http://www.audioholics.com/education/rss.xml Configuring your A/V system can be a daunting task - we can help! hourly 12 2006-12-01T00:00 http://www.audioholics.com/static/logo.jpg http://www.audioholics.com/ http://www.audioholics.com/education/surround-sound/7-1-surround-sound Almost everyone loves surround sound, (except for an eccentric actor whom I know who actually prefers mono!) and what’s not to love? Our ears are on each side of our head, canted forward, but we hear sounds from every direction with almost equal precision. For that reason multi-channel sound reproduction is intrinsically more realistic and believable. But how many surround speakers are required to present a plausible illusion of the real thing? Alan Lofft 2009-07-03T09:12:52+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/acoustics-principles/listening-room-acoustics-1 Room modes cause standing waves that can cause three acoustical problems: a level boost at some frequencies, an extent of the duration of sound at those same frequencies (resonance) and some profound dips at other frequencies. This article explores methods of reducing the problems of standing waves in your home theater room and also works real world examples for greater clarity. Don’t settle for acoustical compromises. Learn the facts, and arm yourself with the right tools to enhance your movie watching and music listening experiences. Michel Leduc 2009-06-30T00:00:00+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/surround-sound/audyssey-dsx-10.2 Audyssey as a company is sort of a brain trust that creates and licenses signal processing solutions. They employ the sciences of psychoacoustics, acoustics, signal processing and use highly complex mathematical algorithms to put those Mega Flop DSP chips to work to do dynamic equalization and derive extra channels for surround sound. Paul Apollonio 2009-06-29T13:26:35+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/crossover Have you ever wondered how the tweeter and woofer have their responses combined in a speaker system, or what the crossover network is and how it works? This article sheds some light on the least seen and perhaps most undervalued part of the speaker system, the crossover network. While passive crossover components and materials and construction have changed over time, the underlying theory and practice has not. In the real world, capacitors, inductors and resistors exhibit behavior which is neither ideal or perfect. In this article, we considered the importance of real loudspeaker impedance, and how it acts as a monkey wrench to complicate and frustrate the function of constant resistance type crossover networks. Paul Apollonio 2009-06-09T22:28:24+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/acoustics-principles/bass-trapping-ideas Bass traps control low frequency issues in rooms. Simply, they are the single most effective investment toward a quality audio experience that is rarely made by the home theater enthusiast. The information contained within this article may not allow you to unleash your own plan for optimal bass trapping, but it may point you towards that result. Proper bass trapping is a 100% guaranteed investment and is worth a close look for those serious about achieving the best bass response their home theater systems have to offer. Jeff Hedback 2009-05-26T23:01:06+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/amplifier-technology/class-d-digital-amplifier Ever wonder how an amplifier works at a very fundamental level? Alan Lofft, Resident Expert of Axiom Audio takes us on a tour of traditional linear amplifiers as well as the newer more sleek Class D designs. Various types of Class D design approaches are discussed including feedback topologies and their implications on audio performance and efficiency. The similarities and differences of traditional Class D amplifiers compared to Axioms new A1400-8 multi channel amplifier is reviewed. Learn what makes these amplifiers tick and why it’s cool in more ways than one to get your hands on the future of high end audio amplification that is powerful, efficient, and lightweight compared to their analog predecessors. Alan Lofft 2009-05-08T04:05:00+00:00 Editorial http://www.audioholics.com/education/amplifier-technology/clone-amplifiers It’s been a few years since our controversial release of “Attack of the Clone Processors” and we felt it was time for a sequel to our blockbuster hit editorial. Engineering a product from the ground up, especially one as complex as a switching amp, takes time and money with the end result often not being as good or cost effective as what can be bought off the shelf like these ICE modules from Bang & Olufsen. I can count the number of manufacturers producing their very own Class D designs and still have a finger left to point at all the copycats. Overall this seems to be a good design approach for manufacturers unwilling or unable to do their own developmental work if cost and full disclosure of performance is kept in check. It’s up to you the consumer to decide if paying a premium price for name brand, exotic accessory parts and