Home Theater Speaker Systems
Home Theater Speaker Systems: Choose the Right ‘All-In-One’ Package
Home theater speaker systems have improved greatly in the last 20 years. The standard has changed as the technologies have improved: larger woofers replaced with smaller units, paper-like materials replaced with polymer plastics. Twin upright units were the norm back in the 1980’s – with tweeter, midrange, and woofer components all in one pre-fabbed wooden box. Now we see setups with five to seven components and a sometimes very small subwoofer that produces drywall-shattering lows. Combine that with all of the choices you have today for your audio hardware – receivers, DVD players and equalizers among some of them – and setting up your new home theater can become very stressful.
One of the most popular trends today is to package complete home theater speaker systems in one box. This gives the potential customer the simplicity of choosing one manufacturer for his/her audio hardware. Some of these ‘out-of-the-box’ packages also include DVD players which double as receivers and equalizers, with pre-programmed sound fields; such as ‘Stadium’, ‘Arena’, or ‘Café’. These packaged components are available for nearly every size room imaginable, from dorm rooms to spacious living areas. The more wattage one of these sets produces means the larger an area you can use it in. Another thing to consider is the physical location and mounting. Some manufacturers will provide you with speaker stands so that you don’t have to drill into or otherwise modify the walls – a great point if you are renting.
Do you need a five-speaker system, with a center channel and rear channel speakers? This is another point to consider. Properly aligning the rear channels requires a certain amount of open space that may not be available. New technologies have solved this issue with home theater speaker systems that include a ‘sound bar’ which is a single speaker that can electronically produce the effect of a complete surround system. You can also find this technology in the two front channel speakers of some manufacturers.
These kits sound great right out of the box, and need very little setup. You can find one to fit nearly any room size, and they sound great. Most are upgradable, and allow you to keep the speakers and use them with a new, more powerful receiver/amplifier or perhaps a DVD player upgraded to Blu-Ray. The most attractive aspect of the all-in-one speaker systems, however, is the price. All the features, quality, and enjoyment of much higher priced items can be had altogether for a decent price. This may be why more all-in-one home theater speaker systems are sold when the same customer also buys a high-definition television. This makes it easy for the typical electronics consumer to be an audio expert and enjoy the full experience of a home theater.