Setting up a home theater consumes time and money. But once you have set up your own home theater, you would want to get the most out of your theater system, taking your entertainment to the next level. Of course, there is always room for improvement to boost the quality of your viewing experience.
Whether you want to improve the quality of your home theater with or without extra cost, we’ve got some tips for you!
Tip #1: Use the Right Sound System
Of course, this is our number 1 tip for you. The best home theater should have the best sound system. Have you noticed the sound to be lacking when you watch a movie? You could be missing out on so much of what is happening in the background.
Your living arrangements may be a determining factor in choosing between a soundbar and surround sound system. If you have enough space, you may opt for a surround sound setup. The compact design of a soundbar makes an ideal choice for small spaces. A soundbar is like an all-in-one speaker system. This technology has drastically improved over the past years. You can now find high-performance soundbars with surround sound effects. Soundbars deliver high-quality sound on your TV without the need for more space and complexity.
Nowadays, most soundbars are wireless or HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface). This means you can put them anywhere around your TV without having to worry about cables or wires running and twisting across your room, and it still does its job of giving you better audio quality.
Two brands will probably come to your mind when looking for the best soundbar in the market. Sonos and Bose. You can check the sonos vs bose review for a better guide.
Tip #2: Improve Your Surround Sound System
Ever wonder why cinemas have a tremendous movie sound than home theaters? Well, simply because they know the secret recipe for positioning the speaker in areas where the quality of sound can be boosted to the fullest.
In this secret recipe, the main center and subwoofer speakers must be arranged ahead of you; surround sound speakers should be arranged somewhere behind you. Until you feel the best quality of the audio, continue tweaking the angles of the surround sound speakers.
You can try placing the subwoofer at the corner or against the wall to enhance the audio experience even more—but the subwoofer should be facing toward the main listening area. If you have more than two surround sound speakers, install another two speakers on the left and right sides of your sofa. The whole home theater experience is dead without surround sound.
Tip #3: Give the Job of the Bass to Subwoofers
Audio experience generally comes from a set of speakers. It’s a combination of main, center, and subwoofer speakers—which are all connected to the AV receiver.
For the best home theater experience, you should leave subwoofers for the base only, in the audio settings, set all other speakers to “small” to let the base come out through the subwoofers.
If you do not have subwoofers to your sound system, you may want to consider adding them. Many home theater owners think that the main and center speakers are enough for the best experience, but this is not entirely true. If you want a speaker that delivers a lower base in the audio, you need the best quality subwoofer. Home theater owners don’t notice that they are missing a good base, but they will feel the difference once they add a subwoofer to the system.
Once you have subwoofers installed, try watching action movies. You will feel those bangs and thuds more realistic.
Tip #4: Your Home Theater Seats Play an Important Role Too
As mentioned above, the surround sound speaker should be arranged behind you. To get the best home theater experience, you shouldn’t have anything blocking between your home theater seating and the surround sound speakers. Sound is energy and can be deflected when it collides with any obstacle before reaching you; because of this, you won’t be getting a clear sound from the surround speakers to your ears. So, make sure you have a good seating platform, away from walls and speakers.
Tip #5: Finally, Room Acoustics Matter
Room acoustics are a minefield of armchair critics. To get your room modes under control, add enough bass trapping. Although deep fiberglass takes up a lot of space, they are extremely effective and relatively affordable. Use it if you have more space in your risers and behind your screen. If you have done that, just add enough absorption to make your theater room sound nice. Remember, the room should not sound “echoey” or “dead.” It should feel natural if you have a conversation with someone in your theater. Usually, you don’t need to add more absorption if you have wall-to-wall carpet and home theater seats.
Treating first reflection points can often do more harm than good. If you do a bit of research, you will find that a thin absorber can actually screw up your sound—stripping it of the high frequencies and leaving the bass and mids behind. We think it’s better to leave your theater room untreated for first reflections than to put 1″ fiberglass everywhere.
