A Guide to Wireless Home Theater Systems

Home theater systems have long been the ultimate media-fan’s dream, with large widescreen televisions, high fidelity speaker systems and a series of boxes that will play whatever you want. While expensive, this is something no true film fanatic should be without, but for as long as they’ve been around, one of the biggest issues has been the abundance of wires between each device.

Running wires under the carpet to your surround sound, dozens of wires all interconnecting the speakers to the machines, it’s the bane of any minimalist and just looks plain ugly. However, as technology has advanced, wires are becoming redundant for information transfer, we live in an age where wireless systems can transmit all the necessary data over distances that make wires impractical. This is where wireless home theater systems come in.

Advantages Of A Wireless System

The first and most obvious bonus is the lack of wires. The information is transmitted via infrared or radio waves from a transmitter on a media player and are sent to the receiver inbuilt into the speakers. The sound quality is of average standard, but considering most wireless systems come as inexpensive bundles, it’s balanced out somewhat. Furthermore, with the wires no longer going between the speaker and media player, there is less chance of damage being done to them, which may be somewhat of an issue if there are children or animals present.

Disadvantages Of A Wireless System

Audio experts and those with sharp hearing will likely hear the difference between wireless and wired, as there are several factors that determine sound quality. Metal wire is the most conductive of the two options and is still to date, the most accurate form of data transmission for speakers. Wireless comes in two forms; radio waves and infrared. Radio waves can prone to interference and have the worst quality. Infrared does not suffer from interference, but it does need a clear line of sight between the transmitter and receiver. It is advisable to test out the wireless setup before you buy, as for some, the difference is minimal and won’t affect enjoyment, but for others, it might become an annoyance.

Additional Technologies

Some wireless systems come with more than the standard radio waves and infrared. Bluetooth is a growing platform for wireless home theater systems come in. Modern receivers sometimes have ports that allow bluetooth connection and even allow media from other devices to be played through it. Another device is called the HomePlug and is easily used by inserting it into any power socket around the house and it will collect all the audio and video signals coming from your other theater components.

Conclusion

If you detest wires and aren’t fussed about average sound fidelity, then wireless is definitely the way to go, as it will provide a cleaner system, perfect for those who dislike clutter. For those who prefer the perfect experience, regardless of extraneous mess, then a hard-wired system will be preferable, due to superior sound. Eventually, when wireless systems no longer lose quality, there won’t be any need to choose the wires as they will have become obsolete.…

Onkyo TX-SR308 Receiver Review

The Onkyo TX-SR308 is a home theater receiver that delivers exceptional value for the price. You will get the latest in home theater technology that allows you to create a home theater environment that will make you the envy of your family and friends. Even those on a budget can enjoy amazing home theater with this system. You don’t have to pay high prices because you can use a system from a trusted name like Onkyo. With the Onkyo TX-SR308, you know you’ll get quality and function.

Features and Benefits

While this is considered an entry level system, it’s not light on features. The Onkyo TX-SR308 is ahead of the television manufacturers and is ready for 3D video. You’ll be ready for this next wave in entertainment before it’s available. The system delivers the ability to handle several audio codecs so high quality audio is delivered no matter what you’re doing with the system. Another great feature is the overlaid on screen display that allows users to adjust settings without missing anything they’re watching. The universal port makes it easy to connect peripherals and the front panel features a connection of iPods and MP3 players.

This system can handle game consoles, BluRay players, and cable or satellite receivers at once. You can enjoy games, movies, and television shows with crystal clear sound. With this system you can enjoy theater quality sound in your own home. Even though it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the highest level system, it offers great sound and picture quality along with some features that allow you to make good use of it. If you are looking for a good, solid home theater system, this package is ideal.

Customer Reviews

The Onkyo TX-SR308 has received good customer reviews. The sound is one feature that nearly ever customer commented on and it was the main reason why most customers purchased the system. Reviewers love the solid performance and the crystal clear sound. Many customers also commented on how easy it was to set up and program the system with the help of the included User Manual. Overall, customers were happy with the system and the good reputation of the company. Onkyo is known for delivering solid products with high quality video and audio.

Buying Tips

If you decide to buy the Onkyo TX-SR308 Receiver, you should be aware that it is a beginner level system. Advanced users might not find all the features that they are looking for. However, if you’re new to home theaters, this system is ideal. It will be a breeze to set up as long as you follow the instructions. You will enjoy the audio and video quality that is similar to what you’d expect from a high level system, but at a price that fits your budget. The Onkyo TX-SR308 home theater system will totally change how you enjoy music, movies, gaming, and television.…

Bose 321 GS-GSX Review Part I – Why Buy?

