You just got yourself a 50″ HDTV and you’re thinking, man … isn’t life grand? You never felt so good watching Miss Congeniality on your crisp 1080p display until… you raise the volume. As good as the picture looks, most tvs have really crappy speakers. It is time, my friend, to look into getting a home theater system.
Surround Sound Basics
Surround sound can be a very confusing purchase. Just looking at the specifications can be a daunting task. Here’s a quick glossary guide that explains some typical terms that you’ll need to know when buying a home theater system.
Receiver – Unit that decodes and amplifies the sound coming out of your speakers.
Satellite Speakers – These are the speakers that are connected to your receiver. There are actually 3 types of speaker drivers: tweeters, mid-range, and subwoofer.
Tweeter – Produces the high frequency sounds. Think how Mickey Mouse sounds like.
Subwoofer – Produces low frequency sounds. Think Barry White.
Mid-Range – Produces all the sounds in between the tweeter and subwoofer.
Surround Channels – This refers to the number of speakers your surround sound system is capable of. So a 5.1 system supports 5 satellite speakers with an additional subwoofer. The .1 refers to the subwoofer.
Watts – Refers to the measurement of power that the receiver is capable to produce. More watts usually equates to a louder sound system.
Ohms – Measures the resistance in the flow of electricity. The more ohms, the more resistance it will cause. You want this number to be low.