Multi-channel audio has become mainstream and manufacturers have come up with many types of basic and more sophisticated technologies including wireless surround sound speakers, virtual surround sound to simplify the setup of home theater kits. I am going to take a look at several of the newest technologies which were designed to make setting up home theater systems a snap. I will suggests what to look out for when making your buying decision.
Traditionally, setting up a TV would be speedy since they would already have built-in stereo speakers. This, though, has all changed with multi-channel audio. Nowadays external speakers are used to create a surround sound effect. In case of 5.1 surround, 6 speakers are used: center, left and right front, left and right rear and a subwoofer. More recent 7.1 systems need a total number of 8 speakers by adding 2 extra side speakers.
As a result, home theater installations have become quite complex. Running wires to remote speakers also is often undesirable due to aesthetic reasons. Several technologies have emerged to simplify this procedure. One option is minimizing the number of loudspeakers by making virtual speakers. This approach applies signal processing to the sound and adds phase shifts and cues to the audio which would normally be sent through the remote speaker. The sound is next broadcast by the front loudspeakers together with the front speaker audio components. The signal processing is modeled after the human hearing. It utilizes the knowledge about how the human ear can determine the source of sound. The viewer is in effect tricked into believing the sound is originating from a location other than the front speakers.
The first option is creating so-called virtual speakers by applying signal-processing to the sound and introducing phase shifts and special cues to those audio components that would ordinarily be broadcast by the remote speakers. Since the signal processing is based on how the human hearing detects the origin of audio, the sound components which underwent signal processing can be mixed with the front speaker components and broadcast by the front loudspeakers. The viewer is in effect tricked into assuming the sound is coming from a location other than the front speakers.
This technology minimizes the number of needed speakers and eliminates long speaker cables but each human will process sound somewhat differently due to the shape of the ear. The signal processing is based on measurements which are done using a standard human ear model. If the form of the ear changes, sound will travel differently. Consequently virtual surround will not function equally well for everybody. Another solution for simplifying home theater setups and eliminating long speaker wire runs is to utilize wireless surround sound systems or wireless loudspeakers. A wireless solution will typically include a transmitter component that connects to the TV or source in addition to wireless amplifiers that will be connected to the remote loudspeakers. The transmitter will often have amplified speaker inputs as well as line-level inputs and have a volume control to adjust it to the source audio level.
Some wireless speaker kits are designed to connect 2 speakers per wireless amplifier. A superior solution would come with a wireless amplifier for each remote loudspeaker to get rid of the cord runs between each of the 2 remote loudspeakers. The most sophisticated wireless products utilize digital transmission to eliminate signal degradation. To be certain that all speakers are in sync in a multi-channel application, ensure that you choose a wireless system which has an audio latency of just a few milliseconds at most. A high latency would lead to an echo effect. This effect would deteriorate the surround effect. Many wireless devices work in the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz frequency bands. A number of products utilize the less crowded 5.8 GHz frequency band and as a result have less competition from other wireless devices.
Another approach are side-reflecting speakers. These systems are also named sound bars. There are additional loudspeakers positioned at the front which broadcast the audio for the remote speakers from the front at an angle. The sound is then reflected by walls and appears to be coming from besides or behind the viewer. The result heavily is dependent upon the interior, particularly the shape of the room and the decoration. It will work well for square rooms with no obstacles and sound reflecting walls. On the other hand, realistic scenarios frequently will differ from this ideal and diminish the result of this option.
Traditionally, setting up a TV would be speedy since they would already have built-in stereo speakers. This, though, has all changed with multi-channel audio. Nowadays external speakers are used to create a surround sound effect. In case of 5.1 surround, 6 speakers are used: center, left and right front, left and right rear and a subwoofer. More recent 7.1 systems need a total number of 8 speakers by adding 2 extra side speakers.
As a result, home theater installations have become quite complex. Running wires to remote speakers also is often undesirable due to aesthetic reasons. Several technologies have emerged to simplify this procedure. One option is minimizing the number of loudspeakers by making virtual speakers. This approach applies signal processing to the sound and adds phase shifts and cues to the audio which would normally be sent through the remote speaker. The sound is next broadcast by the front loudspeakers together with the front speaker audio components. The signal processing is modeled after the human hearing. It utilizes the knowledge about how the human ear can determine the source of sound. The viewer is in effect tricked into believing the sound is originating from a location other than the front speakers.
The first option is creating so-called virtual speakers by applying signal-processing to the sound and introducing phase shifts and special cues to those audio components that would ordinarily be broadcast by the remote speakers. Since the signal processing is based on how the human hearing detects the origin of audio, the sound components which underwent signal processing can be mixed with the front speaker components and broadcast by the front loudspeakers. The viewer is in effect tricked into assuming the sound is coming from a location other than the front speakers.
This technology minimizes the number of needed speakers and eliminates long speaker cables but each human will process sound somewhat differently due to the shape of the ear. The signal processing is based on measurements which are done using a standard human ear model. If the form of the ear changes, sound will travel differently. Consequently virtual surround will not function equally well for everybody. Another solution for simplifying home theater setups and eliminating long speaker wire runs is to utilize wireless surround sound systems or wireless loudspeakers. A wireless solution will typically include a transmitter component that connects to the TV or source in addition to wireless amplifiers that will be connected to the remote loudspeakers. The transmitter will often have amplified speaker inputs as well as line-level inputs and have a volume control to adjust it to the source audio level.
Some wireless speaker kits are designed to connect 2 speakers per wireless amplifier. A superior solution would come with a wireless amplifier for each remote loudspeaker to get rid of the cord runs between each of the 2 remote loudspeakers. The most sophisticated wireless products utilize digital transmission to eliminate signal degradation. To be certain that all speakers are in sync in a multi-channel application, ensure that you choose a wireless system which has an audio latency of just a few milliseconds at most. A high latency would lead to an echo effect. This effect would deteriorate the surround effect. Many wireless devices work in the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz frequency bands. A number of products utilize the less crowded 5.8 GHz frequency band and as a result have less competition from other wireless devices.
Another approach are side-reflecting speakers. These systems are also named sound bars. There are additional loudspeakers positioned at the front which broadcast the audio for the remote speakers from the front at an angle. The sound is then reflected by walls and appears to be coming from besides or behind the viewer. The result heavily is dependent upon the interior, particularly the shape of the room and the decoration. It will work well for square rooms with no obstacles and sound reflecting walls. On the other hand, realistic scenarios frequently will differ from this ideal and diminish the result of this option.
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