Let's Get Small

If you live in an apartment and want to have a home theater experience, they say, all it will take is a mortgage on a new house and the purchase of a home theater system. After all, no one can really expect to enjoy a great home theater experience in a limited space, right? All of the apartment dwellers of the world are doomed to suffer with tiny television screens that barely blurt out enough sound from their inadequate internal speakers. Home theater for those in small spaces is an unreachable dream.

All of that may sound almost reasonable. However, none of it is true. Those in apartments can still construct and enjoy home theater systems that will function very effectively in a smaller space. One does not need a giant media room in which to build a home theater system. In fact the corner of a living room can provide enough space for a chippy little system that will make movie watching a lot more enjoyable.

Start with the screen. Will the person with limited space be able to install a giant plasma screen on his or her wall? Probably not. It would probably be impractical. Of course, they would end up having to sit so close to that screen that it hardly seems worth buying anything that large in the first place. Instead, the apartment renter can use a smaller conventional television set in lieu of an expensive large screen.

That may sound like a horrible compromise until you take proximity into effect. The difference between sitting twenty feet from a large screen and five feet from a twenty-seven inch television is actually negligible. The apartment dweller is able to get the same sense of space while buying a much smaller screen.

This general principle holds true across the board. We tend to think that bigger is better. That may or may not be true. Bigger might be better in a large space, but bigger can actually be a distracting case of overkill in a smaller area. Those living in small spaces understandably want a home theater system. They want in on this hot hobby, too. What they must learn, however, is that they can have a great system without literally copying those in larger spaces. There is a particular strategy for selecting the right equipment and strategy for a smaller home theater set up.

When it comes to audio, the apartment dweller has another advantage. Although he or she will definitely want to invest in a good set of speakers to duplicate the surround sound feel of the theater, they will not be required to purchase a particularly powerful amplifier. A smaller space will allow for smaller high performance speakers requiring less amplification.

When buying audio equipment, one needs only to acquire what is necessary to fill the space being used. More power and more technology is simply a waste. With good components in a small space, one can create truly fabulous listening opportunity. Some will argue that a carefully designed sound system in a smaller area can do things that a larger system can never hope to accomplish. With the right technology one can actually use a smaller system to produce sonic experiences that trump many bigger units.

One can get small and still build a great home theater system. All they need is an understanding of proximity and an accurate assessment of their actual needs. As long as one realizes they can pack the equivalent experience of a more spacious home theater into a more compact space, they can learn how to assemble a system that will make movie watching a lot more fun.

If you want a home theater but don't want a mortgage, you are in luck. All you have to do is think small and understand proximity to get the job done.