Setting up multi-channel audio including a home theater system has always been relatively complicated and vendors recently have developed unique products and technologies such as wireless surround sound systems products or virtual surround sound to help simplify this process. I will look at the newest trends to see which products actually work. I will also give some advice for picking the best components.
Most of today's TVs will be installed as a multi-channel audio system. Whereas traditionally TVs would contain built-in stereo speakers, nowadays a number of external speakers are used to let the viewer experience surround sound. The most commonly used 5.1 surround sound format requires installing a total of 6 loudspeakers. 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 additional side speakers.
Therefore, home theater installations have turn out to be fairly difficult. Running wires to remote speakers also is often undesirable because of aesthetic reasons. Suppliers have lately released new products and technologies. These devices were designed to help simplify the installation of home theater products.
The first solution is named virtual surround sound. This solution will take the audio components which would typically be broadcast by the remote speakers. It then uses signal processing to those components and inserts special cues and phase delays. Next these components are mixed with the front speaker audio. As the signal processing is based on how the human hearing detects the origin of audio, the audio components which underwent signal processing can be mixed with the front speaker components and broadcast by the front loudspeakers. Because of the signal processing, the viewer is deceived into believing the audio is coming from virtual remote surround speakers.
The advantage of this technology is that only a couple of speakers are required and no long speaker wire has to be run throughout the viewing environment. The drawback though is that each human will process audio differently due to the dissimilar form of every human ear. Because the signal processing is based on a standard human ear model, virtual surround will not function equally well for each person depending on how much the viewer varies from the standard model.
Wireless surround sound devices are another option for simplifying home speaker installations and usually have a transmitter module which connects to the source and wireless amplifiers that will connect to the remote speakers. Usually the transmitter part will have amplified loudspeaker inputs and line-level inputs. This offers freedom to connect to every kind of source. A transmitter volume control helps take full advantage of the dynamic range and eliminates clipping of the audio within the transmitter.
A number of wireless kits come with wireless amplifiers that connect to two speakers. This still requires cord runs between the two speakers. Other products come with separate wireless amplifiers for each loudspeaker. The most basic wireless systems utilize FM broadcast. FM transmission is susceptible to noise and audio degradation. More advanced devices make use of digital audio transmission to perfectly maintain the original audio. In multi-channel audio kits, it is vital to choose a wireless solution with a latency of merely a few milliseconds. This will ensure that the audio of all speakers is in perfect sync. A large latency would lead to an echo effect. This effect would degrade the surround effect. Many wireless products work in the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz frequency bands. Some products utilize the less crowded 5.8 GHz frequency band and consequently have less competition from other wireless gadgets.
Other product types use side-reflecting loudspeakers. This solution is named sound bars. The audio that would ordinarily be sent by the remote loudspeakers is instead sent by speakers at the front. These front loudspeakers broadcast the sound at an angle. Then the audio is reflected by the side and rear walls and appears to be originating from besides or behind the viewer. The effect heavily is dependent upon the interior, especially the shape of the room and the decoration. It will function well for square rooms with no obstacles and sound reflecting walls. However, realistic scenarios often will vary from this ideal and reduce the result of this option.
Most of today's TVs will be installed as a multi-channel audio system. Whereas traditionally TVs would contain built-in stereo speakers, nowadays a number of external speakers are used to let the viewer experience surround sound. The most commonly used 5.1 surround sound format requires installing a total of 6 loudspeakers. 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 additional side speakers.
Therefore, home theater installations have turn out to be fairly difficult. Running wires to remote speakers also is often undesirable because of aesthetic reasons. Suppliers have lately released new products and technologies. These devices were designed to help simplify the installation of home theater products.
The first solution is named virtual surround sound. This solution will take the audio components which would typically be broadcast by the remote speakers. It then uses signal processing to those components and inserts special cues and phase delays. Next these components are mixed with the front speaker audio. As the signal processing is based on how the human hearing detects the origin of audio, the audio components which underwent signal processing can be mixed with the front speaker components and broadcast by the front loudspeakers. Because of the signal processing, the viewer is deceived into believing the audio is coming from virtual remote surround speakers.
The advantage of this technology is that only a couple of speakers are required and no long speaker wire has to be run throughout the viewing environment. The drawback though is that each human will process audio differently due to the dissimilar form of every human ear. Because the signal processing is based on a standard human ear model, virtual surround will not function equally well for each person depending on how much the viewer varies from the standard model.
Wireless surround sound devices are another option for simplifying home speaker installations and usually have a transmitter module which connects to the source and wireless amplifiers that will connect to the remote speakers. Usually the transmitter part will have amplified loudspeaker inputs and line-level inputs. This offers freedom to connect to every kind of source. A transmitter volume control helps take full advantage of the dynamic range and eliminates clipping of the audio within the transmitter.
A number of wireless kits come with wireless amplifiers that connect to two speakers. This still requires cord runs between the two speakers. Other products come with separate wireless amplifiers for each loudspeaker. The most basic wireless systems utilize FM broadcast. FM transmission is susceptible to noise and audio degradation. More advanced devices make use of digital audio transmission to perfectly maintain the original audio. In multi-channel audio kits, it is vital to choose a wireless solution with a latency of merely a few milliseconds. This will ensure that the audio of all speakers is in perfect sync. A large latency would lead to an echo effect. This effect would degrade the surround effect. Many wireless products work in the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz frequency bands. Some products utilize the less crowded 5.8 GHz frequency band and consequently have less competition from other wireless gadgets.
Other product types use side-reflecting loudspeakers. This solution is named sound bars. The audio that would ordinarily be sent by the remote loudspeakers is instead sent by speakers at the front. These front loudspeakers broadcast the sound at an angle. Then the audio is reflected by the side and rear walls and appears to be originating from besides or behind the viewer. The effect heavily is dependent upon the interior, especially the shape of the room and the decoration. It will function well for square rooms with no obstacles and sound reflecting walls. However, realistic scenarios often will vary from this ideal and reduce the result of this option.
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You can find additional information regarding wireless surround sound kits as well as other surround sound brands at Amphony's website.
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