Home Theater

Home theater is the thrilling entertainment you get when you combine a really outstanding picture with enveloping surround sound. If you've ever been in a very good movie theater, with a crisp picture on the screen, and an excellent sound system, you know how impressive that can be. Home theater has the potential to be even more visually intense and aurally realistic, because you don't have to share your home theater space with 200 other people.
 

 Complete Speaker

Complete Speakerproduce atmospheric, ambient sounds ?such as rain drops, the rustling of leaves, or footsteps crunching on gravel. They also work with your other speakers to deliver spectacular directional effects, like a locomotive rushing by, or a bullet zinging past. They really help put you smack dab in the center of the action.
 

 Floor Standing Speaeker

Floor-standing, or tower, speakers have been around for years and in many ways remain the standard against which all other speaker types are judged. In general, they are larger than other types of speakers, reproduce a wide range of frequencies, including deep bass, and are usually more efficient, giving you more volume per watt of amplifier power.
Tower speakers tend to be more expensive than bookshelf speakers, but they're hard to beat for big, room-filling sound. If you're interested in towers but don't want to take up too much floor space, look for one of the many slimline models out there ?several have a footprint of less than one square foot.
 

 Bookshelf Speaker

If you're working with limited space (or budget), bookshelf speakers are a good alternative to floor-standing models. With bookshelf speakers, you get smaller speakers that you can place on stands or on shelves, and excellent performance in a smaller box (usually with a smaller price tag).
Bookshelf speakers are almost always 2-way. Some audio fans prefer them because, when stand-mounted, they provide tight overall sound and accurate stereo imaging. However, because of their size, they cannot produce the low bass frequencies that floor-standing models can. As a result, many folks choose to add a powered subwoofer to reinforce the deep bass, especially for home theater.
 

 Center Channel Speaker

The center channel is the unsung hero of the home theater speaker system. When you watch a movie, the center channel delivers more than 50% of the soundtrack, including almost all of the dialogue. Since its purpose is to keep sound anchored to the on-screen action, a good center channel speaker is crucial for a well-balanced home theater system.
 

 Surround Speaker

Surround speakers produce atmospheric, ambient sounds ?such as rain drops, the rustling of leaves, or footsteps crunching on gravel. They also work with your other speakers to deliver spectacular directional effects, like a locomotive rushing by, or a bullet zinging past. They really help put you smack dab in the center of the action.
Although a 5.1-channel surround system, with only one pair of surround speakers, is the most common setup, most newer home theater receivers can power more than a single pair of surround speakers ?and there are surround formats to match. Today, many people buy a one or two additional speakers to use as "back surrounds" in a 6.1- or 7.1-channel system.
 

 Wall Speaker

While in-wall and in-ceiling speakers have been used for decades in commercial applications, in recent years a handful of manufacturers have developed models which can accurately reproduce music and soundtracks at home.
In-wall and in-ceiling speakers work in the same way as regular speakers, but they are mounted in a frame and set into the wall (or ceiling). Instead of a separate speaker cabinet, they use the wall itself as the cabinet. (Though most in-wall speakers are full-range, you may want to add a powered subwoofer to your system for bass reinforcement, especially for home theater.)
With proper installation, these speakers sound great and can blend seamlessly into your room's decor (they even have paintable grilles!). Plus, you don't fill up your floor space with speakers. But keep in mind, installation is more involved than setting up traditional speakers. And you will, of course, need to run your speaker wires behind the walls.
 

 Subwoofer Speaker

If you are assembling a home theater, plan on including a powered subwoofer. Many Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks provide a dedicated channel of deep bass (sometimes known as low frequency effects, or LFE). This bass is what makes the entire soundtrack feel larger, fuller, and more lifelike ?and gives special effects like thunder or explosions their window-rattling punch.Since most speakers can't deliver that level of bass on their own, a subwoofer is needed to ensure that your home theater system delivers crucial low-frequency impact. A subwoofer is also a wonderful way to enrich music listening ?it can round out all types of music, from classical to jazz to rock to R&B.
 

 Receiver

The receiver handles a whole host of tasks. It powers your speakers, tunes in FM and AM radio stations, provides easy switching between audio/video sources, and lets you tailor the sound of your system to suit your room and your preferences. Home theater receivers also provide the decoding that lets you enjoy movies, TV shows, and music in enveloping surround sound.