Archive for category Audio

Does Audio/Video Quality Matter? Do You Need 7.2 Surround and 1080p HD?

Jun 8

Posted by Joel in Audio, Budget, Video | Comments off

I live near Portland, OR. In this wonderful land mediocrity is celebrated and Lo-Fi is the new Hi-Fi. Just check out the promo for the TV show Portlandia if you want a taste.

Hey, my iPod is hi-def man!

Consumers here are ecstatic when they listen to sound through a “cool” set of iPod headphones, and they love watching a movie with friends, no matter how it’s displayed. So is that OK? Is it right to just enjoy the media regardless of however it’s delivered? Read the rest of this entry »

My Next A/V Receiver

Nov 10

Posted by Joel in Audio, Product News | Comments off

I need a new A/V Receiver, so I’m going to let you in on my thought process of searching for a new one.

My current unit is a refurbished Onkyo HT-R500. It does a great job, it’s just an old receiver (and a low-end one at that).

The things I like about it are:

Configuration flexibility – It has many options for speaker level and EQ for its price. All those options are pretty standard now, but I like them.
Power output – It can drive my speakers plenty loud without obvious distortion.
Good range of inputs for its age – It has optical, coaxial, and analog multichannel inputs. I use all of them and I’ve appreciated the analog inputs since I was able to buy a Blu-ray player with HD (high-definition) audio decoding and pass the HD audio through the receiver.
Price – I don’t remember how much I paid (it was at least 5 years ago), but it was pretty cheap.

So why do I want a new one? Here’s why: Read the rest of this entry »

Audio Tweaking And Tuning – EQ

Nov 5

Posted by Joel in Audio, Optimization | Comments off

For many people the best knob on their A/V receiver is the one labeled “bass”. When I was a kid I loved to crank that thing all the way up on my dad’s shiny Denon receiver. I would also push in the “loudness” button for that extra kick.

As I got older I realized that the sound I was hearing when I did that was far from accurate. There is a purpose to the mid-range of the music and I was completely blasting it away with my knob-tweaking. So how do you figure out which way to turn the knobs? What’s the correct EQ (equalization) for your system? Read the rest of this entry »

Audio Tweaking And Tuning – Speaker Settings

Nov 2

Posted by Joel in Audio, Optimization | 1 Comment

If you want to get the best performance from your audio system you need to change some settings in your A/V receiver. The stock out-of-the-box settings will certainly make sound come out, but your audio components won’t be working together as an optimized system. The basic settings that are listed here apply to how your receiver directs sound to the speakers. The size, crossover, delay, and level settings all give the receiver some helpful information so it can figure out how to best use your speakers to make accurate and smooth sound. Read through the guide below and then set up your system accordingly. Read the rest of this entry »

How To Optimize Your 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker Placement

Oct 31

Posted by Joel in Optimization, Speakers | 1 Comment

To start the speaker placement process for your surround system you should first find the optimal seating position in your room. Check out the instructions in my last post for that procedure. Also scan through the notes on reflections since I won’t go over that again here.

Once you’ve got your display and seating in place you can properly position your speakers. This will provide you with optimal sound for whatever you might be listening to. Whether you’re watching a movie, or listening to music while browsing sites such as http://www.o2.co.uk/broadband/, you’re sure to notice the difference of having your speakers correctly placed. We’ll start with the Center channel

Read the rest of this entry »

How To Optimize Your Stereo Speaker Placement

Oct 29

Posted by Joel in Optimization, Speakers | 2 Comments

Most people tend to place their stereo speakers wherever is most convenient, however we’re working towards excellent audio/video on a budget, not mediocre audio/video on a budget. To get the best sound quality out of your speakers you need to put them in the right locations and aim them properly. Thankfully this task is normally free, so it’s very frugal!

Seating Position

Oval Office Seating Position Before you jump into moving the speakers around you should first experiment with your seating position. The seating position you use affects how you hear the standing waves of sound in the room. These waves of sound are present because of how your room is shaped. Certain frequencies tend to become louder in some spots and softer in others. The affect of standing waves is most noticeable on bass sounds, so keep that in mind as you figure out your seating position.