Home Theater

The home theater is a complete audio system, an example of consumer electronics at their best. Whether you choose a small, complete home theater system or start with a home theater receiver and add your own mix of components, Overstock.com has the gear that'll let you rock on, hang with a coal miner's daughter or get hooked on the classics.

If you have space or budget issues, a small home theater system, also called a home theater in a box (or HTIB) contains an audio receiver plus surround sound speakers, usually 5.1-channel. Some HTIBs include a DVD or VHS player and a power amplifier. Most people still prefer buying audio equipment piece by piece; however, for first-time buyers, this is a great, almost hassle-free way to get started.

If buying components, the home theater receiver is the heart of the audio system. It not only provides power to the speakers, it has a pre-amp, amplifier, microchips and cable plugs. It takes codes and signals from radio, CDs, DVDs, TV or other sources, decodes them, amplifies them and sends them to the speakers.

If the receiver is the heart, home theater speakers are the soul; they include the subwoofer (for notes that make the house shake), woofer, midrange, tweeter and supertweeter (for notes so high only the dog can hear them). You can buy floor standing speakers, tower speakers, bookshelf speakers, outdoor speakers or, if you like home theaters with an uncluttered look, wireless speakers.

As you design your home theater, look at the room. Where will you place your video and audio equipment? Will the stereo receiver run a home stereo system only or will it also connect to your AM FM radio, television, cable or satellite service, CD changer, DVD player or all of the above? Will your wide screen TV also be your computer monitor? Will your computer also be your CD player? Will you need a port for your iPod or MP3 player? Planning makes for a better system the way shopping at Overstock.com makes for bigger savings!