Thursday, July 26, 2007

Onkyo: Hi-End Home Theatre Systems

Onkyo TX-SR875 Home Theater Receiver - Product Profile The Onkyo TX-SR875 THX Ultra2 Certified Home Theater Receiver is a high-end home theater receiver that offers 7.1 channel processing, HDTV capable HDMI audio and video switching and video upscaling using Silicon Optix REON VX Video Processing,

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Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Tips On Choosing A Car Audio System

Car audio has moved a long way from the old standard AM/FM Radio/Tape Deck combo. Today, in-vehicle multimedia systems include DVD video, television and navigation systems with local hotspot news. Common to all systems is the sound quality.

The quality of sound in a car audio system depends upon a number of factors; the type and quality of the media player system, the type of speakers used, the acoustics of the vehicle and interference from other devices.

Type and Quality of Media Player System

Before we look at the different types of in-vehicle media players it pays to have a basic understanding of audio quality. When deciding what type of audio system to install, and also when comparing one make and model to another, there are two key specifications to consider:
Signal-to-noise ratio [SNR] - a measure of signal strength compared to background noise in the signal or equipment. Measured in decibels. The higher the dB, the better. A car CD player has an SNR of 90 or 100 dB.

Frequency response [FR] - a measure of how much of the audio spectrum, from bass to treble, gets reproduced. It's measured as a range in Hertz, and the wider the range, the better. Look for a CD player with a range of at least 10-20k Hz.

An FM radio, cassette player, and CD player all have different measurements for these specs. To help understand these two specifications, let's compare a car tape cassette player and a car CD player.

Cassette player has an SNR of 50-70 dB. This is much lower than a CD player, so the sound quality degrades at each end of the spectrum. The FR is around 30-18k Hz for a cassette player, so does not contribute as much to sound quality as the SNR. That's why overall, a car CD player gives a much better sound than a cassette tape player.

Media players in vehicles today are either radio tuner, CD player/changer, or Digital Audio player.

CD Players & Changers

There are a number of options when it comes to playing CD's in a vehicle:

1. An in-dash CD Player - often combined with radio tuner, WMA/MP3 player
2. An in-dash CD Receiver - with a multiple CD cassette / changer located elsewhere in the vehicle
3. Connect a portable CD player to an existing in-dash audio unit using either a cable and adapter or a bluetooth wireless connection.

When choosing a car CD player the first two things to consider are:

1. Will it physically fit into the vehicle?
2. Will it integrate cosmetically with the dash and other electronics?
Most decks have standardized form factors; so fit most cars, but there are exceptions, so make sure that the deck is suited for your car. You are usually pretty safe is the car stereo is made for the same market as the source of your car.

Cosmetic integration is a little more complex, but in many cases easily resolved through customisation features. For instance, many decks allow you to change the faceplates and color of the display.

Digital Audio Car Systems

With most home audio systems and portable players giving crisp quality sound using digital audio, we are no longer satisfied with the flat, bland analog sound from older car audio systems.
If you normally store your digital music files on CD, a compatible stereo or changer is a good option. Up to 10 hours of music [250 songs] can be stored on a single disc and allows use of random shuffling and repeat options. This disadvantage is ease of use, having to load and unload from cassettes located in the boot or under seats, and the limited file formats that your stereo can play back.

So now you have the media player selected, what about the speaker system.

Car Speaker System

The speaker system can be thought of in two parts: the channel amplifier and the physical speaker units.

Car amplifiers power the speakers in your car stereo system to provide crisp sound quality at high volumes. Each speaker requires one channel of amplification. This means a 4-channel amplifier, will support four speakers. And choice of speakers is not limited either. With a range of options for your basic stereo speakers [2-channel], you can supplement the high note quality using a tweeter and the low bass notes with a sub-woofer. This gives you a standard 4-channel sound system that will rival your home audio system.

Adding to a basic car stereo option typically involves adding subwoofers, amplifiers and crossovers to tailor the output sound to personal tastes. This does not mean the result is the boorish, obnoxious bass boom boxing that invades the entire neighbourhood. A subwoofer adds quality and purity to music.

