So you have just brought home your brand new 48" LCD or Plasma television and have just finished mounting it to the wall. You turn it on, and admire the clarity of the picture on the screen; you truly feel as if you are right there in the Amazon or climbing the alps or are a linebacker in that football game you are watching. You sit down and turn up the volume... and then turn it up again... and again... hmm, so you are a little bit LESS than impressed with the sound quality. Your father won't stop complaining about how he cannot hear a single word being said because it's so quiet!
It may be time to treat yourself to a home theater surround sound system.
While you may think that installing one of these systems is quite simple, the opposite is true; not only do most retailers have installers on hand who can easily set up the system at a very reasonable rate, but they will also know how to properly mount the speakers, at what height the speakers should be mounted at, and they can then hook it up correctly.
WARNING! The retailer providing an installation crew does not mean that this crew is knowledgeable and does a good job. Do your research; ask some of the following questions:
- What sort of training have the installers received that makes them qualified for this job?
- Do any of the crew members hold certifications?
- Are they all licensed or bonded?
- Do they hold liability insurance?
- Who is held accountable for the work of this crew?
Be sure that when you ask these questions that you are 100% satisfied with their answers. Again, all because the retailer suggests his crew for the job, it does not mean that they are the best, nor offering the best price. Feel free to shop around for a team that you feel satisfied with.
If you do decide to use another professional installer, some additional questions you probably want to ask are:
- Do you offer free estimates? Do you have a "flat rate fee" for this particular project?
- Is your work backed by a warranty?
Remember, you are spending your hard earned money to have a wonderful sound system set up, so it is important to have it hooked up correctly so you can enjoy it fully. Having it properly installed will also keep the system itself under warranty, so if anything should go wrong, your system will then be replaced free of charge!
