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Home Theater on a Budget, Part 3: Advanced System

Ready to get serious about home theater? Here’s what you need to know.

Creating a quality home theater system requires research, dedication and planning. The first two articles in this series, Home Theater on a Budget, Part 1: Starter System and Home Theater on a Budget, Part 2: Intermediate System, offer tips and guidelines for those looking to create a quality system at an affordable price. This installment kicks it up a notch.

AV RECEIVER

There are plenty of reasons you should upgrade your receiver, but perhaps the most important is having more options. The Yamaha RX-585 AV receiver with MusicCast offers plenty of them, including a Zone B that lets you run a 5.1-channel output while mirroring that sound in a second zone and simultaneously maintaining stereo sound.

MAIN SPEAKERS

Large vertical speaker. — *NS-555 floor standing speaker.*

The quality of your main speakers are critical to any advanced system. Yamaha NS-555 floor standing speakers fit the bill in terms of both sound and physical size. Each speaker stands at just over three feet high, with a three-way bass reflex design ideal for home theater. Their waveguide horn also helps guide sound to your ears instead of reflecting it off the walls, which greatly improves the sense of directionality you experience.

CENTER CHANNEL SPEAKER

You’ll want to complete the front end of your advanced home theater system with a center channel speaker designed for home theater applications. A good choice is the Yamaha NS-C444 center channel speaker. Its advanced design allows you to hear dialogue clearly without it getting lost in the surround mix behind things like explosions and car chases.

REAR SURROUND SPEAKERS

Two stereo speakers next to each other - one with the filter cover on; the other with the speaker and subwoofer exposed. — *NS-333 bookshelf speakers.*

For your rear surrounds, the Yamaha NS-333 bookshelf speakers are a good option. They offer a two-way bass reflex design similar to the NS-555 that picks up the nuances of any film or TV show and let you clearly hear subtle elements like footsteps coming up from behind in your favorite horror movie. If you’re using a MusicCast AV receiver such as the Yamaha RX-V585, consider using MusicCast 20 or MusicCast 50 wireless speakers as your rear surrounds so you can enjoy 5.1 sound without the hassle of running speaker wires through the floor or walls.

POWERED SUBWOOFER

Small square speaker. — *Yamaha NS-SW100*

Beef up your bass with the NS-SW100 powered subwoofer. Its design features Advanced YST II (Yamaha Active Servo Technology II) for stable and accurate response of everything from the rumble of action movies to the low notes in your favorite movie musical or live concert film.

If you’re setting up your own system without professional help, be sure to check out the Yamaha AV Setup Guide app, which provides step-by-step instructions for your AV receiver and system as a whole.

ACCESSORIES

Don’t forget to leave room in your budget for speaker wire, HDMI cables, speaker stands and any other accessories you may need for your system.

Once you’re done setting up, make the most of your home theater by dimming the lights and putting on a great flick. If it’s a tear-jerker, don’t forget the tissues.

Part 4 of our “Home Theater on a Budget” series, covering luxury systems, can be found here.

Click here for more information about Yamaha AV products.