There is an element to home theater system design that is every bit as important as your JENSEN floor standing speakers, your in-ceiling speakers, your in wall speakers or even your subwoofer speakers. Unfortunately, it's also one that people don't pay nearly enough attention to - room acoustics. Acoustics are defined simply as the qualities of a room that determine how sound reacts in it. The number of windows, the height of the ceilings, and even whether you have hardwood floors or carpeting can all affect your home theater system sound quality in a number of ways that are more than worth exploring.
Room Acoustics Are Important...
If you want to know just how important room acoustics are to sound presentation, think about the last movie that you saw in your local multiplex. Picture the environment around you for a moment - what do you see? Walls are covered with acoustic treatment, floors are covered with a very specific type of carpeting and even chairs that are designed to react to sound in a very specific way. Cinema owners spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on these elements to get the sound in each theater "just right." You need to adapt the same mentality in your home for the best possible results (though, to be fair, you won't spend nearly as much money as they will - if you end up spending any money at all).
When picking out JENSEN home theater components, you need to consider acoustics very carefully to determine things like power ratings, speaker placement and more. Your environment can work against your goals or it can work for it - the choice is ultimately yours.
... But Don't Forget About Calibration
So you've gotten all of your new JENSEN home theater system components home, hooked everything up, popped in your favorite Blu-ray home video disc and it STILL doesn't sound quite the way you want it. Why is that?
In a word: calibration
The default settings of a home theater system are not designed for high performance in an intimate area like your home - they're designed to help the system excel in a large, loud, and open environment like a showroom floor. The power you need is present; it just isn't using the natural acoustics of your room to its advantage - yet. Whether you are setting up your home theater environment for 5.1, 7.1 or even 9.1 surround sound, calibration is all-important.
This is why calibration, either professionally or on your own, is so important. It helps to adjust the default settings of your home theater system, not only to help your unit sound great, but also to help it sound great in the actual room where it's going to be used for the remainder of its lifecycle. If you don't want to spring for calibration, don't worry - there are a number of handy guides online that can help you tackle things on your own and save a bit of money at the same time. Most high quality home theater receivers are supplied with a calibration device. Simply plug it in and follow the on-screen instructions to automatically calibrate the system.