Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Are You Prepared To Shop For A Home Theatre Audio System?

By Crescencia Pedersen


Are you ready to buy a home theater audio system? Here are several tips to help you find the right audio system for you.

1. Take the good time with the room you are going to place your brand new home theater sound system. Believe it or not but the room is as much a component in your home theater system as any of the electronics you may ever buy. Look carefully to see which room you will be placing your brand new system in. Consider whether or not this room will be utilized solely for your system or will it be used for other activities. Will there be any size considerations for the components and speakers you intend on using with the dimensions of the room?

Consider sketching a map of your room and draw the possible placements of your furniture, components and speakers. Measure the room's dimensions and write them down. Make a list of all the inputs you now have and may continue to use. Make a list of the inputs you wish to add to your new audio system. You should write down which components are actually going to need wires and cables. Also, get the exact estimated lengths of those wires and cables. After all of this is worked out carry this information and map with you if you go out to buy your new sound system.

It is important to arrange your room for optimal picture and sound by reducing screen and hard surface reflections. Do not forget the TV picture is not very pretty when light is reflecting off the screen. Also, audio is not so wonderful when sound waves are reflecting off hard surfaces like bare walls and windows.

2. Decide on what you want to experience when you settle down on your couch with your partner and a big bowl of popcorn. Ruminate on the experience you want before you ruminate on your budget. Is it stereo, surround sound, or primarily movies?

3. Spend a couple of hours searching on key websites and message boards and you will know more than most. Friends, family, trade and consumer magazines and inquiring jaunts to your favorite electronic store can help you get customer leverage. Do not buy anything at this point. Find as much information stuffed into your brain that will help you when the time comes for you to purchase your system.

4. Revisit the sketching of your room and your research. You will eventually end up with two, possibly three alternatives. By now you need to be a confident consumer. Decide what you absolutely want.

5. You will find values out there the trick is to be an expert on home theater sound systems. Keep your eyes open for good deals. Big electronic stores offer promotions, online manufacturers can offer radically lower markup than retailers and online auctions offer access to deals all over the world.

6. Don't get stuck with a mismatched TV size for your room. The key here is balance. If the TV is too big then you tend to see the details of the screen, not the image. If the TV is too small you might feel like you're sitting in the nosebleed section. Here is an equation to help you decide the best screen size for your room.

2.5 x the size of you TV screen = Suggested viewing distance

For example: If your TV is 36" then according to the equation you need to sit about 90" from your TV (36 x 2.5 = 90). Note that this chart is only a reference.

Good luck finding the home theater audio system to fit your needs. Enjoy shopping and make the experience fun.




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