Equipment: what goes WHERE?
Equipment-placement
(Typically in a closet, built-in, stand, or rack.)
HintYou need a way to get to the BACK of that equipment. There are racks which rotate, but you obviously need to work that out beforehand. If your rack rotates be sure your wire is long enough to allow that turn!
Hint Put lighting into your cabinet so you can see what you are doing (even if you use an A/V contractor). I put spotlights into the space behind my rack and it’s one of the best things I ever did. EVERY time I turn it on I thank myself for such a good move.
Equipment ventilation
If you go ‘spensive and buy monster gear, it’ll throw off some heat by golly, and you want to be sure there’s a way to cool it. A fan is not enough without a way to get the heat out of the closet or enclosed rack or built-in.
There is a new breed of digital amplifier which gives off NO heat. Look for “Class D” or “Class T.” As these amplifiers sweep into the mainstream, you’ll discover their extreme efficiency converts electricity to amplification, not heat!
If you have tube or “Class A” amps, you need to vent them somehow!
Music versus videoIf you also plan to make you home theater ALSO a music-listening room, there will no doubt be some compromises – so here are some considerations. You’ll probably have to lean toward optimizing for surround sound and HDTV, or stereo audio:
For stereo, your main left and right front speakers should not be positioned up against the wallMoving them out a few feet will give you better imaging and less bass bloat. They should be toed in (angled) to face your listening position, although you can experiment to find the best combination of image width and clarity.
Your listening position should not be up against the rear wall
Ideally, you will place the speakers and your chair each a third of the way from the respective front and rear walls, and several feet from the side walls. It’d be nice if the speakers distance to side walls would be equal, but often this is impossible.
It’d be cool to have a little room behind your room, in which you could access your equipment connections, with a workbench and STORAGE for all those boxes and manuals… a great place to escape with an iced adult beverage for some ‘technical briefing.’
Remote control
This little baby will consolidate all your other remote controls into the Mother-Of-All-Remotes. And programming IT can be as simple as making choices on the WEB!!! A great father's day gift.
Free rationalization"Honey, I bought this because I know how you hate clutter!"
See our accessories section
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