How do you turn your living room into a real cinema?

Nowadays we all watch TV on a flat-screen at home. The image quality of these televisions is much larger than that of the earlier picture tubes. High Definition. Unfortunately, the same can not be said about the sound reproduction. This is very dependent on the size of the sound box. In flat screens very small. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives to transform your living room into a real cinema in terms of sound …

Enjoy a better sound in a small space
The most simple and space-saving solution is a sound bar. It is placed or suspended at the bottom of the television and replaces the sound of the device itself. Almost all models have a built-in amplifier. This means that you only need a Blu-ray player or media center to start watching movies. Benefits?

Better sound
Easy to install
Little cabling
Compact
Ideal when you want to enjoy full sound in a small space.

Rather a real top sound?
Create a system with stereo speakers yourself. Think of the old sound installations with which you listened to music. You hang two speakers on an amplifier, and where you used to use a CD or cassette player as input, you now use your TV. You choose everything yourself: your own speakers (from small “bookshelf” boxes to large floor stands) and amplifier (with enough connections for all the components). Maybe in this way you can even revitalize your old stereo system. Benefits?

Little cabling
Flexibility
Ideal when you want to enjoy top sound in a small space

If you have the space, go for surround
A sound-bar and a system with stereo speakers, however, fall short in one aspect: they do not provide the surround experience that is so important when watching movies in the cinema. Opening a door behind you, driving a car too soon past in a chase scene, sitting in the middle of the joyful eruption when the Red Devils score, … without surround you miss it all.

There are two types of surround systems, similar to the difference between the sound-bar and the system with stereo speakers:

An all-in-one surround system
With this you buy a total package with a number of speakers and a control center. In this control center an amplifier and almost always a blu-ray player is built. Depending on your needs, there are also models with, for example, iPod docks, radio tuners, wifi connectivity, Netflix and wireless speakers. Benefits?

Budget-friendly
Space saving
Little cabling
Ideal for small to medium sized rooms

Or put everything together yourself
Go all-the-way with your own composite surround system. You choose your surround amplifier, your speakers and other components. Your surround amplifier is called an Audio Video receiver and acts as a control center for your surround system. By default, this system consists of five speakers but you can also go for 7 speakers for a very authentic film experience.

You decide for yourself what quality you are going for and what price tag you are attached to. Note: it quickly becomes a pricey addiction that you upgrade your home theater installation every few years. After all, a real audiophile is never completely satisfied. Benefits?

Superior sound quality possible
Flexibility
Creativity
Ideal for a large room

Bas is important
Whatever system you use, install a sub-woofer. A sub-woofer is a kind of loudspeaker that specializes in very low tones. The bass, in the vernacular. Not to bully your neighbors or to frighten the cat, but to really make those explosions, chases and other intense moments of film really come into their own.

Other essentials for an optimal experience?
A good image source component (transmitters in HD, a Blu-ray player, media center, PC, game console, …), audio and HDMI cables and adapted furniture: a TV storage system, speaker stands or wall brackets for both. And if you really want to go very fancy: a space specially designed for cinema, including acoustic wall coverings, cinema seats and popcorn machines.