Friday, November 9, 2012

Things that You Should Know about Stereo Speakers

A speaker is actually an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound when it is supplied with an input of electrical audio signal. Although there are many other types, the most basic structure of speaker uses a paper-cone supporting a voice coil electro-magnet acting on a permanent magnet. You definitely are going to need decent quality stereo speakers if you are in the mood of amplifying the audio output of your TV or home theater system.
The reality is that to get some superior quality stereo speakers is not as easy as it seems. In actual fact, it is a really difficult task. The main thing that makes that job daunting is the massive variety of stereo speakers easily available in the market these days. If you feel like having some high-end stereo speakers for your theater or entertainment system, there are more than a couple of things that you should know about them. Continue reading this article as I will be writing some guidelines, which will help you a lot in this regard.
The main purpose of stereo speakers is to help in delivering both left as well as right stereo channels from a pair speaker. They are made so that they can satisfy the specific needs of their users. They are not like the surround sound speakers. As far as surround sound systems are concerned, they take a number of speakers, which are placed all over in a room to give the sought-after sound effects. A big number of home theater systems make use of a dedicated mixture of the two whereby the rear speakers remain wireless while only the front ones are wired in some cases. A yamaha RX-V473 surround sound receiver can be used to power a system like that.
Because of the excess echoing effect that many of such backgrounds are able to provide, a lot of these speakers perform quite well when used inside a house. On the other hand, many of them are also good for outdoor purposes, like when you use them in combination with live music. More than a few stereo speaker makers boast that their product is waterproof so this makes them ideal to be used outdoors. They design these speakers with the unique, robust casting method.
As far as the main categories of these high-end speakers are concerned, there are three. The first one is known as passive speakers. These HiFi speakers are quite cheap and are very good for providing a complete sound. Then there are the hybrid speakers. They are thin in design and are quite capable of reproducing a full range of sound. And the last category is the satellites or the subwoofers. These speakers, combined with an active subwoofer, have got the capability of producing full stereo sound. Sound technicians recommend these speakers for moderate spaces of up to 25 square meters. Their output is fantastic if used with stereo amplification system or an audio/video receiver.
I understand selecting a good quality system is a difficult task. But if you will keep these guidelines in your mind there shouldn’t be difficulty getting decent quality stereo speakers.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Deciding on the Best Set-up for you

Once you have decided on a particular home theater store you need to know what the best ways are for you to implement your project. For instance, are you looking into building the most monumental home theater system possible? Or perhaps, you are looking to get the most bang for your buck and assembling something that works very well, but does not draw heavily on your wallet? Chances are, you are looking for something that is actually a combination of the two. In order to make an informed decision on that you need to consider two main attributes: your budget and your goals.

A home theater can be built on virtually any budget, but you want to make sure that you can afford all of the necessary components. There are many home theater parts to consider such as the receivers, the amplifiers, the sub-woofers, towers, bookshelf speakers, and surround sound speakers. However, if you are going to invest in a quality home theater system on a budget, you are going to have to sacrifice either speaker depth, or the quality-level for a particular component. This is not that a large concern if you can plan ahead for this. For instance, if you define your goals as say, surround sound speakers, then you know that you do not have to splurge on sub-woofers, or bookshelf speakers.


home theater store

Ultimate Home Theater Set-Up

However, if you are not looking to create anything less than the best, then perhaps you should not pay attention to the prices of any speakers or components. However, once price is no longer an internal concern, you should still pay attention to the fact that the best may not come just with a high price tag. You will need to still do a great deal of research to make sure that the products are compatible. For instance, an expensive cable may not be the most appropriate match just because it is expensive. There are many things to consider, because if you are using higher output speakers, then you will have to find out how to appropriately harness that power using cables. Obviously, very specific cables are necessary.

Also, there are many other instances of component compatibility besides just cables themselves. For instance, you need to make sure that your amplifiers can handle the particular load that you are imposing on it. This requires a very solid, well-built piece of equipment, but again, we are hypothetically operating under the premise that money is not a concern in the assembly of your system. Next, make sure that the speaker cones of the brands you select are well-built. There are a plethora of options to choose from. However, make sure you stick with well-established brands such as Martin Logan, Energy Speakers, and any others that you think might be able to contribute to the overall performance of your home theater systems.

Star Trek-Themed Home Theater Set-Up

Always remember, seek professional advice if you are not sure how to go about putting together particular parts. It is always better to get help first, because if you don't, and you make a catastrophic mistake, chances are, it will be too late to save your equipment. Also, feel free to ask me any questions. I will be more than willing to provide any specific advice that you may need.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Choosing Your Home Theater Store

The decision to make a home theater purchase takes varying levels of involvement based on a few factors such as budget, size, and interest. Generally the research phase begins prior to the intent to purchase. Like any other purchase, the research phase will mainly focus on discovering what home theater products are available and adequate solutions to building the system you want. A secondary level of the research phase is choosing the proper home theater store to buy from. Some consumers may look at this with ease and trust any online retailor that has the lowest price, but that may not be the best solution.

