Home Theater Basics
The three things every home theater does: reproduce dialog clearly, place effects around you, and hit the peaks films are mixed at.
A home theater is a coordinated set of speakers, an audio/video receiver (AVR), and a display working together. The goal is to reproduce a movie mix the way the mixing engineer intended.
Three things matter more than the brand names on the boxes: room size, speaker sensitivity, and amplifier headroom. Get those right and inexpensive gear can sound excellent.
Where to start
Start with the room. How far you sit from the front speakers determines how loud the system must play, which determines how much amplifier power and speaker sensitivity you need.
Related topics
- Understanding Speaker TypesBookshelf, tower, in-wall, in-ceiling, on-wall, and satellite speakers each solve a different placement problem.
- Dolby Atmos LayoutsAtmos layouts are written as X.Y.Z — floor speakers, subwoofers, and height speakers.
- Reference LevelFilm reference level is the volume films are mixed at — peaks up to 105 dB SPL at your seat, with 115 dB from the subwoofer.