Audio Video Technology - Springfield's Home Theater Specialists
Audio Video Technology - Springfield's Home Theater Specialists
What is a good STC factor for my room?
STC (Sound Transmission Criteria) values are used in many commercial office buildings and should not be used to measure transmission loss in home theaters. STC has a limited frequency range and does not cover the lower subwoofer range of frequencies. So you might build walls with a good STC rating but that explosion in the movie you are watching still transmits throughout your home. STC is a good measurement for office areas where you don't want conversations heard in the next room but not for home theater.
A good example is cars. Has someone ever driven by you and all you can hear is boom, boom, boom bass coming from it and no music? Cars will often have very high STC values and that is why you do not hear the music, inside the car they are hearing the music just fine. This is what you'll hear in other areas of your house if you try to build your theater using STC.
You recommend two or more subwoofers, why?In small rooms less than 50' x 50' standing waves are going to exist in the room. These waves have peaks and nulls. If you are sitting in a peak the bass will be loud and boomy, if you are sitting in a null the bass is lacking and almost non existent. First we try to put your seating in an area where this effect is not exaggerated. Secondly, we place the subwoofer(s) so the difference between the peaks and nulls is minimized.
Often, the best placement for one subwoofer is somewhere into the middle of the room. This is often not an acceptable location for the subwoofer. With two or more subwoofers we are able to get the subwoofers near the wall using their interaction to achieve the same effect. Secondly the additional subs will provide greater headroom for dynamic material.
About 60-70% of the sound we hear comes from the room! If you put the most expensive equipment you can buy and put it in a racquetball court it is still going to sound lousy. There are four basic things you can do to improve your sound, after you get these as best as possible for your situation then see if you still want to upgrade your equipment. You might be surprised!
1. Seating placement - in corners or against the wall are usually not good locations. Putting a console or sofa table behind a couch to move the couch away from the wall can help significantly.
2. Speaker and Subwoofer placement - This can vary depending on the situation. Ideally, the speaker should be at ear level and not near any surfaces. Do NOT put speakers in corners or recessed in cabinetry. Subwoofers shouldn't be in corners unless you want maximum Boom.
3. Acoustical treatments - These don't have to be ugly foam panels on your walls. There are many aesthetic solutions. For the floors carpeting is best but throw rugs can also benefit. If these aren't possible choosing a speaker that is designed for these application will help.
For walls: tapestries, draperies, pictures or paintings done on fabrics with acoustic foam behind them, there are MANY solutions.
4. Equalization - if the room has done 1,2 and 3 very well then this is the final tweak and only minor adjustments would be needed. Unfortunately, equalization is often used to compensate for problems with 1,2 and 3. Too much equalization can be harmful.
Can small speakers sound as good as big ones?
There are many factors with speaker design that attribute to the sound. But, in general smaller speakers have trouble playing the lower frequency sounds loud enough for us to hear very well. A small speakers with a 3" midrange won't be able to play a deep male's voice as well as a speaker with a 5" midrange. Also, large tower speakers can be difficult to place, so the biggest speakers are often not the best solution either. You need to decide what is the correct speaker for your situation. Often small speakers is an aesthetic compromise but speakers built into a wall or cabinetry might be a better solution for good sound and aesthetics.
What does 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 represent?
The first number is the number of speakers and the second number after the decimal point is the number of subwoofers. Most movies are created in the 5.1 format. For consumers it is mixed into either Dolby Digital (DD) or Digital Theater Systems (DTS) format. Some movies are mixed in the 6.1 format and is know as Dolby Digital EX or DTS ES. Dolby Prologic IIx can take these formats and create 7 channels of audio from them. Also, some of the newer high definition DVDs (HD-DVD) or Blue-ray disc can contain true 7.1 format.
What should I get 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1?
I'd go 7.1 if possible, it gives better envelopment of the surround field. However, I wouldn't sacrifice quality just to get 7 speakers. I would much rather have a good 5.1 system then a poor 7.1 system. You can always add the other speakers later.
To isolate the room would be very expensive as the room needs to be sealed including airlocks. What most people are looking for is reduced sound transmission.
Should I use resilient channel (RC) when building my walls?
RC will add little value for reduced sound transmission. Also, RC is often not installed correctly. Many times the drywall is screwed right through the RC and into the stud. Eliminating any benefit you would have gained by using it. Instead we recommend resilient sound isolation clips (RSIC). These are rubber mounted clips with a hat channel that fit through them.
Is "Quietrock" a good solution for reducing the sound transmission?
