A bad ass home entertainment system is not quite a necessity, but it is one of the most cosmetically important things you can do in your home. Not only is a large amount of your time spent in your family or living room, but that is also where your guests will spend their time. So whether you are setting up an entertainment system just to watch movies or setting one up to have friends over for Monday Night Football, a good home entertainment system is cosmetically important to your house. Here is the very basic guide to setting up your home entertainment system.
TV
First and foremost, you will need a television. That is the most essential element to your home entertainment system. Don’t go with tvs that aren’t HD. HD is a necessity for televisions in this day and age. If you can afford it, I would recommend at least a 50’’ 3D LED tv. If you shop around, you can find them starting at $1000. The images are extremely crisp and you can see every fine pixel. Additionally, I would also pick a tv that is easy to mount to a wall. Mounting to walls saves a lot of space and looks nice in the living room. Remember not to face your tv towards the sun.
Computer System
If you can, you should also buy a cpu and hook it up to one of the tv inputs. This will allow you stream videos on your tv and do a multitude of other tasks. When buying a cpu, remember to buy a wireless keyboard and trackpad. You don’t want your entertainment system full of wires. It looks tacky. For Bluetooth wireless keyboard/trackpad combo, I would go with Logitech K400. It is extremely responsive and is also very durable.
Sound System
You can’t call it a home entertainment system without 5.1 surround sound. Ideally, you would want wireless sound but many of the wireless speakers have not caught up in terms of sound quality yet. In terms of wattage, you should shoot for anything over 600 watts. Speakers should not cost you over $1,000. You can find some great speakers (with receiver/ amplifier) in the $500 range. Additionally, you should never buy speakers without also buying a receiver, or at the very least, an amplifier.
Furniture
A home theater system cannot be complete without accompanying furniture. The furniture will probably be the most expensive portion of your home theater setup. Buying a complete living room set can cost you well over $2,000. If you cannot afford a whole set, you can start buying piece by piece. Ideally, your entertainment system should have enough seating for 10 people, enough for a good-sized get-together and enough space for a small family to watch tv comfortably. If you are on a tight budget, I suggest checking out IKEA for furniture. If you have some money to spend on furniture, you can go to stores like Macy’s. After getting your seats, you should also think about having at least one (coffee) table in the room along with a lamp. Once you have all that, your home theater system will be all set!
