With a crystal clear 1080p Full HD image projecting from your flat panel TV, you want a sound quality to match, right? It would be terrible if you were enjoying Iron Man’s dramatic flight into the atmosphere above Santa Monica while only hearing the faint muffled sound of his jets (or at least you assume it is his jets because of the image – it could be a lawn motor or a scooter as far as your ears know). Theater-quality sound is half of the experience. Without it, you are left with a dull impression of the movie, and you are rarely pulled in to the extent that you forget where you are and actually live the experiences on screen. Movie audio is so important, in fact, that there is an entire branch of audio equipment dedicated to providing the most accurate reproduction of sounds for a home theater setup.
First, a little background knowledge on what makes a speaker sound best. The position of the listener is a key feature of great sound. Your head should be directly in front of, and at the same height as, the speaker’s driver. This is known as the “on-axis” position. If you move to the left, right, up or down from this position, you will be “off-axis” and the sound will not be as clear.
When comparing stereo speakers with home theater speakers, you will often find that stereo speakers have a better off-axis sound than home theater speakers. This is because audio from a CD or other music source sound great when it is combined with left and right channels, and reflects off the walls and ceilings. With a stereo setup, the best sounding position will be in the center of the setup, but of-axis seating will sound great too.
Home theater speakers are a bit different. The vertical off-axis response, that is, the range of sound that occurs above and below the center position, of a center speaker in a home theater setup will be very limited. This is to prevent reverberation of sound off the ceiling and the floor. This is done to allow the rear speakers, which are often absent from, or include a more limited range than, a stereo speaker setup, to do their job. In a good home theater speaker system, you should include two rear speakers that act as “false reflections”. Sound from an actor’s voice in a large, cavernous room will take longer to bounce off the back wall and hit your ears if you were really standing beside that actor while the film was being created. Directors want to give you the feeling that you are really immersed in their world by tweaking the reflecting sounds so that they are slightly delayed as they bounce back to your ear – this can only be done with rear speakers, not with the reflections from a front speaker.
Home theater speaker systems are designed to provide an accurate reproduction of audio from a movie. The center speaker and rear speakers are the most important elements in this configuration, as they drive the bulk of the sound. The next installment of our series on home theater sound will examine how to set up your speakers to get the most out of on- and off-axis listening, and to get the most faithful reproduction of movie sound possible.
Lauren is a contributing writer for the HD Envy blog. HD Envy specializes in providing LCD and Plasma TV wall frame solutions for your home theater. If you are looking for a unique and creative way to display your TV, the LCD or Plasma TV wall frame products at HD Envy could be for you. You can get a custom made Plasma TV wall frame for your family room, designed to match any color or style that you prefer. HD Envy’s engineering experts have created an easily mountable Plasma TV wall frame solution so you can frame your flat panel TV with ease.
Tags: Home Theater, Install, Intel, Speakers
