Gramophone’s Favorite Things

Surround Sound Part I: 1.0 ... 2.1 ... 5.1 ... 7.1 ... 9.1 ... 11.1

2012-02-17T12:57:00-05:00

Hey, I just wanna watch a movie. What’s the deal with this surround sound number soup?

We’ll define all those numbers and explain the various speakers in surround systems in order of importance and their typical roles:

Center channel speaker – This speaker is usually placed directly above or below the TV screen. It delivers up to 85% of the dialogue and 65% of the special effects in a soundtrack. Just think about how much of the action in any viewing experience is in the center third of the screen; all the sound for that action and more is going to come from the center channel speaker.

Left/Right front speakers – Ideally placed equidistant from the left and right sides of the screen, generally no more than 4 feet away, if possible. The L/Rs support the output from the center channel and reproduce sounds that show up on the left or right third of the screen. If a stereo source is being reproduced, all the information will come from these two speakers unless you’ve got a subwoofer in the system and the L/Rs are set to “Small” in the receiver menu.

Primary surround speakers – Ideally placed directly to the sides or a little behind the prime listening area. These typically reproduce the ambience or the environmental sounds in the movie or TV show scene. Jungle sounds, office sounds, restaurant sounds, city street sounds, stuff like that. In spite of everyone’s powerful desire to hear the surround speakers all the time, the truth is you shouldn’t be consciously aware of their existence most of the time. Trust me, the film director doesn’t want you constantly distracted by sounds coming from your side or behind you. Surround music on the other hand, may have just the audience sounds in these channels or the engineer may place primary info in these channels. Why do they do this? Because they can.

The above add up to the “5” in a 5.1 system. They’re all full frequency channels (20Hz – 20kHz) when recorded by the studio but you can choose to send the low frequencies to your subwoofer.

More channels to come in the next post…

Let's Talk Numbers & TVs.

2012-02-16T13:54:00-05:00

This post takes a quick detour from the topics so far (information about several of the choices available to add better sound to your flat screen). In it we discuss “The Numbers Game”:

From my last post – “But don’t judge the quality of any system only by its power rating. That’s like judging the quality of a car strictly by the horsepower rating of its engine.”

It’s interesting that human nature is such that if we don’t have full knowledge about a product, we look for some defining number that we can use for a quality differentiator. And because it’s a lot harder to educate people than it is to just feed that trait, manufacturers and retailers just market to it. The first example that comes to mind is what’s currently going on with LCD and plasma flat screen TVs. LCDs have a problem when there’s rapid action on the screen, like sports. This action can appear to be “jerky” or stutter which is called motion blur. Manufacturers have reduced the problem somewhat by re-drawing the pictures on the screen at a faster rate. That’s what the numbers you see like 120Hz and 240Hz in regard to LCDs are all about.

Plasma screens don’t have this problem. Their refresh rate is inherently almost instantaneous. But because people have become accustomed to looking for such a number when shopping for TVs today, the manufacturers and retailers use the number “600Hz” in their description of plasma sets which is a spec from a circuit in the TV unrelated to motion blur. This is to avoid having a customer ask the salesperson if the plasma set he’s looking at is “120HZ” for example, and having the salesman try to explain that it’s not a factor with plasma sets. Since people are pretty skeptical about the info provided by salespeople in general, it’s just easier to give them a spec for an unrelated circuit in the plasma set and be done with it.

I also think the companies selling “LED” TVs are doing the same thing. As of now, there aren’t any LED TVs (OK. Sony showed a prototype at CES this year), they’re LCD screens with LED backlighting instead of fluorescent tubes. But since it’s easy to mislead the unaware, they do it. My point? Be sure to shop where they know what they’re talking about and are willing to take the time to explain it to you. Yes, like Gramophone, for example. And you should be a smart shopper and spend the time and effort to learn a little about what you’re spending your money on so you’ll make smart choices. This ends my rant. For now.

-JR

I've Got a Question: Flat-Screen TV Audio, part V

2012-02-15T12:19:00-05:00

Question: I just got a new flat-screen TV over the Holidays. Should I consider some kind of sound system for it?

Answer Part IV:

This post continues to proved general information about several of the choices available to add better sound to your flat screen:

Choice 4 – Install a component surround sound system. For a lower priced limited flexibility system this isn’t as complicated or difficult as it once was. As mentioned in my previous post, today there are terrific values available in compact speakers and surround receivers. But probably the biggest advance if you’re going to do it yourself, is the receivers that have automated set up and calibration programs. They come with a microphone that you connect and place in the listening area. The unit generates a series of test tones and sets up the receiver accordingly.

Our experience has been that these auto-setup routines are pretty good, but occasionally they can get something wrong and then you’ll get less than optimum performance. Of course, if you get one of these from us we can arrange to set it up for you (we’ll even let you stay and watch).

