Home theater surround sound is noticeably different and much, much better than the sound from a normal television. For true surround sound, you need 2 or 3 speakers both in front and behind you. You should also have a subwoofer situated somewhere in the room to produce those ultra-low booming and rumbling sounds that are sure to vibrate your bones.
In this modern day and age, most home theater surround sound systems are digital. Digital means that the audio from specific video content, a DVD for example, has been separated into multiple channels so you’re able to differentiate sounds coming from the left, right, rear-left and rear-right speakers. Let’s say two actors are talking, one’s on the left side of the screen, the other is on the right and in the background and a loud truck drives by. If you have digital surround sound, you’ll be able to hear the leftmost actor’s voice come more from the left speakers and the opposite for the rightmost actor. From the rear speakers, you’ll hear that loud truck start at the left speaker then pan to the right, finally fading out.
Indeed, home theater surround sound is essential if you want to fully immerse yourself in a movie. At the core of home theater surround sound is a digital receiver. This receiver is the piece of hardware that is connected to your DVD player and outputs sound to the speakers. It has the most important role of sorting out the various sounds and sending them to the right speakers at the right volume.
For the average buyer, a home theater surround sound system will come in a single package. It may be referred to as a “home theater in a box” and prices for these will start at around $250 but can go higher than $2500 for a true top of the line set. Note that, despite what the name home theater in a box implies, a television screen is never included in the box, unfortunately.
Home theater surround sound, while varying in quality and price, is truly essential to having a real home theater. Remember, before buying any piece of home theater surround sound equipment, test it in-store to make sure the quality matches what the salesperson is telling you. Different home theater surround sound systems appeal to different individuals’ unique way of interpreting sound, so just because it’s the top of the line model doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily like it better than one that’s priced $200 cheaper.