Entertainment Center Plasma
What small speakers should I buy to add sound to TV?
Just bought a 50" plasma over the weekend. Very good picture but poor sound. I just want to add a little something to help the sound. Something real inexpensive and small enough that I can hide on my entertainment center. Don't need a home theater system, not going to sell movie tickets at my house, just want a slightly better output on sound. Any suggestions? Thanks!
You should not have poor sound with a 50" plasma tv. This is a brands top of the line television. If it were me, before I spend a dime on any speakers, I would have a clear discussion with the sales person and or manufacturer about this poor sound quality. Even before you get yourself exercised, read the owners manual. With a high degree of certainty they should have a section to trouble shoot any technical problems. Then talk to your sales person or the manufacturer. If you are anywhere near a Best Buy, check with the "Geek Patrol." They warranty and service all brands of consumer electronics. While you are at it, ask them the benefit of color calibration on your plasma tv. You will be pleasantly surprised. Information is free, it just takes a little time. Get their qualified opinion on your brand and ask if they see them often. This should help inform your opinion.
If all else fails, look into getting re-furbished brand name speakers and/or subwoofer, this dependes on what you narrow down to be poor audio quality. Consider brands like Altec Lansing, Onkyo and Boston Acoustics speakers. Make sure the plug in connections are compatible with the television. Seek to know how efficient are the speakers. All speakers can be loud, but an efficient speaker means to the listener, that you do not have to raise the volume to have a keen sound fidelity to music, movies or games. A bookshelf size speaker should have a range of 10 to 100 watts of power capacity. Your tv probably generates 20-50 watts of power.
Furthermore, to keep it simple, clean power is better than a lot of power is best. Therefore, make sure you get a very good surge protector to plug your tv and any peripherals like speakers into the tv, that are plugged into the surge protector, plugged into the wall. A worthwhile surge protector should manage at least 1500 joules to protect your investment. Surges occur when the lights blink on and off while you system is on. Increasingly this is a phenomena we all must deal with. A surge protector is a buffer that smooths out the kinks from a power blip. In a sense it scrubs the electric noise to make sure connections are without as much "negativity" or impendence as is possible. The net out of this longish explanation is that your electronics will have an improved service life instead of needing to be replaced in 7 years.
If you can swing it, get independent speaker stands. Speakers need a stand to help them sound right to you. They can be found at a flea market, or an Odd Lots type store. Who cares about the stands, all you need them to do is just hold it...right...there, and don't even look like my speakers will vibrate and drop tot he floor. Cheers.
Quality Entertainment Center for the Living Room
There are a lot of things that folks can do at home today, thanks to modern technology. The common-or-garden television box which first displayed black and white moving footage has now developed into wide, plasma, high definition home cinemas. The tiny box radio now has complete home music systems that can play all kinds of digital media and play it thru woofers and subwoofers that emit rich, clear sound. Folks who work conscientiously all day 24x7 at the office need to relax and enjoy their time at home. So these folks look forward to reward themselves by making custom entertainment centers at home. People take pleasure in making an investment in the newest home entertainment gadgets. If you belong in this category, then you understand the compelling need to display your house entertainment unit well, along with keeping them safe and shielded from house dust or accidents. The best way to keep your expensive entertainment widgets safe is through building custom entertainment centers that will suit your property as well as your taste and way of life.
The Things that Matter
Store cabinet makers will only intend to make a standard size for their furniture, so these would be either too small or too large for your own system.
Store purchased shelves would usually be made from standard grade or mixed wood ( meaning the wood is just many layers of thin plywood rolled out and stuck together ). These types of shelves aren't really ready-made to support heavy gadgets, so they could risk the safety of your system. Custom entertainment centers will keep your speakers and television extremely secure, particularly if you get it commissioned at a good wood shop. You can opt to use good, solid hardwood, which will be more immune to termites, scratches, and damage.
Getting an entertainment shelf or cupboard customized also means having the liberty of having it look good according to your preferences. The size and height can match the dimensions of your living room wall or den. The wood can be painted to a color that will match your interior design.
Accessories and Other Considerations
It could be a simple table for a TV set, or it can be a wall shelf for a component system. Folk who invest in their entertainment tools can have a full wall-sized shelf and cupboard customized where they can place everything they need for entertainment.
Custom entertainment centers should be designed not just to showcase your technological investments, but also to give your ease when you wish to enjoy good music or a DVD. The benefit of having an entertainment shelf or cabinet customized is that you can have it built with further details or the like.
Pull out cabinets or side shelves for your media - you can decide to have a top or side shelf where you can stack or file your DVDs and compact discs. Or, they can be stored in a pull out drawer, so that deciding to watch a flick or pop in some music will be a matter of'visiting' your entertainment center.
Knotted wires can short circuit and harm your folks, and even cause random fires.
Ideal fixtures - metal knobs, mirrors, or sliding glass covers are options which can be added to a customised entertainment shelf. These can be added according to your preference. Or you can go with full wood all of the way, too.
About the Author
My favorite baby cribs and cedar chests are created from solid hardwood at http://www.erikorganic.com.
Entertainment Center Plasma