A complete home entertainment system is ultimately every man’s fantasy.  It is a representation of years of hard work, and an ongoing process of obtaining each piece one by one, with the dream of someday completing the masterpiece.  In many ways it is the ultimate collection of toys for the big boys.

So, what goes into a home entertainment system? The basic parts are a DVD player, speakers, and a TV screen – enough to at least give you a satisfactory audiovisual experience. A lot of vendors now, though, will gladly spare you the trouble of making you choose and set up separate components, and offer integrated systems complete with a DVD player and a set of speakers.

Below are a set of pointers for choosing the right one for you, plus a few other add-ons to help you take advantage of the entire experience:

  1. DVD(/CD) player

    2. These units cost anywhere between PhP2,000 for a Promac and PhP8,000 for a Phillips DVD player (which may or may not come with external speakers) to a little below PhP 47,000 for a Sharp Blu-Ray disc player. Beware of vendors trying to sell you a High-Definition DVD (HD DVD) unit; Blu-Ray has been adopted as the new industry standard and will not likely be supplanted in the near future.

    Unless you are the type who actively seeks out genuine Blu-Ray discs (not the ones your friendly neighborhood peddler claims to sell), a normal DVD player should be good enough for most purposes – whether it be playing a horror DVD at night or simply playing music from a CD or USB stick.

  2. Surround sound speaker system

    3. Photo by Jamie McCall under CC by 2.0

    Good movies won’t give you the maximum experience when you’re using only your TV’s speakers. Most people define good sound by how hard the bass pounds, and more often than not, they’ll usually splurge on a high-end subwoofer the moment they get their hands on one. However, since you’re aiming for the surround-sound effect, you’ll need at least six speakers, one for each direction (front left and right, center, back/side left and right), and one for the lower frequencies. This type of configuration is called a 5.1 system.

    A high-end standalone Bose 5.1 surround sound system can cost just a bit below PhP70,000. Other Bose systems, though, use as few as three speakers, with one speaker used as the “surround” unit using multiple channels. These cost between PhP40,000 and PhP60,000.

    Most integrated systems, though, include both the standard 5.1 system and a DVD player. These usually cost PhP8,000 for a mid-range LG theater set perfect for your living room, to a little over PhP40,000 for a high-end 1,000-watt Samsung system complete with tall wireless speakers and a decent enough subwoofer that you’ll be showing off to everyone who enters your den.

    If you want to push the envelope, a 7.1-channel system would do the trick. This is currently the highest commercially-available standard system available. While there seems to be no information online on 7.1 systems, another option could be to upgrade a 5.1 system to 6.1 – try Bose’s Acoustimass® 15 Series III (PhP67,000) with the matching 6.1 speaker kit upgrade (PhP9,900). 

  3. Power amplifier and audio cables

    4. What’s the use of a 6.1-channel speaker system when you don’t have the power to back them up? The solution is to use a power amplifier system. Power amplifiers come in two types: solid-state and tube. When choosing a power amp, you should know the maximum and minimum power requirements and impedance for your speakers. If you have low-impedance speakers (below 4 ohms), stay away from tube amps; ditto for speakers that require a significant amount of power. Also, remember that doubling your wattage does not double the volume; if you currently use a 100-watt amplifier and upgrade to 200 watts, it will only increase by a factor of 0.33.

    Yamaha’s P-series amplifiers range from the P2500S to the P7000S (PhP 29,900 – 59,900), each designed to work best with speaker sets of a particular wattage. For example, the P5000S model works perfectly with a pair of 500-watt speakers. Yamaha also recommends their XM-series multi-channel power amps for home theaters (PhP 89,990).

    You might also want to invest in a good set of audio cables to make sure that your speakers really deliver what your DVD player and power amp feed them. Choose your cables according to the ports available on your amplifier and speakers. For example, the Yamaha P-series features both XLR and 1/4-inch TRS inputs, and Neutrik Speakon, phone plug, and 5-way binding post outputs. The typical RCA-to-XLR cable will cost you PhP1,995, while quality phone-to-phone speaker cables go for anywhere between PhP2,500 to PhP3,500, depending on length and gauge.

  4. TV

    5. Of course, you’ll want a flat TV for your home theater, but deciding which one to buy isn’t just a matter of getting the biggest screen or the clearest picture available. There are other factors to be considered, such as the cost, the amount of light in your room, the viewing angle, and the power consumption. If you are going for the personal IMAX experience, you’d want to get something 40 inches or larger. That being said, there are three main kinds of flat-screen TVs available: Plasma, LCD, and LED.

    Plasma TVs are cheaper than their LCD or LED counterparts of identical size. A 50-inch Panasonic plasma TV costs a little below PhP98,000 versus a 46-inch LCD TV from the same manufacturer (PhP144,000++). The former also produces the blackest blacks and has a wide viewing angle. The downsides to plasma TVs are that their screens reflect outside light, the resolution isn’t that outstanding compared to LCD and LED, and there is a slight risk of burn-in. 

    LCD TVs are the most readily available type of flat-screen TV locally. The price for a 40-inch LG, Sanyo, Sony, and Samsung LCD TVs hover in the PhP60,000 – 70,000 range. If you want to watch movies and TV shows in high-definition, though, get something with “Full HD” written on it. The choices range from a 40-inch TCL (PhP56,695) to Sony’s Bravia (PhP97,933). These LCD TVs feature high resolution and no risk of burn-in. However, because these TVs are backlit with mini-fluorescent lamps, you have to contend with not-so-outstanding black and color quality. Another disadvantage of LCD TVs is the narrower viewing angle.

