The question that many consumers or would be consumers of home theater or surround sound systems must ask themselves is how much should I spend on a home theater system. The problem with that question is that there isn’t an answer that is appropriate for every potential buyer. While there are many who honestly and firmly believe that if you are making the investment in your home and the entertainment value within your home you should really consider how much time you spend there and how much value a system such as this will actually add to your perception of the time you spend in your home. I did tell you that there really isn’t a simple answer.

The long and short of it is that you only need to find a system that you believe will enhance your perceived value of your movie viewing, television viewing, music listening, or game playing experience. I say start at the low end of the spectrum and listen to the various systems and devices on the market until you find one that you feel will be a vast improvement over your current situation and that should be the system that satisfies you. Do not move up in price range once you’ve found a system you like or you will wind up spending more money than you could have spent and been just as content.

I was once a true believe in the philosophy that everyone should buy the high-end equipment and that name brands were important. The truth of the matter is that there is a level of quality that is often paid for but it is noticeable to me only if I have heard better than what I am hearing. This means that I am perfectly content with the system I choose as long as I do not encounter something better. I guess it’s kind of like dessert. I’m content with my chocolate cake until I see someone walking by with chocolate truffle cake with raspberry sauce and ice cream on the side. It made my chocolate cake look a little less fulfilling if you know what I mean.

We often experience this problem with electronics. There is always going to be some fantastic system just beyond our reach. I say make the investments where it matters (in surround sound systems this would be the speakers) and find contentment with the knowledge that the sound you are purchasing is a vast improvement over the sound you had before. On the other hand if only the best of the best will do for you, you can easily pay well in excess of $50,000 for a very high end home theater and surround system in your home (plus the price of installation of course).

There will always be those who are willing to spend more and those who haven’t enough to spare. We live in a world of the haves and have not’s the good news is that even if you aren’t one of the few privileged ‘haves’ there is probably a decent surround sound system in your price range if you are willing to take the time to really look for one and make the effort to save your pennies, nickels, and dimes in order to get one once you’ve found it. Those things in life that are really worth having are those that are worth making sacrifices in order to receive. How much is too much? More than you are willing to pay.

Just in case you’ve been reading around and researching the many terms and topics that concern surround sound and the many surround sound systems on the market today, I thought it might be a good idea to explain some of the terminology that is floating around. First of all there are many initials names and numbers floating around when it comes to surround sound technology and equipment, it’s no wonder that many of us mere mortal consumers are more than a little confused by it all. Hopefully the information you find below will prove helpful as you weave through the wired jungles of modern sound technology.

The first and probably most common thing you will see in these circles is Dolby Digital. While there are many complicated definitions of this term the one that will matter most to you, as a consumer is that right now it is the leading format on the market when it comes to processing the digital data that your system will need to process. There are better brands such as DTS when it comes to musical sound for this function but the vast majority of television broadcasts and DVDs are optimized for Dolby.

Speaking of DTS, at the moment they are Dolby’s primary competition. While most items you find on the market such as DVDs are viewable in both DTS and Dolby you need to make sure that they system you purchase whether Dolby or DTS can read both formats for those times when your favorite flick just might not be enhanced for both.

Now perhaps the most confusing of terms when it comes to surround sound systems would be 5.1. It looks so innocent just sitting there but most people are ready to pull out their hair when they realize that it really stands for a system that includes 6 speakers rather than five. The “.1″ in the name refers to the frequency of the subwoofer (or Low Frequency Effects-LFE), which is .1. Despite the existence of ‘better’ systems on the market today, most movies are optimized for this particular set up so this will be of the most value to you with the current products on the market rather than spending more for systems that the DVD makes haven’t yet caught up with.

DTS ES refers to a format commonly referred to as 6.1. In this format there is one additional speaker moved to the center rear of the configuration and the two-rear left and right speakers are moved forward. And THX EX 7.1 is what happens when you add yet another speaker. There aren’t too many films at the moment that use this particular format some notable exceptions would be the Star Wars movies. This means that movies haven’t really caught up to the technology of either of these systems but they are on the market and some people simply must have them. I recommend going with a superior 5.1 channel surround sound system for the time being and adding speakers when there are more reasons to do so.

This list is by no means exhaustive but will give you a basic overview of the information that is relevant to you as you look into the various surround sound systems on the market today. You shouldn’t have to weed through volumes of confusing terminology in order to find out that the system you are interested in actually has 6 speakers rather than 5. My hope is that you can go in armed with basic knowledge that will help you make an informed buying decision.

One thing that often gets overlooked during the process of purchasing pieces, parts, and components for your surround sound system is the importance of cables to the overall sound of your system. It makes absolutely no idea to buy top of the line speakers and excellent quality components only to use substandard el cheapo cables with which to connect them to one another. Unfortunately we see this every day and it causes problem with the quality of the sound that leads over time to a total and complete dissatisfaction with the quality of sound your system provides.

There are other considerations when it comes to cables such as aesthetics, which will also affect the price when it comes to your system. I strongly encourage you to seriously consider what level of cabling and wires you can and cannot live with before you purchase your surround sound or home theater system, as both tend to be very wire and cable intensive. There are however things you can do to tame the tangle before it overtakes your home and one of my first recommendations is to seriously consider the value that going wireless would add to your system.

Wireless speakers eliminate the need for a good portion of the wires and cabling that are typically part and parcel of the lot when it comes to good sound systems. Going wireless for me is far preferable to drilling holes into the walls and running the wires through and having a rat’s next of speaker wires overhead in my home is simply not an option. Of course everyone has different priorities when it comes to their surround sound or home theater systems and some people aren’t all the considered about wires and cables. If you are not one that bothers then that is no problem either.

Unfortunately the wires and cables in a home theater or surround sound system are not limited to the speakers alone and while going wireless for the speakers is often financially feasible it’s an entirely different ball park to go wireless for the whole kit and caboodle. For this reason there are all kinds of nifty tips and tricks for taming a mess of wires and keeping things organized and tidy behind the scenes. Among my favorites are these new power strips that allow you to color code and label which cord goes where. These strips are also great because they offer surge protection for your costly electronic equipment.

In addition to having the power strips labeled and organized you can purchase PVC piping and run all the cords down one tube in order to reach the power strip. You can also paint the tube in order to blend in with your wall if you are concerned about the aesthetics of the tube. I personally like this option for keeping all the chords in one spot rather than having them run haphazardly along the back of your other electronic components. It simply looks neater and more organized and your friends and family will be impressed at your cleverness for thinking of it.

If you have a certain disdain for over organization or having things too terribly tidy you can always opt for these Velcro ties that you simple use like the old sandwich bag ties. They can keep several chords together so that you aren’t constantly having to work around them and yet allows you easy access to the chords should you find a sudden need for access or get the urge to rearrange or change settings and situations.

While it doesn’t take rocket science to tame the wild tangle of chords that sometimes invade of entertainment space, it often helps to have a few tricks up your sleeve when confronting the seemingly endless stream of wires that are part of the average home theater or surround sound system. Hopefully you will find that some of these suggestions and tips will be helpful in your home.