"Home theater" is the combination of a good television with a good sound system. Home theater systems can include a television combined with a system of multiple speakers set up throughout the viewing room. Although "surround sound" can refer to all the speakers in a system, it usually refers to the rear speakers, which create ambient sound.
Check the manual for your receiver or outboard surround sound processor to determine whether you need full-range or limited-frequency speakers.
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Check to see whether the surround channels are discrete and mono or whether they are stereo.
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Read reviews in home theater magazines, on the Audio Review Web site and elsewhere on the Internet to further narrow your search.
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Visit a store that has a home-theater demonstration room.
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Ask the sales representative to demonstrate a system using a DVD movie.
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Listen for overall effect first, and then concentrate on the accuracy of the surround speakers.
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Compare up to three different pairs of speakers.
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Make sure the sales representative demonstrates each pair of speakers at equal volumes.
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Buy the speakers that provide the right effects without calling attention to themselves.
Tips & Warnings
Consider only models that will be compatible with your current amplifier, receiver or outboard surround sound processor. You must be sure that your amplifier or receiver is electronically matched to the speakers (that it can handle the speakers' impedance) and that the speakers fall within the power range specified by the speaker manufacturer.
Trust your ears. Don't let a reviewer or salesperson talk you into or out of a particular product.
Budget for speaker cables.
Don't try to compare too many speakers in one day, whether you visit one store or several.
Don't listen to speakers that are out of your price range.
Let speaker size or appearance be part of your buying decision, but avoid emphasizing those features over sound quality.
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