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$2,500 Recommended 5.1 Surround Sound System If you have $2,500 to spend on a 5.1 surround sound we can't think of any better system to buy than this one. It's the best bang for the buck out there.

AV Tip: Avoid Short Circuits, Save your Amplifier or AV Receiver A guaranteed way to make a receiver or amplifier fail is to create a short circuit by improperly connecting speaker wire to your speakers or receiver.

AV Tip: Power Off Equipment When Making Connections Turn the power off on all of your equipment when connecting it up. Play it safe for yourself to avoid getting shocked and to protect your gear.

AV Tip: Apply Bass Management to Achieve Better System Performance Apply bass management in your A/V receiver to achieve the best performance from your speaker system.

AV Tip: Safe Listening Levels Listening to music or movies too loud, even for short periods, can damage your hearing. Here are some tips to keep your home theater at a safe level.

AV Tip: Use a Tripod with your Microphone for A/V Calibrations Use a tripod to hold your microphone level and steady during system calibrations to achieve the most accurate and consistent results.

AV Tip: Finding Online Owners Manuals Trying to locate the owners manual for your AV equipment? We've got you covered with a list of all of the major manufacturers and links directly to their support pages.

Tip of the Day: Speaker Placement & Early Reflections Give your speakers plenty of space to breate around and in front so its the only thing sending early cues to your ears.

2012 Consumer Electronics Christmas Gifts Guide Each year we put out a consumer electronics Christmas Gift Guide for our readers. This is simply a guide that takes a wide swath of products from 2012 across the industry and compiles them here.

How to Choose a Flat Panel TV Wall Mount This guide breaks down the three most common types of mounts, full-motion/articulating, tilting, and low-profile, and then provides a few tips on what to look for in a good wall mount.