cosmetics is worth the investment. Just don’t let anyone tell you that regardless of price, you are buying anything other than a clone amplifier, albeit a reasonably well engineered one. Gene 2009-04-28T22:12:57+00:00 Editorial http://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/thx-video-calibration-training Calibration of displays is something that not many consumers know much about. Their expectation is that they buy a display, take it home, and plug it in. At this point they are done - or so they think. The next thing you know, they are telling their friends that HD isn't all that great and they never should have spent all that money. Is it true? Not by a long shot. tom 2009-04-28T05:35:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/education/amplifier-technology/amplifier-power-ratings Ever wonder why the boom box you bought at Best Buy has a higher power rating than your dedicated two-channel power amplifier? Amplifier power ratings are usually honest in Hi-Fi equipment, but become very silly when it comes to the 'mass market' systems and even some of the latest Class D amplifier offerings. Few amps have a dynamic headroom of better than 1 or 2dB, and the greater the headroom, usually the cheaper the power supply for the rated power. This article explores the history of power ratings for consumer audio and also busts the myth about 'RMS' power. Rod Elliot 2009-04-27T23:06:36+00:00 Editorial http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/subwoofer-extension More often than not consumers are swayed by a single parameter in a products specifications to judge its true performance. Lately it’s quite a popular trend on the forums of people critiquing a subwoofers performance by a simple metric; its -3dB point or how low the subwoofer can go in frequency before its sound output rolls off. This article will explore the trade offs associated with tuning a vented subwoofer system for the lowest achievable frequency output and demonstrate a balance between real usable extension and efficiency for achieving the best performance given a particular driver size and box enclosure. When doing comparisons of subwoofers by looking at specifications, remember that published specifications are almost always static measurements, and usually only reflect what a speaker does at low drive levels, where speakers tend to be linear and well behaved. This is why judging a subwoofers performance by a spec sheet or singular measurement metric is misleading and often dangerous when trying to determine the better product. Paul Apollonio 2009-04-20T23:14:50+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/acoustics-principles/listening-room-acoustics Unfortunately, where sound quality is concerned, the acoustics of the listening room is rarely taken into account. Indeed, most people opt for expensive, top of the range sound systems in an attempt to reach the best-possible sound quality. But they often ignore one essential thing: the acoustics of the listening room itself. As a sound system is used in an enclosed space ‘a listening room’, the acoustical conditions of that room will inevitably take control over the sound quality. This article focuses on the main acoustical problems of the listening room and how they can deteriorate the perceived sound. Michel Leduc 2009-04-12T23:15:05+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/amplifier-technology/trading With new A/V receiver models being released by the major manufacturers every 8 months or so, consumers flock to them for promised improved performance and features. But are you really getting better performance with the newer models? Or are you trading amplifier quality for features? This article will be primer for what’s to come in our verification testing to better answer these questions. Stop and think if the model you currently have meets the performance vs feature balance that is right for your needs and how the newer so called “improved” model fits into that equation. All the features in the world can’t replace clean undistorted dynamics which we believe makes up most of the WOW and magic in the newer HD audio formats. Gene 2009-03-16T15:57:24+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/crimping-and-soldering Audio and Video Cables are not just dependent on the wire or cable used, or the connectors used. The quality of the connection between the wire or cable and connector is just as important, if not more so. The biggest problem with the audio/video cable market is that marketing departments choose fads and fallacies, non-applicable specifications and pseudo science over real world objective measurements and tried and true methods of creating wire and cable assemblies that will last for many years with high quality results. Today we're going to look at those unsung heroes of our A/V world, the ones that hold it all together - the crimp and the solder joints. Thomas Steves 2009-03-09T22:42:46+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/hdmi-versions Many people are worried, when buying HDMI cable, about the spec version of the cable in question. Is it the latest spec