The Bose 321 GS/GSX home entertainment unit is an entry level home theater system that wouldn’t be a letdown if you’ve acquired one. Setting up the system is simple, designed to be user friendly and this aspect has been receiving praises. The printed user’s manual is rich with graphics, so it’s easy to follow. Although more than 100 pages, you’ll probably only need to refer to a couple of it. Included is a quick start poster as well as a step-by-step tutorial DVD that walks you through the setup process. A novice can easily install and setup the system in a short matter of time and start taking full advantage of its technology and features.

The system comes with two great quality speakers and a powerful subwoofer. The main unit, termed ‘Media Center’ by Bose, comes with a built-in progressive scan DVD/CD player, an AM/FM tuner and a must have HDMI output. Having a progressive scan player provides increased resolution for a sharper, clearer video whilst wiping out almost all motion blur. The incorporated AM/FM tuner has 40 preset stations as well as a sleep timer. The media center can be controlled remotely using the supplied universal remote controller that comes with batteries. Being a universal remote controller, it can control other devices that are linked (or not) to the media center. So you end up with one master remote to control various devices – a convenient accessory.

The Bose 321 GS/GSX performance is exceptional for the medium or small sized room. The output quality from the speakers seems to be further enhanced by using floor stands. Cabling to hook up other devices to the system may look messy, but overcome this by using cable tie/tube. Otherwise, using the system as a stand alone, you’ll only have wires going to the speakers, subwoofer and to the wall socket for power. What you would expect of other wired system too.

As for size, the two speakers can be handheld (don’t be deceived by its size) while the subwoofer is still considered rather ‘big’. Not too big that you cannot hide it behind your TV or place it in a manner that it blends with other fixtures. The media center unit itself its not that so much bigger than the size of an X-box. In short, the entire system would not cluster your living room due to its compact size. What’s more, without rear speakers there’s no wiring to the back of your room…

What to Avoid in Home Theater Furniture

Home theaters have become so popular in the modern lifestyle especially among city dwellers who value entertainment as one of the basic needs in the modern day. With home theaters comes the issue of choosing the best home furniture for you system. This article aims at discussing what to avoid in home theater furniture.

In purchasing home theater furniture, one needs to consider various aspects to avoid making a wrong purchase of this equipment which is quite costly.

Keeping in mind that the demand for this equipment has led to an increase in the number of manufacturers in the industry, you should avoid rushing when purchasing this equipment.

Make sure you do a lot of research on the type of furniture that will be appropriate not only for your system, but one that can fit your room.

Buying extremely large furniture while having a small-sized room is one of the biggest mistakes one can ever make. Take measurements of the room where furniture is going to be placed to ensure you look for a fitting size that will give space to family members as they get entertained by the system you have purchased.

Another thing that you should avoid is making a purchase decision based on the appearance of the home theater furniture. Despite the fact that appearance of the furniture matters, it should not be the sole driving force behind you purchasing a particular make or design of home theater furniture.

Think of the functionality of the furniture. For instance, if it’s an entertainment stand, ask yourself, how many electronic gadgets will it be able to hold or accommodate? If you have enough electronics, you will require furniture which can hold most or all of the gadgets.

Even though they have become the order of the day, the choice of furniture might either add up to the flavor of entertainment or scale down your pleasure.…

Finding the Right Setup for Your Home Theater Systems

Although the technology has advanced in recent years, the quality that you receive from your home theater system is still highly dependent on the way that you set it up. Setups that are put together incorrectly can sound jumble and will not provide you with the experience that was meant for you in the case of both movies and music. Finding the right home Theater system for you is only half the task. You will then have to figure out a way to set it up that meets the specifications that are outlined the user guide and also works with the design of your home.

Remember that the main speaker, which is known as the house speaker, is the most important piece of the puzzle when you go to create a home theater system. It is the main speaker that is responsible for delivering high quality sound to those that are listening. These speakers usually come with a number of different components including wide ranges, woofers, tweeters and in many of the more expensive setups, sub-woofers. They are designed to deal with a wide range of different frequencies and are crafted to give you the best possible sound.

Center Channel Speaker Setup

The Center channel speaker is used to give you a great deal of the soundtrack to movies, and also is responsible for all of the dialogue, unless you have surround sound and someone is yelling behind or in front of the direction the camera is facing in the movie. It is important that you get the placement of the center speaker right.

