Home theaters have become very popular over the last few years. And it’s not really surprising, it has democratized the theatrical experience for people, allowing them to enjoy movies with almost the same visceral experience they get inside the theater – without having to worry about parking, sticky seats and annoying people. With a growing number of people installing home theaters the inevitable problem arises – not everyone has the technical skills or the knowledge to make intelligent decisions when setting up a home theater. Below are some mistakes that people commit when installing home theaters.
One of the most common mistakes people make when installing home theaters is placing their speakers or subwoofers inside cabinets. The most common explanation for this is that home owners want the speakers to be ‘discreet’ – hiding the speakers from view for aesthetic purposes. But the result is far from ideal from a sonic perspective. As you can already see, speakers already come inside cabinets. The cabinets are not there for aesthetic purposes these are specially designed to bring the best sonic qualities to your. When you place speakers inside cabinets what you essentiall do is to screw up the sonic qualities that the sound engineers who designed the speakers worked hard to achieve. What you’ll get is a muffled sound and compromised sonic characteristics. The same also happens when you place subwoofers inside cabinets, the bad effects get even more pronounced with subs. Placing it inside a cabinet will result in very boomy sounds and a hum that you’ll hear when the sub receives certain frequencies.
Buying the wrong speakers is also a common mistake when setting up a home theater. Usually, people who are new to this hobby will buy satellite speakers because of its diminutive size and easy installation and placement. Satellite speakers are a good choice for offices and small environments. But if you have a fairly large room with high ceilings, satellite speakers will just sound too small and you won’t really enjoy the aural experience. Bookshelf speakers are a good choice if you want a relatively small size but with bigger sonic power. If your room is very large then floorstanders are the only way to go. Try to buy a good set of speakers from the get go so you won’t have to worry about constant upgrades. Speakers are the most future proof of all your HT gear anyway so buy the ones that will be perfect for your room.
Another common mistake is mounting a TV or a projector screen too high from the floor. Some people try to mount their TVs or screens too high that people who watch will have to crane their necks just to watch. This is extremely annoying and will only fatigue you and your guests. Your home theater is there for your relaxation and not for creating a crick on your neck. When mounting or placing a TV,make sure that it is a level that will allow you to face the screen directly without tilting your neck. It will not only be relaxing but you’ll also enjoy better picture quality.
Another mistake when setting up a home theater that’s related to the TV is buying the wrong size for the room. A huge TV may make an impressive statement in your living room or HT room but is it the correct size? If the room has a limited space and your TV is too large you’ll only see a portion of the screen, your peripheral vision is limited and you won’t see the edges of your TV. Additionally, if the TV is too near you, you’ll just see the bad image quality of low resolution images. On the other hand, a small TV in a large room won’t be enough and you won’t enjoy watching your movies. To find the perfect TV size for your room, go online and look for calculators that will automatically compute the best TV size for the viewing distance in your room.