More complex systems are available as well. They offer more switching capability, enhanced video processing and maybe more channels beyond 5.1 (In my next post I’ll start to explain what all those channels are for.) and other performance enhancements. And undoubtedly they’ll have more powerful amplifiers. But don’t judge the quality of any system only by its power rating. That’s like judging the quality of a car strictly by the horsepower rating of its engine.

-JR

I've Got a Question: Flat-Screen TV Audio, part IV

2012-02-14T11:01:00-05:00

Question: I just got a new flat-screen TV over the Holidays. Should I consider some kind of sound system for it?

Answer Part IV:

This post continues to proved general information about several of the choices available to add better sound to your flat screen:

Choice 3 – Get a compact “home theater in a box” type system. As we mentioned in the first posting on this topic, the quality of these is generally pretty poor. They’re designed for convenience and do-it-yourself installation far more than they’re designed for performance. In a way, these have replaced the old time console and compact stereo from years past. Unfortunately, like so many other products today, they’re part of the “rush to the bottom” philosophy of cutting costs and performance in order to sell lots of stuff.

The truth is, you can put together (with our help, if you’d like) a good surround sound system from separate components that’s far better than these pre-packaged systems. And we can make it easy to operate with a single remote control, so every member of the family will get maximum use and enjoyment from it. Finally, you won’t have to spend an arm and a leg to do this because performance has increased while prices have come down for entry-level surround sound and even stereo systems over the past several years.

There are now compact speakers and subwoofers available that deliver far better sound than you’d expect from their size and price. Of course, there’s also the option of in-wall or in-ceiling speakers as well, but this gets into a more complex installation process that may or may not appeal to you. The same performance increases have brought about surround sound receivers that can reliably deliver substantial power, excellent sound, flexible video switching, multiple zones of operation and even sophisticated acoustic room correction for amazingly affordable prices. Which leads us to the last option, installing a full high performance surround sound system. But that's for next time…

-JR

I've Got a Question: Flat-Screen TV Audio, part III

2012-02-13T10:22:00-05:00

Question: I just got a new flat-screen TV over the Holidays. Should I consider some kind of sound system for it?

Answer Part III:

Our last post was about several of the choices available to add better sound to your flat screen. Here are some more details:

Choice 1 – Connect the TV to your already existing stereo system. This is a pretty easy option. You won’t get the involvement of surround sound but you should get substantially better sound and the price is certainly right. If you need help doing this, give us a call and we can talk it over with you.

Choice 2 – Add a “soundbar” to your TV. Soundbars can be broken down into a few categories.

The simplest are called “passive” designs and only contain speakers and their crossover networks (internal filters that direct the different frequencies to the correct speaker elements). A subset of passive soundbars try to simulate surround sound using extra side firing drivers or specialized internal crossover circuitry. You’re pretty much locked into a small sweet spot in front of them in order to get the benefit of the semi-surround sound these create.

Next come active soundbars that contain amplifiers for the drivers inside and possibly Digital Signal Processing (DSP) to create a better representation of surround sound than you can get with passive designs. It’s still not as good as a true surround system but it can be pretty enjoyable none-the-less.

Add-ons that can enhance the soundbar experience include external subwoofers (some wireless), built-in iPod docks and more.

We’ve got several choices in soundbars here at Gramophone so you can stop in and give’em a listen. As always, we promise no sales pressure and knowledgeable advice from people who truly enjoy helping you get what you want.

More details about Choices 3 & 4 (HTIB & Full Surround Sound) in the next posting…

-JR

I've Got a Question: Flat-Screen TV Audio, part II

2012-02-10T16:08:00-05:00

Question: I just got a new flat-screen TV over the Holidays. Should I consider some kind of sound system for it?

Answer Part II:

Our last post was about why you’d dramatically step up your TV viewing experience by adding better sound to your high definition flat screen TV. So how can you do that? Well, there are lots of options available. Here are a few listed in order of simplest to most complex:

1. Connect the TV to your already existing stereo system. It might even be possible to use some of your existing equipment and expand it into a full surround sound system. But even in its simplest form, a good two-channel audio system can add a lot to the sound that comes from most flat screen TVs.

2. Add a “soundbar” to your TV. These are designed to be mounted directly under the TV if it’s mounted on a wall or sit below and in front of the TV if it’s placed on a cabinet or shelf. Soundbars negate the need for multiple speakers placed around your room, as many of them create a simulation of surround sound. Make no mistake; the simulation isn’t as involving as a true multi- channel system but it can be pretty good. Some sound bars include a separate subwoofer and/or a DVD/Blu-Ray player. If the one you choose doesn’t, you can always add them independently.

3. Get a compact “home theater in a box” type system. The quality of these is all over the map, and unfortunately, many are mediocre, at best. As always, you can count on us to guide you through the maze.

