The Best Gear for Your Home Audio-Video Needs
Whether You’re Looking for a Beginner Setup or the Ultimate Home Theater, Start Here.
When you have a deep appreciation for something, you want to experience new and better versions of it. For instance, coffee fanatics love trying different roasts and brewing methods and may invest in an espresso machine at home. Travel buffs want to explore new and unfamiliar territories beyond common tourist destinations.
Similarly, movie and music lovers want to go beyond the most convenient ways to enjoy their favorite entertainment. To truly appreciate a film score and breathtaking visuals, you might want more than a simple flatscreen with built-in speakers.
That’s why we’re here to show you the path to upgrade your home audio-video. We’ll start at a beginner level for those only dipping their toes and go as far as a finished home theater. Read on to get inspired for your Rock Island, IL home’s entertainment.
SEE ALSO: How to Design the Ultimate Home Theater Experience
Just Getting Started
Want audio that’s superior to your TV’s built-in speakers? Consider a soundbar. It won’t provide actual surround sound (you need multiple speakers for that). Still, a quality soundbar like the Bowers & Wilkins Formation Bar brings power and clarity to your movie audio. The Formation Bar includes nine internal drivers and packs 240 watts of power—most home speakers are only 20 watts! So, you’ll enjoy that rumbling home theater sensation.
Sony, another brand we partner with, also manufactures a range of high-end soundbars. Its HT-Z9F is a 3.1 channel soundbar with Dolby Atmos compatibility and with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology.
On the visual side, if you don’t already own a 4K OLED screen, you’re greatly missing out! Content is finally available in 4K definition, and with over eight million self-illuminating pixels, you’ll see color accuracy and contrast like never before.
A Step Up
If you’re ready for the wonder of surround sound, add more speakers and a subwoofer to the mix. We typically recommend wiring your speakers for a more reliable connection, but Bowers & Wilkins’ Formation Series uses its own exclusive wireless technology on an independent network for room-to-room synchronization if you’d like to enjoy your music and movie sounds across the house.
If you’re moving into surround sound, we suggest treating the room for acoustics, so you hear your speakers as they were meant to be enjoyed. Wall panels and absorption materials can help reduce echo and balance sound frequencies so low notes don’t overpower higher ones.
Graduate Level
Time to take it to the next level? If you’re looking for the ultimate audio-video experience, there are endless options we could recommend. But for a sleek, refined appearance in your living room, media room, or home theater, consider in-wall or in-ceiling speakers. They’ll blend into the space without a wire or device in sight, just a smooth grille that can be painted to match your décor. If you want the most immersive sound possible, mount upward-firing Dolby Atmos speakers to the rear of the room to create a dome-like soundscape.
And if you’re ready for a real home theater setup, a projector screen can lower from your ceiling with one press of a button. We’ll find the best screen for your room, with the right gain and color to absorb more light for darker blacks. A 4K laser projector produces a crisper, brighter image than standard lamp versions, so you’ll cover the entire wall in rich detail.
Are you itching to upgrade your home’s entertainment system? Ready for something more? Visit Reference Audio Video & Security’s showroom to see and hear the latest and greatest AV solutions for yourself. Contact us here for any questions you may have!
