AN ACOUSTICAL GUIDE TO HOME THEATRE DESIGN

A quality home theatre can elevate a house to luxury status. To enjoy your home cinema set-up as much as possible, it’s important to focus on the room’s acoustics and pull together a great-sounding system.

Hardware, room design and construction can all come together to create an acoustic haven and give it a professional cinema feel.

Here are some guidelines to help you achieve the best-sounding room possible.

Invest in a quality surround sound system

Do your research and find a surround sound system that best fits your room based on size and shape. Make sure to go high-end – buying a cheap system may be initially enticing but you will get more years of use and enjoyment out of a quality product. Those four or five-star ratings are there on the reviews for a reason!

It doesn’t have to be the best, most expensive, on the market but push the boat out a bit here.

Place sound-absorbing material correctly

Find the areas in the room where sound will travel to the most, based on your speaker placement.

Wherever sound is reflecting the most is where you will want to put the largest amount of sound-absorbing material.  PET felt acoustic panels are the perfect choice for the job. They will ensure the sound doesn’t echo too much around the room, which causes confusion and muffled voices.

Set this up right and you will achieve that ‘real’ movie theatre feel.

Find a good receiver

Having a good receiver to change the settings and receive the audio is important for any home theatre surround sound system. It will make it easier to control the audio and customise settings to achieve the optimal sound from your set-up.

Shape your room correctly

The shape and size of your room will have a huge impact on the quality of the sound you achieve from the films/TV shows/sport you watch. A rectangular room with the right insulation is the most convenient and generally results in the best sound for a home cinema.

Design your room with this in mind – and make sure to space out your seating appropriately to ensure the sound is dispersed consistently.

Get the size and shape of your home theatre right and you’ll go a long way to achieving the aural pleasure you’re after.