San Francisco area sports fanatics know that when it comes to watching sports at home, it is critical to have the best tv setup. However, the perfect setup for watching sports is more challenging to achieve than simply plugging a TV into the wall and attaching it to some speakers. This guide will help you achieve the perfect setup for the optimal Bay Area sports viewing experience.
Angled Ceiling To Amplify the Sound
Your front, center, left, and right speakers are essential components of your sound system because they are responsible for producing the sound for the dialogue, background music, and effects. Getting optimal sound out of your home theater setup isn’t just about the speakers. The acoustics in your room also matters.
An angled ceiling deflects a portion of the first-order sound reflections toward the back of the room. This enhances the vocal output of the speakers. The low end of the angeled ceiling should face your screen to achieve the effect you want. Locate your seating area in the center of the room for the best results.
Don’t Conceal The Surround Sound Speakers
The function of the surround speakers is to create a 3D sound effect that mimics the way you hear sound from all directions in real life. It helps make the sound more immersive. However, you won’t fully get this effect if you don’t place your speakers correctly.
Avoid in-ceiling surround speakers. These speakers may look less obtrusive than other types, but the sound quality is reduced due to the dampening effect of the ceiling material. Additionally, human hearing is optimized for sound cues from the front and sides, not from above. Placing your speakers horizontally and about two feet above ear level will provide the best results.
Use Indoor Sound-Proofing To Avoid Echoes
You have probably noticed that the walls at movie theaters are usually covered with fabric. This isn’t just decoration. Hard materials deflect sounds, which can degrade the sound quality you get from your home theater setup. Soft materials absorb sounds. Use indoor soundproofing materials to get the best sound from your home theater system.
The Size and Dimensions of the Room
When choosing a room for your home theater system in the Bay Area, avoid square rooms. Square-shaped rooms can create an audio phenomenon known as a standing wave. Standing waves do not create a pleasant listening experience and should be avoided as much as possible. Choose a rectangular or irregularly shaped room to minimize the effects of standing waves.
Investing in More Than One Subwoofer
Subwoofers produce the bass notes in the sound you hear. The quality of the bass in your sound mix is vital for recreating the sound of 40,000 cheering fans in your home. The size of the room determines how many subwoofers you need. If your room volume is 4,000 to 8,000 cubic feet or larger, you need a second subwoofer.
Speaker Placement Relative To Sitting Area
How your speakers are placed in relation to your seating area impacts the quality of the sound you get. The optimal placement depends on whether you have 2.1, 5.1, or 7.1 surround sound channels. Most home theater systems come with instructions for placing your speakers. You can also find detailed guides on the internet.
Tips for AV Receivers
Most AV receivers come with a standard mode that plays the unaltered decoding of the digital soundtrack. This mode may not always produce the best results when watching sports. Experiment with the different modes on your receiver to find the one that works the best for the sporting event you are watching.
Multi-channel stereo modes that mirror the front stereo signal to all of the connected speakers in pairs can be good choices for sports viewing parties because everyone can hear the sound equally well, no matter where they are standing in the room. Many receivers have a sports mode that makes the stadium noise more immersive while also keeping the commentators’ voices focused in the center channel so that the background noise doesn’t drown out the commentary.
However, don’t feel like you have to stick with the sports mode just because it is called the sports mode. Sometimes one of the other modes on your system might be perfect for the event you are watching, so try them all and use the one that sounds best to you.
Your Bay Area Home Theater Specialists
Getting your home theater setup up perfectly for the big game may take some trial and error. However, once you have everything just right, you will find it is well worth the effort. Contact us to learn more about how Performance Audio can help you achieve the perfect Bay Area sports viewing experience.
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