For details of specifications on each part of your system, see Go-Reviews.com - Car Electronics Section

The main factors in selecting car speakers are:

- Design or Speaker Type
- Technical Specifications
- Fitting & Mounting

Speaker design is about the combination of sound drivers for midrange, subwoofer and tweeter. Depending upon the combination, the set is known as a two-way, three-way or four-way speaker system.

Car speaker specifications are similar to home audio speakers; the main difference in technical specification to compensate for the lower power outputs of car stereo receivers. Speaker technical specifications include: sensitivity, frequency response, signal to noise ratio, power handling and impedance. We will look at these specification in more detail in subsequent articles.
The fittings and mountings are selected depending upon where you choose to position the speakers. Car audio speakers are either: top mounted or bottom mounted. Clearance depth is most important when installing new speakers in a non-factory speaker location. So check all of your components carefully before purchase.

With such a range of combinations available the Internet provides a valuable resource in car electronics reviews. Sites like Go-Reviews.com seek out reviews and consolidate the recommendations to give you a quick reference buying guide.

About the Author
Nicola is the product reviewer for Go-Reviews.com. For reviews on consumer and business technology, the latest technology news, product releases and recalls and useful hints on getting the best from your technology.

Digital Surround Sound with Dolby from DirecTV

If you havent personally witnessed just what high definition programming is like, then maybe its time you took a look for yourself. High definition describes the audio feature or sound, as well as the picture on the TV set that you will be watching. Digitized surround sound, with Dolby noise reduction feature, is what you will be hearing when you turn on your high definition programming from DirecTV.

Digitized sound is easier to clean up in your receiver, before it goes through your speakers and on to your ears. The static and any collateral undesired noise is removed and what you are left with is a clean crisp CD quality surround sound that sounds excellent when you run it through your stereo speakers. High definition TVs have good speaker systems, so they can reproduce the better sound that comes in high definition.

If you want to take a look and listen to high definition TV programming, the place to go to do this is any electronics retailer now. Big screened high definition TVs are the new, must have, electronics component on the market and all the retailers are stocking them now.

If you are soon going to be in the market for a TV, then it might be prudent to spend the few extra dollars to switch over to a high definition TV. This is because you are going to be stuck with the TV you buy for years to come. High definition is here to stay and programming service providers like DirecTV will be enlarging their repertoire of high definition programming in the near future.

The audio feature is something that most people have always taken for granted and have accepted the level that came through with standard programming. At a theater though, the audio effects are incorporated into the programming more effectively. You can feel the base tones in your seat and music is far more dynamic. Theaters have been using surround sound all along and now you can have the same effects in your home with high definition surround sound from DirecTV.

With sports events, the roar of the crowd is more of a roar and any sounds that result from a heavily contested game you will experience with the players as they happen. On a big screen it puts you as close to the action as you can get, with out actually being at the actual event. Needless to say the effect on music programming is fantastic. When watching footage of war documentaries it will seem as though the bullets are whizzing right over your head and you are right there in the battle itself.

Why wait for the future technology in TV viewing to come to you, when you can bring it to your home or business with high definition programming from DirecTV. DirecTV has a great selection of well blended and balanced programming packages and it is easy to ad the high definition programming to them, or you can just get the high definition programming if that is what you wish. Its so easy to have it your way at DirecTV, the home of high definition and surround sound.

About the Author
Written by David Johnson. Find more information on the top Dish Network Promotion as well as the latest Direct TV Special

Stereo Speakers

I have a lot of audio equipment that I owned and all of my friends laugh at me about having it. Not only simply that I owned that newest, cool in bound audio equipment, other than I owned sky-scraping end audio speakers that will now blow your mentality. I even have Stereo Pillow Speakers so I can listen in bed! The crash is definitely fantastic to listen to! all of my associates giggle at me for having that kind of audio equipment - my associates consider that it is a desecrate to own such sky-scraping end audio speakers.