version? Will it support all the features of the devices it's hooked to? Most of the fears and doubts associated with this question are unfounded, but there are some interesting issues with regard to HDMI spec version, and we'll sort those out in this article. Kurt Denke 2009-03-05T11:01:00+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/120-hertz-hdmi-cables One of the most common sorts of questions from our customers these days is some variant on this: "Do I really need a 120Hz HDMI Cable?" In consumer electronics stores across the country, consumers are being told that their new 120 Hertz displays will not work properly, or will not work optimally, without a cable designed for 120 Hertz. We'll address this question two different ways, beginning with the short answer and following with the long answer/explanation. Kurt Denke 2008-12-31T09:39:30+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/myth-vs-reality-2013-putting-cat5e-based-a-v-structured-wiring-in-its-place Sending audio, video and control signals over twisted pair cables have become common practice in the contemporary marketplace. There is a good reason for this. Twisted pair cables are cheap, ubiquitous and comfortably familiar to anyone with any level of installation exposure to data networking and telephony. UTP-based A/V installations are appealing for their perceived low cost and performance advantages. Widely accepted as a panacea that banished the need for task-specific cables to the equipment closet of history, those who universally advocate the use of balun-based infrastructure would do well to remember the words of Plutarch; “To find a fault is easy; to do better may be difficult.” joe 2008-10-06T12:45:26+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/loudspeakers-power-ratings-part-iii-the-test-results In parts one and two, the case was made for the idea that real power handling in loudspeakers was intimately tied to the nature of the signal, as well as the electromechanical parameters of the speaker under test. In the final part of this three part article, Paul performs an experiment to determine if the underlying theory has merit, or if he is simply full of hot air. (Hot air is not good for either loudspeakers or authors.) What he aims to prove is without specifying the frequency content and crest factor of the test signal used, the power handling number/rating in loudspeakers IS MEANINGLESS. paul 2008-09-24T23:26:02+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/amplifier-technology/10-things-about-audio-amplifiers Alan Lofft, Axiom Audio's Resident Expert, took a series of the most commonly asked questions he received about amplifiers, and transformed his answers into an informative editorial. In this article you will find answers to the importance of amplifier weight and how it relates to quality, how an amplifier works, what the different classes of amplifiers are (ie. class A, A/B, D, etc), and the most important attributes of amplifiers that govern their real world performance. Alan Lofft 2008-09-18T15:37:33+00:00 Editorial http://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/flat-panel-tv-trends Flat panel televisions are continuing to transform in teh marketplace. This year we saw a great number of companies looking to go "thin". While flat panels are traditionally advertised as being hangable on the wall, consumers have been reluctant to do so. With this year's batch of new products it looks like the trends may shift and these LCD televisions might be finding their way onto the walls of many consumers' homes. clint 2008-09-05T19:00:00+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/upscaling-is-your-friend Gefen, Toshiba, DVDO... they all want to sell you on the joys of upscaling. Some of them incorporate their technology into their displays or dvd players (Toshiba) while the others want you to purchase a standalone box. The technology is valid - we know this from many, many tests but do you really need it? This year at CEDIA we explore some of the scalers that are out there and what they mean to you. tom 2008-09-05T15:54:26+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/wireless-hdmi-takes-flight Wireless HDMI seems to be coming to a living room near you. While everyone pretty much agrees that HDMI is the most bitter-sweet invention to hit the consumer AV electronics industry in some time, there's no denying that most are trying to make end runs around the format. In some cases that is through the use of cable conversion, while others are looking to send HDMI through the ether. tom 2008-09-05T05:00:00+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/loudspeaker-power-ratings In part I of this series of articles, we discussed simple concepts regarding power handling in loudspeakers and common misconceptions surrounding them. In this article, we discuss the mechanics of loudspeaker clipping and work several examples of product failure at various power levels depending on what test signal is being used. We learn that without a knowledge of the test signal used, the power rating number for a loudspeaker system is meaningless. Read