In addition to going with a higher quality speaker system, the other way to significantly improve the performance of your home theater is to purchase separates instead of an all-in-one home theater receiver.

By separates, of course, I mean that the A/V preamplifier surround sound processor and the home theater power amplifier (like the Marantz, Outlaw Audio, and Denon models pictured on this page) are two independent components instead of being combined into a single unit.

By isolating the audio/video switching, surround sound processing, video conversion, tuning, and networking functions from the power amplification that drives the loudspeakers, you can experience the type of high-end performance from your home theater that you expect when going to see a movie at your local cinema.

Separates can also make it easier to integrate a whole house speaker system. Whole house audio systems are a popular solution for those who want to be able to enjoy stereo music from multiple audio sources in multiple additional listening areas, or zones, located throughout the home or outside, while at the very same time a Blu-ray movie is playing in the home theater!