Impedance is an important factor in speakers, but what does it mean? Basically, impedance is the level of resistance a speaker has to the voltage and current being applied to it. For example, 4-ohm speakers will need to be paired with an amplifier in order for them to produce decent audio.
Similarly, 6- and 8-ohm speakers need to be paired with the correct AV receiver. Speaker systems decode audio signals in different ways, and there are several common and well-known formats. Some are for specific channel configurations, so make sure everything matches up. This part is pretty easy though, as it should say on the speaker system which formats they support.
THD stands for Total Harmonic Distortion, and this is the rating given to speakers that states how much distortion is created by the speaker itself. The higher the percentage, the more distortion there is.
If you have access to this information when buying speakers, look for the lowest rating possible. Setting your speakers up properly is one of the most important parts of building a home theater. After all, viewing devices are usually easy enough just plug in and go , but setting up speakers is a much more delicate procedure. Here are my top tips for getting the correct speaker placement in your new home theater:. Home theater manufacturers have plenty of different ways to market their products, and many do so by stressing the quality of the components.
So do this actually mean anything? When it comes to speakers, yes. Speakers are your frontline audio output, and so your final audio quality is going to be almost entirely dictated by their quality. A speaker is largely divided into 3 parts: the box, the crossover network, and the drivers. Box: The box is essentially the housing of the speaker — the bit you see. It contains all the electrical components, and is both for looks and for protection.
Speakers are usually pretty sensitive, after all, and so the components need to be protected from damage. Crossover network: This is the part of the speaker that converts the electrical signals from your input device DVD player, media streaming device into audio signals.
Drivers: These are the part of the speaker that most people think of as the actual speaker, and these are where the sound comes from. Audio signals are split into high, mid-range, and low frequencies, and then passed to the relevant driver.
A low frequency driver is called a woofer, a mid-range is just called a mid-range or mid , and a high frequency driver is called a tweeter. The first number of a speaker system configuration defines the number of main speakers in the setup. When it comes to the main speakers, we are referring to the front left, front right, center, and various surround speakers.
The second number of a speaker system configuration indicates the number of subwoofers in the surround sound setup. It is most common to see a 1, which means there is one subwoofer in the setup, but you may come across a 2 every now and then.
While most surround sound systems work great with only one subwoofer, some people prefer the sound of two for their unique room and needs. Height speakers are usually located in the ceiling of the home theater room, but they may also be upward-firing speakers. Your speakers will likely be powered by a good receiver or even an amplifier. In some cases, the speakers are active and do not require a separate power source.
You will not have a subwoofer, and the speakers will be compatible with TV, DVD, and mobile devices, such as phones and laptops. It is an affordable setup that may be a start to a home theater, and it helps keep things simple. It will give movies and TV a better sound than the tiny speakers that TVs come with, so there is nothing wrong with this simple setup.
The 2. Since there are no surrounding speakers, this setup is still a pretty basic setup, but adding the subwoofer will definitely enhance the sound to provide a more complex experience. Many soundbars are a 2. The speakers will consist of a left, a center, and a right speaker, positioned accordingly, and your subwoofer should be positioned on the floor in the center of the setup, however, as we explained in our tutorial , whether you have carpeting or hardwood can affect the sound so pay attention.
The addition of the center channel speaker is used to reproduce dialogue, while the left and right speakers will be used for effects, music, and other stereo sounds. This is a great setup to enhance cinematic sound. The 5. It has six channels, which include five main speakers and a subwoofer. There are three speakers located in the front: on the left, center, and right, as well as two surround sound speakers in the back of the room — one on the left and one on the right. Same thing.
The good news: most new AV receivers can play both formats. HDR on a TV generates higher contrast within the existing pixels, expanding contrast and color so the end result is more accurate and has more depth.
How is HDR relevant to receivers? Like we said above: think of channels as speakers. And though most music formats only require 2 channels left and right , the sky's the limit for true home theater surround sound.
In a nutshell: The more channels you have, the more more speakers you can add — and the more speakers you add, the better and more immersive the sound. A good old stereo system is now referred to as 2. The "2" refers to the two front speakers, and the subwoofer is the ".
Add another subwoofer to the setup, and you have a "5. To recap: a 9. Plus two subwoofers, which are typically in the back, but can go anywhere. You'll need a receiver with 9 channels or more to power a system like this. How much audible difference is there between the two? Still, that said, a few words on power from one of our own, a World Wide Stereo industry expert, Bob Cole:.
That is, the loud parts can be a LOT louder! It's important to get a receiver with power reserves, or the loud parts will distort. That not only sounds bad, but it can hurt your speakers.
I like to see about Watts per channel or more for most rooms and speakers. Even better, some receivers have preamp output jacks on the rear, so you can later add a power amplifier to boost the power. It future-proofs your power. What to look for if you want wireless multi-room audio. In the old days, like way back in the year , if you wanted music in another room, you drilled lots of holes in walls and floors so you could run wires to speakers. And if you got fancy, you also ran wires to a keypad on the wall so you could control everything.
Today, you can do the same thing, minus the drilling and the wires by going wireless. And there are two ways to do this. Keep an eye out for these callouts while shopping. In essence, you could have a 7-room house playing a different song in each room at the same time, with no wires anywhere. We should note: there are still wall keypads out there, but many are now wireless, too. Though some receivers come with a wireless system already built-in, you can add wireless capability to almost any sound system.
Yamaha , Bose , and Sonos all make tiny boxes that connect to the receiver just like a CD player, and allow you to stream almost any music, wirelessly, through your sound system.
Many of the newest home theater receivers are easily controlled through an app on your iPhone, tablet, or computer. At your fingertips: full operational control from any room in the house. Grandma could take over, no problem. Receivers are often bigger than you think. An AV receiver with amps inside needs to dissipate heat, so I recommend leaving 6 inches inches above it for ventilation. The cooler a piece of electronics stays, the longer it lasts.
AV receivers are typically deeper than stereo receivers, so I usually recommend allowing 20 inches for depth. If space is tight, there are fan kits that can keep the air circulating to prevent your receiver from overheating.
Or the mayhem and destruction in a typical monster movie might spill out at home. The most common questions we hear from customers. A multi-zone capable receiver gets it done by allowing you to hook up multiple video sources — your cable or satellite box, Apple TV, a Blu-ray player, and so on — and then sending that signal out to two different TVs in two different rooms.
You can even watch two live TV shows at the same time with one multi-zone receiver, though that requires an additional cable or satellite TV box. Yes, but all AV receivers nowadays have automatic speaker calibration. Microsoft's new operating system is rolling out in phases to compatible devices, and here's how it compares to Windows Microsoft's new OS is rolling out in phases, but you don't have to wait.
With Windows 11 Installation Assistant, you can get the operating system today. The Off-Facebook Activity tracking rumor is not a hoax. Here's how to keep the social media platform from tracking your web browsing. Smart Home. Top How To Tips. PS5 restock tracker: Where to look for a console right now PS5 restock tracker: Where to look for a console right now by Russell Holly.
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