Getting the Quality You Want With the Right Home Theater Cables

Having a great home theater system with Hi-Def picture and professional quality surround sound is something many people would love to have. And many people do go out and buy the latest Hi-Def TV, DVD player, and speakers only to have the picture and sound fail to meet their high expectations. This is because they have overlooked one small, but important component to a great home theater system, home theater cables.

No home theater system is complete without the cables that connect everything. Most home theater electronics come with free cables that allow you to connect your system and get it running. However, these cables are usually low in quality and worth what they cost, nothing. If you want to truly experience the best quality picture and sound possible from your system you should upgrade to higher quality home theater cables and you will see a noticeable difference.

Once you have determined what types of cables you need for your home theater installation you must choose which cables are best for your system. There is a bewildering assortment of types of cables, brands, and quality levels to choose from. What you choose can make a big difference in your home theater system’s picture and sound quality. When it comes to sound, you will notice less distortion and better sound quality with shorter cables.

With video cables, low resolution signals such as NTSC don’t require thick wires making them relatively inexpensive. On the other hand, high resolution HDMI cables can run up to a couple hundred dollars but deliver the best picture quality. There are also plenty of affordable mid range cables that distribute decent quality. Like sound cables, high definition signals should only be run over short lengths with the largest possible cables.

A good rule of thumb is to spend five to ten percent of your home theater’s budget on cables. To insure that you’re getting the quality you want from your cables, it is best to view the cables in action at a local retailer before you buy. Some brands and quality levels do give superior performance but not all are worth the extra money, so choose your cables wisely.