An Anti-Stupid Guide to Home Theater

PRICE

Here’s what you have to remember. In buying "stuff," you have to check its ability to play in very large rooms; additional Digital Sound Processing (DSP) modes; exotic construction techniques; and complexity in design.

Products that are offered in the market share a common purpose and design—each reflecting the best multi-channel playback systems possible in each price range. A good audio system cost anywhere from P50,000 to P50M. The WHAMM speakers from Wilson Audio, for instance, cost a whopping P10.5 million. And that’s only for the speakers!

HOME THEATER

The Home Theater System is the ultimate in sound for multi-channel home entertainment systems. The system incorporates a series of speakers and patented electronic developments such as THX/DTS designed to reproduce all multi-channel sources accurately in the home.The creation of the home-audio system came because conventional components such as television, speakers, and stereos could not accurately reproduce film soundtracks in the home as filmmakers originally created them. You have to identify: A need to correct the audible tonal and spatial errors caused by the playback of sound tracks designed in and for large theaters in the smaller environment of a home; and need to accurately reproduce the complex and competing sound fields present in multi-channel sound playback.

In order to translate a movie accurately into a home environment, these are the must home-audio components.

Receiver/Pre-amp - includes multi-channel circuiting and the necessary electronic enhancements to successfully render the film sound experience in a home.

Speakers - left, center, right, left surround, right surround, and subwoofer speakers reproduce the clarity, localization, spaciousness, and timbre found in complex multi-channel sound fields. The front speakers contribute proper tonal balance, intelligibility, and imaging, while the surround speakers provide good envelopment and a sense of spaciousness.

Surround speakers and the front speakers are different because they do different jobs. Front speakers provide clear dialogue and are designed to localize sounds to match the picture. Surround speakers create diffuse and enveloping surround ambiences with occasional "pans" of "fly-overs." If you decide to build a 5.1- channel home theater system out of conventional loud speakers, using five-matched speakers with a subwoofer is the minimum requirement.

Amplifiers - these are built and tested to exacting specifications for distortion, noise, stability, and dynamic power required in a multi-channel sound system.

Room Equalizer - this corrects the room’s acoustic problems. While not always necessary for best performance, this can significantly improve.

Video Screen - There are three types of screens with endless variations: Picture tube, one-piece rear projection, and projector with separate screen.

Video Source - These days, movies can be played in anything from a hi-fi VCR to a DVD player. But if you’re planning to watch a show in your state-of –the-art home theater, then we suggest you throw away the betamax and leave the pirated VCDs on the street.

Interconnect Cables - these are built to exacting specifications, which ensure the truest audio performance and avoid sound coloration.

Surround Sound Decoder - This decodes the audio signals from the source into multi-channel audio, such as Dolby Pro Logic or the infinitely more advanced Dolby AC-3 and DTS. Simply put, this gadget allows you to play the movie as loud as you can without sacrificing quality.

COMPONENTS:

Let me remind you that you do not have to buy a complete type or brand of home-audio equipment to get the full benefit of enjoying movies. When you put together different brands all together, these components work synergistically to produce an ultimate surround sound experience.

HOME THEATER SUITABLE FOR MUSIC LISTENING:

Usually, these home loud speakers are optimized for multi-channel sound, so you can get better imaging and clarity from the front speakers, and more envelopment from the surround speakers. Both of these benefits are ideal for music reproduction as well.

BENEFITS:

Some benefits of purchasing a home audio system for your home are:

You will hear a more natural tonal balance. Many motion pictures reproduce through just the television speakers will sound unnaturally bright.

Dialogues will be more intelligible and more distinctly, even in sequences with loud or complex sound effects. You will experience a more uniform sound envelope. The front and surround sound fields will merge, seamlessly putting you into the motion picture.

Sound localization will be more accurate and focused. You will notice that sound closely follows the action on the screen.

This is what home theater is all about in a nutshell. It is really up to you on what brand of equipment you want. There are many stores carrying different types of products with different prices that come along with it. Just remember to have experiencing all the sights and sounds. One last thing, you get what you pay for!

Photographs by Ava Lugtu