subject: 5 Home Theatre Mistakes And How To Avoid Them [print this page] Any audio visual installation can go wrong if you don't know what you are doing. It's a specialist area that requires a specialist knowledge so it's no wonder many people find themselves confused and dismayed both when making their decisions about how to choose the right system, and then by the installation process.
But before you go anywhere, let's go over some important mistakes that could easily be made and then look at some strategies to avoid them.
What Size Television? One of the easiest traps to fall into when choosing a home theatre is to purchase the biggest television you can get your hands on. But what looks good in the showroom may translate into a nightmare in your home if the size is not correct. First of all, you have to consider the size of the room and match it to the size of the screen by using a rule of thumb measurement. Measure the distance from your seating position to where your screen will be and then divide that by 2 to obtain the optimum television screen size. For example if you have an 85 cm television screen, you should sit no closer than to 15 cm.
Let Your Speakers Go Free. Speakers are especially designed to produce the quality of sound that you have paid for and the enclosures in which they are manufactured are part of the design process. If you are concerned that these will not fit in with your existing decor and you decide to house them inside some custom-built cabinet, you can expect a very poor performance. That's why it is important to choose your speakers to match your decor as they are. Forget about trying to hide them away.
Avoid Equalisation Systems. At face value, equalisation systems appear to be a good way to automatically improve the quality of your audio reception. In fact, this is never the case and you can never make up for poor speaker placement or for making bad rooms into good ones. Instead, choose a system and place the speakers in the optimum positions and leave it at that.
Balance Is Everything. When choosing a home theatre system, you need to balance not only your budget but also the proportions that you spend on each item of equipment. There is no point spending 80% of your budget on big-screen TV and then having a little left to spend on a sound system that can match the quality. If you are uncertain about this, seek the assistance of a specialist retailer who can visit your home and suggest the best within your nominated budget.
Read the Manuals. Although it is tempting to leave everything in the hands of the home theatre installers, you should always read the user manuals so you can be familiar with all the variations you have open to you. Sure, it will take a bit of effort and concentration but you'll be surprised at how much you can learn and how you can tweak your system for an even better performance than you imagined.
So, go ahead and organise your audio visual installation but don't leave everything to the experts. Make your own contributions and ask your own questions to make sure you get the best value for your dollar.
