Home Theater System Optimizing: Step 1

Initial Points to Consider

Far too many novice audiophiles tend to stray away from uniformity when they are putting together their home theater systems. As a result, they limit their speakers’ bandwidths, frequencies, and dynamism. I know of many examples where individuals purchased speaker components in hopes of maximizing certain areas of their sound. For instance one shopper purchased Yamaha receivers because of their categorical prowess, and paired them to JBL subwoofers, for the same reason. This is one example out of hundreds, and there are a plethora of reasons why you should avoid this pitfall.

Multiple Frequency Speakers

First, understand that there are technical hardwiring issues, when you go the route of average home theater purchasers. While certain aftermarket cables are manufactured to merge components of different brands, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should do it, or even consider doing it, if you want optimal sound quality. Here’s why: Speaker loads, impedances, etc. are usually tailor-made to suit a particular brand. That translates to JBL subwoofers being designed to bear an exact load specification from the power amp, and receiver. However, you opted for the Yamaha, and while you may be able to tailor your sound, it would require a lot of guess and check work, and tweaking. All of this can be avoided if you simply choose to stick with one manufacturer, from the beginning.

Do a Mental Checklist

Consider this: maybe you are really partial to one type of speaker. Ask yourself why. Are you a die- hard Martin Logan fan? Ask yourself if it’s because of the crisp and accurate highs that they are known for. If that is the case, perhaps you are just a fan of great treble, and it is possible to assemble a home theater system that caters to that. In fact, because you are (hypothetically) a big Martin Logan fan, you can benefit from the fact that the company makes multiple components besides just speakers. So, instead of shopping around for what makes your Martin Logan speakers sound best, you can start with the source. No one knows how to maximize the potential of your Martin Logan speakers better than Martin Logan, itself!

Top Quality Receivers

Address All of Your P’s and Q’s

Once you’ve decided exactly which manufacturer you are willing to stick to, do some research. Perhaps cost is a prohibitive factor.  Perhaps installation of your system or acquisition is a problem. If you believe that it becomes too much work, remember that the work you will put in to assembling the right system, in the beginning, will save you hours of headaches in the long run. Also, the end product will be audibly better. Your decision to stick to one manufacturer will allow you to capitalize on the inestimable amount of money and time that the specific company spent on research and development.

Now You Are Ready!

Keep in mind that using one manufacturer doesn’t necessarily mean that your choices are severely limited. For instance there is a lot of leeway, depending on the specific manufacturer you chose. Also, if you chose a smaller manufacturer, some mixing and matching will be impossible to avoid. Nevertheless, if you are confused about how to proceed, do not hesitate to contact a professional. No matter how many home theater systems you installed, chances are, if you weren’t trained, the system you installed was never optimized for output. This is not to say you may not know what you are doing, but rather to stress that you cannot discount the importance of a true audio professional’s advice. Good luck on your home theater system sound!