Buying a fancy TV, the best A/V receiver and speaker set-up and getting the very newest 4K projector – these are purchases most consumers will be discerning about, and like to take some time over. They’re purchases you will make so they can last you some time to come. With the right advice, especially on speakers, they can last you for many years. Speakers in fact if handled properly, age like a fine wine – they get better and better over the years.
At the same time, technology in the world of media and entertainment is getting better all the time. What happens then? Does that mean you’re wedded to your heavy-duty home theatre system once you’ve committed to it?
While it’s not an area of expense you’re likely to take on very frequently, there are minor upgrades and adjustments you can make to your existing set up to keep it up to date with the most current trends. By way of additions that significantly better your audio and visual experience – without burning a hole in your pocket every time – you can get the best of what’s new, while also continuing to appreciate the discerning purchase you made with your original home cinema system.
Some of these ideas for upgrades don’t even require purchases or new equipment. As you go down the list, you’ll see some suggestions that will involve new buys and adding equipment to your set up too. We have made this list in an effort to offer something to everyone.
1. Move your furniture around
A change of furniture can not only provide a refreshingly new look to your home cinema room, it can also significantly improve your movie watching and music listening experience. Points such as viewing distance from the screen or TV, height of the TV, listening distance from speakers, or even touches like adding a bookshelf or rug can help remove viewing fatigue, improve the immersion you feel, and enhance the acoustics of your room. All these upgrades are easy to do with minimal cost. All you need is the right advice.
2. Move your speakers around
Speaker positioning is one of the most critical parts of a well-designed and high-performing home cinema. While several recommended positioning diagrams are available online, recommended by experts as well as the International Telecommunication Union, the truth is that every room is different and has to be handled accordingly. Whether it’s the distance of floor-standing speakers from the rear wall, the position of the subwoofer, the height of the surround speakers, or the “towing” of the front speakers, adjusting these parameters can make a perceptible improvement to the sound quality you experience.
3. Re-calibrate your visuals
Most display devices, especially TVs, are not calibrated out of the box. An industry secret is that most TVs come calibrated in “retail mode”, for use on store floors – this means that they come with a higher brightness to compete with other TVs and the abundance of light in a showroom. This brightness level is much more than what is needed in a home, and will compromise picture quality. The same is true for projectors as well – all projectors benefit from calibration.
4. Upgrade your AV receiver
The technologies that change the most in a home entertainment system are almost always found in your A/V receiver. Everything from new sound formats such as Dolby Atmos and DTS X, to video streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime and Netflix, and music streaming platforms such as Spotify – these are always implemented in an A/V receiver. The easiest way to get access to these especially if you have an AVR that is a few years old is to upgrade to a current model – and you will find a whole universe of media and content unlocked. Of course you might need to add Atmos speakers to take advantage of new Atmos speakers as well
5. Consider a subwoofer or a soundbar
You may not want to revamp your entire speaker package, and it’s likely there is no need to. What you can consider instead is just upgrading the subwoofer to give your AV setup a solid boost. A new subwoofer will of course give you tighter, punchier bass. Even better, a well integrated subwoofer will take load off your main speakers, to enhance the vocal reproduction of your system as well.
6. Add a sound bar
Even if you have a dedicated home cinema in your house, you likely have multiple TVs in bedrooms, living rooms, family rooms or elsewhere. As newer TVs have become slimmer and slimmer, and visual quality has improved dramatically, sound reproduction has suffered. An easy and relatively inexpensive way to get the sound quality you deserve is to add a sound bar
At Cinebels, we can advise on all these services, products, ideas and more. Contact us today to learn how you can get even more juice out of your existing home cinema setup!
