When you first bought your home theater audio system, you thought it was "the bomb." The satellite speakers, the subwoofer, all those cool knobs and dials-you felt like the coolest kid on the block. Yet over the past year or so, you've begun to find certain flaws in what you once adored. Perhaps the sound from your satellite speakers seems a bit tinny. Or maybe you've begun to find your bass somewhat distorted or uneven. Or maybe you've just outgrown your original system and want something, well, louder! Fear not, my audiophile friend. There are lots of options available for individuals such as yourself that will allow you to upgrade your system without starting from scratch.

Let's start with the area that is usually thought of last. When was the last time you took a good look at your cables? If you're anything like most audio system owners, you haven't examined them since you first plugged them in. Take a gander and if they're of the skinny variety that usually comes free with the system, you've found your starting point. Upgrade to higher-end cables and you'll notice a significant improvement in the quality of your sound. It's ridiculously easy to find such cables and you'll find them to be well worth the expenditure.

Moving out from behind the television, observe your speakers and ask yourself a very simple question: do they match? An unmatched set of speakers, even speakers of higher quality, can produce a similarly unmatched or unsynchronized sound. Even if you don't have a lot of extra cash to spend, consider upgrading to a mid-range set of match speakers; even this level of upgrade will improve the cohesiveness of your system's sound. If you already own a home theater audio system, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that there are speakers out there for every pocketbook. Just remember, if you're going to the trouble of replacing your speakers to begin with, you may as well get the highest quality product you can afford. Your aural sensibilities will be grateful.

But maybe you don't want to improve the quality of your system so much as its decibel output. If brutally loud volume is your goal and your current system just doesn't cut it, you may simply need more power. In that case, a separate power amplifier may solve your problem, but first you need to establish that your system can accept such an addition. Look at your owners manual or, if you're a tactile learner, at the back panel of the system. If it has a set of preamp out jacks for the left, right, center, left surround and right surround channels, you're in luck.

There are plenty of power amps out there designed for domestic use. While they can come with as low as 20 watt delivery, if your purpose is to pump up the volume of your audio system, you're probably going to go for a 100-200 watt per channel model. See if your owners manual has anything to say on the subject and don't afraid to ask questions of the nice people at the electronics store. Then prepare to enjoy your newly improved home theater audio system.