My coined "Home Theater Virgins" phrase has been in my signature for many months now. I figured why not start a full thread. I will be discussing the basics here and what it all means for
you.
Surround Sound:
Why do you need it? Many people will agree with the statement that audio is half the experience. Some people would say it is more; many less would say it is less of that. To not like surround sound here are some possible poor excuses:
1) I don't like experiences
2) I don't like surprises
3) I don't like the theaters (
)
4) I don't like big speakers and wires all around me (many ways around both)
5) I can't enjoy music or movies because I don't want to
Well, if you don't fall in between any of those categories, you should be able to enjoy surround sound.
What really is surround sound though? Surround sound provides the depth, soundstage, ambiance, offers better panning effects (from speaker to speaker), and more. If you feel that you are just watching a movie, you aren't doing something right. It is all in the
experience.
What is the big deal about HD Audio and True HD and DTS HDMA and PCM and all that jazz?!? The difference is in what you hear or in lossy codec terms (DTS, DTS HR, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus), what you
don't hear. With lossless codecs, you are able to interpret everything better. Vocals and voices are better, instruments sound more alive, explosions feel like explosions, breaking glass sounds like breaking glass, rain sounds like rain, the soundstage is more open, ect. With lossy codecs you miss things during lossy compression where data is squeezed for more room (very practical by DVD standards) and data is lost. With Blu-ray, you have more space and therefore are enabled to have 100% of the data, identical to the directors intended master audio, playing in your home cinema.
Do you have to have special speakers that make HD sound work? No.
What if I don't want large speakers? There are many choices and brands that offer small speakers. If bookshelves are too big and compact bookshelves just aren't convenient enough, this
package offers the world's smallest omnipolar speakers for an affordable price, without sacrificing good sound quality.
What if I want small speakers or large speakers but don't want to see wiring? I will say that Monoprice has many in-wall cables and wall plates suitable for in wall/ceiling applications for clean installations. I can also say that by going with "wireless" surround sound, you do sacrifice sound quality. Nonetheless,
Rocketfish are great solutions to your wireless surround sound needs.
What do I need to get HD sound? You need an up-to-date Blu-ray player, two HDMI cables (from your Blu-ray player to your HD-audio capable receiver (a receiver with HDMI 1.1 repeating that accepts PCM over HDMI or any receiver that has multichannel analog inputs) and from your receiver to your TV or monitor), the disc, the settings, and the rest of your theater.
What if I'm on a tight budget? You can do a few things:
1) Save if it is less than $500 or so.
2) PM me.
3) Start a new thread.
Budget systems:
Most importantly, one of our most trusted and liked websites,
Monoprice, has practically every single cable you would want or need. Plus, they sell it for cheap! They have basically all home theater cables, wires, internet cables, switches, adapters, and more. All of their cables have a lifetime warantee and are always built with quality.
~$500
Polk RM6750 +
Onkyo 607
$1695 Shipped
Polk Monitor 60's +
Polk CS2 +
Polk Monitor 30's +
Elemental Designs A2-300 +
Onkyo 875
Polk Audio's Official eBay Direct Store is here. All products sold their come with full warantees.
Important and useful links:
Cables & Connections:
Home Theater Connections
Guide to Optical, Coaxial, & Speaker Cables
HDMI Cables
Banana Plugs
Home Theater Audio:
Home Theater Audio Codecs- In detail
Understanding Dialog Normalization
More Lossless Audio Help
Understanding & Using Test Tones
HD Audio on your Playstation 3
The Difference Between Bitstreaming and Linear PCM
Receiver Decoding or Player Decoding- What Is Best
Multichannel Music:
SACD Guide
DVD-Audio and Dualdisc Guide
Receivers:
Connecting Older (Non-HDMI) Receivers to Get Lossless Audio
Calibrating Your Audio Manually with an SPL Meter
A Guide to Bass Management
A Guide to Amplifiers
Speakers:
Speakers 101
Impendances and Sensitivities of Speakers
Bipolar, Dipolar, & Direct-Radiating Surround Speakers
Setting Your Speaker Size
Proper Speaker Placement
Horizontal Center Channel Speakers Problems
Bi-amping and Bi-wiring Speakers
Complete List of Speaker Manufacturers
Master List of Speaker Review Thread
Bookshelf Speaker Options
Why You Should Stay Away from Bose
Exotic Speakers Anyone?
DIY Speaker Stands
Subwoofers:
Understanding Subwoofers
Subwoofer Positioning & Standing Waves
A Guide to Bass Management
How Crossover Networks Work
How to Build Subwoofers and Upgrade Speakers
DIY Subwoofer Risers
List of Subwoofer Manufacturers
Master List of Subwoofer "Owners Thread"
Elemental Designs A2-300 Review
Miscellaneous:
Home Theater Gallery- Start Your Own Journey and Get Recommendations
Movies with 7.1 Surround Sound
What the Professionals Have to Say
Surround Sound for Your Headphones
...