Professional Audio Consultants Technology Blog

“I bought a new, state-of-the-art flat screen HD TV, but the sound quality is like something out of the 1960s.” That’s a comment we hear from lots of people here at PAC NJ, northern New Jersey’s center for home theater equipment and advice. These people want to know why slim, new HD TVs have such poor sound quality, and if there is anything they can do about it.

We recently addressed the topic of HDMI – High-Definition Multimedia Interface – and explained why this single-cable technology is more than just another pretty abbreviation. We’re getting more and more questions about HDMI audio video technology here at PAC-NJ, northern New Jersey’s source for home theatre systems and services, so let me share with you some of what we tell customers.

Call this Part Two of “Why you should install your home theater during construction or renovation of a home, and not after.” I was blogging about this topic recently, and want to give you some additional reasons to consider if you’re building or renovating a home and trying to decide when call in a professional home theater installer.

Can a multi-room music system really save a marriage? Well, as I explain to our customers here at PAC-NJ, northern New Jersey’s source for state-of-the-art home entertainment and audio video systems, it can sure help you make beautiful music together – even if you’re moving...

I recently blogged about problems involving connecting cables, remote control units and managing power that do-it-yourselfers often run into when they’re trying to install a complex home theater or audio video system. Two other areas where we see lots of DIY mistakes involve what I call management issues: managing heat, and managing room noise. Here are the basics of controlling these issues every DIY home entertainment installer needs to remember:

Today’s home entertainment enthusiasts and audiophiles have a fantastic selection of home theater and home stereo equipment to choose from that can really enhance the experience of watching movies or listening to music. But getting these audio video components to operate as they’re designed to do isn’t always so easy. Here at PAC-NJ, we’re often called in by customers to help tweak home theater set ups and home stereo systems when their do-it-yourself efforts have gone wrong. We’ve seen many common errors, so I’d like to offer observations on some common DIY mistakes. A lot of them fall into three broad categories: cabling, power management, and control – that is, remote control - issues. Here’s some advice about each.

Some people are into home theaters, some people are more into home stereos, and some people want it all – both a great home theater experience that includes fantastic audio reproduction capability, and a home stereo system with the fidelity of a live symphonic concert or jazz club performance. We see all three types here at PAC-NJ, northern New Jersey’s source for high quality home entertainment systems. So how do you get both? Like we tell our clients, you need to know how to design great audio into a home theater equipment selection, and which equipment choices make a great home stereo and audio system. Here’s what you should know about each.

You’re building a house or renovating your existing home. Now is the time to design and install a home theater – don’t wait until construction is completed. That’s the advice we give to our customers at PAC-NJ in northern New Jersey. Of course they ask why, and we have plenty of reasons to offer. First of all, during construction you can create and install a truly customized home theater design because an audio video specialist can collaborate with you and your architect. Floor and ceiling plans can be designed to accommodate the placement of the home theater speaker system for their best integration and performance. For your components, millwork and built-in custom home theater cabinets can be designed to properly house flat screen TVs and a/v components. Thanks to open wall construction, you will have almost complete flexibility in where to locate wall mounted controls such as keypads and touch screens, and you can select the perfect location for each.

Five things to consider before buying a home theater:Who wouldn’t want a home theater? Having easy access to all the music and movies, video games and other entertainment they provide can bring lots of enjoyment to you and your family. But before you move forward on your home theater room, here are five key considerations we tell our clients in northern New Jersey to keep in mind:

Whether you live in a two-bedroom condo or a six-bedroom 12,000 square foot home, a custom designed home entertainment system or home theater will have a positive impact on your daily life. Our customers here in New Jersey tell us having convenient access to their favorite music and movies is game changer. You can easily create your own home audio video system with proper planning and expertise.

You can’t experience the highs of having a home theater without experiencing the lows – as in the low bass notes that only high quality subwoofers can reproduce. Low frequency bass notes are the foundation for accurate reproduction of music and movie soundtracks in a home stereo system. But most of today’s compact speakers have insufficient bass output to recreate these tones. High quality subwoofers add back the lowest octaves of bass smaller speakers struggle to reproduce.