Home Theater Sounds to Impress Your Friends

A: That all depends upon whom you're trying to impress and how much time you're willing to spend on your setup.

If you plan on using your "home theater" for catching up on "Sex and the City" reruns on cable's Lifetime network, you can just walk into your local big box electronics store and ask for help.

But if you're wanting to impress the ladies with an immersed "Star Wars" experience - and trust me, that does impress the ladies - you'll want to do more research first.

After you decide to do it, ask yourself, "How much am I willing to spend?"

Now stop talking to yourself and set a budget, otherwise you'll get carried away with all the options.

Next, decide whether to buy a "theater-in-a-box" or to mix and match the components yourself.

The "in-a-box" systems usually include everything you need, except maybe some advice on impressing women.

Just provide the TV (and DVD player in some cases), and you're good to go.

They're easier to set up and can be cheaper, from a few hundred dollars to more than $1,000. But you lose flexibility in choosing features and upgrading components in the future.

Purchasing the components separately is likely to cost more, but there's the potential for better audio quality.

You'll have to furnish the cables and shop for a universal remote control yourself, but you'll have more options when upgrading everything later on.

Regardless of which option you pick, the centerpiece of your system is going to be the receiver.

This is the box that sits in between everything else and routes audio signals from one device (like your TV) to another (like your speakers).

You'll want to identify upfront what the inputs to the receiver are going to be: Besides your TV or DVD player, will you use the speakers for your stereo, game console or PC?

Make sure the receiver has enough inputs - and the right kinds of inputs - to match your audio components. It helps to diagram all this before making any big purchases.

Don't forget the incidentals during your budgeting.

Cables, universal remote controls and special DVDs that help you tune your system's audio and picture can add up.

Check out Crutchfield Advisor (crutchfieldadvisor.com) and Audioholics (audioholics.com) for more help, especially when it comes to choosing the right speakers.

Oh, and when your lady friend comes over for the movie, remember: Your Yoda impression isn't as sexy as you think it is. That's a common rookie mistake.

Send your questions on business or consumer technology to questions@askthepropellerheads.com. Or, contact the Propeller Heads at Data Directions, 201 Concourse Blvd., Suite 110, Glen Allen, VA 23059 or at (804) 270-2426.

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