written by Mike Shea on 21 November 1999
This article will go through the various components that make up a home theater and tell you what to look for and what to ignore. This document is meant to be relatively timeless so specific components aren't mentioned here. Certain trends in home theater make it impossible to not date this article, but the guidelines are more general than specific. For more specifics, read the Equipment Recommendations article. There are four main components of a home theater system. These include a video display, a source, an audio decoder and speakers.
The video display is the most important component of your home theater. If the picture doesn't look good or isn't big enough, it will lower the impact of the movie considerably. The display is also probably the most expensive piece of a home theater, generally covering half of the total value of the system. There are so many types of displays but the ones to look at are traditional tube TVs for the lower end systems, rear projection TVs for mid range systems and front projection systems for high end system. For more information on home theater displays, see the Guide to Digital Television and Digital TV Part 2.
The best component for a strong home theater is a big widescreen TV. For $1700 you can get a 50+ inch widescreen HDTV monitor that will give you the full benefit of DVDs.
The following list outlines important features and the price range of TVs they are found in. If you are spending a certain amount of money, make sure it has the features marked for that price range.
TV Checklist
DVD is the best and most popular format to watch films at home. The high resolution video, six channel audio, extra features and cost of DVDs make them the hot ticket for home video. DVD Players come in many shapes and sizes, but it is usually the features that sell the player. If you have a Dolby Digital receiver, don't worry about getting a built in decoder, it is unnecessary. Many full fledged players can be purchased for about $100. Also look for component video out - not just composite or S-video - if you plan on hooking this up to a newer high quality television. Panasonic, Sony, and Pioneer all make great DVD players. It is probably better spent money on a better display or speakers than a higher end player.
Progressive DVD players are now on the market that offer a much better picture for high definition tvs. Progressive dvd players run about $100 more than a standard DVD player, but are only needed for high end displays.
DVD Player Checklist
While many audio purists will tell you differently, there is a much bigger difference in the sound of speakers than there is in the sound of audio electronics. Definitely pick a receiver that has Dolby Digital and DTS. Usual starting place for this is $300. More money gets you more power and higher quality components. Lower quality but much less expensive systems include Sony and Pioneer. Avoid all the special DSP modes in favor of a powerful system of high quality.
Don't let the power numbers fool you. A lot of manufacturers (ahem, SONY!) fudge up their statistics. Make sure that the power rating is for full range, all channels driven. Many folks will give you the wattage with a single channel driving 1000hz. Look for about 85 watts per channel with all channels driving full range. Good brand names include Yamaha, Denon, and Marantz.
Audio Electronics Checklist
The main goal of a speaker is to produce accurate sound from the highest note (20khz) to the lowest (20hz). Very few speakers can reproduce full range sound in one box, thus we need a subwoofer. The easiest and cheapest way to get full range is with bookshelf speakers and an external subwoofer. You can get a good pair of bookshelf speakers that have a flat frequency response from 20khz down to about 80hz with low distortion for around $150 to $350. The key to remember is the woofer size. With anything smaller than a 5" woofer it will be really hard to get down to that 80hz that is needed for localized sound. Little woofers just don't cut it and you will have a frequency hole in your sound. When setting up a good dolby digital system, your front speakers should sonicly match your center and surrounds. Make sure they are of the same model range and same manufacturer.
Good features to look for in speakers are five way binding posts. They have a tendency to show the difference between lower quality speakers and higher quality ones although physically the binding posts make little if any sonic difference.
To fill out the 90hz and lower a subwoofer is needed. Given the amount of air that needs to be pushed, getting to 20hz flat is very difficult and only the best subwoofers get there with little distortion. With the amount of money you save on bookshelf speakers, plan on around $700 for a subwoofer that will reach the proper frequencies at the proper power. $300 is about as low as you can go for the smallest subs and high end subs can hit $2000. See my Subwoofer Buyers Guide for subwoofer purchase tips and best buys.
Speaker Checklist
One of the biggest debates among audiophiles seems to be based around interconnects. A large group of "Golden Ear" critics state that the interconnects between your components make as much a difference as the components themselves. Companies like Audio Advisor sell interconnects for as high as $1600 a pair. Other groups of scientific realists shoot down these claims that high end cable makes a difference and state that any good 14 gauge wire will do. I am personally with the latter. There is nothing wrong with inexpensive speaker wire or electronic interconnects. As long as the proper gauge is used (14 for fronts, 16 for surrounds) and the line level interconnects are shielded to avoid RF interference there shouldn't be a problem. Spend the real money on displays, speakers and components, then fill it out with good quality (not necessarily name brand) interconnects for less than $300 for a full set. The bi-wire facade is another thing to avoid. I have to admit that with all my speakers being capable of biwiring, I was drawn towards it. It seemed so high end to me. The electrical fact of the matter is that biwiring can't make any audible difference. So the bottom line is go for a decent shielded cable and decent speaker wire (14 and 16 gauge) but don't let the name or the price sell you, Radio Smack is fine.
