Great Design Choices
Selecting speakers that
look as good as they sound
Sounds a little odd, but you can decide how you want your audio to look. In-wall or ceiling speakers that are painted to match your surfaces seem to disappear, creating a clean line. Built-ins like this can offer the same sound quality as conventional speakers without visible cords, speaker wire and cables.
Free standing or wall-mounted speakers offer great placement flexibility. Small satellite speakers can be mounted or placed on a stand or shelf, then add a subwoofer to help amplify low end sound and bass frequencies.
For the best sound, large free standing towers still produce the most dynamic sound and can easily be mixed with other speaker types to create a home theater system.
When choosing your speakers, it's best to "voice match" the tonal balances and sound levels by selecting speakers from the same manufacturer.
Audio Equipment Manufacturers
A Partial List of Our Partners
with Links to More Information
- Receivers
- Denon
- Pioneer Elite
- Speaker Systems
- Definitive Technology
- Polk Speakers
- Boston Acoustics
You've Got to Hear the Difference
Three Components that Help Create Superior Sound Quality
Selecting audio components is a key step in determining the quality of your home theater and home entertainment system. There are many options and just as many price ranges to select from, but the most important thing to consider is the quality of sound you want to experience. Three audio components create that sound: receivers/amplifiers, speakers and source components.
Audio Receivers and Amplifiers
Think of your receiver as the heart of your entertainment system—it brings your music, movies and games to life. Receivers process information from all other system components: audio and video signals, switches inputs and outputs, amplifies signals to be sent to the speaker system and sends video signals to video monitors. Power of the receiver (in RMS wattage) will determine the loudness, volume and dynamic range it can deliver to the speaker system.
The receiver is a multi-functional workhorse, accepting audio and video signals and then determining whether it should transmit the sound as mono, stereo or multi-channel for Dolby surround or DTS. Your receiver may also process some of the video information and "upconvert" the various types of video signal inputs such as composite, S-video, Component RBG, to the new digital video HDMI formats. That's important because it allows you to run just one video cable from the receiver to the video display instead of a tangle of cables, one for each connection.
Receivers with multi-room, multi-source capabilities offer you the ability to play your favorite CD in your bedroom, play a DVD in your family room, listen to the radio on your outdoor speakers... and do it all at the same time!
The Speaker System
The quality of your speaker system will determine the final output of your home entertainment system and an important factor in overall satisfaction with your system. When it comes down to it, selecting the right speakers for your entertainment system is a very personal decision. Room size and listening volume preferences help determine which speaker system is best for you.
Speakers bring the sound to you, and are designed to work with every décor and can be installed in walls, ceilings, outdoor rooms...just about any location you can imagine. Surrounding yourself with great sound is as easy as choosing great speakers and placing them throughout your home.
Source Components
Exactly what they sound like, source components allow you to determine how to design your home entertainment system. DVD players, CD players, audio receivers and cable or satellite boxes are pretty standard, but you can include satellite radio, iPods, games, and computers. Today's systems can handle just about any audio or video related component out there.