Cheap Soundbar Speakers

Setting up multi-channel audio such as a home theater system has always been fairly complex and vendors recently have come up with unique product and technologies such as wireless speaker kit products or virtual surround sound to help simplify this process. I will review the latest trends to find out which products actually work. I will also give some guidance for selecting the ideal components.
Traditionally, setting up a TV would be fast since they would already have built-in stereo speakers. This, however, has all changed with multi-channel audio. Today external speakers are used to create a surround sound effect. 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 newer 7.1 standard increases this number to 8 by adding two additional side speakers.

Thus setting up a home theater has become quite difficult and long speaker wire runs are often undesirable for aesthetic reasons. Several technologies have emerged to simplify this process.
The first approach is creating so-called virtual speakers by applying signal-processing to the audio and introducing phase shifts and special cues to those audio components that would normally be broadcast by the remote speakers. Since the signal processing is based on how the human hearing detects the origin of sound, the audio components which underwent signal processing can be mixed with the front speaker components and broadcast by the front speakers. The viewer is in effect tricked into believing the audio is originating from a location other than the front speakers.

This technology reduces the number of required speakers and eliminates long speaker cables but every human will process sound slightly differently due to the shape of the ear. The signal processing is based on measurements which are done using a standard human ear model. If the shape of the ear changes, sound will travel differently. Therefore virtual surround will not work equally well for everybody.

Wireless surround sound products are another method for simplifying home speaker setups and usually come with a transmitter component that connects to the source as well as wireless amplifiers that will connect to the remote speakers. The transmitter will often have amplified speaker inputs as well as line-level inputs and have a volume control to adjust it to the source audio level.

While some wireless speaker kits come with a wireless amplifier that connects to two speakers, other products offer individual wireless amplifiers for each speaker. The most basic wireless systems use FM transmission. FM transmission is prone to noise and audio distortion. More advanced systems employ digital audio transmission to perfectly preserve the original audio. To make sure that all speakers are in sync in a multi-channel application, make sure that you pick a wireless system which has an audio latency of a few milliseconds at most. A high latency would lead to an echo effect. This effect would degrade the surround effect. Wireless kits often use the 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz frequency band. Some products also use the 5.8 GHz band. These products have less competition from other wireless devices than products using the crowded 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz bands.

Another method, which is often called sound bars uses side-reflecting speakers. The audio that would normally be broadcast by the remote speakers in instead sent by speakers at the front. These front speakers send the audio at an angle. Then the audio is reflected by the side and rear walls and appear to be originating from besides or behind the viewer. The effect largely depends on the shape of the room and interior design and not work well in many real-world scenarios due to different room shapes and obstacles in the room.

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A sound bar is a great way to improve what you hear when you watch TV without the complexity of (or space required by) a conventional surround sound system. This type of speaker is easy to install, requires minimal set-up and yields impressive results.

Although a sound bar is only a single speaker and won't perform the way a true surround sound system would, it can be the perfect solution for a smaller viewing area or for any situation where a more complex system just won't work. There are a few questions you'll want to ask yourself before making your selection:

• What kind of room will you be using the sound bar in?


• Do you want stereo or surround sound?


• Do you want a unit that comes with a built-in subwoofer?


• What kind of audio inputs will you need?

The type and size of the room where you're planning to install your sound bar will influence what type and size you need. If the room is small to medium-sized and square or rectangular, you can create a dynamic surround sound experience by choosing either a virtual surround or a "beaming" sound bar.

A virtual surround bar includes the left, center and right audio channels (also called LCR) all in one sleek cabinet. The LCR option won't give you the range you'll get with a true surround sound system, but will greatly improve the sound you get when watching movies, TV, or playing video games.
A "beaming" sound bar works by literally bouncing or beaming sound off the four walls around your listening area, essentially fooling your ears into thinking the sound is coming from different directions as it would with a true surround sound system. However, this won't be as effective in an open floor plan or a large room.

If you just want stereo sound, or you are working with a larger room, you may consider a more conventional sound bar with built-in amplification. A good stereo sound bar will be a tremendous improvement over the speakers used in flat-screen TVs, your set-up will be easy, and you'll achieve a streamlined look. Be sure to note what audio inputs you need (cable, DVD player, game console, etc.) before making your decision.

Most sound bars include built-in amplification, but some do not. Those that do not are called passive and will require a connection to a home theater receiver. This is a good option for anyone who already has a receiver, or who may want to create a complete surround sound/home theater system later on. Using a separate receiver can yield cleaner sound processing and a higher quality sound overall, and usually a receiver will offer all the audio inputs you need.

Lastly, you might want to consider adding a separate powered subwoofer. A sound bar can only go so far in reproducing lower bass tones, so if you enjoy deep bass a subwoofer may be worth the investment. They are easy to set up and can be tucked away just about anywhere, as long as it's near an outlet.

Dynamic Sound Systems provides the newest and latest products to meet the growing demand for high quality equipment. Please feel free to browse our site where we have a full pictorial and informational guides on all of our products. We look forward to working with you in your quest for the ultimate sound system.