No system is worthwhile if you cannot properly control it. A good universal remote with learning capability is a must-have for any good home theater system. These aren't always cheap, the sweet spot seems to be about $100. Although setup is sometimes very time consuming, the results will be a simple and powerful interface to your home theater.
The last and most important aspect to home theater is setup and the environment. Nothing is worse than a high price home theater that hasn't been properly calibrated or is in an environment that doesn't do it justice. Follow the Liquidtheater Certification Plan closely and calibrate the system properly with the THX Optimizer.
Now that you have pieced together the perfect system, it is time to set it up. With these basic guidelines, a good system can be had for not a lot of money. Put your money in the right place. There is no sense spending $1200 in speaker wire when you could buy the same length for $2 and buy another subwoofer. This can be a very rewarding experience for every member of the family. You will soon be enjoying Sphere and Anaconda exactly as they were meant to be seen.
From: Ryan Garland ( no_spam@aol.com ) on 16 May 2003
Subject: Superbit DVDs?
Have you heard anything about these, Mike? Apparently they provide the "best video" by using a higher data rate. But is there any increase in resolution? So far the only thing I can find is the vague answer that they offer the "best video". I think this is probably a big marketing scam with little to no added value. I mean if they did offer higher resolution, then we'd probably have to buy new DVD players to handle the new resolution, right?
From: Grant ( . ) on 23 November 2002
Subject: speaker cables
I'm also skeptical about biwiring speakers. The visitor below posted "So long as the two cables are kept a distance apart(>3in) bi wiring should produce better sound." I'm pretty sure that biwired cables are bundled together until the terminators at the speaker end, where they have separate connections for the tweeter and woofer. The other end of the cable, however, is one connection to the receiver/amp.
As for speaker cables in general, there is probably a range of quality. I like the ones I bought from bettercables.com. They have a really solid feel to them and seem to be of very high quality (they are pure copper). Of course, these are a lot more expensive than cables from Radio Shack or Home Depot. You'll have to decide for yourself whether it's worth it or not. If your home theater is all pretty high end components, why go cheap on the cables?
From: ac ( mike at palczewski dot net ) on 19 September 2002
Subject: biwire
Bi wire can make a difference. In fact there is a scientific reason why. Low bass sounds carry quite a bit of power through a speaker cable. As anyone who has taken physics knows, when a current flows through a cable a magnetic field develops. This field can interfere with the lower power high frequency sounds. Bi wiring works because the high frequency sounds will travel only through the wire hooked up to the tweeter because the crossovers create resistance in the woofer. Vice versa for the lower sounds. So long as the two cables are kept a distance apart(>3in) bi wiring should produce better sound especially when high and low sounds are played at the same time.
From: Dave B. ( inspectra@sympatico.ca ) on 9 September 2001
Subject: First time H.T. shopper needs help
I am a first time home theatre shopper and am getting conflicting info from the saleshelp at each store I visit. I'm hoping you can give me a little advice or at least steer me clear of a bad purchase.
So far here's the direction I'm leaning:
Panasonic RV31 DVD player
Marantz SR4200 receiver (or should I get the SR5200?)
Energy e:XL25 main speakers
Energy e:XL C center speaker (or should I get the e:XL C2?)
Energy e:XL R rear speakers
Energy S8.2 sub-woofer (or would the e:XL S10 make more sense?)
This system would hang off the back of a 32" Panasonic Gaoo.
The room is 11'W. x 13'-6"L. with no back wall. The TV sits in a corner and the couch and love seat form an "L" from the opposite corner. The main speakers would have to reside very close to the TV, about 12" away from each side.
I realize this is a lengthy post and that I'm asking for a lot of info, but any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.
Dave
From: Mike ( mshea@liquidtheater.com ) on 21 September 2000
Subject: Receiver Question
The following was a comment by Dennis T:
I just bought a Sony STRDE-545 last night but I know
now that I want
something a little better. I think in your article
you talk about the
STRDE-845. I am going tonight or tomorrow night to
exchange this but I
was wondering what you thought about the Pioneer
VSXD509S. Do you have
a preference between the two? It looks like both of
them have quite a
few features that I could use. I'm stuck between
the two. Thanks a
bunch!!!!
I personally don't get caught up in the names of receivers (though I have a preference to Yamaha) but in the features that are important. This includes the following:
From: Mike ( mshea@liquidtheater.com ) on 7 August 2000
Subject: Magazine recommendations
The two I personally subscribe to are Widescreen Review and Stereophile's Guide to Home Theater. Both of these are excellent magazines. Widescreen Review is probably the better of the two with excellent editorials, technical articles, equipment reviews and DVD reviews. The authors are very well informed and are true "Videophiles" first and formost, not just converted Audiophiles. Stereophile's Guide to HT is a very pretty mag. It has some excellent articles as well, some great equipment reviews (though they range in the higher end) and some good media reviews. Their authors are mainly Audio guys who have turned to home theater, but you can find more and more truly home theater only material coming out of it including the series by Russ Herschelmann called "Home Theater Architect" which is an excellent series covering the design of a six figure dedicated home theater. Their montly profile of a high end home theater is also something to drool over.