Left and right Speaker Setup

The center channel speaker is also accompanied by left and right speakers. In most systems, these speakers may be responsible for broadcasting a bit of the soundtrack, but often times will not deliver any dialogue and will be responsible for producing many of the sound special effects including explosions and gun shots among others.

Surround Sound Speaker Setup

Depending on the system that you purchase, these speakers may also come with a set of surround sound speakers that are mostly used to create an atmospheric feel to the movie. These speakers will give you the sounds of feet running on a wet pavement, rain drops hitting a window or even the sound of wind. Although not all systems come with surround speakers, many of them do in this day and age and they can be that extra necessary piece to complete your home Theater experience.

Your chosen home Theater system might also come with a sub-woofer. Sub-woofers will deliver all of the base and will give that extra “thump” to the explosions and other loud noises that are present in most movies. A well placed sub-woofer along with a solid set of surround speakers can almost make it seem as if you have a full Theater in your home, which is really the reason why you bought the home Theater system in the first place, right?…

Build Your Home Theater – Room Dimensions

Why do you need to pay attention to the “room dimensions” of your new theater? It comes from the fact that sound travels through air as waves, and those waves will tend to behave differently based on how much air is present in a room. The amount of air in a room is calculated directly from the length, width, and height of your room.

Simply stated, a speaker creates “sound” by pushing a wave of air towards the listener (think of an ocean wave). Now, if this wave comes from the front of the room, it will eventually hit the rear wall and reflect back to the front, eventually hitting the next wave of sound traveling towards it. Depending where that reflected wave hits the new oncoming wave, and the frequencies involved, you can experience a phenomenon of either a multiplication of the merged wave (the sound gets louder), or the two waves will cancel each other out (the sound gets quieter). This will cause some seats in your theater to hear too much bass from that explosion, and others to hear too little.

Take the above example and add in the waves that are reflecting off the side walls and ceiling… all these waves hitting each other… frequencies merging… now you can see why we should look at what we can do to limit these clashing of these waves.

Here are things to consider when deciding on your dimensions:

Avoid square rooms. Square rooms will screw around with your bass… bigtime. You will get some areas of extreme bass, and other areas of inaudible bass.

Make sure the dimensions (length, width, height) are not divisible by a common denominator… for example, do not use 36x24x8 because each dimension is divisible by 4. Instead use 35x21x8. This will help to minimize clashing frequencies.

Do not build a huge room… keep the room dimensions on the practical side. The bigger the room, the bigger the speakers will get, and you guessed it, the bigger the amplifiers will get.

Figure out how many seats you want to have in your theater, and make sure your dimensions can accommodate them. Now be realistic… if you hardly have company over, building a theater that accommodates 16 people is just a lot of extra work.

You will need to look at your equipment and see how big that HDTV is. Check a viewing distance chart to see what the minimum viewing distance is to get a good picture. The room will have to be at least this long. With these new HDTVs, it is getting easier to seat people closer to the front of your theater because the quality of the picture is better.

If you follow these simple steps, you will be able to modify your room dimensions accordingly before you start construction.…

How to Pick Out a Home Audio System That Will Perform Without Blasting Your Budget

Audio systems for your home theater are becoming more popular lately. Music interpretation has changed a great deal and not only do people desire to listen to their music, they want to enjoy being able to hear songs with special effects. When the Dolby system of sound was introduced in the 1970’s, the way we hear music was changed. Seems that many people want to own a personal audio system in their home theater. The popularity is growing daily and will probably grow more in the future. Music lovers can’t resist an audio system.

Products are determined by their quality. You should never compromise yourself on quality but always keep an eye on your budget. Don’t believe the concept that the more expensive the product is, the better it will be. While this is mostly true, it’s not always true. Most higher priced products are made with quality components. Be sure to check the product quality before making the purchase. Perhaps you can ask the salesperson to let you hear a demo of a particular product you are interested in purchasing. You can sit in a listening room and hear the audio system to make sure you are buying a system you are happy with. If you don’t allow yourself to try out and to listen to the particular audio system you are thinking about buying, you could wind up with a system you don’t like at all.

The specific size of your room will determine how many speakers you will need for your audio system.

So, how can you figure out which audio system for your home theater is best for you and your family. First of all, you must purchase an audio system which is fit for the size room you plan on installing it in. Your audio system should not be too large or small for a particular room. The size should fit perfectly. If you have a large room, six speakers should be adequate. You will have a center speaker and two rear and front-sided speakers. The subwoofer makes the total come to six. If you place the subwoofer towards the wall, this will enhance the system even more. The wall will be functioning as subwoofer which will greatly increase the sound. You can cover your home system with a woven-type basket. By doing this, the sound will be greatly increased.

