by Tan Chong Yaw

BLOCKBUSTER movies grab you by the eyeballs. Without sound, however, the excitement is gone.

Movie-goers sitting in a cinema will enjoy the perfect synchronisation of video and audio.

Recreating this environment at home takes a little more effort.

The traditional approach requires a trip to a home theatre specialist who will help match the various components, such as the subwoofer and amplifier, which usually come from different specialist manufacturers.

Thankfully, there are plenty of all-in-one home theatre solutions to choose from.

I assembled a 5.1 system - a Pioneer HTZ170 Home Theatre System - at a leisurely pace in my bedroom.

The DVD player and the amplifier are merged into one unit - smaller than a large pizza box. The speakers are pre-wired with connectors at the end.

The connectors are colour-matched with ports at the back of the player and they are shaped so that you can insert them only one way.

One power connection and an HDMI connection to a flatscreen TV and I was done. It took barely 45 minutes with hardly a glance at the manual.

Richly textured sound with a palpable bass accurately matched the action on the screen.

There is a catch to a multi-speaker set-up: metres of wire. I had wires snaking across the floor and on my bed.

A permanent solution would require tucking the wires behind the floor skirting. Or running the wires up the front wall and along the ceiling to reach the rear speakers near the back wall.

It is worth the bother - after all, you are getting good sound at a nice price. If this freaks you out though, go for a 2.1 system. Just be aware that sounds from the rear will lack the precision of a 5.1 system.

An even neater solution is the soundbar where all the speakers are fitted into a horizontal bar that sits below or in front of a flatscreen TV.

Buying tips

• Look for systems with high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) as it offers single-cable convenience on top of giving the best sight and sound.
• Before you buy, listen to the system. Go to brand-neutral shops like Audio House (tel: 6336-7177) where there are audition rooms. Take along a movie DVD that you have seen before so that you can make a better comparison.
• To avoid snaking wires, get a wireless rear receiver. A small box transmits the rear audio feed via radio frequency signals to the receiver which is placed at the back of the room.
  The existing rear speakers can be used but here is the kicker - wires are still needed from the rear receiver to the speakers. The speakers also need to be powered.
• Currently, this is available only in some Samsung and LG 5.1 models.

This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life on 10 December 2008.

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