QuietRock is a good solution but not the most cost effective solution. We suggest 2 layers of sheetrock with a dampening glue between layers. It is less expensive than QuietRock and provides greater sound reduction. Of course 2 layers of QuietRock with the dampening glue you would have the best solution. But, the difference would be minor compared to using the 2 layers of sheetrock.
There are many type of remotes which is the best to get?It is personal preference, many people prefer the touch screen type for the ease of use. We customize to make things as simple as possible for the way you use your system. Touch screens are preferred in more complex systems such as whole house audio systems.
Many enthusiasts prefer the remote with lots of buttons because they can control functions slightly quicker. If you are the type of person who uses the rewind, fast forward, skip +/- buttons frequently a hard button remote is definitely for you.
If you have a simple system the hard button types are usually the less expensive.
The remotes on your web page are very expensive, can I just buy a remote at Wal-Mart that does the same thing?
NO! You might think I'm biased but the remotes we carry actually have little computers in them. The universal remotes at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, etc. typically only know the codes of your equipment but can't automate your system.
For instance a programmed remote can do the following sequence and remember what it did so when you switch functions later it can adjust everything. The big retailers remotes can't do these functions.
Turn on your TV
Set TV to the correct connection for your high definition cable box
Turn on the cable Box
Turn on your audio equipment
Set the audio for the connection for your high definition signal
Set the correct sound mode
Tune to your favorite channel
Dim the lights
Lower the shades
Etc.
Will these remotes work with my own equipment or do I need to buy all my equipment from you?
These remote work with almost any equipment. We do charge an extra charge for programming your equipment. It is typically $130 per device which reflects the additional time needed learn and program unfamiliar equipment.
Can I put my equipment in a place it won't be seen, such as a closet, cabinet, or in another room?
YES!!! All our remotes have a wireless option.
I'm a programmer, can I program the remote myself?
It depends on the remote. The RTI remote would violate our dealer agreement with them so we don't do it for RTI. With the URC remotes it is left to a dealer decision whether the customer may have a copy of the software. So it is on a case by case basis. URC doesn't provide programming support for the end user (neither does RTI).
LCD or Plasma which is better?At the same retail price, Plasma has the better picture quality. But, LCD is brighter and a better choice for watching in rooms that have a lot of light. If you watch mostly at night or in dimly lit rooms plasma is a better choice. So it depends on your viewing environment and preferences. Here is a good article comparing the top 2008 models.
http://www.displaymate.com/LCD_Plasma_ShootOut.htm
I just bought a new TV and a friend said I should get it calibrated. Don't TVs come calibrated from the factory?
Unfortunately, NO!!! TVs are set at the factory to sell on the showroom floor. The typical showrooms are very bright. To overcome this they set the TV very bright so it will catch the consumer's eye. When the TV is set this bright it often washes out many of the colors of the picture. To compensate for this they usually adjust the red level higher than the rest because they know most people judge TVs by viewing skin tones on people. This is often the reason TVs don't look as good when you get the home.
What should I expect when I get my TV calibrated?
The TV typically won't be as bright, however, the colors are usually more vibrant, the dark scenes show more detail and the TV will last longer. It will also use less electricity. A calibrated TV will look better and save you money. Some TVs have day and night settings so adjustments can be made for both viewing environments.
Can I calibrate the TV myself?
Sure! You need some type of instrumentation which usually costs thousands of dollars and the knowledge to use it.
What is the grayscale?
Our television system is a black and white system left over from the past. When color TV became available in 1953 the engineers didn't want to make everyone's black and white TV obsolete. So they kept the black and white system and decided to send a separate signal which adds the color information to the broadcast. Kind of like a paint by numbers painting.
Many TVs take that black and white signal and make it blue to give the TV extra brightness and then add the color information. This shifts all the colors, like using crayons on colored paper compared to white paper. When a TV is calibrated we generate that black and white signal with a special generator and then use instruments to measure the various levels of gray to adjust your black and white levels to match broadcast standards.
So the grayscale is the levels of the black and white signal being displayed.
Which connector is best way to connect my High Definition TV? i.e. HDMI, DVI, Component, etc.
This can be a much more complex question than it sounds but I'll try to give you some simple solutions. In general I'd use HDMI or DVI and there are adapters to convert one to the other. Sometimes the digital connections have problems with the copy protection information that is being transmitted. The copy protection called HDCP (High Definition Copy Protection) can cause either loss of picture or will display a picture for only a few seconds. If this happens use the component connection.
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