Sound system for the living room, apartment or house
Are you planning a sound system for the living room? In order to achieve the best possible result and the feeling of great sound, it is important to time this step correctly. Whether it is combining the system with the shape and equipment of your room, the right choice of speakers or the choice of connection, there is no shortage of Smart solutions in this matter either.
Living room sound system
Are you a fan of listening to music and podcasts or watching movies or series? In any case, you will definitely need high-quality sound systems for the living room. The first step is to set a budget. Don't worry, nowadays home sound systems can be implemented at affordable prices. Another important factor is the shape and floor plan of the living room. A square room with as few obstacles as possible between you and the speakers is ideal. If you do not meet these conditions, do not despair. Most sound systems are flexible enough and have a range of suitable settings to solve a range of similar problems.
Focus on the front right and left speakers early in your planning. They should be far enough apart to get a perfect 3D experience with the right sounds coming from both directions. For an asymmetrical room, make sure before you buy a system that they give you the right settings and volume control options to handle this obstacle. The central channel is also important. Place the central speaker system correctly, because it has a great influence on the optimization of the entire sound system. You'll especially appreciate this when watching movies and other TV shows, as it accounts for much of their dialogue. So if you are planning a home cinema and not just listening to music, be really careful here. Other speakers should complement the main front ones. Therefore, also place them on the sides and turn them inwards. The subwoofer "likes" the corners of the room, helping it to carry the bass. In this respect, however, it is an individual matter, if your sound system is not intended primarily for musical experiences.
Another issue that must be resolved in advance is the choice between a receiver and an amplifier. An amplifier is a device that converts low-voltage signals from a source device into a signal with sufficient amplification suitable for loudspeakers. The receiver also has a radio part. In the case of a home theater amplifier with a radio input, it is an AV receiver. So when is an amplifier not enough for you? These are mainly cases where the user listens to the radio more often. The sound will be excellent even without connecting other devices, which will save you space in the living room. With an amplifier, you will achieve ideal performance if it is focused on one task.
How to choose the right speakers
Many people simply go for the most expensive option. However, this may not provide a sufficient sound experience. Home sound systems, especially living rooms, can be perfect even with cheaper options. What type of speakers will work best for you? In general, we can write that larger speakers tend to provide better dynamics, more bass and, above all, higher volume. However, everything is relative.
Bookshelf speakers are here for you if you have a limited budget or smaller listening space. Such a speaker system still provides sufficient sound performance and is extremely flexible. However, optimal reproduction is achieved when they are placed on stands. Column loudspeakers are suitable for a living room with a high ceiling, with their adequate bass length and more natural sound presentation, as they have a larger volume of baffles.
Let's go back to the receivers. If you plan to use a pair of speakers with stereo sound, a multi-channel AV receiver is not very suitable. But you will miss extended functions, which you can supplement with an external box. Currently, high-quality stereo receivers are also available on the market.
Cables, bluetooth or WiFi
Today, the sound system of a house or apartment is also possible wirelessly. Cables are not always appropriate in the living room, especially if you have nowhere to hide them. So try it differently. The WiFi speaker plays music using a wireless computer network. They are suitable for sounding several rooms in one object, for example, if different music is to be played in each of them. They are also suitable for households where one portable speaker is enough.
Bluetooth versions include a receiver that needs to be paired and sent an audio signal to it. We set the volume in the device transmitting the Bluetooth signal. They are ideal for occasional sounding of the living room, for example at various celebrations. Bluetooth is most often found in portable speakers.
The cable solution is one where we connect all speakers to the amplifier. Thus, all signal sources are connected to the amplifier. Integrated amplifiers are also available. Go for this option if you are planning a permanently installed sound system with high reliability without depending on network and wireless technologies. This is a cost-effective solution.
Sound system of the apartment or house using Smart technologies
For fans of Smart technologies, we recommend paying attention to multiroom devices, about which we have written a separate article, where you will learn all the details. Thanks to this system, you can control your sound system in different rooms of your apartment or house.
Its task is also to facilitate listening to various audio media, which you can use, for example, in the living room during movies or series, but also podcasts or music. With it, you will achieve greater control comfort, which will be appreciated by all household members. It will be no problem to play the radio in the kitchen, music in the bedroom and a movie in the living room, all at the same time. You can achieve multiroom sound with a matrix control unit with the connection of separate amplifiers for each zone, a multi-zone amplifier or a combination of several amplifiers and active speakers of one system, which you control using an application (tablet, PC, smartphone).
For example, our new network player AST4 is also such a novelty, which allows you to control the sound system in up to four different zones through a single application. More about AST4.
