Home Theatre Handbook: recommended download
Polk Audio posts a free home theatre handbook on their website. Surprisingly, it's a fairly comprehensive guide to selecting and setting up home theatre components, and there's little in the way of marketing propaganda. (Occasional mentions of Polk products, but nothing gratuitous) The handbook has a very easy-to-understand summary of all the various surround formats, and there's a minimum of jargon and subjective extremism (for example, no discussion of cables). In other words, it explains audio concepts without going beyond common sense.
Some points in the handbook that I particularly like:
- excellent explanation of the various ways to hook up a subwoofer
- useful pointers on how to interpret a power output specification (i.e. why a specification using a 20Hz-20kHz 8 ohm test with all channels driven is not the same as a specification using a 1 kHz test with one channel driven)
- well reasoned advantages and disadvantages on different speaker configurations
- good explanation of what THX means
- the need for balance and timbre matching in a home theatre speaker system
- excellent section on the importance of room acoustics and room treatments
- recommendation on SPL meter usage
Some things that I throught needed improvement:
- recommendation to "listen" to subwoofers, without explaining how different they can sound depending on the room and settings
- neglected to mention equalization as a means by which to address room acoustics problems
- sometimes not enough discussion on approaches to avoid
- could use an explanation of what "7.1" really means
All in all though, a very good reference guide. I see no glaring problems with the handbook, and I think it's a great read for anyone who's putting together a home theatre system or needs some explanation of what various features mean or pointers on how to set up their system. And it's free to download from Polk's website.
http://www.polkaudio.com/home/librar...hthandbook.pdf
I checked the handbook out...
and it said that if a receiver does not list the wattage that it puts out into a 4 ohm load that the reciever probably can't drive a 4 ohm speaker. Well, my Denon 2802 only lists wattage for a 6 ohm load but I have 4 ohm speakers (dynaudio audience 52). I haven't noticed any serious problems soundwise but could my receiver damage my speakers or are there any other things that I might want to be concerned about? How can I tell if my Denon is actually able to drive my speakers?
Excellent hanbook by the way. Thanks Woochifer.