Compact Home Theater System

A traditional Home Theater System often includes a receiver, front left and right speakers, suround speakers, center channel speakers, rear speakers, and a subwoofer to provide those low frequency sounds. The system has to work together so that the audio is matched and balanced. The room where the system will be installed, it's size and configuration must be considered as well.

Due to some of these complexities, home theater systems in a box are often preferred since the system will naturally work together effortlessly. These systems may still have 5 or 6 speakers and a subwoofer but are still more convenient than having to select the various components separately.

Compact home theater systems often provide a system with 2 speakers and a subwoofer, leaving out the rear speakers and the need to run wires to them, making the installaion much less complex. Other home theater systems described as compact simply offer smaller components.

One step futher in the case of simplicity are single box designs. These systems offer virtual surround sound. They simulate the surround sound offered by larger systems that include mutiple speakers and a subwoofer, but take up far less space. One such system is offered by by ZVOX which provides plug and play simplicity while still offering superb sound. Typically it installs directly under your TV. Another option is a sound bar. These are made by a variety of manufacturers. Sound bars generally install right on the wall (or on the stand) below or directly in front of your flat screen TV. Many of them don't require a receiver, amplifier, or separate subwoofer but some (passive models) do.

The most compact home theater system available is probably from ZVOX. These are systems that are packaged in a single box. They consume little space and are extremely simple from the standpoint of set up. They've received rave reviews from consumers and audio experts as well. Despite their single cabinet design, they are capable of providing virtual surround sound. The price is affordable compared to home theater systems and the audio quality is surprisingly good.

Another way of getting better TV sound is with a sound bar. These are perfect when you're dealing with a smaller space and want simple set up. The bar can be mounted directly below a flat screen TV and often comes with built in amplification. This means it needs no reciever or separate amplification. It should come with a subwoofer or the buyer will need to purchase one in order to get good bass. in such cases, wireless subwoofers are common.

Some sound bars provide stereo sound, some offer virtual sourround sound, and others are what is known as LCRs (left, center, and right channel). Passive sound bars require additional equipment. For instance, LCR models require surround sound speakers, a powered subwoofer, and a home theater receiver baking installation a bit more involved.