One of the most common remarks made by home theater owners old and new is: “I just feel like I should be getting more.” If you find yourself thinking this as you sit and enjoy your system then you’re right – you probably should be. For all the time and expense involved in purchasing and installing a home theater, some of the finer details usually go overlooked. The good news is with just one or two key adjustments, you can make an appreciable difference in the performance of your home entertainment system. We’ve created a top 10 list of some of changes you can make to improve your system right away.

1. Match your speakers

If your speaker system is a hodgepodge of old and new speakers from various different manufacturers, then you are missing out on the immersive, high-impact surround experience you deserve. Every speaker brand has its own, unique sound signature. As sound effects travel from one speaker to another, the sound signature changes along the way. Say a car races from the left of the screen to the right and then behind you. If your center channel and surround speakers aren’t matched to your front left and right speakers, the sound of that car is going to change three times. It may not seem like a big deal on paper, but in reality your brain can process these differences and it takes away from the realism that a surround sound experience can provide. By having matched speakers throughout your system you ensure that the sound is seamless from one speaker to another and the result is a much more realistic, immersive effect. If you need to match your speakers in stages, start with the front left, right and center channels where most of the action takes place. Then, match your surround speakers as you are able to.

2. Upgrade your subwoofer

The subwoofer is responsible for adding impact and depth to the sound of your movie tracks. Think back to the last time you went to a big fireworks show. For all the pretty colors and patterns you saw, it’s likely that the fireworks that made a big boom got the most ooohs and aaaahs from the crowd, right? People like to feel the impact of an explosion or the pounding footfall of a giant Transformer.

A quality subwoofer will deliver this experience to your home theater space. Bear in mind, however, that bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. If you are confronted with choosing between a higher quality 10” subwoofer and a lesser quality 12” subwoofer, we suggest you go with the higher quality sub. You’ll get better impact without the muddiness that comes along with cheaper design and enjoy your movies that much more.

By Caleb Denison

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