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Tip #1
Spend some quality time with your entertainment room. It’s as
much a component in your home theater system as any of the
electronics you’ll buy.
Ask Yourself: Is it going to be a room solely for
my entertainment system or will it be used for other activities like kid’s
parties and other family gatherings? Given the dimensions
of my room, are there any size considerations for the components
and speakers I’m planning on using?
 Homework:
If you didn’t doodle a map in the course
Home
Theater Defined, take a second and
do so now:
1. Go over the possible
placements of your furniture, components and
speakers once again (keep an eraser handy).
2. Check that you have the room’s dimensions.
3. Check the list of all the inputs you currently
have and will continue to use.
4. Consider the list of all the inputs you
intend to add to your new system.
5. Write down which components are going to
need cables and wires.
6. Write down the approximate lengths of these
cables and wires.
7. Carry this map and info with you as you
shop.
Don’t forget:
the TV picture is not so pretty when light is
reflecting off the screen. Likewise, audio is
not so beautiful when sound waves are reflecting
off hard surfaces like bare walls and windows.
You want to configure your room for optimal picture
and sound by reducing screen and hard surface
reflections. |
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Tip
#2
Ruminate on the experience you want before you ruminate
on your budget. Is it stereo, surround sound, primarily
music, primarily movies? Get clear on what you want
to experience when you’ll settle back in the sofa.
Tip
#3
Use the internet. It is so immediate, a couple hours
poking around on key sites and forums and you’ll
know more than most. One good consumer forum is AVSforum.com.
Trade and consumer magazines, friends, family and inquiring
jaunts to the electronics store all bolster that thing
called customer leverage.
Most importantly, don’t buy a thing at this point.
Just fill up with the information that will empower
you come purchase time.
Tip
#4
Whittle your home theater choices down to what you absolutely
want this instant versus what you’re willing to
add later on. Revisit the sketch of your room. Review
your research. Ultimately you’ll end up with two,
maybe three possibilities. Maybe you’ll buy your
new TV and TV Cabinet, a new receiver, and a new DVD
player, and then save the speakers and subwoofer for
later. Whatever you decide, you’re now in a very
confident, very resilient place to volley with the sales
clerk.
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 Tip
#5
Keep your eyes peeled for values. Electronics superstores
make promotions a daily ritual, online manufacturers can offer
radically lower markup than retailers and web auctions offer
access to deals worldwide. This a good way to get a new receiver
and DVD player. The trick is to know what you want and need
and be ready for the opportunity.
 
Beware of a mismatched TV size for your room. The idea here
is balance. Too big a TV size and you see the details (pixels)
of the screen, not the image. Too small and you feel like
you’re watching from the nosebleed section. Here’s
a reference chart you can use to help determine the best
screen size for your room.
Beware of the Showroom
Larger retailers don’t pay much
attention to the acoustics of the rooms where they are selling
receivers and speakers, and in fact they are seldom a good
place to audition these products. On the other hand, if you
walk into a high end retailer (a good clue is that you’ve
never heard of any of the brand names!) then chances are they
have gone to great lengths to acoustically perfect their sound
room in hopes of wowing you with a demo. If the seller offers
a reliable exchange and return policy, then you can audition
in your own home and then take it back if you choose.
Beware
of Paying by Cash or Check
Credit cards not only include automatic
buyer protection for the cardholder, but there’s something
about a return on a credit card that is easier to process
than a cash return. Of course, it’s up to you. If you’re
getting a break for paying cash go for it. Just make sure
the return policy is a stellar one.
Beware of the Amateur
Sales Clerk
Do not be seduced, coerced, sweet-talked
or otherwise bamboozled. Do your research and you’ll
develop a finely tuned B.S. meter. If something doesn’t
feel right, it isn’t. It’s okay to walk away.
It just means your home theater is somewhere else out there
waiting for you.
Please see the Glossary
for additional definitions of Home Theater terms.
Dolby Digital
Also known as AC-3 or 5.1, Dolby describes the audio coding
technique that creates five separate audio channels. The 5
refers to the number of discrete channels (speakers) the format
supports. The .1 number refers to the Low Frequency Effect
(LFE) more commonly known as the subwoofer information. Dolby
Digital is a compressed digital signal, meaning it reduces
the amount of disk space needed to store the data used to
create the sound.
THX
It’s still within the same 5.1 Dolby Digital processing,
but when you use all THX certified components (fee for approval
by THX Corporation) then you officially have a true THX home
theater to brag about. If you are not much for bragging then
don’t worry about it, again this is more about marketing
than actual performance.
DTS
Quite simply, this is Dolby Digital but better. DTS is a less
compressed format. Just like Dolby, you need your receiver,
DVD player and DVD disc to be DTS compatible in order to play
this format.
SACD
Developed by Sony for CD audio, SACD allows more data to be
put on to a disc. The extra space leftover can be used in
a couple of ingenious ways, namely improving the quality of
standard 2-channel audio or adding more tracks for a surround
sound mix. Just know that you’ll need a special SACD
player to enjoy SACD discs as well as a receiver with multi-channel
direct inputs. And yes, Sony is pushing to establish SACD
as the standard in CD format and I for one think it is superb.
DVD Audio
Similar to SACD, DVD audio uses the extra space on a DVD disc
to improve audio quality, to add surround audio channels,
to provide additional video or to add special features. In
order to fully enjoy DVD-Audio discs, you’ll need to
have a DVD player that is compatible with DVD-Audio as well
as a receiver with multi-channel direct inputs.
Look for
these logos on the receivers and DVD players you are contemplating.
You can also see them on the back of newer DVDs telling
you how the movie was recorded.
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