If you replace your standard TV speakers with a unique and stand-alone speaker system, it can result in a total change in the sound quality giving you a much improved audio experience. Obviously, for someone who only watches chat shows and soaps, this won’t really be of benefit because this type of sound improvement really impresses when you are watching films, music DVD’s and other similar shows. Most modern televisions come supplied with reasonable speakers (nicam stereo) but they cannot compare with a specialist surround sound system that you can buy. Many people that buy a HD Television do so after being suitably impressed by one their neighbor’s or close friend’s has demonstrated theirs.
The two things to consider before you buy a HD television set are to be sure of your expectations and your budget. If you are going to be buying - or already have - surround sound speakers, as a general rule of thumb, 10 percent of the TV’s cost should be spent on speaker cabling. External speakers will also require a decent amplifier if you want the best from them. This is also an extra cost from several hundred upwards into the thousands but warrants another article altogether.
When buying and installing speakers you need to look at around five speakers to each sub-woofer that is fitted. Most speaker systems are configured so there are two rear speakers, left and right plus a central speaker. While each of these are independent but their positioning have to done in such a way that the seating place is in the center. Most AV receivers / amps can be configured however to control the volume they output at to offset the speaker location accordingly.
The sub-woofer basically creates the “oomph” in a movie so having a capable sub-woofer will enhance your movie enjoyment greatly. It can give sound a completely real life feel, which is available only in theater halls. In addition, since the deep-bass frequencies reproduced by the sub-woofers are non-directional (as frequencies that are at or below the threshold of hearing). It is very difficult for our ears to actually pin-point the direction in which the sound is coming and that is why we can only sense that an earthquake seems to be all around us, rather from coming from a particular direction.
The subwoofer can be placed anywhere in the room, however, optimum results depend on room size, floor type, furnishings, and wall construction. Usually the perfect placement of the sub woofer is in the front portion of the room, to the right of left of the main speakers. Speaker sets can be picked up relatively cheaply, and of course, second hand. If you are looking for the best speakers in the market, then if budget permits, go for the Canton movie CD-1 (now CD-101), which not only looks chic with smart aluminum construction, fabulous sound quality and an attention grabber.
