There are two factors that really matter when it comes to creating 'the movies at home' experience that you want from a home theater system.
Those are the picture and the sound.
A good picture backed up by crystal clear sound can sweep you up and into the action.
There are a myriad of options available for delivering and receiving a good picture, as there are good quality sound.
This article will examine the options available for creating a great sound system and aid you in choosing home theater speakers.
You really want to get the best home theater speakers you can afford, even at the expense of the video component of your system.
This is true for two reasons.
The first is that, as humans we don't like poor picture quality but we can put up with it.
However we really can't stand poor sound quality.
Sound creates the atmosphere and mood of most movie experiences and the movie doesn't have the same emotional impact if this quality is sub-standard.
Secondly, you will probably use the home theater to listen to music or digital radio, so the speakers serve two purposes.
There are lots of aesthetic qualities that are used to sell speakers.
You may want wireless home theater speakers to make the system look sleek and minimalistic.
The same could be said for speakers that fit into the walls.
In-wall home theater speakers are often expensive to install and the only real benefit is that they save space and make the room look less cluttered.
The same could be said about small home theater speakers.
Whilst the look of the room is important, in terms of sound, the ability to surround yourself in it is the most important factor.
Home theater surround sound speakers let you become involved in the film.
If, for example, you are watching a car chase, you want to hear the screeching of the tires at the side of you, the swerving cars up ahead of you and the thumping collisions at the back of you.
With those sort of effects you feel like you are in the drivers seat.
That is a movie experience.
Surround sound works by having numerous speakers dotted around you.
Typically this might involve three speakers and a sub woofer in front of you.
Two speakers to the side of you and another two behind you.
This is called multi-channel surround sound.
Movie audio is mixed to a specified number of channels so that specific sound can be heard from a different speaker or channel.
This gives the feeling of screeching tires to the side, swerves up head and collisions to the back.
As more information can be stored on DVD's or the new generation of DVD, such as Blu ray or HD DVD the amount of channels increases.
Thus you want a speaker set up that can handle numerous channels.
The main names in movie audio tracks are Dolby that have released their latest format as Dolby Digital plus.
There is also Digital Theater Systems (DTS) that are comparable to Dolby.
You should insist that your speakers are compatible with these systems if you want to get the best out of your home theater speakers.