Home Theatre
What is included in a typical home theater system?
A Home Theater System can range anywhere from two front speakers (A Stereo System) with a 2 channel amplifier to a Multi-Channel Surround Sound System with even up to 64 speakers depending on the room size and multiple amplifiers and processors. Generally a typical home theatre system for your space depends on the size of the space, seating layout and type of audio experience you are interested in implementing.
A Surround Sound System is a multiple speaker system in which sound can move from front to side and in some cases to back and even overhead to give you a sense of immersion and let you feel like you are a part of the scene and hear everything as the director intended you to hear it while making that scene.
How big a room do I need to get a real Home Theater experience?
We generally recommend not less than 150 square feet in size for a Dedicated Home Theater Room. If you are interested in creating a Media Room then a Living Room or Spare Bedroom can also do the job. We also recommend having more width in the room then length. That allows for proper speaker placement and accurate listening angles as per industry standards. Square rooms are not usually ideal and rectangular serve the purpose much better for a Home Theater Experience.
How many speakers are good enough for a decent setup?
This completely depends on your room size. We need to place enough speakers so that you have a completely immersive experience and every seat in the room gets accurate sound reproduction. We also want to ensure no single speaker is too close to any one listener so that they do not localize any hear that one speaker above all others.
What kind of speakers should I use? Satellite speakers, Book-Shelf, Towers or In/Wall Speakers?
This is an aesthetic choice, but more importantly the room decides which speakers should be used. How we can place acoustical treatment, how the room reverberates and transmits sound, all factors into which speakers we can recommend for the space.
Can you suggest some speaker placement tips for the best acoustic experience?
We recommend following HAA or THX industry standards by ensuring your front speakers produce a 45 to 60 degree listening angle from the seating location. We also recommend hiring Avenue Sound or another certified company to conduct an acoustic analysis of the room to ensure proper speaker and subwoofer placement.
How can I sound-proof my room?
A lot of businesses have started to create smart working spaces to help team members be more productive, more efficient and focus more One should follow STC ratings and guidelines to ensure the room does not allow sound to pass through from any direction and this can be tested by using a sound level meter outside the room to ensure sound does not pass through.
What is the best speaker setup?
This is a very subjective question and the best way to answer this is whichever setup sounds the best to you in your listening space. Ideally the room impacts your sound much more than your speakers ever could. Set up your room correctly and almost any speakers can sound amazing. But we do recommend listening to any options before finalizing on speakers which you would want to put in your space.
What kind of seating is best for a home Theater?
This again is an aesthetic choice but we need to ensure listening and viewing angles are maintained as per THX standards. Anything beyond that remains a personal choice on which type of seating best fits who is going to be using it.
What makes a good home theatre system?
A good Home Theater System is one that follows Industry Standards, ideally being able to achieve 105DB Reference Listening Level at the Main Seating Position, adheres to THX Listening and Viewing Angles, and has been optimized and calibrated for the space.
How many subwoofers are enough?
THX recommends 4 subwoofers minimum to achieve consistent bass in every seat in the room and to tackle room modes of the room. We understand not every room can hold 4 subwoofers, but the ideal reference target is 4.
Should I buy a HDTV or a projector for the best home theatre experience?
This can be best answered by what type of light there is in the room. If you can control the light in the room and darken the space, a projector will give you a much larger viewing experience. If you have a lot of ambient light in the room, you may want to look at an HDTV because you will be able to achieve a reference level image even with a lot of light in the room.
How much importance does wiring have in a home theater setup?
Wiring is one of the most crucial factors in any sound setup. Using less expensive cabling can cause sound transmission loss and also fault to the equipment. Consider buying an expensive car but using low grade spark plugs, belts, or electrical wire. You are investing in expensive equipment but not giving it the connectivity to run to its optimal peak.
Should one consult an acoustic specialist to set up a home theatre?
We would highly recommend this. Avenue Sound is happy to give complementary acoustic evaluations so you can atleast get an idea of the challenges your room and setup face and make a decision if tackling them is worth it or not for your setup.