I’m a proud movie buff. Put on anything Tarantino, Ridley Scott, or Satoshi Kon and I’m glad to share my enthusiasm about the film (sometimes to the extreme). But working at Crutchfield has spoiled me a little. I’m used to impactful explosions, crystal-clear dialogue, and immersive surround sound effects. If the movie doesn’t sound fantastic, it puts a damper on my enjoyment.
Setting up a home theater system can seem intimidating, but it’s not that bad once you get started. I’ll walk you through some important considerations and help you get a head start on planning your new home theater system.
Types of home theater speakers
You might have heard the terms “bookshelf speaker” and “Atmos topper” thrown around online before. But what do those terms actually refer to? Let’s break down each kind of home theater speaker to give you a good foothold.
Tower speakers, also known as floor-standing speakers, are usually used as your front left and right speakers. These speakers can be large and tall, so make sure you’ve got adequate space to accommodate a pair.
The center-channel speaker is the most important speaker of all, as it’s what reproduces dialogue and center effects. Without it, movies can sound very thin.
Bookshelf speakers are versatile and can serve as your front speakers, your side surround speakers, or your rear speakers. These speakers don’t take up as much space as towers, and can be compact or a little on the large side.
Surround speakers go behind and/or beside your listening position. These speakers often have two sets of drivers that fire in opposite directions to give your sound plenty of dispersion. They reproduce surround sound effects like rain, explosions, or anything that’s not front and center.
Height speakers, (or Atmos speakers), come in two flavors. You can go the custom-installed route of in-ceiling speakers, or you can add Atmos enabled speakers. These come in the form of toppers that sit on your front speakers and reflect sound down onto your listening position. Some bookshelf and floor-standing speakers have Atmos toppers built in.
Powered subwoofers are what deal out bass and add thump to effects.
