Small Space? Try These Tips for Surround Sound Installation in Chicago

If you live in a small apartment or duplex, surround sound installation in Chicago may seem like a distant dream, or even a bad idea. However, you can enjoy your music and movies in surround sound if you make the right purchase choices and install them thoughtfully. Here are five tips for enjoying surround sound in any living situation where you share a wall with neighbors:

• Check for limitations: Before you look into these higher-end systems, first make sure they are allowed. Some apartment complexes and condo associations ban surround sound or systems that exceed a specific wattage. If there are limitations, bring those with you when you shop for systems so you buy something within the allowed parameters. The last thing you want is to pay for your new system only to have to sell it for a fraction of the price on Craigslist later.
• Go compact: Micro-technology has come to sound systems! Buy high-quality small speakers and you will discover no difference from their larger counterparts. Also, you will not have to worry about them taking up a large footprint in your living room. Besides speakers, there are also compact receivers, Blu-ray players and amplifiers. It goes to show that you do not need a big home to enjoy great sound.
• Investigate sound controls: Since compact systems can put out the same boom as full-size ones, you need to take steps to be considerate to your neighbors. Ask about equipment that will decouple your speakers. These steps will keep your action movies from shaking up your building. Also, technology exists to restrict sound to your space and prevent it from bleeding into your neighbor’s living room. When you visit your sound specialist, ask about this equipment so you do not receive a warning from your landlord later.
• Consider wireless: It is not just the equipment that can take up space—it is also the wires. This is especially important if you are not allowed to drill holes in your wall or make other room adjustments to hide wires. For these challenges, wireless speakers are a godsend to apartment dwellers. Otherwise, consider using rugs and baseboards to hide any wires you must use.
• Wall mounting is your friend: You may find you enjoy that extra-large TV, but your living room cannot accommodate the furniture to hold it. Rather than reduce your movie experience with a smaller TV, mount it on the wall—assuming it is allowed in your rental agreement. Not only will you get to enjoy a larger screen, but this also leaves room for additional equipment to support your audio habit. Sound panels can also be wall-mounted, and you can get decorative ones so it is not obvious you have speakers hanging on your wall. If you go this route with speakers, make sure you hang them on a wall you do not share with neighbors.

Visit Quintessence Audio LTD if you need an expert in audio equipment and surround sound installation in Chicago. We offer consultations on the best way to use your space, so talk to us about your small apartment today.

Categorised in: Surround Sound

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