Are Home Theater Amplifiers or Preamplifiers Necessary?

There are many lesser-known components available that are vital to creating a high-end home theater environment. Some of these components include sound equipment like a home theater amplifier or a surround sound preamplifier. If you aren't familiar with these custom home theater components, don't be overwhelmed. Below you'll find descriptions of both as well as how you can find a home theater preamplifier and amplifier that's right for your entertainment system.
The surround sound preamplifier and the home theater amplifier, though similar, are two separate components for a reason. The following is information on these components that will help you get a better understanding of what each does and how they work in unison.
Surround Sound Preamplifier
The home theater preamplifier was originally a simple component contained in the audio-visual receiver that serves as the core of a home theater system. To allow for better control over a theatre's audio quality, however, many manufacturers have begun offering preamplifiers as a separate component that can be more directly controlled. This doesn't mean that it's been completely removed from the A/V receiver and its functions. Several models such as the NAD T175 from NAD still feature decoding technology as well as control functions which allow for greater customization of the audio experience.
As the name implies, the surround sound preamplifier's job is to act as an initial amplifier for audio signals that come in to the A/V receiver. This allows the amplifier, or power amplifier (as it is also known), to have much less work to do in order to get the audio level to the point that you want it at. By using one in your system, you will also gain an additional control point for making small adjustments to the quality of your sound so that you can make everything exactly like you want it to.
Home Theater Amplifier
The home theater amplifier was also originally just a component of the A/V receiver. As the use of custom components began to rise in popularity, though, the amplifier was one of the first pieces to be separated. A separate amplifier allows for a much greater level of control when it comes to the volume and clarity of your audio, and when combined with a preamplifier, will allow you to customize your audio experience to the layout of the room or rooms that your system covers.

As previously mentioned, the home theater amplifier is sometimes referred to as the power amplifier because it is independently powered, as opposed to having to share its power with the other components of the A/V receiver. When audio information is sent to the amplifier from an A/V receiver or other decoder, it is sent as separate audio channels which are then independently amplified. The specific levels of amplification can be altered at the amplifier itself, allowing you to "shape" the end result to accentuate the specific qualities of your audio that you prefer and that work best with the acoustics of your home layout. Audio components manufacturers such as PSB strive to include as many options for audio customization as possible, ranging from basic graphics equalizers and volume controls to virtual audio effects, bass boosting technology, and the ability to emulate a wider range of sounds from individual speakers to better control the way that your home theater system plays audio.
If you are designing a very large home theater room or if you plan to have a complicated theatre layout, consider purchasing these components. When the two pieces are installed and are working together, you will have greater control over volume, better sound quality and clarity, and an optimum system for making additional customization changes to. A home theater custom installer can give you specific information about your amplifier needs if you are unclear about whether these items are right for your theater.

Article Marketing - How to Promote High End Audio Home Systems Using Article Writing

Products that cost thousands of dollars are usually harder to sell. This is especially true if you are trying to sell high end products on the Internet - a faceless medium. So how can you build up enough trust for the customer to be willing to part with thousands of dollars for a high end home audio system? Perhaps the answer lies in article marketing.
Tip 1: Provide home audio setup tips.
Tip 2: Show customers how to choose the right audio system.
Tip 3: Build trust by sharing expert knowledge.
Tip 4: In the author box, state that the content is provided by a reputable Company.
Tip 1: Provide home audio setup tips.
Writing audio related articles that show sound enthusiasts how to setup home audio systems can attract a lot of targeted traffic. These are homeowners who are interested in setting up a complete audio system in their living room, and they are searching for information on how to do that. Provide that information, and you stand a chance of making a sale.

Tip 2: Show customers how to choose the right audio system.
Pick the top audio systems in the market, and write about them. Tell your readers why you have recommended these systems. What are the strengths? And what kind of experience can the homeowners expect to have after installation?
Tip 3: Build trust by sharing expert knowledge.
It is very difficult to sell something that is worth thousands of dollars to someone who doesn't trust you. So try to build trust by sharing expert knowledge. The more good stuff you share, the more credible you sound.
Tip 4: In the author box, state that the content is provided by a reputable Company.
Finally, customers want to know who they are buying from. If you have been in this business for years, let the customers know in the author box.

Want to learn how to get to the top of Google using Article Marketing? I have the tools, knowledge, and resources to help you achieve your traffic and income goals.

Home Audio Recording Fun

I'm not even sure how old I was when I got the gift for Christmas, but I remember thinking it was a pretty impressive piece of electronic hardware. It was really cool looking (technologically speaking), and I was awfully proud to own it. It certainly made for lots of fun times.
What was this high-tech gift, you ask? Why, it was a tape recorder! It was a monographic, reel to reel tape deck that came with it's own plug-in microphone. I could hold that mic up to my transistor radio's speaker and record songs onto tape. I could also play the guitar and sing and record every second of it. I could even hide and record conversations from unsuspecting family members. I was in recording heaven!
Years later I owned an 8 track stereo recording deck (ok, that was a mistake). At another point in time I had a stereo cassette recording deck that would physically flip the tape over when one side was finished recording or playing. Now I own a more conventional stereo dual cassette deck, but I no longer use it for recording or much of anything else for that matter.
All my recording is now done on my computer. The audio and midi software available today for computer recording is quite amazing. You can record multiple tracks, edit the recordings and add special effects as desired. Many of the audio recording programs come with their own native special effects such as reverb, compression, flanger, and chorus, to name a few. Some of the recording software can also accept third party effects such as vocal removers, tube amp effects and many more.

