September 28, 2011

Center Speaker Placement: Crystal Clear Dialog At Last!

Filed under: AV Tip of the Month,How-To — Tags: center channel speaker, center speaker placement — Amie C @ 3:40 pm

Getting center speaker placement right is key.

You’ve finally got 5.1 surround sound in your house and you’re all settled in with a big bowl of popcorn and your favorite movie – you know the one – that will really show off your new system.

But . . . something’s lacking. The dialog isn’t as clear as you were expecting. What gives?

There are a few hard-and-fast rules to center speaker placement that can really make a difference in whether your system sounds like it was professionally set up.

First: Check Your Receiver Settings

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August 9, 2011

Home Theater Subwoofer Placement: A How-To and Poll

Filed under: AV Tip of the Month,Home Theater — Tags: Home Theater Subwoofer Placement — Alan @ 5:17 pm

Most of us understand that the subwoofer in a home theater system takes over the job of producing much of the deep bass energy from the other speakers in the system. “Deep bass energy” is defined as the deepest bass from 100 Hz down to almost subterranean frequencies of 20 Hz or lower.

But to be able to hear and thrill to those powerful bass frequencies depends a lot on the home theater subwoofer placement in the room. This occurs because the subwoofer interacts with the actual dimensions of any given room, creating zones of very powerful bass contrasted with areas where you’ll hear little or no bass. You may have noticed this if you walk around the room while deep bass is playing.

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August 4, 2011

The Quest For The Best Home Speakers: What Should You Look For?

Filed under: AV Tip of the Month — Tags: best home loudspeakers, best home speakers, best speakers — Alan @ 2:53 pm

Small speakers are best suited to smaller rooms; large open rooms and “great rooms” will need much larger speakers to recreate music at natural, loud, undistorted listening levels.

However, in a phrase, the best home speakers are those that “disappear” into the music. In effect they deliver the truest high fidelity to all instruments and vocals so that they are like an open window into the music, neither exaggerating nor diminishing any part of the musical range we all hear. Singers should sound as if they’re in the room. Vocals shouldn’t be harsh or piercing; they should be smooth and natural.

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July 25, 2011

Outdoor Speakers: Two Factors That Make a Difference

Filed under: AV Tip of the Month — Tags: Algonquin, Outdoor Speakers — Alan @ 4:45 pm

With summer in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re getting more and more people with questions about outdoor speakers – which ones to use and how to get them to really sing in an outdoor installation.

You really have to choose true outdoor speakers. They have to be able to take the abuse of intense sun and heat in summer and cold weather during winter months, not to mention being waterproof. Axiom’s Algonquin outdoor speakers, for example, are built in Canada, and are tested to withstand the climate extremes of Northern Ontario (hot summers, bone-chilling winters).

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