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While we're on the topic of trade shows... we put together a music video which summarizes some of the highlights of this year's 2008 Audioholics State of the CE Union Event & Expo. We had a great time and really enjoyed the incredible audio and video demos provided by manufacturers. Of course, there was also great food, tons of giveaways and excessive amounts of dancing - including a custom party event complete with Zorro and his wife.
At this year's 2008 Audioholics Expo we invited Jonathan Novick, Director of Sales for Audio Precision to talk about the measurements behind more meaningful multi-channel amplifier standards. For those of you unfamiliar with Audio Precision, they are the world’s leading manufacturer of high end audio test equipment. Every serious audio engineer and a select few A/V magazine uses their equipment for evaluating amplifier performance and taking low level and high level measurements.
Marantz made their presence known in a big way at the 2008 Audioholics Expo with their new separates and flagship DLP video projector. The AV8003 and MM8003 are the first of the newly redesigned line of AV receivers and processors which borrow some of the cosmetic stylings from their Reference line. Dubbed the M1 chassis, the new design is also designed to better dissipate heat and reduce vibrations. Audyssey auto-calibration is include and so it XM and HD Radio. Balanced outputs are available on the AV8003 and a digital media player is included to allow consumers to stream content from a PC, Escient or NAS drive to the home theater. The system not only does audio, but also plays video from networked storage.
We interviewed Chris Kyriakakis at the 2008 Audioholics Expo about the new Audyssey Dynamic Volume which is appearing in Denon and Onkyo receivers this year (and some others as well). The new technology allows consumers to listen to their multichannel audio and movies at levels far below reference levels without missing out on important surround sound information, or getting blown away by peak sound effects. The technology works by adjusting dynamics with multi-channel sources in mind - and in a way that preserves the intended mix. It also takes care of the excessive volume associated with hyper-compressed television commercials and varying source levels. Once Audyssey is set, it takes care of the rest, no matter what volume level you are listening at.
Craig Eggers, Senior Manager of Dolby Labs, speaks with us at the 2008 Audioholics Expo event in Orlando, Florida and discusses Dolby TrueHD as well as the new Dolby Volume which promises to revolutionize the way consumers listen to home theater and multi-channel music in their living rooms. In particular, Dolby Volume allows better sound reproduction of multi-channel movie and music content without losing surround channel information and eliminating the "pumping and breathing" artifacts so commonly found in typical 'loudness' controls.
Joel Silver of the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) spoke at the 2007 Audioholics State of the C.E. Union event and goes over the basics of television and HDTV, resolution vs perceived video quality, properly calibrating televisions and the effects of proper calibration as it relates to the business models of professional installers. This course is an excellent introduction to ISF training and represented pretty much what you'd find in the opening session of the Level 1 ISF class.
Joe Cornwall of Impact Acoustics and Cables to Go discusses why cables do indeed matter when considering your wiring needs for a whole house audio installation or home theater. When generating a cable list for your home theater it's important to consider not only what your devices are, but length, signal type and intended use - both now and future. Failure to consider all options can result in a misconfiguration and lots of work down the road.
Scott R. Foster delivers a presentation outlining the way to easily and effectively make your own bass traps. Included are discussions of mineral wool vs. Fiberglas and methods of construction in addition to a comparison of the Ready Acoustics products versus some of the competition. This presentation was delivered at the Audioholics 2007 State of the C.E. Union Event in Florida. If you want to roll your own" bass traps, you won't want to miss this handy guide on how to do it right - and cost-effectively.
THX - Managing Bass Modes
Clint DeBoer
— last modified July 10, 2008 23:37
John Dahl from THX discusses room modes (or peaks) and various ways to deal with them, including the use of multiple subwoofers, room treatments, and certain isolation and bass-trapping products. This video gives a great overview of what it takes to tame the frequencies in your room below 200Hz - where the room really makes itself known.
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