An audio system for home theater consists of speakers and subwoofer used to watch movies or listen to music at home. There are two primary kinds of home theater speaker setups – hi-fi and movie sound systems.
Hi-fi speakers aim to recreate songs as they were recorded, while movie sound is designed to re-create the experience of being in a cinema.
5.1 Surround Sound
Home theater audio systems play an integral part in making you feel as if you’re immersed in the movie or show with friends and family. From simple yet affordable setups that provide excellent sound, to elaborate high-end systems that elevate the home cinema experience to new levels – they all serve to enhance it in their own ways.
Surround Sound (also referred to as Dolby Digital or DTS) is an audio system which utilizes speakers to spread sound throughout a room and provide immersive listening experience.
An immersive surround sound setup typically includes a center speaker, front right and left speakers and subwoofer connected to an AV receiver. Additional surround channels may also be added for an immersive listening experience.
5.1 is the standard surround sound setup, frequently seen in movies, HDTV shows, games and Blu-ray discs. Compressing audio into Dolby Digital or DTS codecs enables speakers to deliver more accurate sound reproduction than with traditional stereo systems.
A 5.1 system offers numerous installation options and can fit seamlessly into nearly any home environment. Speakers can be set up anywhere you see fit – corners, walls or above or below your TV screen depending on your budget and needs.
You may opt to install one speaker either on the ceiling or back wall. This is particularly effective in larger rooms and will prevent sound from coming too low or echoing around.
If you want a truly immersive and powerful cinematic experience, consider purchasing a 7.1 setup. Although more costly than its 5.1 counterpart, its enhanced audio will more than justify the upgrade cost.
When purchasing a 7.1 surround sound system, make sure to find high-quality speakers capable of meeting its higher output. They should deliver rich and detailed sounds while being located in suitable listening positions for optimal experience.
7.1 Surround Sound
7.1 surround sound is an audio system that reproduces sounds at various angles and distances to simulate where listeners might be standing in order to immerse them into what they are watching or listening to. It is often employed in home theater setups or headsets in order to immerse users fully into what they are watching or listening to.
This setup typically consists of three front speakers and one speaker for each of the right and left channels to create the surround sound effect, plus one subwoofer to add deep bass frequencies to create the ideal environment for listening to audio content. A 7.1 system may cost more than its 5.1 counterpart; however, its superior audio quality may make up for its increased cost.
For larger rooms on a tight budget, this system can be an excellent solution. Offering numerous configuration and customization options that can enhance sound quality.
Gamers often turn to surround sound systems in order to enhance the realism of fast-paced shooters, yet it must be remembered that such systems may become distracting during gaming sessions; for this reason it should only be used in quieter settings or at lower volumes.
Some systems also incorporate up-firing or ceiling mounted speakers; though this feature is typically not found on lower priced 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound systems, if your budget allows you to experiment with it and see whether it makes a difference, experiment!
Though VR may provide a more engaging cinematic experience, it may not be ideal for all home theater setups. VR headsets may become distracting to some users or ruin audio-visual experience depending on room size considerations.
Not all movies are mixed for 7.1 sound, meaning some old DVDs you may have borrowed from the library may not contain this soundtrack. To rectify this situation, AV receivers can upmix any existing 5.1 tracks to play back through on a 7.1 channel for a more accurate and immersive surround sound experience.
As examples, codecs like Dolby Pro Logic IIx and DTS-Neo 6 provide upmixing technologies which upmix 5.1 sound to produce additional channels for 7.1 surround sound – these technologies can often be found on A/V receivers.
7.2 Surround Sound
Home theater systems provide high-quality, immersive and exciting audio that’s great for movie-watching, listening to music or just watching television in your own home. Installing one gives you an unforgettable cinematic experience in your own living room!
There are various kinds of home theater systems, but three common varieties include 2.1, 5.1 and 7.1 systems. These terms refer to how many speaker channels and subwoofers are present within a setup.
A 2.1 home theater system should suffice if you’re after a basic system, providing left and right speakers as well as a center speaker. But keep in mind that an effective subwoofer must also be included for optimal results.
A 5.1 system typically features front right and left speakers, along with a center channel and two surround channels – perfect for most movies and television shows as the surround channels add depth and realism. Furthermore, most home theater systems allow you to upmix stereo music sources to 5.1 for greater realism.
Home theater systems are also ideal for smaller homes because they won’t overwhelm their space or add clutter by reducing the number of wires to be run.
Your AV receiver serves as the hub of your home theater experience, collecting all video and audio signals from all media sources and controlling settings for speakers and amplifiers for a seamless movie or music viewing/listening experience.
As AV receivers can often be the most costly component of your home theater system, it is wise to make your selection carefully. If unsure about what to look for when shopping for one, consult an expert.
Your home theater room requires height speakers – upward-firing speakers located near the ceiling.
Subwoofers can add depth and realism to the experience, though many home theaters don’t include one as standard. Although not essential for full 7.1 or 7.2 surround sound experience, subwoofers help boost bass frequencies to create more realistic audio playback.
Object-Based Surround Sound
Object-based surround sound is one of the latest advances in audio systems for home theater. Unlike conventional 5.1 and 7.1 systems, object-based systems utilize additional speakers known as height channels to provide a more engaging audio experience.
Object-based systems use spatially encoded substreams and metadata to dynamically mix sounds according to speaker configurations, making accurate estimates about how movies will be played back in specific spaces. These technologies also enable re-recording mixers to make more precise assumptions regarding how their film will be presented for viewing.
This method can help solve some of the audio issues associated with transferring movie soundtracks to home environments. Since most film soundtracks were produced for cinematic listening environments, they often sound harsh or flat when reproduced for home listening environments.
Engineers from Dolby and DTS have devised technologies designed to overcome this hurdle, known as object-based audio techniques, which produce cinema-ready mixes for home audio playback. This will make it easier for film and TV producers to bring their films directly into homes.
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X use spatially encoded object audio sub-streams combined with metadata to dynamically render an audio mix in real time, which makes these techniques ideal for watching videos on both TV and game consoles.
Sub-streams may be encoded using various audio formats, including Dolby TrueHD or Dolby Digital Plus, before being embedded directly into media files in an LPCM-style format.
The audio mix created from these recordings is then sent through compatible speakers via TV or AV receiver and processed through Dolby Atmos’ object audio renderer for dynamic interpretation and surround sound presentation, using speaker layout in theater to determine exact positions for every audio object.
These object-based recording techniques offer movie producers significant time and cost savings while creating a more realistic listening experience for their audiences.