The perfect fit home theatre system for your perfect fit AV furniture
Customers who come to us looking for a unique custom fitted AV unit do so because they are looking for a solution that truly meets their needs. A perfect fit for their audio and visual passions – be it movies, music or gaming – and a perfect fit for their home, sympathetic to the size and décor of their living (and entertaining) spaces.
Not only are we interested in ensuring we assist our customers in designing the perfect fit AV furniture – but it’s important to us that our customers achieve the perfect all round entertainment experience and maximum enjoyment from their investments. With this wider view of the customer, we do what we can to advise on different aspects of optimising the performance through advice on AV kit and setups – for instance one of our blog posts covered perfect speaker placement. In this month’s blog post we are offering advice on home theatre systems – helping you choose a system that helps you get the very best performance to match your AV passions and tastes. Enjoy.
The starting point. What are your passions?
The starting point is to hone in on your AV passions. Different systems and setups will cater for and perform better for different types of music – be it cinematic film scores, dance music or maybe you plan to listen to hours of beautiful classical music.
Different types of music and films do not sound the same – they behave very differently and so place different requirements on a sound system. The dynamics of movie sound is a whole world away from a piece of recorded music. Movies require more channels to feed surround sound systems, music doesn’t. So when investing in a system you should consider whether you’ll mainly be listening to music, or watching movies – or a combination. If the quality of sound is extremely important to you we suggest you visit a local expert retailer and get their advice.
Packaged system or separates?
If you were to buy a boxed (not separates) home theatre package it is the different technologies available that tend to affect the pricing – for instance Dolby-ready audio or 3D or 4K capability. These features don’t tend to be available on cheaper systems. You might want to consider buying the various bits of kit to make up a system separately. In principle, there is nothing wrong with this idea however speakers and other devices from the same manufacturer are usually synced in the factory to work together which should ensure optimum performance for those with very keen ears / demands for optimum quality/performance.
Packaged surround sound systems explained – 2.1, 5.1, 7.1
The numbers used in home theatre surround sound systems refers to the amount of speakers included with the system – the .1 referring to the subwoofer, the speaker dedicated to bass. The number of speakers won’t necessarily effect the quality of sound – much of this will come down to speaker quality and room size and shape. A 5.1 system may be enough to achieve a full and satisfying surround sound in a small room whereas bigger rooms would benefit more from investing in a 7.1 system.
Joining it all up! Cables.
Cabling may not be the sexiest part of your system, but good quality cabling can make all the difference. Without doubt if you are buying a packaged home theatre system cables will be included. If you are buying separates or need to invest in new cabling in the future we’d advise you go for the best you can afford.
Understanding the technologies and components
For those unfamiliar with what some of the jargon used to describe system components and the lasted technologies (you’ll see stickers all over the system in show rooms!) – here’s AV Soul’s mini glossary for you:
Technologies
3D:
Some Blu-Ray players support the 3D format. It can only be streamed via an A/V receiver with an HDMI 2.0 connection.
4K:
4K is an ultra high definition imaging format for TVs with 4000 pixels capability.
Dolby Atmos:
A relatively new technology from Dolby, it is designed to move sound around, including up and down. It offers a great enhanced viewing/listening experience but will only work with special receivers and speakers.
DTS:
X: A less familiar company than Dolby, have created a similar system to Dolby Atmos called DTS:X. DTS doesn’t need special speakers, so this might be a consideration in choosing / budgeting.
Components / speaker types
Subwoofer:
Designed to create very low-frequency sounds – delivering rumbling bass punch.
Tweeter:
Opposite to the subwoofer, smaller tweeters output high frequency sounds like drum hi-hats and human voices.
Woofers:
Usually paired with the tweeters to produce audio in the low frequency range.
Satellite speakers:
The other remaining speakers in a surround sound system.
Enjoy your AV passions. Enjoy your home. Enjoy your life.
The right AV furniture, be it TV cabinet or AV/media wall can truly enhance your enjoyment of the music and movies you enjoy – enhancing your sensory enjoyment through both a desirable aesthetic and through well designed furniture with design features to promote optimum performance of your kit. If you are looking to invest in your AV passions – get in touch if you’d like us to help design the perfect fitted AV furniture for you.