One of the constants in my life is having friends, and friends of friends, asking what gear they should buy for their media rooms and home theaters. I first try to find out what they really want. Do they want a dedicated room with a huge screen and sound system, or do they want a system in the family room that does not dominate the room? Or maybe they want something in between.The second question I ask is the tough one — budget. How much do they want to spend? Even with the declining prices for most consumer electronics, often their goals and budgets are not aligned. To use an old expression, they have "champagne taste on a beer budget." All is not lost, however. Here are a few tips to optimize your investment:
- Have a plan for the finished room, and include TV stands, wall mounts, cables, light fixtures, paint, carpet — everything that you can think of. Then get the prices before you start. The most common reason for projects going over budget is failure to include all the expenses involved with the project in the original plan.
- Shop sales and closeouts. This sounds obvious, but if you are patient, you can usually find some deals. I like to go to Sales Circular.com; this is a great site to find electronics that are on sale in your area. Warehouse clubs usually have a limited selection in the warehouses, but they can have some great deals. Today's warehouse clubs have much more to offer than basic electronics, and the selection on their web sites is much larger.
- Think about buying a smaller television. Go to the manufacturer's web site and find dimensions of the set that you are considering. Using kraft or butcher paper, cut a piece to this size and tape it on the wall where you want the put the television. Sit back, relax and take a look at it. Would a television this size be too big for the room? I am a fan of large televisions, but a set has to fit the room.
- Buy fewer speakers. Instead of buying five or more cheap speakers and a subwoofer, buy two quality front loudspeakers. You can always add more speakers later. The sound from two quality speakers will always deliver a more involving experience than listening to multiple cheap speakers. Five low-quality speakers will sound like ... five low-quality speakers.
- Avoid most all-in-one "Home Theater in a Box" systems. There are a few exceptions, but most of these systems have speakers that are suspect, and often the electronics have very limited connection options for additional sources.
- In general, spend less on the video side and more on the audio. I've been in too many homes where they have one or more large televisions, but they are listening to the speakers that are built into the set. Dolby's Room Layout and Speaker Setup is a good resource for understanding the equipment that you need and how to set up a great sound system. A big picture without big sound will not deliver the home theater experience.
