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Home Theater 101 (1 Viewer)

Mike Stempo

Auditioning
Joined
Jan 18, 2002
Messages
7
I stumbled upon this incredibly well done website and forum.
Right now I am planning a major basement project which will include a home theater system. I enjoy reading all of the topics posted here and have learned a lot in just a few days. I do a fair amount of business travel and would like to invest my idle hours on the plane (and in security lines...)by reading up on more Home Theater basics before I begin my project and commit any basic cardinal sin of Home Theater construction and setup.
Can anyone recommend a few top rated Home Theater 101 primers, books, mag articles etc. that they found particularly helpful and enjoyable to read so that I can remain calm and productive during my airport waits and on the flights?:)
 

Bob McElfresh

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 22, 1999
Messages
5,182
Hi Mike. Welcome to HTF!

We have our own version of "Home and Garden" magazine called "Audio/Video interiors". This magazine is more about the appearance rather than the installation issues, but it's great eye candy.

Back issues of "Stereophile Guide to Home Theater" has a regular column where the writer has been called in to "fix" a expensive dedicated HT room. He uses this to illustrate various points, but you need nearly a years worth of the magazine to make a meaty enough read.

"Home Theater for Everyone" by Robert Harley is a few years old, but has a lot of good, basic information.

"Building a Sound Studio on a Budget" by F. Alton Everest has a lot of room acoustic theory and includes 10 different sized sound studios, and 2 home theater designs. It does get a bit into theory, but well worth the read.

This fourm as a section called: "Building a Home Theater Area" that is quite good. Just look back 20/30 days, open each discussion and either email it to yourself, or open a "Printer Version" and save the HTML to a disk file. This will give you file after file of questions/answers to read on the laptop.

Good Luck.

PS: Hit Amazon.com and look for "Home Theater" to find other books.
 
Joined
Apr 13, 1999
Messages
29
I would like to add a magazine to the list.

'Home Theater' magazine offers some fine reviews of mid price and high end equipment, and a couple of months ago they started reviewing home theater installations of regular people. These reviews and critiques can be very helpful.
 

Stefan A

Second Unit
Joined
May 27, 2001
Messages
397
A couple other magazines are "Sound and Vision" and "The Perfect Vision" S&V is a bit more basic and geared toward the average HT consumer. There are some good articles in there that will help anybody though. The most recent magazine discusses the pros and cons of monopole and dipole speakers for your surrounds. The equipment they review is anywhere from pretty cheap to pretty expensive. TPV is usually a bit more advanced with the equipment they review. I like both magazines.
 

Bill Kane

Screenwriter
Joined
Feb 5, 2001
Messages
1,359
Of course (and I mean this in the friendliest manner) pay some dues by starting to surf these forums as much as you can to get a feel for real-life manifestations of all aspects (besides ratios) for equipment and useage. Took me 3 months to get a handle on it, and I learn every day still.

Bob McElfresh, for example, is one of the many members here who typically post helpful technical tips in non-tech terms.

Remember, there is no "best." It's all in your own room, your ears, and your family's sufferance!

bill
 

Mike Stempo

Auditioning
Joined
Jan 18, 2002
Messages
7
Bill,
You are right, there is no "best" but I'd like to stay away from the obvious costly mistakes and make sure I don't buy and install something I'll live to regret for lack of heeding advice or researching thoroughly or saving up the bucks to do it right.
For example, my basement area that I am planning to use for home theater is fairly large and flexible for design in its rough state. I want to make sure I do it right from the start. It sure helps when my spouse is actually more eager to get the darn thing completed more so than I am. I say it's going to cost this, so that I can do that, for this reason. She says, "whatever it takes." Is this heaven in my basement or what? I have learned more from these boards in a few days than I knew just prior to registering.:D
 

steve nn

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2002
Messages
2,418
Hi Mike,

I was wandering if you could have your wife get in touch with my wife.I could use a little help.Sounds like you will have a great HT when you finish. steve nn
 

Ted Lee

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 8, 2001
Messages
8,390
welcome mike!
here is some other opinions by forum members about what magazines they like.
my faves are soundandvision (great for beginners) and sght!
 

Philip Hamm

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 23, 1999
Messages
6,874
Mike,

Though you are a newbie it sounds like you may be better served by the "Building you Home Theater" forum here. A good place to start would be to look at the pictures of members home theaters which is available right here on this site. Many of them are dedicated rooms like you're planning on building.

Welcome aboard!
 

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