The size and nature of your home theater room plays a key role in the enjoyment you get from your AV receiver. Unless you design your house from scratch with a home theater in mind, chances are whatever room you have in your home is somewhat less ideal for movie watching and music listening activities.
Most people end up with locations that are too small, others may find them to be a little too big.
What makes a good home theater room? How large should your room be for an AV receiver? Here are some things to look for when you are setting up the place, and transforming your room into your home entertainment area.
The ideal home theater room
An ideal home theater room is a relatively enclosed space. More than it size, it is how it our room is constructed that matters. Rooms without defined walls, and areas that lead seamlessly to other rooms not only lack the surfaces on which to mount the speakers, but also leak a tremendous amount of sound. And the larger the area you try to fill, the more power you will need. It goes without saying that it is easier to fill a smaller space than a larger one.
You also want to avoid spaces that are perfectly square, or even have one dimensions that are exactly twice the size of other. These types of spaces are susceptible to produce unwanted resonances that can muddy the sound that emanates from your speaker system.
And more importantly, make sure the room is big enough or small enough for your video display. A screen that is too big can overwhelm a small room, and vice versa for an undersized display that is placed in a big room.
How powerful should your AV receiver be?
Of course, for most people, it is impossible to change the alter their room that houses their home theater. And here, the size of your AV receiver takes paramount importance. It all comes down to the size of your home theater, and how loudly you plan on playing your movies and music.
If you have a room the size of the Colosseum, you may want to opt for a receiver that can pump 150 watts per channel. For a smaller room, as long as it is well insulated, a receiver with anywhere around 70 watts, or even less, may suffice.
However, most people recommend AV receivers that can handle 100 watts per channel, and these are said to be powerful enough for just about any common home theater configuration. You get enough volume, with loudness to spare for when you need it. That is why you will find this to be the sweet spot, and most AV receiver makers target this mark.
Long story short, you will probably need to experiment with the placement of things to create the best possible viewing and listening experience for all people that you invite to your home theater. Changing one element, even just a little, can have an effect on other elements in your room.