Whether you’re planning out a multipurpose room or a full home-theater, an entertainment center is always a good decorative choice for your basement. There are quite a few things to consider when setting up a basement entertainment system though. Anything from location and distance to equipment and atmosphere play an important role in the overall performance and feel of your setup. This can all seem pretty daunting, so we’ve outlined a few specific things to keep in mind when you’re setting up your home for the perfect basement entertainment center.

1. Location, Location, Location

Regardless of the specific use you have in mind for your system, you’ll want to pick out a spot that has both optimal acoustic range and a cozy feel. The choices are endless when it comes to deciding a good location, but it really all depends on what you’re looking to get out of your entertainment system. If you’re looking for a simple place to setup a TV for casual watching with family or guests, directly nearby a fireplace is a classic choice.

Basement entertainment center with the TV directly above a fireplace.

On the other hand, if you’re aiming for the perfect home-theater experience and want crystal-clear image and no glare, you’ll ideally want an area that natural light can’t easily reach. You’ll also need to consider the shape of the ceiling above your home-theater location. Though the difference isn’t too noticeable, a standard flat ceiling will provide a bit less acoustic performance compared to a tray ceiling. Even if you can’t tell the difference, when paired with some hidden, colored LED lighting, a tray ceiling is definitely the way to go to nail a great setup aesthetic.

Entertainment Center with tray ceiling and hidden LED lighting for atmosphere.

2. The Right Equipment

Arguably, this is the most important part of the process! Aside from picking out a good location, the size and configuration of the TV obviously makes a difference as well. What equipment you use is up to your own specific tastes, but a quality HD-TV and a decent surround-sound system make a huge difference in the overall setup.

Custom luxury home theater setup with projector, raised seating, and surround sound.

3. Soundproofing

This step isn’t too important if you’re just looking to install an entertainment system to complete a room and aren’t planning on heavy use. However, if you’re setting up a home-theater, this is a very important step! If your walls aren’t properly sound proofed, the sound vibrations from a loud action movie will travel throughout your entire house!

A simple but effective home entertainment center setup

Acoustic sound absorbing panels are an absolute necessity for a home-theater. They are pretty decently priced nowadays, especially if you buy them in bulk and install them yourself! If you have a sound system with deep bass, be sure to get panels that specifically help filter out those sounds, as they can travel through walls quite easily. With a properly soundproofed room, the inside will provide a delightful and thrilling home-theater experience, without disturbing others in your home.

Basement Entertainment Center Essentials

To sum up, the perfect basement entertainment center needs three things:

1. An optimal location
2. High-quality equipment
3. Excellent sound-proofing

There are obviously more things that go into creating the perfect home theater, but these three things are vital to keep in mind! If you need some inspiration, take a look through our media rooms gallery!