Nothing makes a new place feel more like home than equipping your pad with a top-notch entertainment setup. From hosting a housewarming party to playing some romantic music on surround sound after a date or chilling out after dinner binge-watching your favorite shows, home entertainment can serve as a cornerstone of your lifestyle.
Whether you’re a single hoping to mingle or a family that enjoys regular family movie night, you can create the ideal scene for top-notch entertainment with these essentials.
Choose the Right TV
Oh, televisions. They’ve come a long way in a few short years, from the huge, boxy, living room-overtaking contraptions of a decade ago to the slim, sleek, smart TVs that can do everything but the dishes. That said, choosing a television is no simple task. There are several factors to consider, such as the size of your space. For a living room, experts suggest a screen size between 55 and 65 inches, but you’ll also want to consider seating, as it’s a good idea to sit at a distance of three times the screen height, or 1.5 times the screen height if you have a 4K Ultra HD TV.
Also, if you’re making an investment, you should splurge for a TV with 4K resolution, considered the most future-proof option as of now, and OLED TVs are said to look better compared to standard LED TVs, but they also cost a bit more.
Get a Soundbar
If you’re a sucker for good audio quality, a soundbar is an investment you’ll definitely want to make. It’s not necessarily much of one, though, as you can get a decent soundbar for a few hundred dollars, often less. That said, you can still splurge and spend $700 or more on a top-quality model.
A soundbar will improve the sound quality dramatically, as today’s televisions are slimmer, and this design sacrifices speaker quality by necessity. There are options here, too, such as soundbars with a dialogue enhancement setting (something you definitely want), models with matching wireless subwoofers (if you like to feel your bass), and built-in Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to stream your favorite music. Oh, and if commercials that seem to put the sound on blast make you crazy, look for a soundbar with volume leveling technology.
Spring for a Complete Home Theater System
Rather than purchase a standalone soundbar, another option is to purchase a complete home theater system. These home theater systems combine an A/V receiver module with speakers, often consisting of a full surround-sound configuration. They also typically come with a soundbar, with the benefit of knowing that all your speakers will function in perfect compatibility.
You can purchase a home theater system today with Bluetooth for streaming music wirelessly for about the same price as a standard system without wireless compatibility, so there’s really no need to pass on this feature. There is a big price disparity among home theater systems, however, although a higher price tag doesn’t necessarily equate to higher quality. They range in price from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, so this is an investment worth some pre-purchase research.
Consider a Gaming System
For gaming enthusiasts, this is a no-brainer, but families or singles who aren’t immersed in the gaming scene may overlook the benefits of a gaming system integrated into your home theater setup. For starters, today’s video games aren’t your typical Super Mario Bros. adventure; you can get a variety of games and experiences that provide a great way to entertain a crowd, such as karaoke games like Guitar Hero.
Families can take advantage of a gaming system for more immersive experience.
Apartment living doesn’t have to mean giving up the ability to entertain, set up a romantic date night scene, or spend quality time together as a family. The right home entertainment setup can make all the difference.
