Bring the enjoyment and magic of the films right to your front room with a home theater. The following guide will assist you to create the proper setup for your space, with recommendations on choosing the sort of TV, speakers, and audio electronics that best meet your needs.
This guide will also cover where to put your speakers for the optimal sound. To map out the perfect home theater layout and get an immersive experience, we would recommend the following, at a minimum:
- a surround audio system
- the biggest HDTV or UHD TV you can manage
- a broadband internet connection that works fast
The Speaker Setup
Get simply the best sound from your home theater layout by finding the optimum spot for your speakers. There are a couple of ways to bring the overhead sound of the best speakers into your home:
- Ceiling speakers
- Upward firing speakers
- A soundbar
Ceiling speakers and upward-firing speakers or modules deliver equivalent performance. The upward-firing speakers direct sound upwards and reflect off the ceiling to supply incredibly lifelike, overhead sound. There are two sorts of upward-firing speakers:
- Integrated units that include traditional, forward-firing speakers
- Add-on modules, containing only the upward-firing elements, that sit on top of your current speakers or on a close-by surface
A soundbar may include upward-firing speakers. While two upward-firing speakers, modules, or overhead speakers will deliver a compelling experience, we recommend using four if possible. This may deliver more precisely located and realistic overhead sounds.
Read also: Learn how to skip ads on Hulu on your theater
Whichever you select, you should get someone to setup shows you ways to rearrange your speakers for the best possible experience.
The speaker layouts are parallel to the 7.1 and 5.1 setups for the surrounding sound system.
- A 5.1.2 or a 7.1.2 system uses 2 ceiling speakers, or 2 upward-firing speakers or modules.
- A 5.1.4 or a 7.1.4 system uses 4 ceiling speakers, or 4 upward-firing speakers or modules.
- To a 7.1.2 layout, the 9.1.2 system adds a pair of front wide speakers.
Create and optimize your home theater
Learn about different sorts of home theater setup and plan your space. Determine what you will need for your optimal setup and find out the way to choose the proper equipment to urge the simplest sound within your budget.
Types of home theater audio systems
There are four basic sorts of home theater audio systems:
- For an in-a-box home theater system: Usually 5 surround sound speakers, a subwoofer, and a disc player/amplifier. These are sold together unit and include all wiring.
- Soundbar: an extended, thin bar containing several loudspeaker drivers. Many models include a separate, usually wireless, subwoofer.
- For a component system: This includes audio/video receivers, speakers, and any source components such as a disc player.
- For the component separates: The component systems which replace the receiver with a separate preamplifier or a processor along with power amplifiers.
Your room
Where you propose to line up your system can dictate what you will need. Large speakers can overwhelm a little room. And a soundbar won’t be ready to fill an outsized room with sound.
When planning, remember to organize routes for the wires to the surround speakers, furniture, and electric power. Go through your speaker’s guide for recommended speaker positioning.
The right system for your room
For different room sizes and functions, here are some guidelines to follow for the equipment:
- Something similar to a dorm room: One can look for home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems or a soundbar enabled with Dolby Atmos. Component systems with small speakers can also be suitable.
- The living room in an apartment: Home-theater-in-a-box, a soundbar enabled with Dolby Atmos or a small component system. this may depend upon how well the system fits together with your furniture (and your neighbors).
- Larger living room: Component system. Create a separate home theater area within the room; an HTIB or soundbar enabled with Dolby Atmos should be an honest choice.
- Den or bachelor pad: Component system. Create a dream system only for you.
- Dedicated home theater room: Design the simplest component system you’ll fit and can afford.
While the perfect could also be the dedicated home theater room, this is often not in the least necessary when producing a home theater system you’ll really enjoy. Even the least-expensive soundbar or home-theater-in-a-box system can really enhance your sound.
Consider adding a TV enabled with Dolby Vision HDR imaging technology and Dolby Atmos sound to completely experience the Dolby difference – this is because Dolby is the best sound experience in the market right now.
Your content
Whether you wish to observe video games, sports, movies, or cultural programs, you’ll include equipment to bring that content and media to life. If you recognize, as an example, that you’re going to be renting movies on Blu-ray, you’ll include that in your initial planning.
Here are some program sources to consider:
- Traditional TV content, including cable and satellite
- Streaming media, like Netflix, Amazon or YouTube, and lots of others
- Online media (any video or audio on your computer)
- Games
- Discs, like Blu-ray, DVD, and CD
- Vinyl LPs
Your budget
Sound systems are available for a range of costs – you would possibly also want to think about adding a TV enabled with Dolby technologies to your audio system for the complete Dolby experience. Many TVs feature Dolby Vision HDR technology, and a few also are enabled with Dolby Atmos sound.
With Dolby Atmos, sound moves all around you in three-dimensional space in order that you are feeling such as you are inside the story. Manufacturers are always adding new features to TVs so careful shopping can really make a difference to your overall setup.
Price ranges
- $200–$1,000: Home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems. a couple of deluxe models are priced much higher. HTIB systems usually have small speakers.
- $200–$2,000: Soundbars offer an alternate once you simply do not have space for a surround audio system. Many soundbars are now enabled with Dolby Atmos so this feature is certainly worth exploring.
- $1,000–$3,000: Component home theater systems, supported an A/V receiver.
- $3,000 and up: Component home theater systems with top-of-the-line receivers or preamplifier/amplifier separate and enormous speakers.
Essentially, for all equipment, the extra money can purchase more features and better maximum listening levels. If you’re planning a component system, you may save more money.
The most essential part of all of this setup is your TV where you’ll screen the TV show and movies so you better keep in mind that the resolution is top-notch. Here’s how you can learn how to mount a flat-screen TV, no matter how big it is, in your room, easy and quick.
