Ensemble Theatre Group

When you walk into the home theatre system area of your local consumer electronics outlet, the multitude of choices are daunting. Everything is gleaming under the fluorescent lights, very new and very shiny, each system seemingly saying “buy me, buy me”. Before you get to that point, there are many things you need to understand and realize to help you make the best possible decision for your home and your wallet.

First you need to determine which room of your home will house this home theatre system. Note that if you are going for the very large screen like 50 or 60 inches or more, the best viewing is from about 10 to 12 feet away. So putting a screen of this size into a small room is going to disappoint you because the screen will not look sharp or crisp. On the other hand, if you go with a smaller screen like a 36 or 42 inch screen, this would be adequate for a small family room or even a larger bedroom.

You need to decide on what type of display you want. LCD and plasma displays will provide the clearest and sharpest images. DLP and rear projection systems can cost less, but a major disadvantage in these systems is the viewing angle — DLP and rear projection do not provide as clear a picture when viewing the screen from an angle. Again, examine your target room where your system will be located, and determine the typical viewing angle for the viewers which should help you decide the best display technology to use.

Another important component is the receiver. Some receivers for home theatre systems have inputs for your cable TV or satellite dish connection, as well as inputs for a variety of other things, such as your DVD player, your VCR, your surround sound system, and perhaps even a PC input. Some even have a built-in radio, although these are becoming less common. One of the newer additions to receivers is the ability to play XM radio, although XM radio will require a monthly subscription. So with all these choices, you need to evaluate what is important to you, as well as what you will actually USE. There is little sense, for example, in equipping the receiver with XM radio if you will never or rarely use that option.

No home theatre system is complete without a good speaker system. Ideally, the surround sound should be Dolby 7.1 or at least Dolby 5.1. If you are going to spend the money on a great home theatre system, it makes little sense to “cheap out” with the speakers and audio system, since after the picture, the SOUND is the other component that lights up your internal sensory perceptors as you are enjoying your system.

You can even go the extra mile with your surround sound system if you want to go whole hog, and use the “bass shaker” attachments that are available with some systems. These gadgets attach to your recliner or sofa, and when a scene comes on with an explosion or car wreck, these gadgets actually SHAKE the recliner or sofa, adding to the realism of the movie.

I suggest you make yourself a list, or maybe even a paper spreadsheet that you take with you when you shop around. Put a column for must-have features, a column for nice-to-have features, and perhaps yet another column for a feature you find that is specific to a particular brand. And definitely SHOP AROUND for your home theatre system! Create a budget for yourself that will NOT be exceeded, regardless of how loudly a particular system is screaming at you to buy it. Watch for systems to go on sale, which they do on a frequent basis, and you can save yourself a wad of cash. If you are buying the components separately, my recommendation would be to buy them all from the same store. That way if there is a problem, you will not have the issue of “finger pointing” from the various stores trying to blame each other.

The smart shopper is the one who gets the quality system and doesn’t pay “sticker price” for it. Be informed, know what you want, be willing to learn if you run across an intelligent salesperson who knows what he is talking about, and stick to your budget.

You will be able to enjoy your investment in this superb home theatre system for years to come.

In the movie “The Wedding Singer,” Drew Barrymore’s fiance comes home with his latest purchase, a CD player. He’s very happy with his accomplishment because, being the materialistic kind of guy that he is, he’s proud of thee fact that it cost about $700. Of course, the joke is on him and the entire audience knows it, because the average price of a CD player today is only a couple of hundred dollars. Still, in 1985, the year in which this movie is set, I’m sure that $700 for a CD player was a good deal.

All electronics, from computers to alarm clocks, are prohibitively expensive when the first come on the market, but they become more affordable as time goes on. Home theatre audio systems have been no different. What was once a luxury item that only people like Donald Trump could afford is now something that tens of thousands of Americans have in their homes. The market has been, and continues to be, flooded with new and cheaper audio systems, especially those of the HTiB, or Home Theatre in a Box, variety. But again, as with all electronics, you get what you pay for, and not all of these systems are created equal. When selecting a home theatre audio system, there are several factors that need to be balanced, including quality, price, and size.

If you’re in college, don’t have a lot of disposable income, but simply must have a home theatre audio system, chances are you’re going to end up with a budget-priced HTiB. These systems, which usually feature small satellite speakers and subwoofers, have an inclination toward spotty sound quality and lack sheer oomph. To quote Napster in The Italian Job, a budget-priced HTiB will never be “loud enough to blow women’s clothes off.” But while Napster might disapprove, such systems have their upsides. They are, as mentioned, affordable for the average individual, and they also tend to have the advantages of being compact and comparatively easy to assemble.

Or perhaps you own a downtown loft in a high rise somewhere and you want a theatre audio system that coordinates with such an ambiance. Some HTiB manufactures offer systems that feature style and are overtly sleek in appearance. A home theatre audio system that goes this route will often have very petite satellite speakers, or perhaps “tallboys,” which are very slender but as much as sixty inches tall. The advantage of a style-centric HTiB, in addition to its elegant appearance, will probably include lots of features and simplicity of set up. The disadvantages? Such a system will probably have limited bass output and limited connectivity options.

Some manufactures are now offering component packages, which are built around separate components. These systems, while forfeiting the traditional HTiB advantage of compactness, usually have the benefits of solid build quality and variety of features. However, as mentioned, such a home theatre audio system will probably be fairly large and clunky, which won’t work if you need to fit it into your studio apartment.

Finally, if you want to go cutting-edge, there are wireless HTiB systems that utilize the very latest in audio technology. These are great if you can afford them, since they save space while maintaining high quality. But as mentioned, they can be extremely expensive and in some cases, you’re better off buying separate components.