Speaker Stands

Folks are always asking us about speaker stands. Although we do not sell them there are lots of places online to pick them up. When mounting speakers always keep the following in mind.

• Make sure the stands or mounts are appropriate for your size & weight speaker
• Be sure to follow the manufacturer's directions when setting up the stands
• Consider your environmnet. If you have small children you'll want to be careful about putting a heavy speaker on a stand where little hands might pull it down on themselves.
• Consider hiring a professional to mount large bookshelf speakers on a wall if you're not handy

Now that we've got that out of the way here are 4 online sources for speaker stands we thought had a decent selection. tSc does not endorse any of these stores in any way, we're just letting you know what we found.

Speaker Stands Online
Stands & Mounts
Crutchfield
Stands Online

Of course having great speaker stands means nothing if you don't have the best speakers. Check out tSc's full line of speakers here.

Enjoy Your Subwoofer Safely

Everyone loves the low sound effects that a good subwoofer can deliver.

Subwoofers are different than your other speakers in your home theater setup in that a subwoofer contains a power amplifier and must be plugged in to an electrical outlet to operate.

With proper care and consideration your subwoofer can safely satisfy your lowest needs for many years. Here are some common sense rules to follow.

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Always completely read the manual that came with your subwoofer and follow its instructions before operating as each may contain specific safety instructions.

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Operation

• Set your subwoofer to standby or off mode when not in use. This reduces power consumption
• Don't let the power cord or other cable stretch across the floor where someone might trip over it.
• Don't use your subwoofer as a stepping stool or a seating device
• Don't put objects containing water on you subwoofer including plants (they won't like the low frequencies anyway)
• Don't push your subwoofer beyond its limits. If it sounds like it's clipping (rattleing or tapping noise) turn it down. Never operate you sub at full volume
• Use the correct cabling to hook up your sub to your receiver.
• Never use a subwoofer outdoors unless it is specifically designed for outdoor use
• Always read your subwoofers manual before operating and follow its instructions.

Subwoofer Maintence

• NEVER open your subwoofer, there is nothing inside you can likely fix and you may risk serious injury.
• Clean you subwoofers exterior with a dry dust cloth. For more specific cleaning instructions follow the advice in your subs manual.
• Never touch or clean the driver (speaker)

Things we should not have to tell you

• Never operate your subwoofer in a wet or damp area
• Never submerge your subwoofer in liquid

I did say these were common sense but following this advice will help you safely enjoy your subwoofer for many years.

The Speaker Company offers quality subwoofers at half the price. See them here

In-Wall & In-Ceiling Speaker Wiring

If you're attempting to install in-wall or in-ceiling speakers yourself, here are a few things to keep in mind about speaker wire.

1. You will need a special wire to run inside walls that complies with your local building code. Usually UL rated wire labeled CL2 or CL3.
2. Speaker wire gauge will differ depending on how far your running from your receiver or amp. Less than 75 feet 16 gauge, 75 to 175 14 gauge, more than 175 feet consider 12 gauge.

Little black sticky things

Some of you have asked what the "little black sticky things" are that come with the IC & IW speakers. They are for used in the very rare (and we mean very) occasion where the grille is not tight against the bezel and develops a rattle. By placing a small amount of the black sticky stuff against the side of the grille that is rattling you can stop the friction and the noise. If you lost this with the packaging and you develop a rattle not to worry, most mailable putty's found at Home Depot used for insulation will also do the trick.

Managing Room Acoustics

Rob Sinden is the owner of Gecko in the UK. Rob's speciality is designing and optimising the best in hifi and home cinema. In Septemeber 2008 Gecko were appointed the UK agent for Steinway & Sons audio systems.

In this video Rob discusses the reasons we need to consider our home theater rooms. It takes more than just great audio equipment to deliver great sound. Rob covers some basic room acoustic problems and offers some solutions.

Two New In-Wall / In-Ceiling Home Theater Bundles

We just finished putting together two new In-wall Home Theater speaker bundles that we think you're going to love.

The ARTH-85C
Includes 2 IW8 8" in-wall speakers, a pair of IC5' for surrounds and our new IWD5C dual 5.25" center channel. All for only $127.94. Nope, not a misprint. For a limited time you save almost $32 on this great sounding system. Just add one of our subwoofers and your ready to roll.









The ARHT-P5
This system is gives you a step up form the 85C with 3 PTIW5's for the front speakers and 2 PTIC for the surrounds. With their adjustable front ports you decide how much bass you want from your front speakers while the positionable titanium tweeter deliver crisp clear highs. You get all this at a $29.88 savings for only $219.95. Just add a sub.




Check our all our Home Theater speaker packages here.

Hurry, these special bundle prices won't last long.

Help, My Flat Panel TV Speakers Sound Bad

If you're like many people the recession is not stopping you from getting a Home Theater setup with a nice 42" or larger flat panel TV. Your logic is likely that you'll save money by getting more of your entertainment at home rather than paying for a movie for a family of four. You're correct! By the time you've purchased tickets, popcorn, drinks and maybe a candy or two your out $60-$70. Do that 10 times and you've got the price of a decent TV.

Great Picture, OK sound
Flat panel TV's are geared toward doing one thing really well; delivering a stunning video experience. Unfortunately as they have never delivered great sound and as they get thinner there is less and less room for quality speakers. Bad sounding tiny speakers in your TV will ruin your Home Theater experience.

Getting Better Sound From Your Home Theater
The best way to improve on the sound of your TV speakers is to upgrade your sound system to a full fledged Home Theater speaker system. There are several ways to approach this from a simple 3.1 system to a full 7.1 system. To start with you'll need a good quality home theater receiver, we recommend either Denon or Marantz though many other brands make quality receivers as well. Then you can build your home theater speaker system out in one of 4 ways;

• 3.1 which includes a center channel speaker, and a pair of bookshelf or on wall speakers along with a subwoofer (that's the 1 in the 3.1) You can accomplish this by adding a center channel to your existing stereo speakers if you're happy with them though it is best to have these 3 front speakers matched.
• 5.1 which includes the same speakers as the 3.1 but also has two speakers for the rear surround sound.
• 6.1 which has all the speakers as the 5.1 system but includes 1 rear or back channel
• 7.1 which as 2 rear surround channels.

No matter your preference there are speaker solutions for your home theater to fit your lifestyle needs; On-Wall speakers, In-Wall & Ceiling speakers, Bookshelf speakers and Floorstanding.

Home Theater speakers will more than double your pleasure when watching your favorite movie at home. Visit our store for a full selection of On-Wall, In-Wall, Bookshelf and Tower Home Theater Speakers

Also see our Home Audio Primer