Sounding Off

The basic sound requirement for an in-house media room is the 5.1 system setup—that translates as five standard speakers and a single subwoofer to maximize the sound from your entertainment resource. But today, more is better. Thus, 6.1 and 7.1 systems are coming into play on a regular basis, encouraging larger speakers, bigger subwoofers and more wires.

However, sound bars have impressively cleaned up the “speaker mess” with sleek designs and a simpler layout. Typically, a sound bar is much like it sounds. It can be 35 to 40 inches in length and five to six inches in height. The thin, slick profiles also complement the thin LCD TV screens that have saturated the modern market—making your home theater system a lot more attractive and less bulk.




Each speaker bar (like Panasonic’s new version, pictured) can include up to 40 individual “mini” speakers that function just like normal-sized ones and are displayed at various angles to best project the sound around the room. This results in a surround-sound experience without all the extra bolts and wires to install various speakers. Sound bars work best in small to medium-sized rooms and can produce the full range of sound quite capably, meaning there’s no need for a subwoofer unless it’s simply personal preference.

Come on in to Tha Media Room today for a breakdown of all your sound options and technology to make your home theater live up to your dreams!