How to Buy the Best Home Theater System
So you've gone out and purchased a great new wide screen TV but are dissapointed by the sound. Whether you want to be immersed in the action of your favorite movie, or hear the screams of your victims while you play your favorite PS3 or Xbox game, the addition of a dedicated home theater system is the last step in creating an immersive theater experience in your own home.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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Decide on the type of surround sound home theater system you want. There are three major types:
The 5.1 surround sound system: To the purist this is the only way to go. On the upside they provide excellent surround sound with dedicated sub-woofer, side speakers and rear speakers. Unfortunately they take up more space and there may be wiring issues for the rear speakers. A 5.1 style home theater system may have wireless rear speakers so this isn't an issue.
Next is the 2.1 system. These units have a subwoofer and two side speakers, they rely on software to give the illusion of surround sound. Generally they provide good sound and take up less space.
Last is the sound bar style. Compact units that rely on software to simulate surround sound. These are compact units that are great if you don't want to 'see' the system and cables everywhere.
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Next decide on the power. The best way to determine this is by the size of the room you'll use it in. Also be wary, when it comes to the rear speakers in a 5.1 style home theater system of the rear speaker power. Cheaper systems have very low power rear speakers, which, by the way, is key to true surround sound.
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An overlooked, but vitally important step is to look at the available connectors on the home theater system you are considering. Woe to you who purchases a system only to discover you can't hook up your new xbox 360. If you have a tivo carefully look at the connectors and make sure you can attach it. I had to return a unit because it only had one HD connector.
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After you decide on the power and style of the home theater system, you need to determine if you need additional features such as DVD player, ipod dock. and so on. Obviously the more features a home theater system has the more it will cost.
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A great looking home theater system should be aesthetically pleasing, just keep in mind that sleek, attractive units usually sacrifice features such as connectors and accessory docks, like for your ipod.
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Finding the best home theater system is easy, I suggest you use online merchants where you can read reviews and compare features. In fact you'll find some great links right on this page when you're ready to buy the best home theater system.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't buy a home theater system based on wattage or power, buy based on room size and electronics quality
Make sure the home theater system you are looking at has enough connectors for all your existing components
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Comments
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mappletree
Mar 28, 2009
i agree with what you say power isnt quality and looks are important i have bought the sony dav.is10 i tend to go for sony as my tv and games system are i was tempted by a bose system aswellas it just sounded great but only came with two sound bouncing speaker and no controll unit for ?600.iam happy with my choice it has a dm port i can play media on my mobile and it will sound on the 5.1 system as well as having small satlite speaker sounds great on call of duty i think the next system up will be the sony giga box capable of storing media
