What is a home theater? My definition would be: A balanced blend of audio and video components with emphasis on quality. I am going to try and show you the basics on how to create a nice home theater, and which components to pay extra special attention to. I'll also provide some tips to getting better sound and video quality without purchasing additional equipment (although money almost always works). I've been building my home theater since 1989, with the purchase of my first VCR. Now, the majority of my purchases is complete. Upgrades, improvements, and new technologies are the only things I have to worry about in the years to come.
A good home theater should consist of a television, receiver, 5 piece speaker system, VCR, cd player and sub woofer. Optional goodies like a laser disk player, additional VCR, AC enhancers, high quality AV cables, signal filter/ boosters and tape decks can further enhance a home theater.
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Television - The television you choose is important because everything you see, wether it's on VCR, video games, cable, DVD, or laser disk, will be displayed on your single TV. If your TV is not the showcase in your home theater, you may be bottle necking the quality of what you could be seeing. The proper TV should make things look sharp, realistic, and with a full range of contrast. The best TV's will display the darkest colors as pure black, and true white as a white without any hints of grey. Most of the time, you get what you pay for. So try to get the best buy, on the best TV. Remember, this is not a refrigerator. A fridge either works, or it doesn't. A TV has many features, and qualities that can be seen. For instance, are horizontal lines straight, or slightly curvy? Does it have an s-video input? Does it support higher resolutions? Does it have perect contrast controls? Are colors realistic? Are you happy with the picture size? Since it is very expensive to upgrade a TV, it is important to you that you get it right the first time. Shop at many stores, compare prices, research features, and 99% of the time you CAN talk down the final price.
I purchased the Mitsubishi 35" CS-35503. This model had the best picture tube of the Mitsubishi TV's. It has 2 co-axial inputs and 3 separate inputs with composite and s-video inputs. The picture size is plenty big as well. The picture quality was written in magazine reviews to be one of the best on the market, and I would have to agree. |
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Receiver - Like the TV, the Receiver is a very important piece of your system. All of your sound data for all devices is taken, processed, and distributed through your receiver. You'll be able to select from sound fields (concert hall, Dolby AC-3, arena. Etc.) Many other features are available for a high-end receiver: digital inputs, s-video and composite inputs, ability to control other components, and equal wattage for all speakers . . . to name just a few. One thing you may want to look for if your shopping presently for a receiver is Dolby's AC-3, a.k.a., Dolby Digital. AC-3 is the latest progression of realistic sound in movies. AC-3 incorporates full stereo, full range rear speakers to the conventional pro-logic setup. Pro-logic and earlier systems only have mono, midrange rear output. Today you can have true, four independent, full range speakers surrounding you in every direction; front left and right, and rear left and right. The center output is mainly midrange (voice data) that is taken from the from the sounds of the front speakers. The best receivers will have an equal distribution of amplification among the five speakers, giving them a very realistic and unmatched sound. Modern high-end receivers are fairly expensive, and upgrading can cost you a fortune. So be sure to do your homework when shopping for a receiver and buy something that will not be outdated.
I purchased the Onkyo TX-SV909PRO. At the time, I didn't think an upgrade was necessary. Then one day I walked into a stereo shop and saw this receiver. I was awestruck at the features it had (for 1994). Six independent AV inputs (all with s-video), optical input, several specific inputs (tape, cd, phono, etc.), learning remote, simultaneous B set of speakers on independent source, 2 additional "front enhance speakers," and sleek look (looks are important too!). It's still one of the best receivers I've seen, but with the absence of AC-3. :( |
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Speakers - The front main speakers are probably the most noticed speakers of the five. The center speaker is the most heard; pumping out sounds from all voices, centralized sounds, and any mono recorded media. The rear speakers give you that 3D ambiance. Picking a speaker that is right for you is a personal opinion rather than fact. Some speakers have horn tweeters (high pitch sounds), some have a mid range, some have exotic materials to produce the cones, and some come in strange shapes. All of these options and many others give speakers a slightly different sound. Personally, I like conventional dome tweeters, a separate mid-range speaker, and some weight (gives better base response). One piece of advice to creating a professional home theater would to purchase a matching set of speakers. This can be expensive in some cases, but you get consistent sound through every speaker. Also, if your receiver has AC-3, you may want to have four identical speakers... front main, and rear left and right. For receivers without AC-3, get rear speakers that have the same tweeters and midrange if possible. Since non AC-3 receivers produce only high and mid range sounds for the rear, a woofer in the rear speakers would be overkill ( and a waste, unless your planning ahead for an AC-3 system). There are many speaker manufacturers, so create a list when you shop for them. Have a spending ceiling, grade demos' for sound quality (by using the same cd), list weight, list features (does it have a separate mid-range?), and perhaps size. The speaker you choose is a personal choice, so take your time researching.
