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Home Theater - Structured Wiring/Networks - Security
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Top Five Home Theater Gotchas
Save Money and Avoid Mistakes
Don't fool yourself. Your home theater system is an investment. If you're building it right (including complete surround sound, input components, proper wiring, and a good display) you're going to spend a significant chunk of money, even if you shop the bargain bin. As with any significant purchase, it's important to do your homework: Know what you're buying, compare prices, and talk with friends about their experiences.
But you can also learn from the common mistakes of others. Knowing what not to do is almost as important as following the basics. The following suggestions will avoid five common missteps and save you time, money, and plenty of headaches.
- Don't skimp on the wires: Salespeople at your neighborhood home electronics store will tell you many things, but when they tell you your cabling will make or break a good home theater system, believe it. Proper wiring, between components and receiver and between receiver and speakers, is critical. Cheap or badly insulated cables will compromise your sound and video quality, and the massive amount of electricity humming through your system will jump right through thin insulation to cause unwelcome crackling from those expensive speakers. Pro-Flex brand cables are a great standard for the typical home theater system and can be obtained from CyberNet solutions..
- Buy one consistent speaker brand: Although most major speaker manufacturers offer products with similar builds and components, each is configured just a little differently. You don't need to be an audiophile to hear the difference, especially when an F-14 is screaming across your screen from left to right. To make sure that solo jet doesn't sound like a full squadron, try to buy the same brand of speakers all the way around. Model years aren't nearly as important, especially for the majority of buyers who build their system incrementally. For example, if you have last year's model of Legend Audio front speakers, you should be fine if you stick with Legend Audio when you buy your center channel next year.
- Don't buy overpowering components: It's all relative, especially when it comes to the myriad of home theater components. If you buy a high-end receiver but send sound through low-end speakers, you're not using the full capacity of your receiver. At the same time, top-of-the-line Paradigm Studio Reference speakers won't sound so good if you buy a generic receiver. Make sure the wattage capacity of your components are roughly the same. If your speakers can only handle up to 100 watts of sound, make sure you're not buying a receiver that supports 350 watts-unless you're planning on upgrading your speakers soon.
- Don't buy the 4:3 format monitor: With Rear projection and CRT sets, the monitor currently comes in two screen size formats 16:9 and 4:3. The 16:9 is almost twice as wide as it is tall and the 4:3 is almost square. Through the FCC, legislation in the US is on the books to have HDTV become the standard (see this article for more information). 4:3 sets will become obsolete. Since a good set can last 10 years or more, don't buy one of the remaining 4:3 sets, since at best you will only get a few years of use from it. After that, while you can still see programming through it, you will not be able to take advantage of the wide-format programming available.
- Don't do it yourself unless you are very technically astute and handy with technology. It is best to purchase your home theater system from a professional custom installer. They can best understand your needs and match the components to your performance expectations and to your pocketbook. Usually, a good custom installer can provide a total system which has a higher performance-to-cost ratio than what you can do yourself or through any of the electronics discount stores. Hey guys, suck up that ego and get some help! You will be far happier in the long term with a great performing system. A home theater can be a big investment. Do it right and get the professional help you need to make you happy.
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