2.1 Speaker systems- How to build a home theater piece-meal

by Caleb Denison

Unless you live under a rock or purposefully ignore the news, you know very well that tough times have hit our nation's economy. In conditions such as these, even Wall St. executive tycoons are going to have to be careful with how they spend their money.

This got me thinking about piece-mealing home theater systems together. People do it, but I think that a lot of folks don't know just how great an idea it can be. You get the advantages of a lower initial investment, you lessen the shock value to your significant other by having fewer boxes show up at the door and, once your family experiences what great audio can bring to your movie nights, you'll have 'em begging for more!

So where do you start? What is the most important speaker(s) to get first? What will you be missing without surround speakers, a center channel etc.? Great questions! I'm glad you asked but first we have to understand what role each speaker plays in your system. This way, you can set up your own list of priorities and start building where it will pay off the most for YOU.

Give me better sound--- Your front left and right speakers:  Most of us are familiar with stereo. One left speaker, one right speaker... DONE! In fact, this is a great place to start. Sadly, most TV's have pretty lame speakers built in. They certainly aren't worthy of reproducing your music collection and they aren't going to do much to enrich your movie watching experience at home. For that reason, the front left and right speakers are a must. They'll add a lot of fidelity and whet your appetite for the improvements that will come in the near future as you beef up your new system.

I wanna FEEL it!--- Introducing the subwoofer: Your subwoofer handles all the bass and super low, room shaking, hit you in the chest movie effects (called Low Frequency Effects or LFE for short). The subwoofer in your system brings all the impact of a great action flick to you. Without it, you won't get the more visceral side of a movie. If you're big into action, sci-fi and other harder hitting movie genres, then the subwoofer takes some priortiy on your short list. If, however, chick-flicks get most of the air time on your system, then the sub may not be of immediate performance. For instance, I could easily have gotten through "The Notebook" without my subwoofer. "The Matrix" is another story, though. That movie begs for a sub!

What did they just say?---- Meet your center channel: By far, the most common complaint about watching movies at home is hearing the dialogue. You've been there. You can't hear what's being said very clearly so you turn up your TV or receiver. That works ok until BAM !!!!! An action sequence hits and you're being blown out of the room as you scramble for the remote. That's what your center channel is for. It's job is to take the dialogue and put it right there in the room with you. Since an estimated 80% of the audio on a DVD is for the center channel, it makes sense that this piece be implented as soon as possible. It really makes a noticeable difference in the quality of sound and gets you that much closer to the ultimate home theater.

I want to be like....THERE, man.--- Surround Speakers:  The surround speakers are the final element of your home theater system. These are like the icing on an already delicious cake. Without them, your system will still sound really, really good. With them, your system sounds AMAZING. With the surround speakers in place, you might find yourself ducking when a helicopter flies over. They really put you in the midst of the action and make it easy to forget that you're at home watching a movie. Suspension of disbelief is what a lot of movie watchers are looking for and surround speakers help deliver that experience.

But, my receiver says 7.1 on it. Will it work with just part of a system?

YES, it most certainly will! Even though your receiver is capable of 7.1, it doesn't HAVE to process things that way. You get to tell your receiver if you have 7.1, 6.1, 5.1, 3.1 3.0, 2.1 or 2.0. For instance, if you have mains and a sub, you have a 2.1 system. You'll tell the receiver you have no center channel or surrounds and your receiver will process the sound so that you don't miss a thing. Same thing goes for 3.1 systems that feature a center channel and no surrounds.

My hope is that, armed with this information, you can piece together a system that will deliver a great experience for you right now and allow you to add speakers as you can, making your experience better and better as time goes by. It's kind of like having a birthday party every couple of months. The gifts just keep coming!

Enjoy and have some fun!

Comments

[Cdsaenz]

Thanks a lot for this article! First thing I got from google when looking for a newbie guide to 2.1. Just got 2 front stereo speakers and with your article I know now better what to get with more speakers. Will now look for some sub to begin with..

[online movie]

Thanks for the information! really its great. now all i have to do it to download some movies and watch.

[Audio Equipment Speakers]

Thanks for putting this out there. I know alot of people don't know what to buy first to make there own home audio system. Right now the only thing I do not have is the subwoofer. I've got two good stand speakers that have 12" subs so I'm getting plenty of bass...if you ask my downstairs neighbor I'm getting too much! But I have found with the surrounds, center channel, and the two beasts I can get plenty of bass and still hear the dialogue.

[Gems]

Just too good ..