Multi-channel audio has become mainstream and vendors have come up with many types of basic and more sophisticated technologies like wireless surround speakers, virtual surround sound to simplify the installation of home theater products. I will have a look at a number of of the products and technologies that have emerged and give some pointers about picking proper components for a hassle-free installation. As in the past installing a TV has been relatively easy, the emergence of multi-channel sound has made installing home theater systems much more complex by requiring a number of external speakers to create surround sound. The most commonly used 5.1 surround sound format requires setting up a total of 6 speakers. These are one center speaker, two front side speakers, two rear speakers and a subwoofer. The more recent 7.1 standard increases this number to 8 by adding two extra side speakers.
As previously setting up a TV has been rather straightforward, the emergence of multi-channel sound has made installing home theater systems much more difficult by requiring a number of external speakers to create surround sound. In case of 5.1 surround, 6 speakers are utilized: center, left and right front, left and right rear and a subwoofer. Newer 7.1 systems require a total amount of 8 speakers by adding 2 additional side speakers.
As a result setting up a home theater has become pretty hard and long speaker wire runs are normally undesirable for aesthetic reasons. Manufacturers have recently launched new products and technologies. These devices were created to help simplify the installation of home theater products.
Virtual surround avoids the remote loudspeakers and simplifies the setup and also eliminates long speaker cord runs. However, it also has a downside. The form of each human's ear is slightly different. Thus everybody processes sound differently. The signal processing of these virtual surround systems is based on a standard model which was calculated with a standard ear. However, virtual surround will not function equally well for every human.
An alternative option for simplifying home theater setups and avoiding long speaker cable runs is to utilize wireless surround sound products or wireless loudspeakers. A wireless solution will usually include a transmitter component that connects to the TV or source and wireless amplifiers that will be connected to the remote speakers. Usually the transmitter component will come with amplified loudspeaker inputs and line-level inputs. This offers flexibility to connect to any type of source. A transmitter volume control helps maximize the dynamic range and eliminates clipping of the audio within the transmitter.
A number of wireless speaker kits are designed to connect 2 speakers per wireless amplifier. A better option would have a wireless amplifier for each remote speaker to avoid the wire runs between each of the 2 remote speakers. The most basic wireless products use FM transmission. FM broadcast is prone to noise and audio distortion. More advanced devices employ digital audio transmission to completely preserve the original audio. To make sure that all loudspeakers 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. Otherwise there will be a noticeable echo kind result. Many wireless products operate in the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz frequency bands. Some products use the less crowded 5.8 GHz frequency band and as a result have less competition from other wireless devices.
A different method, which is often named sound bars utilizes side-reflecting loudspeakers. The sound that would ordinarily be sent by the remote loudspeakers is instead broadcast by speakers at the front. These front speakers send the sound at an angle. Then the audio is reflected by the side and rear walls and appears to be coming from besides or behind the viewer. This solution works best in a square room with minimal interior design and obstacles. It will not function well in a lot of real-world scenarios with diverse room shapes however.
As previously setting up a TV has been rather straightforward, the emergence of multi-channel sound has made installing home theater systems much more difficult by requiring a number of external speakers to create surround sound. In case of 5.1 surround, 6 speakers are utilized: center, left and right front, left and right rear and a subwoofer. Newer 7.1 systems require a total amount of 8 speakers by adding 2 additional side speakers.
As a result setting up a home theater has become pretty hard and long speaker wire runs are normally undesirable for aesthetic reasons. Manufacturers have recently launched new products and technologies. These devices were created to help simplify the installation of home theater products.
Virtual surround avoids the remote loudspeakers and simplifies the setup and also eliminates long speaker cord runs. However, it also has a downside. The form of each human's ear is slightly different. Thus everybody processes sound differently. The signal processing of these virtual surround systems is based on a standard model which was calculated with a standard ear. However, virtual surround will not function equally well for every human.
An alternative option for simplifying home theater setups and avoiding long speaker cable runs is to utilize wireless surround sound products or wireless loudspeakers. A wireless solution will usually include a transmitter component that connects to the TV or source and wireless amplifiers that will be connected to the remote speakers. Usually the transmitter component will come with amplified loudspeaker inputs and line-level inputs. This offers flexibility to connect to any type of source. A transmitter volume control helps maximize the dynamic range and eliminates clipping of the audio within the transmitter.
A number of wireless speaker kits are designed to connect 2 speakers per wireless amplifier. A better option would have a wireless amplifier for each remote speaker to avoid the wire runs between each of the 2 remote speakers. The most basic wireless products use FM transmission. FM broadcast is prone to noise and audio distortion. More advanced devices employ digital audio transmission to completely preserve the original audio. To make sure that all loudspeakers 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. Otherwise there will be a noticeable echo kind result. Many wireless products operate in the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz frequency bands. Some products use the less crowded 5.8 GHz frequency band and as a result have less competition from other wireless devices.
A different method, which is often named sound bars utilizes side-reflecting loudspeakers. The sound that would ordinarily be sent by the remote loudspeakers is instead broadcast by speakers at the front. These front speakers send the sound at an angle. Then the audio is reflected by the side and rear walls and appears to be coming from besides or behind the viewer. This solution works best in a square room with minimal interior design and obstacles. It will not function well in a lot of real-world scenarios with diverse room shapes however.
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