Once you have invested in a big-screen HD television, you know that you are only half done creating the ultimate home theater experience for your man cave. Now is the time to bring in quality audio to take your lair from “meh” to “magnificent.” A surround sound system, for example, can enhance your enjoyment of watching Scarface and create such a realistic viewing environment that you swear Pacino is talking to you.
Here is great audio gear to put in your man cave, including different ways to implement surround sound to complement your HDTV:
1. Bar speakers
A huge benefit of bar speakers is that they won’t take up a lot of space. While flat HDTVs look amazing, they don’t give you a lot of it extra room for speakers, so soundbars, another term for bar speakers, are so much better than built-in speakers. Soundbars are typically long and thin, so you can put them under your TV relatively easily. Also, they usually just require one cable, so you won’t have to worry about a bunch of messy wires to ruin the minimalistic look of your man zone.
So, which bar speaker should you get? We are partial to the Polk Audio Omni SB1 Soundbar with subwoofer. This mighty 3.1-channel soundbar-and-subwoofer package delivers a roaring good time right inside your pad. The 3-speaker array features the clear, crisp sounds you want for movies and music. It connects easily to your home’s network router with the click of a button. You can also play iTunes or other online music services from your smartphone, tablet, Mac, or PC.
If you have an LG TV, Polk Audio will still be a good choice, but consider other soundbars suited for LG TVs as well, like Sonos Beam or the Bose Solo 5. Getting these soundbars can ensure that there will be no problems in setting up the soundbar and connecting it to your TV.
2. Home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems
This all-in-one package gives you the cinema theater experience you’ve been dreaming about for months now. There are so many options on the market too that you can customize your HTIB to your man cave; the systems vary by the number of speakers and whether they come with a subwoofer or an amplifier/controller. Usually, the home-theater-in-a-box systems come with speaker cables and remote control so you won’t need to buy accessories – just plug in the audio tech and you’re good to go!
HTIBs are particularly great for man caves because they suit smaller rooms. The systems are compact, so they don’t look too bulky. Also, you never worry about whether the amp suits the speakers because every piece is designed to work together. Easy. We’re all about the Onkyo 7.1-Channel THY I/X PLUS Home Theater Speaker System. It features seven two-way speakers and a full-size subwoofer (that’s the “.1” in the name). As the speakers are sealed, you can position them virtually anywhere, and the package is an affordable way to get the renowned THX multiplex sound.
3. Receivers
4. Separates
Another audio option is to go with separates. It is similar to a receiver system, except that the receiver’s functions are divided into a multi-channel amplifier and a surround preamp-processor or pre-processor (usually simply called “pre-pro”). As you are separating out the features, you can get a really powerful amp and get speakers that take more demand on them than, say, an HTIB. On the other hand, the separates approach suits a large room best, so if your lair isn’t huge, then you might go for another of the option we’ve listed instead.
A big advantage of pre-pros is that they aren’t stuck close to power-sucking amp parts and, therefore, can often perform better than would the parts in a receiver that are designed to perform similar functions. A great choice is the Emotiva UMC-200 7.1 Home Theater Preamp/Sound Processor. Enjoy audiophile quality sound, highly-responsive video, customizable setup, and the amazing EmoQ Gen 2 multi-channel automatic room correction that adjusts your room’s acoustics to provide the best sound possible. The UMC-200 meets all of the latest HD standards, including DTS-HD Master Audio.