There are many factors that should go into the decision of where to buy your home theater system at. Some of these factors include shipping costs, customer reviews, product cost, and warranty options, among others. Rating the importance of these factors should have some personal input but here is what I would suspect most people care about. First, price is the initial differentiator but it may not be the most important. Of course, you have to stay within you r budget and if that rule out some retailors, so be it. To fully understand the cost of your home theater system or speaker package you must also look into the shipping costs. Some smaller, compact systems will have minimal shipping costs while others may carry a large price tag. This is where the individual retailors can win out by offering free shipping.  The next factor to focus on is the warranty being offered. In most cases, the only protection for your new home theater products will come from the factory but some individual home theater stores will offer their own plans either included or at a cost. This can be a huge value add to any purchase, especially if your purchase was costly. Future repair costs, should something go wrong, can get expensive and the warranties do give some piece of mind.

In any case, make sure you put as much thought towards your home theater store as you would in the products you are buying. Price shouldn’t be the only factor when making your decision!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

In Wall Speakers

When building a sophisticated home theater system there are a few ways to go. For some the most important aspects are visual while others are more in tuned to the sound production. In many cases, people want something that is both aesthetically pleasing while still full of rich sound.  There are multiple solutions and some great products on the marketplace that fit both requirements.

First let’s take a look at what the options can be. We have to start with room size and configuration to determine the amount of space available to work with. If space is not an issue, than there are plenty of visually appealing speakers on the marketplace. If space is limited than the solution may come in the for of in wall speakers. Not only do they save space they also look great. The functionality is fairly similar to that of an on wall or floor standing speaker but with a much more sleek design. Some sound enthusiasts have avoided this option based on a pretense that the quality is not on par with a larger speaker cabinet and in some cases, that is the truth.  That being said, there are a ton of great, high quality in wall speakers available online and in stores.

Some pros to incorporating in wall speakers start with the powerful sound produced but a shallow cabinet. Remember to read reviews and purchase a quality set of in wall speakers. There are plenty of options on the market some being far superior to others. Make sure to buy a trusted brand or from a reputable manufacturer.

Installation is fairly easy when compared to any other speaker installation. You will need to cut into drywall to create a cavity for the bracket to be easily mounted. The finished product will look great. Some grate or speaker covers are even designed to be painted for a seamless, hidden look!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Home Theater Systems

Buying a home theater system is not as easy as it has been in the past. As technology evolves, more decisions arise. Budget isn’t the only deciding factor these days. As products become more affordable, more options are available to the average consumer. For instance, a 55” LED can be priced similarly to a same size plasma and even a front projector and screen package. The decisions will come down to other factors such as room size, brightness, and personal preference. There can also be many components to a full home theater system. That will also depend on budget and exactly what you want to do with your room.

Let’s first start with video. There are 2 distinct ways to go when determining what video platform you want to use; a flat panel television or a front projector for larger then life images. This is where room size and brightness come in to play. If you are going for a true movie theater style experience then you would probably focus on a front projector. Be careful when choosing this option as you will need an extremely dark room to allow the projector to create a clear and bright picture. You also don’t want the image to be over-powering for the room size. If you prefer to stick to a more traditional style TV, you will probably be researching flat panels. There are three main types of flat panel TVs including plasmas, LED lit LCDs, and traditionally LCDs. LCDs are the cheapest option but all of these fall into a similar price range depending on brand and features. Basically a plasma has the most natural picture and the lowest black levels, an LED is the brightest and has a vibrant picture with a real life feel on 120htz sets, and an LCD is in between with a bright and clear picture. Personal preference will play a big role in determining what set to buy. This is a VERY brief overview of TVs but keep in mind it is meant for beginners.

Let’s take a look at some audio options. The world of audio can be a bit tricky because there is quite a few ways to take your system. There are some decent all-in-one surround sound systems out there but you will probably get better quality and more value if you create your own system. Audio is essential to completing any home theater system. The main components of any system are the speakers, the amp, and the pre-amp. Generally in most sound systems the pre-amp and amp are combined into one piece of equipment called a receiver. To get the best sound out of your system, get a matching set of speakers for the whole room. This should consist of a center channel (most important since almost all dialogue comes from this speaker) two front surrounds, two rear surrounds, and a sub-woofer. You should make sure that your receiver doesn’t put out to many watts or you can damage your speakers. There are more things to consider when choosing the proper receiver but that could be a separate post entirely on its own.

This should help the research process for any beginner looking to set up their first home theater package. Don’t forget to get some decent cables to pull it all together!