How to get cinema-style audio at home

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“For me, it’s obvious that 70, 80 per cent of a movie is sound. You don’t realise it because you can’t see it.”

This is how director Danny Boyle explained the importance of sound in creating emotion, atmosphere and realism at the movies. You may not notice the clarity of an actor’s speech, the sound of footsteps or background noise in a tense scene, but they all contribute.

What does cinema-style audio mean?

When it comes to recreating cinematic sound at home, the buzzwords are immersive and quality. You’ll hear a lot about creating surround sound, but you can also get better quality than ever.

It’s worth remembering that the ideal set-up is personal. Some people want rumbling bass; others prioritise crisp, clear dialogue.

For the purposes of setting up a great home theatre audio system, we’re assuming you already have a large, high quality screen. Read on to find out which audio set-up to combine it with.

Component-based systems

These use a set of traditional speaker units, plus an AV receiver to amplify and decode the sound signal (from the internet, a broadcaster, games console, Blu-ray disc or even VHS).
The most usual surround sound system is 5.1 - six speakers placed around a room. This includes a subwoofer, to deliver the low frequency effects from the movie soundtrack. The subwoofer can be configured to support the bass output of smaller speakers in the system, to maintain the acoustic balance.

With today’s intelligent, adaptable receivers, you could have an equally effective 4.1 system. If you haven’t got room for a central speaker, for example, you simply set your receiver to create a ‘phantom’ and simulate the missing speaker.

Sound bars

For a space-saving, easy-to-use option, choose a sound bar.

The sleek design of modern televisions leaves less space for speakers, so sound reproduction has declined. Adding a sound bar brings back quality in a compact unit. Systems usually include a sound bar and subwoofer, but some have additional speakers to place at the rear or sides of a room.

Sound bars have the ability to ‘downmix’, accommodating multi-channel sound when fewer channels (i.e. speakers) are actually available. In systems without additional speakers, DSP (digital signal processing) can simulate them. It’s also possible to buy ‘wireless’ options that don’t need cables to connect additional speakers, and to connect to phones or portable music players with Bluetooth/NFC.

Dolby Atmos

The latest innovation is Dolby Atmos, which uses height channels to create revolutionary surround sound. An Atmos-enabled sound bar bounces sound off the ceiling using angled speakers, concealed in an unobtrusive device.

Sony’s STR-DN1080 AV receiver is Atmos-equipped and also has ‘speaker relocation’, compensating for incorrect location of speakers. If room layout prevents the ideal speaker arrangement and you’re willing to spend a little more, this clever feature means you don’t have to give up on surround sound.

Although there are many speaker combinations available, home cinema audio doesn’t have to be complicated. Clever features and compact design mean you can find a system to fit your needs and lifestyle.

Click here for Sony home theatre and sound bars https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/home-entertainment-systems