How to Choose the Best Home Theater System

If you have been watching movies, shows, or sports at home with a standard TV and no sound system, it is time to check your budget then go get a great home theater system. There is no hard and fast rule about building your system because your home is as unique as you are and one system may be better than another to suit your ear, the home’s decor, and the size of the room. But there are a few things to consider when choosing key parts of your system.

The TV — Ultra-high definition or “4K” television is somewhat in its infancy, but that doesn’t mean you should not buy a TV capable of watching it. The latest 4K TVs offer incredibly sharp pictures even in today’s normal high-definition. The advantage is that you are buying a TV that will be up-to-date for several years as 4K technology becomes more commonplace. Buy the biggest TV you can fit and afford because the picture quality will blow you away when you watch your favorite movies.

The room — Your TV room may be large or small, square or rectangular, and have high or low ceilings, but it still needs good sound. Larger rooms will benefit from larger speakers, whereas smaller spaces may need smaller but high-quality speakers due to space restrictions. Either way, don’t buy cheap because the resulting audio will be poor.

Streaming capability — Today’s home theaters are not just TVs, they are also multi-media centers for Internet, music, and more. Most new TVs today are smart and can link to your Internet router. You may prefer a streaming stick or other device but you don’t necessarily need one. Look at the specifications for TVs that interest you; their Internet connectivity and ability to stream video or audio services will be shown.

The speakers — The audio experience from a good set of speakers is truly amazing, but there are right and wrong ways to do audio. One speaker won’t normally provide the best audio experience, although some soundbars do an adequate job for small rooms. A good audio system will have left front and rear, right front and rear, a center voice speaker, and a subwoofer to enhance lower frequencies. That should be the basis for the system you buy — there are more choices such as wireless or wired rear speakers, but these decisions may be dictated by how easily you can run wiring through your walls or ceiling.

The home theater receiver — The receiver is the brains of the outfit by deciphering the signals coming from the TV and sending them to the correct speakers. The number of speakers you want determines how many channels the receiver must have so each speaker will get a discrete audio signal. Get the most power you can afford because a more powerful receiver doesn’t have to work as hard and will sound better with less distortion. Even better, consider an amplifier and pre-amp to really kick up your system.