on to find out why. Paul Appolino 2008-08-31T13:10:03+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/loudspeaker-power-handling There are two basic ways in which you can destroy a loudspeaker with power; thermally or mechanically. Everyone is familiar with the concept of being able to burn a loudspeaker. It gets too hot, and the voice coil wire burns, or worse, something else (like the cone) catches on fire and burns. We all go shopping with “How many watts can it handle?” This is like living in a vast desert with only a few filling stations and wanting to know your cruising range in miles. We ask how big is the tank, and not how many miles we get to the gallon. (What is the efficiency?) In part I of this series, we examine a few very simple concepts regarding power handling and common misconceptions surrounding them. Paul Apollonio 2008-08-13T14:15:00+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/long-hdmi-cable-bench-tests I decided to write this article the first time I saw another writer say "HDMI is digital - it either works or it doesn't." Then I saw that statement get repeated over and over. The problem is that HDMI isn't like a digital coax audio cable - it can degrade partially and produce sparkles and snow. We'll illustrate some of this below. It took nearly 6 months to research and prepare for this experiment. I intended to acquire as many HDMI cables as possible and focus on empirical testing of mostly longer lengths to show the differences that abound when you exceed 5 meters. The exercise, I believed, would save many consumers from losing lots of money and time - on a number of levels. clint 2008-07-08T10:50:10+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/sound-bars-silicon-chip-ti High-quality audio is a critical part of creating a compelling home theater product line. With the availability of six- and eight-channel surround sound systems, consumers expect movie theater quality sound in their living rooms and bedrooms from their televisions. New Silicon-on-Chip Designs promise better and cheaper sound bar technology to fill the gap for those who can't build out full 5.1 systems. Claus Neesgaard 2008-06-26T08:52:15+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/pear-cable-science A Case Study in Applying an Audioholics A/V Education to Identify Marketing Drivel. In this follow-up to our initial article, we will look at Pear Cable as a case study in evaluating exaggerated marketing claims about the audio performance improvements attributed to cables. We will use known science, established engineering principles, and the educated opinions of well known audio engineering practitioners to look for contradictory statements, mistakes and misuse of engineering knowledge, and exaggeration of the audible significance to certain aspects of audio performance. david 2008-05-11T04:20:00+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/frequently-asked-questions/too-many-hdmi-outputs Jim from Iowa asks us how in the world he's supposed to make use of all the new HDMI-capable components he has when his TV and AV receiver don't have enough inputs. It's a good question, and one that many people are asking as more and more manufacturers place HDMI into their products. We tackle it a couple of ways to give you options for maintaining a great picture and also retaining the ability to get the best audio quality possible. clint 2008-05-06T09:31:16+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/thx-video THX Display Certification primary goals are to drive quality in manufacturing and help simplify consumer buying decisions. According to THX, having a single testing methodology and specification enables display manufacturers to standardize on one benchmark that is recognized by both industry insiders and consumers alike. We put THX to the test with a series of questions we had about this program to ensure it wasn't just another logo branded on a product to pimp sales. Gene 2008-04-25T15:38:23+00:00 Editorial http://www.audioholics.com/education/frequently-asked-questions/hdmi-output-component A reader asks Dr. A why he can't view some of his material on the TV he bought. Lots of people run into this problem, so we figured we'd take it to Dr. A for a solution. clint 2008-04-25T10:04:32+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/dayton-audio-wt3 The WT3 Woofer Tester by Dayton Audio is a fast, accurate and affordable measurement tool that’s about as easy to use as it gets. Just load the included software, plug the probe into the nearest USB port, calibrate, and you’re good to go. It’s that simple! It’ll measure driver impedance and derive the all-important Thiele/Small parameters - critical to the loudspeaker design process. It will also measure the impedance of various components commonly used in the construction of passive crossover networks such as resistors, caps & inductors. Rounding out this feature set, the WT3 sports some useful extra utilities you’ll likely find handy. All in all, this is one item likely to be a favorite of the DIY community for a long time to come. mark 2008-04-17T22:50:34+00:00 Pro Review