Have Enough Power
Let’s first talk about a lack of power. If you have ever tripped a breaker while you were running a vacuum cleaner you’ve experienced one after-effect of an overloaded electrical circuit. You certainly don’t want your home theater electrical system shutting down in the middle of a great movie, right?
For simple systems with a minimal number of components, power draw is not typically a big deal. When you get into systems with larger amplifiers or separate components, it’s a good idea to do a little math. And it’s possible your simple system may be on the same circuit as some other electrical components that draw a lot of power.
You want to make sure the draw from your components and/or other things on the circuit do not exceed the power rating of the breaker they are on. Most electrical breakers in a typical home are rated at 15 amps. There are two ways to figure out how much power your gear or other items are drawing. One is to look at the back of your components and make a note of the wattage they state on the rear panel. The other way is to simply look them up online, especially if they are recent models. Most electronic manufacturers will have the power consumption listed for their components on their website. You simply add up all the numbers, divide by 120 (in the USA) and that will give you the amps. If you are unsure about any additional components that might be on the same circuit, flip the breaker off and observe any other electrical items that turn off with your system.
As an example, most TV’s are around 300 watts, AV receivers around 400, and things like Roku’s and Apple TV’s are minimal. With this component list, even with several light bulbs on the same circuit, you are well served by a single 15 amp breaker.
Another thing to remember when considering power requirements is you will probably have more than one outlet on the same circuit breaker. This means you typically will not be able to split things up using two outlets on the same wall.
If you do need more power than one 15 amp breaker can supply, you’ll need to have an electrician add a circuit for you. And that is where we get to the next important thing.