Home Theatre Systems

A ‘Home Theatre System’ is an amplifier with a set of speakers, often including a DVD player. A Home Theatre System is a complement to a good television, providing better sound to match your better picture. The term can be confusing, because a room in your home dedicated to showing video is often called a ‘Home Theatre’, while ‘Home Theatre System’ is sometimes shortened to ‘Home Theatre’.

Mono, Stereo, Surround

A sound signal that only has one channel is called mono. A sound signal that has two channels is called stereo. A stereo signal, because it can deliver two different sounds to two different speakers, can give a sense of left and right.

Surround sound uses more than two speakers to give a greater sense of physical space, which can be very effective in increasing the dramatic experience of a movie. A 5.1 surround system places three speakers in front of you, two speakers behind you and a sixth speaker that only delivers deep bass. The human ear cannot interpret direction based on very low sounds, so bass doesn’t count as a full channel. That’s where the ‘.1’ comes from. Most DVDs offer audio tracks mixed for both stereo and 5.1 speaker configurations.

What difference does it make?

Because 5.1 audio offers more options for where the sound can come from, a sound can be directed to the front or back, as well as side to side. This means that if a character in a movie hears someone sneaking up behind them, the crunch of a shoe on gravel can be heard from behind, giving you the same experience as the character and heightening the reality.

A 3.1 audio system doesn’t have the rear speakers of a 5.1 audio system, just 3 front speakers and a bass speaker. A 7.1 system has all speakers of a 5.1 system, with additional side speakers.

Most large HDTVs come only with stereo sound. Some smaller screens come with 3.1 or 5.1 audio built in. The assumption is that if you’re only buying a small screen, then saving a few dollars by bundling together the TV and improved audio makes sense. For a larger screen, the assumption is that you’re more likely to want to spend serious money on a serious sound system, so why waste money putting in audio extras when you’re just going to replace them?

If you primarily watch TV shows, then you probably won’t need anything more than the stereo sound that comes with the TV, as most of them only offer stereo sound. If your focus is watching movies, though, then buying a better audio system will make a huge difference in the quality of the experience. TV programs don’t often have the time and money to invest in optimizing the sound experience for multiple speakers, and even if they did, the vast majority of their audience has only had stereo broadcast options up until now. Movies, on the other hand, have the luxury of budget and time frame that allows them to optimize the experience for better sound systems.

Wireless Rear Speakers

A thome theatre with Wireless Rear Speakers transmits audio to the rear speakers by a radio signal. This means that you don’t need to run wires from the Home Theatre System to the back of the room. You can plug the rear speakers into a power outlet at the back and they will automatically connect themselves. Most rooms are easy to run speaker wire in, just by tucking the wire underneath the baseboard. If there isn’t an easy way to run wires because of the layout of the room or the way its finished, spending a little more for wireless speakers may be a good option for you.

‘Wireless Ready’ usually means that the Home Theatre System is able to transmit wirelessly to rear speakers, but the speakers that come with it are not wireless speakers. This gives you the option to buy wireless rear speakers, but you’ll have to pay extra.

How much will it cost?

You can get a basic Home Theatre System for several hundred dollars that will make your movie watching experience much better. For a truly immersive experience that heightens the feeling of being there, you can easily spend several thousand dollars on a high-end audio system. If you have the money, then spending as much or more on the sound for your TV than you spent on the TV itself just might make sense.