Home Theater, On a Budget Like Mine - Part 3

Act III: The Sound The room is prepped, the stage set, the projector mounted and dialed in, you pop in your favorite flick loaded with great special effects. Everything looks great, but how does it sound? That's the question we'll answer in this segment. It is said that the great and almighty George Lucas stated that the sound was 50% of a movie. Well I think he is right. A lot of time and effort is spent tweaking the audio just so on any movie no matter how basic, but the fun sets in when there is at least 5.1 audio channels synchronized and adjusted to immerse you in movie land.
*First things first, lets follow the flow from its source. We won't go into too much detail between Dolby Digital, DTS, etc., but touch upon technical data as it is necessary. So whats on that disc anyways and what are you missing by not taking advantage? Well most movies are Dolby Digital 5.1 encoded. So here is the break down: 1. Center, 2. left front, 3. right front, 4. left rear, 5. right rear, and 6. subwoofer (yes 5.1 actually means SIX speakers). So if the disc contains all that info lets take advantage of it and stop using a simple 2 channel setup, its bad for the karma and makes audiophiles (name adopted by those with an obsession to all things audio) angry enough to make you swallow a tweeter.
*Decode, amplify, and distribute. The reason most movies are Dolby Digital 5.1 is because it will work with both 2 channel and 5.1 home configurations with no action required on your part. DTS and other similar 'advanced' encodings require that you choose that option on a movie's language or audio menu. This is because the DTS signal is purely a data signal that needs to be decoded by another source. 5.1 audio requires a receiver and for DTS a compatible decoder must also be present. The more advanced audio signals can only be transmitted through a true digital cable (sometimes called a SPDIF), such as a digital coax cable (looks like a regular RCA style plug but there is just one for all channels) or an optical (toslink) cable. Then your receiver decodes the digital goodness and amplifies the signal and sends it to your speakers. Pretty simple really, but to make it work you need to have the digital output enabled, the right cable and of course a receiver and all the speakers.
*Lets assume you have your DVD player setup for digital output and you have the right cable in hand, now onto the receiver and speakers. These need to be considered together. You can use either a HTIB (Home Theater In a Box), or a component set where you piece it together. First lets talk about the most popular choice the HTIB. Usually chosen for cost savings but also for simplifying things. They can come with or without a DVD player. A lot of audiophiles will consider you filthy and unclean for going this route but I am not quite so against it. A decent set will usually save you money and sound pretty darn good, bang for buck speaking. A component set gives you much greater flexibility but will often times set you back a few more clams. For most folks going this route it is recommended to use a A/V receiver. A/V receivers will be the central component in your home theater. All audio and video signals will route first to the receiver then to your display and speakers.
Sony STR-DE695 6.1 Channel A/V Receiver
Rear connection panel, it's not as complex as it looks
For speakers it is usually recommended you buy the same series of speakers or a matched speaker set. This ensures that you get speakers that work in harmony so your audio output has no odd spikes at certain frequencies and conversely holes in other areas.

HARMAN KARDON HKTS 8 6.1 HOME CINEMA SYSTEM
*Speaking of speakers......the basic loudspeaker design has been the same for probably 100 years or more. Manufacturers really have dedicated most of their efforts into perfecting the design. So one might think that after a century of redesigns that things are calm in that industry but that's just not the case. It seems every year someone comes up with some other new way of perfecting the output. Moving along to the number of speakers needed (or desired). Again 5.1 being the standard so 6 total are needed. 5 satellite or surround speakers and one subwoofer. There are 7.1 encodings coming up on Bluray High Definition so be prepared if you absolutely have to be up to date. The difference is in the rear, (thank you for noticing , I've been working out) instead of simply having 2 rear speakers there are four, 2 to the side/rear and 2 more behind the listener, but lets stick with the 5.1 since the principles are the same. 1.The Center Chanel: this is the most important since the majority of all sound comes from this little beast, so make sure yours is up to the task.
Front wall mounted center channel speaker
2/3. The Left and Right Front Speakers: these also see a lot action. Another aspect that is overlooked in home theater design is music. If you plan on also using your audio system for music listening, and you take your music listening seriously, get a good pair of front speakers. 4/5. The Rear Speakers: these don't see as much action as the rest but are absolutely critical in adding depth and transform a sound system into a surround sound system. 6. The Subwoofer: probably the most fun of them all. No home theater is complete without it (since that streaming data signal dedicates a complete channel to it alone). Your smaller speakers are just not capable of producing the lower end of the sound spectrum. These require their own amplifier (usually built in) and are larger than the other speakers.

10" Subwoofer in current location (Yes in a corner but properly tuned works well in this location)
*Location, location, location. Speaker placement is as important as going through the effort of buying all those in the first place. Nothing gets under my skin quicker than to visit someones TV room and seeing all 6 speakers next to or around the TV facing out to the listeners. Whats the point?, just box up those rear speakers, it'll save you the clutter. So lets start with the Center. This needs to be as close and centered (whoa, is that where it gets it's name from?) to the TV or screen as possible, just below or above is the usual. The two front speakers should be within 12"MAX height difference compared to the center channel and wide enough to create a sense of space and width. The rear speakers should be slightly higher than the listening level and usually a bit more directly facing the listener. The Sub, well that's a different story. Bass or low frequencies are not very directional, you've just got to play with it a little before settling on a good spot. Most experts recommend the front. Also be aware that corners will amplify certain low frequencies, so in general experts say to avoid them since they alter the designed sound output. A good spot lets you get rumbled pretty good with out being able to pinpoint the sub's location with your eyes closed.
*SO with these principles in place you should now be able to add fantastic sound to match your fantastic picture!