Which is your priority in building a home theater system? Is it the big screen or the great sound? Personally I prefer spend more money for the sound system than for the screen.
Of course, I prioritize the quality of the sound. I'll never enjoy watching my favorite movies if my home theater sounds like a barrel. In this case, I'll surely hire services just to set up everything and improve the sound. Better image is my next priority.
Sound has to trump sight as far as I'm concerned. Remember the times when the screen went blank but you could still hear it. You could still get the gist of the plot but with no sound, it's impossible.
Wayne Parham Messages: 18796 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
To me, there's a balance. I definitely have more interest in the sound system but that's largely because it doubles as home theater and hifi stereo. It emphasizes quality of the front two channels and the surrounds are secondary. But still, I wouldn't want a little portable TV paired with a high-end stereo system. These days you can get a (more than) decent flat screen HDTV for under a grand, and a really good one for under two grand. Smaller screens are just a few hundred bucks.
rkeman Messages: 78 Registered: March 2010 Location: Florida
Viscount
It is very important to match the picture and sound with care. The optimal field of view in theaters is about 125 degrees. Matching that in most home settings is difficult either requiring a very large screen or short viewing distance. Sound often changes perception at an emotional level and may have an even greater impact than the images. Deep bass is commonly used to just such an end and home theaters lacking a good bass foundation can ruin the viewing experience. Dynamic range is critical with many movies offering far less compression than contemporary music recordings. The key is to appropriately balance these elements in the context of the actual viewing environment taking into account the physical and cost constraints.
I have to choose one? I wouldn't want either the screen or the sound to be poor. I want both of them. If I had to choose, I would go with a smaller screen and better sound. Then I would buy a bigger screen when I had more money.
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