Do you want to make your ears heard during your home theater sessions? We give you some tips to make the right choices.
Cinema is not just about pictures. When you go to a screening in a dark room, it is to live a total show, combining visual and sound pleasures. Luckily, for several years now, it is possible to relive some of this experience at home. And today, the home theater market – home cinema – offers a plethoric choice for those who wish to take an interest in it. So much so that it can appear complex, even inaccessible for novices.
To put it simply, a home theater is composed of an amplifier (all-in-one or combo preamp and power amp), several speakers, a subwoofer (highly recommended option) and cables to connect everything . The amplifier serves as the centerpiece since it must be connected to a TV (or a projector) and sources (Blu-ray players, consoles, TV box, etc.)
AMPLIFIER
The amplifier is the most important element of a home theater setup. And, paradoxically, it is also the one that will be most likely to be quickly replaced – as technological developments (new HDMI standard, new sound formats, adding connected features …). Like all products, there are different ranges and obviously different prices.
If we had to summarize easily, the more you pay, the more the amp:
Will be powerful and likely to suit a large room;
Gather HDMI ports, both input and output (useful for those who want to put a TV and a projector in the same room);
Will accept speakers (5 to 9 as a rule);
Offer additional features (Bluetooth, AirPlay, voice assist, etc.).
In 2019, amplifiers, even entry-level, are generally compatible with the sound formats (Dolby or DTS) and video (4K, HDR10 and Dolby Vision) of the moment. Check the datasheet at the time of purchase anyway. Note also that they come with a microphone dedicated to calibration, a necessary step once everything is connected. It allows you to correctly (and automatically) set the speakers according to their placement.
To choose the amplifier, beyond the question of budget, it is necessary to visualize the size of the room where the home theater will be located. For a small salon, it is quite possible to focus on a mid-range product. But we must also be careful to anticipate to avoid being stuck. For example, do not buy an amplifier limited to five channels to earn a few euros if you are in the mood to move to seven speakers sooner or later. As part of the acquisition of a home theater, the needs of tomorrow are as important as those of today – especially as the products are expensive. Moreover, at a time when technological breakthroughs are less radical.
Our recommendations :
Denon AVR-X550BT 5.2;
Marantz SR-5012 7.2;
Onkyo TX-RZ830 9.2.
SPEAKER
As for amplifiers, there are many players in the speaker market. And the more you invest, the more quality material you will have, in terms of both design and sound reproduction. On the paper, you can associate as many speakers as you want. In fact, you will be limited by the performance of your amplifier and the size and / or the layout of your room. The configurations are normalized as follows: xyz, x being the number of speakers on the floor, y the number of subwoofers (usually 1 or 2) and z the number of speakers dedicated to 3D effects (ideally , placed on the ceiling).
This seems obvious: it is better to associate speakers of the same brand, if possible of the same family (Atmos speakers are the only exceptions to this rule in case of placement impossible ceiling). To complicate the case a little more, there are pregnant / amp couples more relevant than others for the homogeneity of the rendering.
Also, the size of the speakers depends on the size of your room. A small kit of compact speakers will be very suitable for a small living room. To go further, it will be necessary to leave on two columns associated with a central in front and two libraries behind. For Dolby Atmos or DTS: X, which add 3D effects (for example: flying over a helicopter), there are speakers specially designed to be placed on other speakers. Oriented towards the ceiling, they allow 3D effects by bouncing the sound on the ceiling.
Our recommendations :
Cabasse Alcyone 2 5.1 Kit;
Klipsch R-620F HCS 5.0;
Elipson Prestige Facet HCS 14F 5.0.2.
SUBWOOFER
Contrary to what we might believe, it is not mandatory to take a subwoofer of the same brand as its speakers. Thus, some specialist manufacturers offer much more convincing products. For starters, those built into ready-made kits do the trick.
We prefer to remember it, even if the logical connection is obvious: configurations with two subwoofers are more likely to be intended for very large parts.
Our recommendations :
XTZ 8.17;
XTZ 10.17.
CABLES:
In general, there is a tendency to neglect the wiring. In the case of a home theater, it is nevertheless essential. If it is too thin, not only it deteriorates quickly, but, as a bonus, it can inhibit the performance of each speaker. The specialist Son-Video recommends a diameter of 1.5 to 2.5 mm2 for lengths between 1 and 10 meters. Unfortunately, the cables supplied with the speakers, when supplied, are not of very good quality.
Purists and other self-proclaimed audiophiles will tell you to connect all speakers with the same length of cable. But they have forgotten an essential point: the speed of the signal is so fast that there is nothing to fear from possible delays (even more in a listening area of a few square meters). We see more a practical side, to have good and distribute its speakers in the room: the two front, the two back. The most complicated being to hide the cables so they do not drag around …
NorStone Banana Sheets // Source: Sound-Video
To insert the cables more easily into the terminal blocks provided for this purpose, it is advisable to buy banana plugs sold for a few euros. Be careful, speakers and amplifiers are not all compatible.
Our recommendations :
Speaker cable 2.50 mm2;
Cable for subwoofer;
Banana plugs (x4).
INSTALLATION:
Once you’ve spent an amount you already regret (because you did not turn on your setup) to fill your living room, it’s time to proceed with the installation. There, simply connect each speaker on the right terminal blocks (black on black, red on red). In case you have a doubt, the right speakers are those on your right (and not on the right of the TV or projector).
Then comes the calibration phase, now automatic thanks to an algorithm and a microphone supplied with the amplifier. For this important step that is used to adjust and correct depending on the placement (if you arrive at a perfect symmetry, bravo), we simply follow the instructions on the screen. We will not hide the fact that the interfaces of the amplifiers are often neither welcoming nor clear. If everything is properly connected, there will be no problem to report.
However, some manual adjustments need to be made. Check that all speakers are set to SMALL – even if they are large – otherwise the bass will be handled by the speakers. Even if some have the capacity, it is better to leave this work to the subwoofer, planned for this task and relieving the amp. Moreover, if you find that the dialogs are a little too indented, do not hesitate to increase the sound level of the center speaker. For that, trust your ear and your preferences.
Still on the configuration, the break-in of the speakers may be relevant. It consists of not pushing the volume for a hundred hours. The goal ? Do not rush the new membrane to avoid tears. You respected all the steps? To you the frenzied sessions.