Modern home theater – what to look for when buying?

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Due to the lack of access to cinemas, many people decide to buy a professional home theater. If you, too, want to create a real cinema lover’s corner in your home, be sure to check out popular home cinema systems.

What speakers to choose for home cinema?

Speakers are the most important element of home cinema. Most often a set includes five speakers and a subwoofer. Many sets have two front speakers, two side speakers and one center channel speaker. Depending on the size of the room and our needs, we can choose home cinema

  • in a 5.1 system,
  • 7.1 system,
  • dolby Atmos or 11.2.

Speakers in a 5.1 system is the basic equipment of a home theater, but also the cheapest option available. It consists of five speakers and a subwoofer. One center channel speaker is positioned at the front, and speakers can be placed on the sides of the TV and behind the couch to spread the sound throughout the room. The center speaker is responsible for the foreground of the movie soundstage space. It’s from here that you’ll hear character dialogue and everything that’s happening in the center of the frame. A good quality center speaker guarantees an amazing experience and full immersion during the film screening. Match the size of the speaker to the size of your TV, because any shift to the left or right will make the sound distorted.

When it comes to subwoofer, you can find active and passive versions in the market. An active subwoofer has a built-in amplifier that is tuned to the woofer. Passive, on the other hand, has no such amplifier and requires an additional connection to an external power amplifier. For someone who is not familiar with speaker power and does not know how to match the power amplifier to the subwoofer, models with an already built-in amplifier will be a better option.

The 7.1 system is enhanced further with two rear speakers that give a deeper and more spacious sound. A subwoofer is still included to amplify the low end, connected to the side speakers.

Dolby Atmos or 11.2 systems, on the other hand, are sets for very demanding cinema enthusiasts, who care about the sound of the highest quality. Sets can have from 7 to even 34 speakers. Home cinema of this class has both half-range speakers and two speakers supporting the lowest frequencies, which gives greater depth of reception.

Home theater with AV processor and power amplifier

A split system consists of a power processor, which is responsible for properly distributing the audio and video to the various components. It allows you to more precisely adjust and match the transmitted sound and correct it on individual speakers. You can also change the volume level. The amplifier, or power amplifier, on the other hand, is the device responsible for the proper transmission of sound. It is connected to the AV processor to send information about the sound, which is amplified and distributed to the appropriate speakers. Such a system takes up a little more space, but it produces a much better and deeper sound than a combined system.

Arranging speakers in a 7.1 system

One of the cheaper and more common choices is a 7.1 home theater system. The front speakers, which are responsible for basic sounds such as dialogue and the soundtrack, should stand on either side of the screen at an angle of about 45 degrees to the viewer. You can place the center speaker above or below the TV. However, it cannot be hidden behind the screen as the dialogue will then be barely audible. The subwoofer, on the other hand, is responsible for sound effects and low tones, such as booms, thunders and thumps. It should be in direct contact with the floor and located in a corner of the home theater room. The effect speakers, on the other hand, should be located on the walls to the right and left of the screen. The 7.1 system also adds rear effect speakers, which should be located behind the viewer. They are responsible for background sounds, such as passing cars. They have the ability to transmit sound so that the viewer actually has the impression of the sound effects moving, which gives greater realism when watching films.

Photo: Loewe Technologies/Unsplash

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