The Red Circle

By Arece D. Steucy

Time and technology has continued to evolve as life continues. Over the years we have come to enjoy the benefits of accurate science and the outcome of its influence in our lives. Let’s figure out how to apply it in the area of home theater. Home theater has needs that are easily met as long as the right information is present and you are realistic about the goals you want to achieve.

Look for the room first, the décor, the budget, and your overall listening habits. The room includes size, acoustics, listening habits (including types of music, loudness, and if you like it loud or how many bodies will be in the room at one time during the show). Room acoustics have three modes; Live, neutral, and dull. A live room has a compass of hard surfaces, including window treatments and flooring (tile and hardwood). These tend to give sound a sharp or echoed sound, which may be excellent for soft or orchestral music taste. A neutral room has a balance of soft and hard surfaces within the room. This type of room possesses the best compromise for an enjoyable listening experience and will accommodate a greater range of speakers and types of media. A dull room is preferred for the most controlled listening experience and will yield the greatest ease of usage across the range of applications for media. These are the no no’s for each room; live rooms prefer speakers with soft domes and poly (plastic) coned woofers, neutral rooms will accept metal domes, fabric domes, horn loaded, poly cones, metal cones, woven cones (kevlar, carbon fiber, fiberglass) andpaper cones whereas a dull room prefers horn loaded and metal domes with drivers of a hard or stiff composition metal, ceramic and likewise. A dull room usually has a very controlled atmosphere for sound and equalization can be used with excellent results. Dull rooms have carpeting, curtains or drapery, thick upholstery or plush furniture and wall treatments which further dampen echoes and room vibration modes.

The décor lends itself to your taste. There are several new design options that make this a joy to work with. In-wall speakers have gained in the area of acoustic accuracy and controlled output. A good in-wall will have a good tight bass with a clear mid-range and sparkling treble, the easiest way to achieve this is choosing a in-wall with its own enclosure, the engineering of the product guarantees a more consistent sound. Second is an on-wall design that is usually a slim, low profile design that will offering minimum intrusion into the given living space, but also works for on wall television applications. The on wall design does have limitations, because of the slim cabinet there will usually be a sacrifice in the bass region. When there is no bass produced by the main channels of the system, a subwoofer is always recommended.

Finally, there is the satellite option which ranges from the bookshelf to the titular satellite speaker which is simply a smaller version of a bookshelf. Satellite options are always limited in the bass region, but offer placement flexibility and usually blend in to the décor of the room. Not to be taken for granted a subwoofer will always make the media experience more pleasurable. A subwoofer will add depth, impact, increase the realism of the overall sound stage creating a larger sense of space.

Listening habits can be an escape from all of a day’s worries. The audiophile reaches for realism from a 2 channel source (meaning 2 ears 2 speakers). There are several steps taken to ensure the arrival at the desired results. Speakers are usually placed 2 feet from the wall, at least 6 feet apart, and tweeters are at least 3 feet from the floor. A well designed 2 channel system will give both proper space and location of a well recorded piece of media. Instruments will have realistic timbre and pitch with a dynamic and palpable sound. Some 2 channel speakers can even mimic surround sound by creating a sound field that appears to be in front as well as behind you.

Surround sound, on the other hand, has evolved over time. First starting with Dolby Surround using 2 speakers and 2 surrounds, this setup offered a strong front channel presence with supported echoes for time and space of the recorded material (during the hi-fi vhs days). Dolby Prologic came adding a center channel and subwoofer, these helped by adding a more intelligible dialogue and high impact bass for increased realism. DVDs took us into the 21st century with cleaner sound, multichannel tracks (digitally recorded left, center, right, left surround, right surround and subwoofer ; all coming from a digital format with low distortion). DVD has evolved as well. Now Blu-ray has taken hold and is the reigning champ. Blu-ray offers lossless surround (recorded from the original soundtrack of the media without any changes or equalization whatsoever), this format offers unsurpassed realism with time and space giving the directors take on the recorded media while you enjoy from your own living room. Blu-ray encompasses new surround formats (Dolby Digital HD, DTS HD), both being 7.1 formats. 7.1 offers left front, center, right front, left surround, surround back left, surround back right, right surround and last but not least subwoofer. The inclusion of these channels offer greater accuracy of sound steering and placement for enhanced a more interactive experience within a given room. Movies gain greater enjoyment from all within the viewing area. These new formats and technologies have increased the accuracy of a movie to the point of sensory perception overload. We are in a grand plane of existence with what is offered to the audio society today.

The budget should be the least of concerns when choosing the system that will be with you for the remainder of your listening career. Speakers are the mouthpiece and your electronics are the lungs that power the voice of your sound system; neither one is more important than the other. Set your limits at about $1000.00 for a decent system. If you prefer to custom design a system instead of a package deal the following is the proper formula for getting the most out of your selection. Realistic sound playback levels require larger fronts ( left and right channels ) and enveloping surround requires at least one bookshelf sporting a output of decent attack bass ( usually about 70hz ) and finally, but not last the center channel ( the larger the tv or viewing area the larger the center channel ). The subwoofer is the foundation breaker of the system and should do just that. Or at least shake things up a little. The introduction of blu-ray and 7.1 lossless surround has taken media experience into the land of ecstasy.

If you want to fully experience what a director intended for the audience to witness, these are a few recommendations that will make life a little easier in choosing a stellar system; Definitive Technologies, Klipsch, Energy, Paradigm, JBL and Infinity: in no specific order. All these have been in the business for a long time, use common technologies that promise great sound ,and offer a range of products that will fulfill any needs a customer may possess. When going to audition a speaker system take any familiar CDs that you have listened to often, or any live sources that you have attended. The listening sources should have ranged dynamics ( quiet to loud passages ). The usage of natural instruments and synthesized instruments should show the weaknesses of your speaker choices. A movie that you have attended at the theater is a good start for judging how close you come inside your own home theater. Let your ears be your guide. They will never lie to you.

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