How to Choose a Surround Sound System
A good surround sound system brings the movie-going experience to life in your home. With five to seven speakers and a subwoofer, a big-screen TV, amplifier and a DVD or Blu-Ray player, your home theater can deliver amazing sound and visuals that will envelop everyone in the film or TV program. Choosing a surround-sound system, which refers specifically to the speaker package and the amplifier that powers them, is mostly a factor of budget and individual preference. Surround speakers no bigger than your fist are available for apartments and small living rooms, or you can go with mammoth floor speakers that will blow your audience through the back wall during action movies and televised sporting events. Surround systems are almost always available on sale somewhere, so shop around before you buy.
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Instructions
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Set a budget before you shop. If you already have a TV and DVD or Blu-ray player, you're halfway there. All you'll need is an amplifier or receiver matched to the power requirements of the speaker system.
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Learn about speaker systems. Surround sound packages come in 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 systems. These refer to the number of speakers plus a powered subwoofer, which delivers a deep bass sound. A 5.1 system, for example, includes front left and right speakers plus a center channel over the TV for dialog, two rear channel left and right speakers and a subwoofer. Each speaker plays a distinct signal to create the surround-sound experience. For example, in a movie featuring a car chase, the image of the cars racing left to right on your TV is matched by the sound of the engines roaring from the left speaker to the right speaker as the volume falls in the left audio channel and begins to rise in the right channel. Similarly, the sensation of a plane or a helicopter swooping overhead is enhanced by the volume of the sound effects falling from the front speakers and rising toward the rear speakers as the subwoofer delivers a deep, low-frequency rumble and vibration to simulate powerful engines flying through your living room.
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Take a couple of your favorite DVDs or Blu-ray discs to an electronics store and "test-drive" several surround-sound systems. Don't be in a hurry to choose; just listen and watch, taking time to adjust the volume level to hear how the speakers perform when wattage is pumped through them.
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Buy the best speakers you can afford, as surround-sound accounts for fully half of the home theater experience. If you listen to a lot of music, the investment in quality speakers will bring years of enjoyment.
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Buy a surround-sound package with speakers and a matching receiver or buy speakers and receiver/amplifier separately, taking care to match the components' power capabilities. Sales people can help, although be wary when shopping in stores where the staff are paid on commission. You might end up buying more than you need or equipment you didn't even want.
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Tips & Warnings
Measure the room dimensions where you plan to install your system; take that information to the store to help you choose a system with enough power to make the amount of noise you desire. You'll also need a spool of quality speaker wire long enough to make all connections to your system. Plan on buying at least 75 feet of speaker wire. You'll need a dedicated audio cable for the subwoofer, as few subs come with the cable. Buy a cable long enough to reach from the amp to wherever you wish to place the sub. Buy a power strip equipped with a circuit breaker if you don't already have one. A power strip enables you to connect all of your equipment to one convenient and protected power source that will shut off and save your gear if there is a power surge such as a lightning strike.
Discount electronics stores such as big-box retailers might sell the equipment at attractive prices, but enjoy a hefty profit margin on the huge markups for speaker wire, subwoofer cables, speaker stands and other "add-on" purchases that you will need but may not anticipate. These items can quickly break your budget. Instead, consider shopping around for the accessories in the same way as you would for the equipment--always looking for the best price. Ask about the store's return policy for defective products. Some stores will exchange the item with minimal or zero hassle; others may require you to ship the item to the manufacturer for repair or replacement. Better to know this before you buy.
