The Basics of Home Theater Surround Sound For Consumer Electronics
If you are in the market for a brand new surround sound system I’m pretty sure you’ve been a little baffled by all the options, bells, whistles, gadgets, gizmos, and price tags on the market today. Trust me, you are not alone. The first thing you need to understand is that there are several different types of surround sound systems. The industry standard and most common is the 5.1 channel surround sound system. This set up calls for the use of five speakers plus one subwoofer in addition to the receiver.
When you are looking into surround sound systems for your home or home theater you will come across some terminology that may seem foreign and unfamiliar. Surround Sound 5.1 indicates a system that uses five speakers and one subwoofer in order to deliver the sounds. This sound is often referred to as Dolby Digital. A new term that has been cropping up more and more often in movie circles is THX. This is known as surround sound 6.1, which involves the use of 6 speakers and a subwoofer.
In order to get surround sound you need more than a set of speakers. You will first need a receiver in order to ‘receive’ and process the information and send the digital signals and sounds in the direction they should go. If you are building a home theater you will want to make a good receiver a key investment in your overall system. This is an important component as sound is vital to a true ‘movie going’ experience, which is what a good home theater is meant to imitate.
A good receiver is essential not only for a good home theater but also any surround sound system that you wish to install (many people use these exclusively for gaming as well and they are quite effective for this particular purpose). When it comes to gaming, surround sound can identify your location in the action of the game. The more speakers you have in your system the better able you will be to identify from which direction actions, sounds, and such are being made.
There are many things that go into creating not only the perfect surround sound system for your home but also the perfect surround sound set up. Do not get so caught up in researching these systems online that you neglect to walk into your local stores and actually hear the sound systems you are considering for purchase. There is noting like hearing the quality of the sound to help you make your final selection.