Here are the top 10 installation problems we've seen in our travels. How does your system shape up?

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1: Subwoofer Placement - The subwoofer should be placed in a location where it can't stimulate primary room modes. Listen to the bass line, every note should be even in loudness. If some of the notes are missing or others are boomy, you should move the subwoofer.

2: Vibration and Rattles - Thin panels such as windows and sheet metal ducts have a tendency to vibrate and rattle in resonance to certain sounds. This adds an unpleasant harshness to the sound. A dampening layer can help if you can't securely fix them.

3: Loudspeaker Placement - All loudspeakers should be an equal distance from the seating area and away from corners. Different distances to the loudspeakers can make the sounds arrive at different times, spoiling the 3D effect. Newer home theater systems allow you to compensate for different speaker distances.

4: Lamp Dimmers on Audio System Outlet - Some electronic appliances such as lamp dimmers produce substantial noise on the mains power supply. If your sound system is connected into the same outlet, this noise can make it's way into the sound system as an annoying low level whine or buzz. A dedicated outlet for your sound system is best.

5: Radio Equipment in Close Proximity - We have so many radio products in our homes today; Wifi access points, cordless phones, cellphones, bluetooth headsets. Placing a radio transmitter close to sensitive audio electronics is a recipe for disaster injecting a mulititude of noises into the sound system.

6: Noise Leakage through HVAC Ducts - The heating vents in your living room are a perfect sound pipe to just about every other room in the house. This works both ways; annoying others when you are listening but also bringing in noise from other rooms which can mask subtle detail in the sound you're listening to.

7: Insufficient Cooling - Amplifiers and TV's generate hundreds of watts of heat and if your equipment is packed into a enclosed cabinet, the internal temperature can rise considerably. This shortens the life of your equipment and can lead to instability and intermittent problems.

8: Insufficient Power Capacity- Even a modest home theater system can consume over a kilowatt of power. If the mains circuit is shared with another appliances it's easy to get close to the circuit breaker rating. This can cause voltage sags at the end of long cable runs which in turn can degrade sound quality from your amplifiers and players.

9: Inappropriate Interconnects - Speaker cables must be heavy enough to carry peak currents of many amps to prevent distortion. Interconnects between players and amplifiers must be shielded to prevent interference and crosstalk. While it's possible to spend incredible amounts of money on esoteric interconnects, good quality cables that get the job done can be found at reasonable prices.

10: Dust - Dust is an insiduous devil. It slowly builds up on CD/DVD optics, on heatsinks, in connectors; blocking vents and causing a multitude of bizzare intermittent problems. Protect your investment by dusting regularly and making use of cans of pressurized air to blow dust off internal components.