Speakers

There are five basic home theater speaker categories: towers, bookshelves, satellites, center channels and subwoofers.

• A tower speaker is a tall, freestanding model capable of reproducing a full range of sound. It is designed and engineered to cover the highs, mids and lows through independent tweeters and drivers.
• Bookshelf speakers are designed for smaller room environments or applications that would require fewer components. Bookshelf speakers offer good high and mid-range but in most scenarios, lack the bass that a tower speaker provides.
• Satellites speakers used as both front and rear-channel (surround) are small, bass-limited models designed to be paired with a subwoofer. Generally, these are sold as all-inclusive systems. Some come equipped with amplification other may require a small surround sound receiver. These systems are known in the industry as "home theater in a box".
• A center channel speaker is horizontally oriented designed to reproduce dialog.
• The subwoofer is the black box in the room. It houses a single driver, 8”-18” and has its own built-in amplification. This will generate all the low end frequency in your music or surround sound audio formats. If you’re setting up a home theater, a sub is a must-have; it will complete your surround sound audio experience.

Freestanding vs. on-wall

Previously, home theater speakers were usually installed alongside big-screen TVs - either freestanding or placed on top of speaker stands but many new models are on-wall designs that come with wall-mounting hardware. One advantage to these kinds of speakers is that they get positioned on walls where they don't take up any floor space. A second advantage is that their slim, wall–hugging design nicely complements flat-panel LED, Plasma and LCD TVs. A third advantage of the on-walls is that they will reproduce audio quality better than an in-ceiling or in-wall speaker because they have a built-in cabinet; which provides better acoustic results.

Do you really need a center channel?

With some systems - especially those built around a large, flat panel TV - finding a place to put the center channel speaker can be a problem. Center channel speakers are specifically designed to reproduce voices so you'll find that movie and TV dialog will sound much clearer. Instead of bypassing the center speaker or using the TV's built-in speakers as a center channel substitute, we can accommodate an alternative mounting method. The main goal for your home theater system is to utilize the same manufacturer for the center, right and left speakers. During production, audio is mastered to send certain percentages of sound as well as frequencies to each individual speaker. Without a center channel, the appreciation for truly designated sound may be lost.

In-wall and In-ceiling speakers

For those who prefer to keep their audio/video equipment out of sight, in-wall and in-ceiling speakers make a great alternative to traditional models. Although the sound quality of in-wall and in-ceiling models is generally a notch below that of regular speakers, they can be mounted inside cutout cavities in the walls or ceiling of your room where they won't take up any space. Both types are designed to contain vibrations within the speaker cabinet, so you won't have to worry about rattling the walls during action movies. Keep in mind, installation of in-wall and in-ceiling speakers involves running wires through the walls and/or ceiling of your home.

Many people tend to be casual about where they put their speakers; more often than not, they get shoved into any old space where it's convenient. But speaker placement becomes crucial when setting up a home theater system. You'll want the positioning of surround sound effects in your room to correspond with what's happening on screen, and that will only happen if speakers are set up properly. Hiring a professional is critical in audio design and installation. Proper design puts the wires in the right places, and proper installation ensures accurate audio response. Premiere Home Entertainment has the most dynamic designers and the most fantastic installers. Both will ensure that everything is exactly where it should be!