I purchased the Paradigm 11se and matching center. My first purchase was the front main speakers. I narrowed down my search down to 4 speakers, then considered price, weight, sound quality, and mid-range. After getting the Paradigm main speakers, I purchased the matching center speaker so that I would get a consistent sound between the front three speakers. In time, I plan on getting matching rear speakers that consist of the same tweeters and mid-range speakers. |
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VCR - If you have very high grade equipment and s-video outputs on a DVD player, or any medium that you tend to record from, you may want to get an S-VHS VCR. Generally these are more expensive than a conventional VCR. A S-VHS VCR can play traditional VCR tapes, but use special types of video tapes to record on. If what your recording is from cable, laser disk, or another VCR, then you should look into a normal VCR, since these devises broadcast using a composite signal, or, one that has color and brightness combined into one cable and signal. If you record from DVD, a high-end video games system, or DSS, then the S-VHS VCR can capture the purity of these signals. A good s-video signal sends the data in two parts, the color data, and the brightness/ contrast data. These two parts are combined at the point of display, so there is far less signal bleeding in comparison to a composite signal. Since all I ever record from is cable, and sometimes another VCR, I purchased a traditional hi-fi VCR. Stereo and hi-fidelity is a must if you plan to use it in a home theater. The better VCR's have at least four heads (for playback and recording) and inputs for recording or viewing on the front of the machine.
I purchased the Sony SLV-780HF VCR. This was Sony's second best normal VCR. The better version had a "flying erase head" that helped in editing tapes, something I would not use. Also, Sony has an Elite series. The Elite VCR's are very expensive because they use the highest grade parts for the absolute best picture quality (maybe for use in commercial applications). Since the VCR format itself is substandard to laser disk and DVD, I chose to get a good, but not best VCR. |
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CD Player - Todays CD Players are very affordable and offer lots of features. A cd player without lots of features will still produce great sound. But some of the modern features are so convenient, that it is hard to do without them. For instance, the newest cd player manufacturers offer single disk, five disk, ten disk, twenty disk, one hundred disk, and higher cd holders. You never have to get out of your seat to change disks. The best cd players have optical outputs, but make sure that your receiver has inputs for this, or you may want to purchase a digital to analog converter. The cd players that hold many disks in permanent storage usually let you lable each disk with their proper names. You can also catorigize disks in genre's for your listening ease of use. If your throwing a party for star trek fans, play a series of "space theme" music from your collection. Switching disks is as easy as turning a jog dial on your remote. By choosing to switch your disks manually, you will save a lot of money, but your sound quality should be about the same. To get the most realistic sound that is noise free, use well shielded inter-connects (audio cables between cd player and receiver), and make sure that your receiver has a good amplifier (to reduce hissing sound).
I purchased the Sony CDP-CX100 100 disk changer. It has most of the features that I already mentioned before. When I purchased it in the summer of 1995, it was the first cd player of its kind to hold the disks internally in permanent storage. When I saw the optical output, I was sold. For me it was worth the extra money for the ease of use. Today you can get similar cd players from many manufactures for half the price. |
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Sub Woofer - Ahh, the sub woofer. This is one of the most under rated and personal favorite home theater pieces. A good sub woofer will totally destroy any pair of main speakers you could purchase when low base is concerned. You do not have to "blast" the sub to enjoy its presence. A sub set to a normal output will produce smooth and steady base and will completely liven up any movie or cd. Many television broadcasts have low notes, but you would not hear them (like they were meant) without a sub woofer. Star Trek is a show that always uses a consistent low note to designate when the story is taking place on a star ship. Explosions in movies rumble like thunder through a valley with incredible realism. Buying a sub can be fairly easy... does the sub produce smooth base at load levels? and can it pump out low notes (measured in Hz). I have done demo's with some sub woofers where you had to put your ear within inches of the unit to see if it was on. This is an example of a bad sub. Other times I walked into a stereo store and heard a rumble so load and smooth that I though a space shuttle was being launched, and the sub was about 100 feet away! When a sub demonstrates it can be laud, it is proving that it can, but you will probably set it for a much lower level of output. If a sub can "blast" and be smooth, you have found a great sub woofer. Expensive subs sometimes come with a remote control to control level output, and are big enough to be a coffee table!
I purchased the Velodyne VA-1012 Sub Woofer. I had been shopping for a couple of weeks and this was the fist sub that demonstrated a real presence. Velodyne was the only sub I saw that had a passive woofer that worked in conjunction with the amplified one. The result was a very smooth and realistic sound. When buying a sub, the more you spend with the same brand, the loader you can get without distortion, and the base output can usually produce a lower note. |