Spending hundreds of dollars on a home theater does not ensure you get the best sound. Getting a top of the line system is a start but there are many factors that come to play when you want optimum sound performance from a theater system.
With our tips, you can turn a middle of a pack system into a star. Yes, you read that right. You don’t have to dig into your savings to purchase the top of the line home theater system. You can get exceptional sound from a more reasonable option. It’s all in the art of knowing how to set it up.
1. Room Has Bad Acoustics
Selecting a room in your house for the purpose of a home theater is as important as selecting a good system. The space and layout of the room directly impact the quality of sound. For example, if you choose a room with vaulted ceilings, would result in the weak bass and blurred sound overall.
When it comes to selecting a room for your home theater we recommend you select one which has a limited number to no windows and is carpeted. Both windows and hard floors cause a lot of sound reflection making any sound unnatural. Where as, a carpet or a rug absorbs reflection and also dampens the sound. Making it sound more natural.
High ceilings are a big no so if you have a room with a high ceiling then you are better off just moving the system to a different room.
2. Furniture Layout
Finding the sweet spot to place your couch and another furniture is crucial to your sound experience. The last thing you want is furniture cluttered everywhere in your home theater. Sound bounces and can get lost in furniture. When you set up the theater room be sure not to overcrowd it with furniture.
You always want to position the couch in the center of the room, not completely against the back wall as many homeowners do. Especially if you have a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound system. This will allow you to surround yourself with speakers, at a distance of course. Allowing you to enhance your experience with sound coming to you from every corner of the room.
3. Placement of Speakers
When it comes to placement of speakers, homeowners tend to choose spots that are more aesthetically appealing rather than positioning the speakers where they belong. This has more to do with a lack of knowledge on the importance of speaker placement than anything.
The first thing you need to ensure when you set up speakers is that they are at least 3 to 4 feet away from the rear wall. This will add sharpness to the sound and ensure bass is not lost. Then, you want to give the speakers some elevation. The sound is much better when it is directly coming from an eye level or slightly higher – so you can put the speakers on a stand if they are currently on the ground. Do not place two speakers too closely together, if you want a surround sound, evenly space the speakers out around the room. Make sure you have enough space between the two front speakers so you can easily distinguish the sound that comes out of each and they do not overlap one another. Using a system of wireless speakers can make speaker placement easier.
Unlike the speakers, the subwoofer can be positioned almost anywhere. You can try placing it in a different position around the room to gauge where it performs the best.
4. Cheap Speaker Wires
You can’t spend hundreds of dollars on a theater system and cheap out on the wires. This doesn’t mean you go out and spend a ridiculous amount on purchasing wires, but get wires that deliver adequate current to your speakers. Thicker wires are better in this sense. Most speakers come with thinner wires so you will most likely have to upgrade. We recommend any wire that is 12 gauge or more. These wires will provide ample current to pass ensuring sound is not lost.
5. Sound Setting on the Receiver
Most amplifiers and receivers come with a sound menu system which you can fiddle with. Most users have a tendency to leave it as it is and go with the preset algorithms the system comes with such as DTS, Dolby, THX. These are usually more than enough for the average user. However, a movie buff should want the most out of their system.
Now, there is no determined setting that will get you the best performance so you need to play around with it. This will allow you to get accustomed to the system and also enhance the sound experience. If all else fails you still have the preset setting to fall back on.
You can’t purchase a premier home theater and think you will get the most out of it. To get the most out of a home theater system, it is important you plan beforehand to know exactly which room the theater will be in and the dimensions. This can help you decide on which home theater system will be best for you while also provide you with a blueprint of where to place the speakers for best performance.
So whether you already have a home theater system or are interested in purchasing one, you can make a checklist and ensure all the five points are covered to get optimum performance from your home theater system.
