Get the Most From Your Sound System With These 3 Tips

Creating a high-quality sound system doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. While the term "high-end audio" can make many homeowners blanch as it just sounds pretentious, the truth is that anybody can build a fantastic home stereo system without going over their budget. The professionals at The Cable Company specialize in helping homeowners develop a theater-style sound system from moderately priced equipment. Moreover, they advise their customers on speaker placement and developing good room acoustics in order to maximize their listening experience with the equipment they already own.

It’s All About the Acoustics

Just how the quality of the speakers can greatly affect the overall listening experience, the acoustics of the room in which you place the speakers can make a significant impact as well. Everything from the shape of the room, the height of the ceilings and the number of windows can impact your listening experience. Additionally, the type of window treatments and furniture decorating the room can greatly reduce or improve the overall sound quality, depending on the type of fabric each piece is made of.

If your goal is to achieve a listening experience with a lot of bass, avoid developing a system in a room with many hard surfaces or vaulted ceilings, as these features can cause sound to reverberate in a less-than-ideal way. Additionally, square or rectangular rooms can cause sound waves to "stand still," which also provides for a poor listening experience.

In order to obtain the best sound quality possible, place your system in a room that is irregularly shaped, and that has a good balance of soft and hard surfaces.

Use High Quality Speaker Wire

The quality of the speaker cables you use can make a difference in how sound comes out of the speakers themselves. While you do not need to spend thousands of dollars on speaker wire, The Cable Company recommends investing some of your budget into your cables. The ultimate goal of your speaker cables is to deliver adequate current; thick cable does this best. Most speaker systems come with cable wire that is thin as dental floss, which is guaranteed to deliver poor sound quality despite the quality of the speaker itself.

Placement is Important

Speaker placement is another factor that can significantly impact the quality of sound that comes from them. All rooms have standing waves that can either amplify or weaken certain frequencies. It is important that you understand how the size of your room—such as the length, width and height—affects those frequencies so that you can ensure ideal placement. Many homeowners make the mistake of placing their speakers against a wall, or wherever is convenient, which, more often than not, results in poor sound quality.

When placing speakers, aim to place them at ear level. Additionally, make sure that all speakers are firmly mounted and off the floor so as to reduce the possibility of vibrations.

If you are interested in obtaining high sound quality on a budget, The Cable Company has the equipment you need to do so. Additionally, they can advise you on how and where to set up your system to get the most from the equipment you already own.

Taryn Johnson is an avid writer. She loves all things about electronics and marketing. In a perfect world, Taryn would be writing from the beaches of Hawaii all day long.