4. Install a full surround sound system. You can get 5.1 to 11.2 channel systems but adding more channels beyond 5.1 is really icing on the cake. The extra channels will enhance the experience and can add more realism to the soundtrack, but you can get a killer sound system with just 5.1 channels too. Today’s higher performance compact or flush mount speakers, digital processing surround sound receivers and compact subwoofers can deliver an amazing amount of sonic performance in an easy to accommodate package that won’t dominate the décor of your room.

I've Got a Question: Flat-Screen TV Audio, part I

2012-02-09T15:15:00-05:00

Question: I just got a new flat-screen TV over the Holidays. Should I consider some kind of sound system for it?

Answer Part I:

Boy, don’t ya just love the new TV sets? After all those years of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazine covers showing “The Future Flat Screen” hanging on the wall, they’re finally here. And they’re more affordable than seemed possible just a few short years ago. But there’s an undercurrent that says in order to get the most from watching that giant TV you’ll need to spend some money on an audio system too. So what’s the scoop?

As you’ve probably noticed, one of the major talking points about these TVs is how thin they are. Each generation seems to get even skinnier. And the new LCD sets with LED backlighting have the potential to be the thinnest yet. Why am I telling you this? Because in order to get sound out of these super thin sets the manufacturers have to use smaller and smaller speakers in teeny tiny internal housings. The result is, compared to those old CRT (tube type) TVs, most of these flat screens bring us spectacularly great pictures with spectacularly mediocre sound.

Perhaps you’ve already noticed that the soundtrack is an integral part of the TV/film/concert watching experience. Many experts claim it creates at least half the emotional connection and overall involvement while watching. One of my favorite examples of this is the sounds that emanate from those spaceship flyovers, laser weapon blasts, explosions, etc. in science fiction films. As you know, there’s no atmosphere in space, so in reality, there’d be no sound at all. Every one of those exciting movie events would happen in total silence! (There’d be no fires when those ships exploded too, but that’s another story.) Yet the film makers add in all those sounds anyway for the added impact and involvement they bring to the experience. Can you imagine what those films would be like without the contribution made by those sounds? They simply wouldn’t be the same, would they? There’s no question that good sound can dramatically enhance your TV watching experience.

So what can you do to enhance your new flat screen experience? Tune in next time…

-JR

Who the heck is JR and why should you care?

2012-02-07T13:40:00-05:00

So what gives me street cred as an expert in A/V and more? Well, 10 years in retail at a NYC area audio store in the 70s followed by 30 years working for a several audio manufacturers in sales, marketing and product development roles including a 5 year stint as an industry consultant (1990 – 1995). In 2005 circumstances led to me starting up my A/V consulting company once again. From 2005 to 2008 I traveled the US and Canada delivering Certification review courses and a full day Home Theater Audio Boot Camp of my creation to installation professionals under the auspices of CEDIA (Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association).

Why should you care about all this? Well, I’m going to be filling this ongoing blog with information relative to home theater, audio/video systems, listening skills, high-end audio, home automation, control systems, and much more. It’s really important that you understand the stuff I’ll be posting won’t be driven by manufacturers, Gramophone staff or a desire to specifically sell you something. Sure, Gramophone wants to sell you products and services. But they’re smart enough to know that in order to compete in this ever changing environment they need to offer you benefits that you just won’t find elsewhere. So I guess you can look at me as “your kindly old Uncle who’s in the business”. Hopefully you’ll send me some general questions on the above topics that I can answer in the blog. I’m confident that I can provide information of broad interest in response to your questions so other readers will benefit as well.

-JR

Introducing Joel...

2012-02-06T13:38:55-05:00

Oh! Oh! Oh! I have a blog! Here I am, old as the hills, and in this rapidly changing world I’m now suddenly hip. Oops, I guess the term “hip” itself probably negates the blog part, doesn’t it? And I don’t know what word has replaced hip today. Cool? Rad? With it? Smushnup?

Well, anyway let me tell you who I am and why I’ve suddenly been thrust into the 21st Century. But first, does this mean I’m gonna have to get a smart phone and start texting everyone, especially when sitting in a restaurant, driving or in a movie theater?

My name is Joel Rosenblatt and I’ve been in what used to be called The Audio Business (TAB) for 43 years. You know, The Audio Business; listening to music as an activity, all by itself. We’ll talk more about that concept later, but about 15 years ago TAB began evolving into The Audio/Video Business (TAVB) Boy, do we love acronyms in this business or what? I just made these last few up. Rad, huh? As the industry changed, I’ve managed to hang in there and stay up with these rapidly evolving technologies, eventually becoming a bit of an industry expert along the way. In my next post I’ll give you a little of my history.

#WordlessWednesday: NAD VISO 1

2012-02-01T12:56:41-05:00

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