There are a bunch of other mags out there including Home Theater Magazine and Sound & Vision. Both of these are on the lower end of value per dollar. They have some pretty pictures, and Home Theater Mag isn't afraid to have some humor thrown in as well, but as far as good material goes, these guys really don't cut it.
There are also a couple of small publications that really are excellent reads. The Audio Critic is one that blew me away from the first issue with it's hard hitting approach to cutting out the bullshit (expensive interconnects) and getting into what makes a good system (speakers). Another one is Sensible Sound. This one is a little more available and also keeps the audio world real, but frankly covers only the audio side of things, not the rest of the home theater.
The short? Get Widescreen Review and Stereophile's Guide to Home Theater.
From: Grant ( liquid@grantics.com ) on 7 August 2000
Subject: Home Theater magazine recommendations
I'm thinking about subscribing to one or more home theater magazines. Which of the following are worth my time? I don't have any specific features I'm looking for, just a high quality magazine (I assume most have equipment reviews, general industry news, etc.).
From: Mike ( mshea@liquidtheater.com ) on 26 June 2000
Subject: 24 bit 96khz output
This dumbing down of the digital output only applies to the 96khz 24 bit output from high resolution two channel audio DVDs which haven't really hit the market yet anyway. It really isn't anything to worry about. There are about three new large audio specs being worked out and all of them will take quite some time. For my money, I would rather have a really good DTS or Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack than a new two channel format. As far as the analog requirement, it is just another way for the screwed up media industry to limit technology. Certainly nothing new.
From: Grant ( liquid@grantics.com ) on 25 June 2000
Subject: DVD digital output question
I saw this on a spec sheet for a Panasonic DVD-C220 DVD player:
96kHz/24-bit Audio DAC: This unit has a 96kHz/24-bit D/A converter which will allow it to play back DVDs with 96kHz/24 bit sound. Note: Due to copyright issues, 96k/24-bit output will play only through the analog audio outs; when output through the digital outputs, a 96k/24-bit signal is converted down to 48kHz/16-bit.
From: Joe ( maddrm@yahoo.com ) on 26 May 2000
Subject: I agree with you
..as always there are the few fools who will spend 1000s of dollars on speaker wire.
Joe
From: Mike ( mshea@liquidtheater.com ) on 24 May 2000
Subject: More cables
You certainly aren't alone in your thoughts on cables, but personally I point people to the guage and avoid the label. It is those $1400 per 8' cables that really scare me. I have even heard that they color the sound just to sound different. Only the most evil companies on earth would do that ....cough*BOSE**hack
From: Joe ( maddrm@yahoo.com ) on 24 May 2000
Subject: cables
True, that the speakers and electronics give a biggeimprovement, but many people ignore the value of good cables.
Joe
From: Mike ( mshea@liquidtheater.com ) on 24 May 2000
Subject: Wiring
Actually, in the case of my Yamaha, I have psudo-bi-amped my center channel. The Yamaha will allow you to run two center channels off of the same amplifier and run them at 4 ohms instead of 8. By running each of the drivers in my center at 8 ohms I get the effect of bi-amping without bi-amping. Sure it isn't the real thing but it is a step up.
You will find me often say one thing and do another. I have some fundimental beliefs when it comes to audio but I often buy with a different philosophy. While my entire system is wired with Monstercable, it wouldn't surprise me to find that Radio Smack wire did just as good a job. While I have nice Kimber 4pr interconnects for my mains, I bet any 12 or 14 guage wire would sound exactly the same. The biggest difference you will be able to tell with audio is by changing speakers or changing environments.
From: Joe ( maddrm@yahoo.com ) on 23 May 2000
Subject: Cables, biwiring etc
You say that biwiring does not make a difference but yet in your yamaha review, biwiring your center channel has produced a better effect. Also I disagree with you about the cables, cables do make differences. I am a student on a very low budget, and have borrowed many types of cables and found many that suit my taste and many do not. Some cables are more detailed but can be harsh and others are vague and mellow, however , i think i have found cables that have the best price/performance ratio. I think silver cables are better than copper and I made a set of silver cables for 80. This includes interconnects and biwiring my B&W CC6 and 601's(the mains)I think cables make a difference, but not to the extent that the purists claim.
For more info you can email me
Joe
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From: Mike ( mshea@liquidtheater.com ) on 17 May 2003
Subject: Superbit = marketing crap
Superbit aparently means they used less compression. It offers no resolution increase and other than a possible seal of approval of the mastering studio, it really means nothing else. Don't bother unless there are other features you want (like DTS).