You notice every one of us cover unchanged experience in melody. Every one of us is fond of punk astound, metal, hard-core, and mostly something that is deafening and rough to listen. Why we obtain sky-scraping end hi-fi speakers, they ask over, when you are listening to melody that is frequently deeply vague to hear to. Perhaps I sound like a snob to my associates at this point, however I do not sense that my associates value the superiority of the tunes that we are listening to.

Since this music we listen is punk astound, or metal, does not imply so as to it is clatter. Dissimilar to this, there is a vast arrangement of subtleness and degree in the quality of music that only good quality audio speakers be able to pick up. We found out this when we try to listen this. Certainly, it doesn't really matter how much number of the music we listen. The Rock and Rap music that I was hooked on to listen, for instance, a sound regarding the identical through sky-scraping end audio speakers when we hear it as it does in stumpy end speakers.

The sound to listen is usually subdued, feebly recorded, and done on imperfect equipment. Therefore, despite how awful the audio speakers you use, it truly will not create much of a distinction in the system that it comes throughout. For those things their right - sky-scraping end audio speakers actually are a desecrate. Although a group of metal, and even a few of the more ground-breaking and experimental punk rock music, the sky-scraping end audio speakers are actually vital. Presently, because kinds of music we hear is deafening this not mean that it doesn't have a broad series of sounds we listen to.

Sky-scraping end audio speakers can incarcerate the entire sound to the music, from the screaming highs to the blooming lows we hear, and the whole thing in between. Devoid of using good quality sky-scraping end audio speaker equipment, so much of the sound is missing to listen, and that is embarrassing.

My sky-scraping end audio speakers permit me to listen to sounds that I've never heard before in my entire life, and that I would not hear without my sky-scraping end audio speakers. It is my associates who are the snobs - stumpy reliability snobs. To my associates it seems similar to all sounds and equal. It is unlucky that my associates will fail to spot out on the entire sonic nuances that I obtain to listen. Other than that's the breaks!

Crizza_R Stereo Pillow Speakers

About the Author
independent

Bring Home The Home Theater Audio System!

Home theater audio system is gaining popularity all over. The interpretation of music has changed nowadays. People just don't want to hear the songs; they want to hear it clearly and too with special added effects. Everything changed with the introduction of the Dolby sound system in the 70's and ever since the way music was heard, changed. Now everyone wants to have their own home theater audio system. People want their audio systems to be trendy and in sync with the latest sound system. The home theaters have further added to its popularity. The popularity of these home theater audio systems is growing day by day and it's bound to grow even more in the coming future. This is one thing which the music lovers just can't miss.

Choose the best quality

A product is defined by its quality. So you must make sure that you get the best quality, never compromise on that. However you also need to keep a check on your budget. The general perception is that more the price, the better the product. This is actually true because quality products are usually priced high. However this is not always true. A highly priced product may not be of good quality. It thus becomes important to check the product's quality before buying it. For this you can request the working staff to give you a demo of the product. You can hear the sound of the audio system in listening rooms. This is important to make sure that you are buying what you actually wanted. You may end up with something bad if you don't listen to the audio system before buying it.

The size of the room determines the number of speakers

How does one decide as to which home theater audio system is best for them? One must buy the audio system according to the size of the room. The system must not be too big or too small for the room. It should just be perfect. If the room is big, six speakers are enough. In addition to the center speaker, there will be two front and rear side speakers. Addition of a subwoofer will make the total count six. The sound of the audio system can be further enhanced by making the subwoofer face the wall. This way, the whole wall will function as a subwoofer and the sound quality will be greatly increased. To get the maximum out of your home theater audio system, cover it up with a woven basket. This will increase its sound.

In case of a small room, three speakers are sufficient. In addition to a subwoofer there should be two rear speakers. A small room doesn't need too many speakers for it will take unnecessary space and will not serve any purpose. So be very careful while buying your audio system. It must fit your room perfectly.

Many home theater audio systems are available in the market. Bose home theater is one such popular system though there are many others. You should choose the one which suits you the best. Go for the best available option which is within your budget. You should choose it carefully so that you can enjoy this experience forever.

About the Author
You can also find more info on Home Theater Speaker System and Home Theater Wiring. 1hometheaterreviews.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Home Theater and Discover Home Hall Cinema.