Q. I have an older stereo system with bookshelf speakers. How do I upgrade this system to a home theater? What should I add next? — A.C.

A. Besides getting an A/V surround receiver with Dolby Digital/dts 5.1-channel decoding, you could start by getting a center-channel speaker and two surrounds, using your existing bookshelf speakers as the main front channels. Although you may have some tonal differences between the center and your older bookshelf speakers, you would still be able to enjoy full 5-channel home theater, albeit without the deep bass impact that a subwoofer would bring with the “.1″ channel.

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