    LED TVs are a subtype of LCD TV. The main difference is in the backlighting: they use light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that light individual areas of the screen, instead of the usual mini-fluorescent lamps used in LCD TVs. This produces color saturations comparable to those produced by plasma screens.

    If you are aiming for the “green” lifestyle, you’ll be pleased to know that LED TVs are more energy-efficient than both plasma and LCD TVs, with savings of up to 40 percent. They also generate less heat, last longer, and use more eco-friendly parts. Using LEDs also makes them slimmer than the average flat TV. All this quality comes at a price, though: a 40-inch Samsung will set you back by PhP119,900, and
    its 55-inch variant costs twice as much.

  5. Power amplifier and audio cables

    6. What’s the use of a 6.1-channel speaker system if you don’t have the  power to back it up? The solution is to use a power amplifier system. Power amplifiers come in two types: solid-state and tube. When choosing a power amp, know the maximum and minimum power requirements, and impedance for your speakers. If you have low-impedance speakers (below 4 ohms), stay away from tube amps; ditto for speakers that require a significant amount of power. Also, remember that doubling your wattage does not double the volume; if you currently use a 100-watt amplifier and upgrade to 200 watts, it will only increase by a factor of 0.33.

    Yamaha’s P-series amplifiers range from the P2500S to the P7000S (PhP29,900 – PhP59,900), each designed to work best with speaker sets of a particular wattage. For example, the P5000S model works perfectly with a pair of 500-watt speakers. Yamaha also recommends their XM-series multi-channel power amps for home theaters (PhP89,990).

    You might also want to invest in a good set of audio cables to make sure that your speakers really deliver what your DVD player and power amp feed them. Choose your cables according to the ports available on your amplifier and speakers. For example, the Yamaha P-series features both XLR and 1/4-inch TRS inputs, and Neutrik Speakon, phone plug, and 5-way binding post outputs. The typical RCA-to-XLR cable will cost you PhP1,995, while quality phone-to-phone speaker cables go for anywhere between PhP2,500 and PhP3,500, depending on length and gauge.

  6. Gaming console

    7. An Xbox with the latest Jasper board will cost you roughly PhP24,000. Some stores will allow you to take off the hard disk and HD connector and sell it to you for almost half the price, but this is not recommended.

    A PS3 Slim costs around PhP17,500 to PhP 18,000, while the PS3 80GB sells for PhP35,000. Both are compatible with 5.1 surround sound systems.

  7. Turntable

    8. Although at first the turntable would seem like the odd one out in an entertainment system of items like the CD/DVD player, the flat screen TV and the surround sound speakers, this particular item can in fact be the gold nugget of the entire collection. 

    This cherished piece of vintage technology appeals to multiple generations of males, audiophiles or otherwise.  The turntable is a pleasant, tangible piece of memory for dads (who are in fact suckers for nostalgia), and a hip, unique piece of stylish classic (if not a way to practice DJ skills) for the younger crowd.  

    Turntables made by trusted manufacturer Rega are available locally, offering items from their P1 with Ortofon OM5e moving magnet cartridge (Php18,500) to their high-end P9 model (Php196,000).

 

Essential Extras

Because there’s always room for a little more:

  1. Seating

    2. Although any comfortable chair will do, recliners would be the perfect addition to a home entertainment system meant to be a guy’s comfort and entertainment zone. 

    Most recliners nowadays have built-in footrests, thus removing the need for an ottoman. SM Makati’s Our Home store and houses La-Z-Boy recliners selling for PhP19,000 up. A revolving recliner with a built-in massage machine costs around PhP35,000.

    You might also want to check out the La-Z-Boy 9902-RR-1 Gunner, a three-seat recliner with built-in cup holders at your nearest BLIMS branch.

  2. Lighting

    3. The utmost in your viewing experience can be achieved if you consider every element of your ambience – including how much light you let in the room.  In some occasions, when watching the latest action DVD on your LCD TV with surround sound, dimming the lights might just be the cherry on top.  This means that your entertainment area must be equipped to allow you to have complete control of the lighting. 

    Putting drapes on the windows is a good idea if your home entertainment system is in the living room.  But if possible (say, if you’re living alone), situate your home entertainment system in a room without windows to allow you to monopolize the area.  Or install a dimmer switch in place of the on/off type. LED pin lights for the ceiling are good as they will give you the most light for the least amount of money, and are easily dimmed. You might also want some background lighting behind your TV set; this will enhance the blacks on the picture.

  3. Popcorn

    4. We’re not talking popcorn machine here: simply search through your neighborhood supermarket and get a range of options of popcorn in any of its variants. If you won’t be bothered to pick up hot, stray pieces of popcorn from the countertop, you could choose from among the flavors offered by Chef Tony’s Popcorn. If you’re in a poppin’ mood, though, I suggest that you get Chicago Popcorn Shops’ caramel and cheese (PhP280/tin, Php200/refill).

    If you’re not the popcorn type, simply break out any of the usual finger foods, from potato chips to mini pretzels to chocolate balls.