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When it comes to putting money into the development of your home, one of the very worthwhile investments is an ideal home theater system. To ensure crisp sound, great visuals, & an amazing performance, you want the best equipment for your particular space.

Not virtually everyone is able to have their home system custom installed. Follow some of these worthwhile tips if you’re bringing your stereo equipment home & installing all of the components yourself.

Installation isn’t as simple as placing the plasma TV & speakers up to the appropriate shelf of your home entertainment stand. For the less than technical, it may take a couple of hours to sort out the appropriate wires & connection cables & layout the correct plan for all of the home theater equipment. Take your time & feel comfortable with the plans. Make sure that the equipment you bought has all of the appropriate parts for solid installation. Taking the time to assess everything will save you stress later on.

Some pieces, such as a projector system, will require calibration & adjustment in addition to mounting. If you’re unsure about how best to do this, schedule to work on installing everything in a couple of days so that you will not actually be pressured to install equipment incorrectly or to settle for imperfect calibration.

Ask your retailer when you purchase a home theater system about any optional or ‘not included’ components that may best go with your home theater design. This will save you from having to make many trips to the store for additional parts.

Most home theaters designs include a television - whether plasma, LCD, projector system, or CRT - some form of speaker package for the audio home theater system element, a DVD player, & a cable box, satellite TV system or other connection system. Depending on how sophisticated you wish your home theater to be, you may include high-end receivers, subwoofers, & universal remote controls. Choose what’s right for your household ? do not succumb to hypes or pressure. It’s your home atmosphere that matters.

As you’re planning your room, decide where the best speaker placement is for the size of your room. If need be, move furniture around for the best sound or buy longer wires to easily connect your components in the way you want. Most manufacturers will recommend placement options for the particular speaker types. Subwoofers can generally be placed to the front & left of the TV. Other speakers should be placed to the right & left of the TV and, depending on how many you have, midway in the room on both the right & left & behind the main viewing area. As you place speakers, stop & play your favorite DVD & see if you’re getting the sound you want. Move the speaker if you’re not.
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Once the speakers are in place, connect them to the DVD player, cable box & the television, placing each component in the proper place as you get it connected. Play your favorite DVD in as you put on the finishing touches to test the sound quality, connections & the room lighting.

These tips are simple but they could save you a lot of time if you’re installing a home theater system on your own.

Ben Anton, 2007

Ben Anton lives in the Northwest & writes for Ronny’s 5th St. Audio Vision.
Ben Anton invites you to find out more about custom home theater system design & installation at our easy to use home theater design & review web site.