Basics of Audio Component Installation

With all the advances in technology, installing your audio components of your home theater system is no longer a matter of just plugging in some wires.Speakers are now engineered, not just "built", and different types serve different uses. Not all speakers match all receivers and amplifiers.

• First, Let's Look at the Audio Components

The usual audio components of your home theater system are the DVD/BluRay player, the speakers and the wires. Because of the special needs of wireless sound systems, we discuss wireless speaker installations on another page. How all these components come together for the perfect home theater experience is what will determine how well you installed your audio components.

• Matching of Audio Components

Before installing the audio for your home theater system, you'll need to make sure all the components match in design, impedance and aesthetics. If you purchased your home theater as a "Theater in a Box," then this usually isn't an issue. Some people prefer (for instance) the famous Klipsch 5.1 Home Theater Speaker Set with a Panasonic BluRay player, and there's nothing wrong with that.  You'll just want to make sure that the resistance of the speakers are the same as the recommended speakers for your system.

• Installing Home Theater Audio Components

All the electronic components of your home theater system are installed basically the same way.

Here are the basic steps to installing your own home theater audio(and other) components in your home theater system:

1. Mount Components in their desired location
2. Lay out the wires connecting the home theater components
3. Label ends of all wires showing what components they serve
4. Bunch or group the wires together. Neatness Counts!
5. Connect wires to components
6. Plug system components in to power
7. Turn on and check for function

We're Here to Help

We'd love to help you, and have professionals ready to advise you on your hometheater audio system. It's free, and might save you a lot of trouble.

If you haven't purchased your audio components yet, let us help find the best set for your home theater needs.

If you've already bought your components, we can still help figure out the best way to install what you have already purchased.