So you are finally ready to start building your very own home entertainment system that you have been dreaming of for quite a while and have been saving up just enough to get yourself a setup that you can enjoy without any compromises and are proud to own.
We are loving this energy of yours! And to guide this energy in the right direction and help you set up your entertainment system the right way, we have compiled some of our best tips in this article to get you started and make the whole process a lot easier.
Before we move any further with the guide, here are some simple questions you need to ask yourself before you start building your home entertainment system:
- Do you even have enough room at your place to install a home entertainment system in the first place?
- Are you comfortable with the increased bills (electricity and media subscriptions) that may come after installing the entertainment system?
- Is your apartment sound-proof or would installing an entertainment system disturb your neighbours through sound-leak?
Next, we will be looking at the steps that you need to follow so you can avoid impulse buying the flashiest products on Amazon out of excitement just because they were on sale and miss the chance of making an informed decision about your purchase.
Step #1: Mind your budget
Let’s start with the basics, and quite possibly, the most obvious-yet-overlooked rule/step in our guide. With an investment as big as a home entertainment system, the first you want to do, unsurprisingly so, is to plan your budget and stick to it with discipline. No, really, we mean it.
A lot of the advice and ideas on the internet that you will see about setting up your own home entertainment system is just the use of creative stealth marketing tactics that are trying to get you to buy as much as possible without accounting for your purchasing power.
The first thing you need to do is to plan a budget and decide an approximation of how much are you willing to spend. Try to be specific as possible. The more, the better. This will allow you to restrict yourself from buying things that you don’t necessarily need and avoid the “buyer’s high.”
Step #2: Plan the location
Just making a budget isn’t enough (though it’s the most important step nonetheless). You also need to plan well in advance where exactly are you going to put and place the entertainment system in an organized manner.
The last thing you would want is to have products and wires scattered across your place that you will most probably trip over and fall (speaking from personal experience, unfortunately). It’s essential for your viewing pleasure that your entertainment setup doesn’t look like a lousy mess.
To avoid that from happening, the first thing you need to do is what your parents used to tell you when you were a kid: clean your room. In this case, your living room or basement or bedroom or wherever you are planning to install the entertainment system. This will let you know how much space you really have available for use so you can plan accordingly.
Step #3: Visuals and Sounds
Opting for the right display and sound system is crucial for your viewing pleasure. After all, what good is a movie if you can’t fully immerse yourself in the story via vivid colors and crispy sound? If the entertainment system is placed in a wide space, opting for a projector would be the right way to go.
In case it’s placed in your basement or bedroom instead, opting for a 65 inch – 75 inch 4k ultra-HD OLED TV would be our recommendation since projectors usually don’t offer as good of a watching experience as OLED panels.
Speaking of TVs though, you may wanna learn how to hide TV wires to keep your entertainment system looking ergonomic and clean. For sound, we recommend going for multiple mini-speakers with the main unit placed in the middle so as to give out the effect of surround sound, adding to your viewing experience.
Note: Try installing your entertainment system in a place with less or no windows. Windows are hard surfaces and reflect sound which can cause audio distortion and admit light that can cause reflections to appear on your viewing surface – interfering your
Step #4: Don’t compromise on comfort
You may have the best display and sound system, but if you are constantly having to twist and turn and adjust yourself in your chair/sofa while watching your favorite shows, you are probably not going to have a good time.
Treating your eyes and ears at the cost of compromising your back is never a great recipe for entertainment soup. We recommend going for recliners in case you are not expecting much company. In case you are, sofas work just as fine. But if your budget doesn’t allow for the same, you can opt for the millennial way of doing entertainment: bean bags!
Step #5: Add Ambiance
Ambiance is perhaps the most overlooked element of home entertainment systems. While getting the right gadgets and furniture fulfills your visual and audio needs, the right ambiance helps you set the mood right.
An ideal entertainment system should be in a place you can come to for unwinding after a long day of work and is tailored specifically for you. And all that isn’t possible if the place doesn’t smell, look, and feel the way you want it to.
Our recommendation? Some small scented candles, LED fairy lights, and soft carpet flooring. This will help create the experience you are looking for as soon as you step into the room, greeted by a beautiful smell, and pleasing lights. Once all of this is set up, you are good to go and ready to jump straight in and enjoy your favorite movies and shows with your friends and family!
Thanks for reading this quick guide on how to get started with your very own home entertainment system. Happy viewing!