Should you have a smaller room, you can probably get away with installing only three speakers. By having a subwoofer and two rear speakers, this should be efficient. Any smaller room doesn’t need a large amount of speakers and will serve no purpose if you have too many. Each audio system should fit each room perfectly. Be choosey when you pick out your audio system.

There are many different audio systems for your home theater system available on the market today. One popular manufacturer of these systems is Bose, but there are many other options to choose from. Choose the best option for your personal needs so that you will be able to thoroughly enjoy your home theater experience.…

Getting the Right Home Theater Set For You

When you go to electronic stores, you will be amazed with the huge number of different home theater sets available in the market. The prices offered are also varies, starting from hundreds of dollars to over $100,000.

When you are not too sure of what you want, it will certainly cause you a headache to determine which one is the best for you. However, you need to keep in mind that prices cannot always be a great reference. It means that the cheaper set does not mean that it cannot work as good as the more expensive one. To give you some crucial references, you can keep reading below article.

Some well-known brands in the market is expensive merely because of their brands. If you study the features carefully, you can get the similar one with much lower price. Therefore, you need to have a little research first to compare the features offered by various brands.

Another crucial factor is to know the purpose of having the home theater set as well as the location to place it. When you are a movie lover, you will certainly want to have some enhanced features, such as pro Dolby Digital. However, when your purpose is something else, then this feature is not too important to consider.

Other than knowing the exact purpose, you also need to know where you are going to put the home theater set later and the size of room used. These aspects are closely related to the features that you need to accommodate your best home theater experience. For example, if the room is going to be large but open one, such feature like a surround sound system will not be too effective to get. The same thing goes for the room with too bright light. When you are going to have a home theater set placed in such room, it is highly recommended that you avoid buying any home projection TV because this equipment will never work well in a too bright room.

Eventually, installation is something that you need to consider. The installation of home theater is not just about wiring up all different electronic components. It also involves some other factors, such as the correct location as well as home theater placement. Every angle and meter can cause a significant outcome of your home theater set.

If you are not too expert in doing the installation, it is better to have the expert do the installation. Generally, local electronic stores will happily do this service for you under some amount of fee. The cost can depends on the store’s policy. Therefore, you need to spend more money if you want to have the service.…

Choosing a Sound Bar Speaker

A sound bar is a great way to improve what you hear when you watch TV without the complexity of (or space required by) a conventional surround sound system. This type of speaker is easy to install, requires minimal set-up and yields impressive results.

Although a sound bar is only a single speaker and won’t perform the way a true surround sound system would, it can be the perfect solution for a smaller viewing area or for any situation where a more complex system just won’t work. There are a few questions you’ll want to ask yourself before making your selection:

What kind of room will you be using the sound bar in?

Do you want stereo or surround sound?

Do you want a unit that comes with a built-in subwoofer?

What kind of audio inputs will you need?

The type and size of the room where you’re planning to install your sound bar will influence what type and size you need. If the room is small to medium-sized and square or rectangular, you can create a dynamic surround sound experience by choosing either a virtual surround or a “beaming” sound bar.

A virtual surround bar includes the left, center and right audio channels (also called LCR) all in one sleek cabinet. The LCR option won’t give you the range you’ll get with a true surround sound system, but will greatly improve the sound you get when watching movies, TV, or playing video games.

A “beaming” sound bar works by literally bouncing or beaming sound off the four walls around your listening area, essentially fooling your ears into thinking the sound is coming from different directions as it would with a true surround sound system. However, this won’t be as effective in an open floor plan or a large room.

If you just want stereo sound, or you are working with a larger room, you may consider a more conventional sound bar with built-in amplification. A good stereo sound bar will be a tremendous improvement over the speakers used in flat-screen TVs, your set-up will be easy, and you’ll achieve a streamlined look. Be sure to note what audio inputs you need (cable, DVD player, game console, etc.) before making your decision.

Most sound bars include built-in amplification, but some do not. Those that do not are called passive and will require a connection to a home theater receiver. This is a good option for anyone who already has a receiver, or who may want to create a complete surround sound/home theater system later on. Using a separate receiver can yield cleaner sound processing and a higher quality sound overall, and usually a receiver will offer all the audio inputs you need.

Lastly, you might want to consider adding a separate powered subwoofer. A sound bar can only go so far in reproducing lower bass tones, so if you enjoy deep bass a subwoofer may be worth the investment. They are easy to set up and can be tucked away just about anywhere, as long as it’s near an outlet.…