers can be arrayed comfortably around the available space. Now you should plan out where you and your guests can sit with optimum viewing and listening comfort. You may even have to buy furniture that makes sense with your final arrangement.
Secondly, optimum placement of the speakers is contingent on the number of speakers and the shape of the room. If your room is rectangular or square, you should have no issues with speaker placement. If your room has an irregular shape, you should experiment, if possible, with different placements. In the 5.1 channel set-up, you will have five speakers and a sub-woofer and then you will add a speaker for the 6.1 channel set-up and also for the 7.1. The exact placement of speakers must correspond to the function of each speaker. Left, right, center, left rear, right rear, left side, and right side speakers all have exact functions and must be placed as close as possible to those places. You will have some leeway in your set-up but you have to maintain the integrity of each speaker function.
Always remember that this is a surround sound system, so you have to make sure your seating accommodations will put you in the middle of the swirl of sound or else your money and time will be wasted. If you have done your work thoroughly with thoughtful planning and a modicum of knowledge, you will enjoy many years of watching movies and listening to music. And don't forget to work on the acoustic surfaces of the entertainment room, as improper materials will distort the sound and destroy the entire effect.