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What Are the Best Tips for Home Theater Control?

Lori Kilchermann
Lori Kilchermann

Some of the best tips for home theater control center on the sound system. Speaker placement is critical in developing the proper sound from a home theater system. With the proper speaker setup, home theater control is made much easier and it is possible to reproduce the cinema feeling in the average home. Also crucial in home theater control are the design, layout and materials used in the construction of the home theater. Many building materials and products are not designed for home theater use and will adversely effect the quality of the home theater sound, which is detrimental to the movie-watching experience.

Tips for improving the sound in a home movie theater are numerous, and depending on the system being used, quite different. There are, however, some simple installation basics that will aid in the home theater control. Taking the time to install the sound components properly is the best tip. Many installations are rushed in an attempt to simply watch the first movie as soon as possible. Slowing down and placing components properly will make the home theater control much more pleasant for all involved.

A Blu-ray® player for a home theater.
A Blu-ray® player for a home theater.

The sub woofer must be placed in the center of the room to provide the best acoustic performance. On a system with two sub woofers, users should place one in the center of the rear wall and one in the center of the front wall directly in front of the screen. On a single sub woofer design, users can place the speaker in front of the screen. Left and right side speakers should be positioned at ear height and approximately 45 degrees from the viewers' seating area to offer the best sound. The left and right surround speakers should be placed approximately 90 degrees to the seating area and higher than ear height for the best home theater control.

Proper speaker set up is critical to recreating the cinema experience with a home theater.
Proper speaker set up is critical to recreating the cinema experience with a home theater.

Another tip for the best in-home theater control is to use only direct firing speakers for the rear left and right surround sound speakers. These speakers will enable the viewer to maintain maximum home theater control by responding effectively to adjustment. The center channel speaker can be placed to maximize the theater effect in any home. This speaker should be placed on the floor or above the screen in the front of the room and angled to point directly at the viewers. Alternatively, if a perforated screen is being used in the theater system, the front center speaker should be placed directly behind the screen in order to allow the sound to come directly out of the picture screen.

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