Connect Multimedia
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
PREPARATION You can do a lot more than sitting waiting for the delivery of your equipment. Lay out the wires ahead of time. Always get more wire than you think you need. Measure the distances from the place the receiver or amp will be and add ten percent. This will give you enough wire to run the connections through the stand or wall unit and not place tension on the wire and terminals. Don't secure the wire until everything else is in place. This permits last minute changes for the unexpected. As noted elsewhere on this site, don't try to save a few dollars on your cables, go for a higher end cable like Monster cables, you may see and hear the difference, but keep in mind buying these cables from the retail store is how they improve their profit margin. You can get the same equality for less with the high end cables from an AV installer like us (Connect Multimedia). What you are looking for in a quality cable is rigid gold plated connectors and thicker cables than the basic cables that ship with your DVD or CD player. Prepare a work surface to lay out the components and the manual. I know most people think the manual is something to read after everything is set up but it is best to read it before and during the actual installation. Long gone are the days of just hooking up a set of wires to the back and listening to the music. Again, label the wires. This will help not only during initial installation but you will thank this tip when you have to move the system or make changes. WIRE ORGANISATION Get wire holders. They can be either little plastic ties that hold the wire together or flat tubes that run along the walls. These prevent the back of your system from looking like a nest of snakes. This may not seem important now but you will thank this little hint the next time you have to troubleshoot a problem or choose to upgrade your system. You can even use twist ties from garbage bags just keep the wires together. It looks neater and it is easier to follow when you have to trace the wires. Color code your wires. Most stationary stores sell little colored stickers or labels. The labels are best wrapped around both ends of the wire. Write down something to identify the wire like R/L for rear left. When you get the manual place the colored labels in the inside cover with what wire each color corresponds to for later reference. You should also do this for connectors to the VCRs, DVD and TV. The back of most home theatre systems are a tangle of wires. You’ll be thanking yourself later if you take the time during the installation to label everything connecting your system together. If you have a problem later on, you’ll have a much better chance of solving the problem if you know what is plugged in where. Make a diagram of the setup and keep it safe. If you have a visual representation of how everything is plugged together, it makes it easier for most people to understand, and you can plan where you are going to look for the fault before you delve behind your cabinet and start moving things around. AMPLIFIER SETUP More and more amplifiers these days have adjustable settings for speaker level and distance from your listen ing position. Most amplifiers above $1000 also have auto sensing microphones which are used to measure the loudness of each speaker and the distance from each speaker back to the microphone. In my experience, these systems sometimes need quite a lot of tweaking after the amp has gone through this automatic process. One method I use is to use the auto setup and then use my ears to adjust the volume of each speaker until I think it sounds good. I always make the rear speakers louder than the auto setup suggests, but that’s just my personal preference. Sections of this DIY advice were updated and adapted for an Australian market from www.hometheaterinfo.com |
RETURN TO: HOME | SERVICES | TESTIMONIALS | ABOUT US | CONTACT US |