Surround Sound Systems- Four Vital Things to Consider Before Buying One

• Brian
• Surround Sound System
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If you are a music lover and want to spend your money to enhance the best audio experience, then the best way is to go for surround sound systems. This system has multiple speakers and each speaker corresponds to one separate component of the system. These components are mostly audio channels. A good surround sound system consists of at least five speakers. These speakers have different functionality. For example, if we consider a film, the dialogues and the background music must be from different speakers.

Deciding on What Kind of Surround Sound System You Need

So before planning to buy your own surround sound system for your household you must be aware of each component of it and their features. Hence, a necessary home work and revision is required to bring one of the best Audio System to your house.

Wireless Sound System – Is It Necessary?

Firstly, we will discuss the main difference between a standard system and a wireless one. A standard audio system can be considered as the stable system available in the market and most of the people prefer this one. But let me tell you one thing, these systems have a lot of wires creeping on the floor and running along the walls and disrupts the look of your room and therefore the system.

To overcome this disadvantage, few branded sound systems developed options to reduce wires and designed wireless rear speakers. These are not totally wireless like a remote but reduce many extra wires and require only one wire to supply the power. This can really make you feel better.

However, if you want a standard sound system adapted into your room directly from the factory then probably you can go for a standard one. It’ll require some extra effort to setup and arrange all the cables, but you’ll get cheaper price. Additionally, wireless connection can’t deliver the sound as good as cables, although this can only be detected by people with extra sensitive hearing.

5.1 or 7.1 or Sound Bar?

When you decide to buy a standard or a wireless sound system, the next thing is to choose the best speaker system. There are different types available for this option such as 5.1 Speaker System, 6.1 Speaker System and 7.1 Speaker System etc. So a clear view of each of these Speaker Systems is a must before selecting any of the above.

A 5.1 Speaker System has 5 speakers and the (.1) refers to one subwoofer to produce low frequency sounds. Other high Speaker Systems like 7.1 Bar have extra rear speakers in addition to the above. Now, it is clear that a 7.1 Speaker System will have extra speakers needing extra space but a 5.1 sound bar have no extra speakers and needs very less space compared to 7.1 System.

The cost of the 7.1 Speaker System is also high when compared to that of a 5.1 system. Hence, if you have a big room then a 5.1 Speaker System would not do for it but you have to go with a 7.1 standard sound system which produces about more than 150 watts per channel. But if you have a smaller room, then the output of 50 watts per channel is enough to produce the required amount of sound for the room. Its cost is also low compared to that of a 7.1 channel and therefore, people with smaller rooms are recommended to get a 5.1 Speaker System which fits your room size at an affordable price.

Instead, if you want to reduce the number of speakers and still get similar surround sound effect, then you can go with sound bar. It has only one long speaker and a sub woofer and produces surround sound similar to a 5.1 or 7.1 Speaker System. This enables easy installation (almost) with no wires. The TV sound production will be from the centre of the TV display and hence gives more precise linking between the picture and sound. Therefore, it is the best option for someone who prefers simple setup, cheaper price, and don’t mind less “surround” effect.

Buying A Complete Set of Home Theater? Or Perhaps an Assembled One?

One more thing you must keep in mind is whether to buy a complete home theater system as a set or to buy the player and the speakers separately and then assemble them together to form a perfect home theater system. In this regard, a standard system would be good and have the quality and the warranty form the retailer. But sometimes there are components that you don’t really like such as the player or receiver. If you think you know enough about audio and can get better component, assembled fitting is a better choice here.

In assemble fitting you can pick the player and the speakers individually and this (probably) will make the price a bit lower . But when going for assembled option, you must keep in mind that the speakers and the player must be of the same brand. Mismatching brands of speakers may result in low sound quality and lower life span of the whole system. Example: speakers A + player A + receiver B.

However, if you want to avoid the risk of assembling and if you fear it may result in some damage to the system and the warranty then it is better to go with the standard theater system which comes with both player and speakers together. Most regular users are satisfied with standard system and I’m sure you will too.

Some Tips Regarding the Selection of a Good Surround Sound System for your House

1. Know the Pros and Cons: Test!

You must be aware of all the above listed advantages and disadvantages of different components of an audio system and their functions. A rough revision of all these is essential before reading the rest of this article. Later, whether you select a 7.1 or 5.1 or Surround Bar, you must listen to the music manually of all the systems to get some more clearance practically. Keep in mind that the practical work is essential at the shopping place so that you will not regret later on.

Watch a little movie scene in the TV so that you can understand the different functionality of front-rear speakers, front-center speaker and so on. You must go with the System that has less wire associated with the speakers as discussed above. Extra wires considerably decrease the quality of the sound as the frequency of the signals is frequently dropped along the length of the wires. But nowadays, few 7.1 surround speakers are also coming with limited wires for their rear speakers. If you have the money to spend then you must adjust with few extra wires in your room because with this you can get an upgraded version of the surround system in your house.

2. Time Delay

The next thing you must look at manually is the volume and the time delay. The time difference between the different speakers must be good enough so that they do not interfere with each other at the same time. This might affect the whole music and spoil it completely. Hence, a practical look at it is a must. After this you should make sure that the menu of the system has as many as option available. One of the main things that must be there in a menu would be Pseudo Surround Sound. By navigating the audio settings page in this menu option, you must be able to give your TV’s sound a more cinematic feel. There must be many such options available in the menu to make you feel comfortable during its use.

3. Check with THX Certified Disc

You must also check that your system is set up correctly by using a free tool that comes with more than 300 ‘THX Certified’ Blu-ray and DVD movie discs. THX Certified system would give lot of advantages than those without. Hence, these various tools would help you a lot during the use of the sound system.

4. Brand Selection

Now, after planning all the above, you must look at the brand of these components. Few brands are good at some functions and few at other. So you must choose the brand that suits your requirement the best. A surround system of completely one brand is preferred by the experts, but if you want your desired sound quality at lower cost then mixing different brands isn’t bad either. But make sure that your system does not have more than three different brands. This can reduce the life span of the system as said above.

5. Placement

Where will you placed the sound system in your house? It must be place in such a way that is convenient to you and front-rear speakers facing the side walls. This will considerably increase the sound quality.

After all the homework is done,  go for the recommended Surround Sound systems available in the market and choose according to your requirement. Make sure that the retailer provides you a certain period warranty and an exchange offer if you are not satisfied with the equipment. Finally, know that if you see a sound system of your desired quality at a bit extra price, don’t hesitate to spend your money on it. Often, you’ll notice significant difference with only a few bucks difference and this will give you better quality sound system which would last longer.

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