Home Theater Setup: What to Know Before You Buy

A home theater is the rare project where the planning is worth more than the equipment. Buy the wrong screen size or skip the wiring conversation, and you’ll live with it for a decade — or pay twice to fix it. Here’s what to think through before you buy a single component, with honest numbers for the Chicago area.

Start with the room, not the gear

The room decides more than the equipment list does:

• Light control. A projector needs a room you can make genuinely dark. If your space has big windows or you want daytime viewing, a large TV is the more honest choice — a projector in a bright room looks washed out no matter what you spent on it.
• Wiring access. Is this a new build, a finished room, or a retrofit? Open walls make in-wall speaker and HDMI runs cheap. Finished walls mean the wiring plan happens before the drywall goes back up — or you pay for it later.
• Size and seating. Measure the actual viewing distance. A 65” TV at 8 feet is very different from a 65” at 14 feet. Work backward from where the seats will be, not from what’s on sale.

TV vs. projector

• TV wins on brightness, simplicity, and 4K quality per dollar. 65–85” models cover most rooms, and installation is a one-day job. Great for family rooms and mixed-use spaces.
• Projector + screen wins on sheer size and the theater feel — 100” and up. It needs darkness, ceiling mounting, speaker placement, and more setup. Budget for the screen as a real component, not an afterthought.

There’s no wrong answer — there’s only the answer that fits how you’ll actually use the room.

Sound: the part people underspend on

The most common regret isn’t the screen — it’s the audio. A soundbar is a huge upgrade over TV speakers and fine for casual rooms. But if you’re building a theater, 5.1 (or 5.1.2 with Atmos) is where the experience actually lives:

• In-wall or in-ceiling speakers disappear into the room and need the wiring done while walls are open.
• Bookshelf or floor-standing speakers sound great and install anywhere, but take up visual and floor space.
• The subwoofer does more for the “cinema” feeling than any other single piece — placement matters (corners boom, and not always in a good way).

Rule of thumb: plan the audio budget before the screen budget. A great picture with weak sound is a TV; great sound with a decent picture is a theater.

The wiring conversation (have it early)

This is where professional installation earns its keep. The expensive, impossible-to-redo parts are the ones behind the walls:

• HDMI runs (plan for 4K/120Hz and future gear — run better cable than you need today).
• Speaker wire to every position you might want, even if you don’t buy speakers yet.
• Ethernet to the TV and media sources — streaming boxes are far happier wired.
• A structured panel or conduit so future upgrades don’t mean opening walls again.

If the walls are open, this work costs a fraction of what it costs later. If they’re not, a good installer will show you the honest options — including when it’s not worth opening walls for a single cable.

What it costs in the Chicago area (honest ranges)

Ballparks, equipment + labor:

• Casual setup: 65–75” TV, soundbar, basic install — roughly $1,500–3,500.
• Real theater, TV-based: 75–85” TV, 5.1 in-wall system, wiring, calibration — $5,000–10,000.
• Projector theater: projector, screen, 5.1.2 Atmos, seating, full integration — $10,000+, and the sky’s the limit on seating and acoustics.

Install labor on its own — mounting, concealing cables, speaker placement — typically runs a few hundred dollars and up depending on wall type and runs. If you’re comparing quotes, our TV mounting cost guide explains what drives the spread.

The takeaway

Decide the room, the screen strategy, and the audio budget before you shop. Have the wiring conversation while walls are open or before you commit to a retrofit. Done in that order, a home theater is a room you’ll actually use for years — done backward, it’s a pile of regrets and a second invoice.

Corsiga AV designs and installs home theaters across Chicago and the western suburbs — from wiring and mounting to full 5.1/Atmos setups and calibration. We’ll walk your space and give you an honest plan before you spend a dollar. Get a free estimate — one business day turnaround. Building a simulator room instead? See our golf simulator room guide. Explore our full list of services or check if we cover your area.