Multitrack recording software allows for recording various live instruments, vocals, etc, onto individual tracks. After recording one track, you can play it back while recording another. Once finished, you can mix all the individual tracks down into one stereo track. Some recording software will import and record both audio and MIDI, some audio only. If you have a MIDI keyboard or other MIDI instrument, be sure to pick software that handles both formats.
Creating a simple home audio recording studio is easy. In addition to software, an audio and/or midi interface will allow you to plug all kinds of audio components, microphones and instruments into your computer for live recording, recording from tape or even from your old vinyl lp's. You can also use a home stereo system as an interface for audio components by running cables to it from your computer's sound card. A laptop with recording software and a USB interface can serve as a totally portable recording studio. And again, if you have MIDI instruments, be sure to get an interface that will allow connecting them in additon to audio components and instruments.
The digital revolution has made music recording easily available to anyone with a computer. If you enjoy music and want to do more than just download mp3's from the Internet, get some multitrack recording software and start your own home sound studio.

What's So Good About Home Audio Visual Systems

Everyone would love to have a dedicated room in the house especially designed for recreational and entertainment purposes, however not many people even dare to dream about purchasing an audio-video system because these devices are considered not only very expensive, but also hard to connect together. In addition, there is also the misconception that you will make a large investment in a home theater system that you can only watch TV on or listen to your favorite music. However, nothing can be further from the truth, as these systems can provide a lot of fun for all the members of the family, regardless of age or gender.
For example, if you are enjoying a fine Sunday afternoon and your friends decide to come over and you did not finish watching a movie, you can prepare some snacks and continue watching that movie in the kitchen, if you have an audio video distribution system. At the same time, you can make a fine recording of your family or one of your members playing the piano for instance and send the perfect gift to an aunt or uncle that you did not see for a long time. As you may notice, the audio video systems allow you to do a lot of activities with the members of your family and friends, even though it is recommended that an adult is the one responsible with making the necessary adjustments to the devices.

Another advantage of the audio video systems, mostly on the professional devices, is the flexibility they provide. Most of the speakers, subwoofer, cables and the TV have handles or wheels on the table support, that allow you to easily move them around the room for the moments when you want to rearrange their position or clean up the place. In addition, the professional home audio video systems are usually more resilient and provide an extended warranty that can prove to be very useful in case of accidents.
However, one of the most appreciated benefits of an audio video system is the possibility to choose to watch what you want and exactly when you want it. Moreover, if you invest in a whole house audio video distribution system, you will no longer have any fights in the family regarding a certain TV channel. Every member will be able to watch their favorite programs in any room they want without disturbing the others

Great Ways to Enjoy Your Home Audio Wireless Speaker System

Watching HD movies and TV programs will give you the best experience if you have high quality speakers hooked up. But, that's not all. You could even use these speakers to play out your favorite songs. Think about it, with the surround setup of your speakers, it would be a great treat. Shop around and you will discover in the market there are varieties of home speakers that are available. The conventional ones are the wired speakers. Now, if you are a trend setter, you might want to take a closer look at the Home Audio Wireless Speaker package.

Personally, I will use the following two ways to take full advantage of my Home Audio Wireless Speaker system. Read the first one, which is the conventional way. But, don't forget to check out the second one, my creative usage of the wireless technology.
Hook up to your home theater system:

With the launching of new flat screen TV every now and then, and coupling with the price competition among the different brands, owning a flat screen TV would naturally be on top of most households shopping list.
For me, I hook up my flat screen HDTV with my wireless surround sound speakers system to create the cinematic feel in my living room. Big brands such as Samsung and Philips are already offering home theater systems that take full advantage of the wireless surround sound to reproduce the cinematic atmosphere that movie goers would craze for. When it comes to superb sound quality reproduction, I give my two thumbs up to Dolby digital surround system. This is on the top of my "features" checklist.

Other big boys are not losing out to Samsung and Philips. Many manufacturers are also incorporating the wireless technology into their entertainment appliances like TVs and DVDs.

The main plus point with wireless speakers system is that there will be minimum usage of wires. It is easy to hook them up to your home theater or audio system through signal transmitter.
Hook up to your gadgets

Do you know that you can connect your mobile phone to the wireless speakers? This is what I called my personal "blow-up portable headphone". I love it this way because I can move freely without the wires hanging below my chin.

PC speakers development are not far behind the audio big boys. The PC speakers have their own wireless version too. Some are of pretty good audio quality for casual songs playback and as well as for gaming.
Home Audio Wireless Speaker systems are not without its fair share of drawbacks. The primary cause surrounds on the use of radio frequency to deliver sound. Critics claimed that this produced poorer quality sound reproduction in comparison to wired speakers.

To me, the bottom-line in making your shopping decision, is very much depends on your needs and budget. Read out on as many reviews as your time permit and then ask yourself this question- With my current budget, how best can I satisfy my needs?

Home Theater System Setup Guidelines

Nowadays, most people have audio visual system at home. It is extremely popular not only for music lovers but also for the movie fanatics as well. This technology is considered to be a big competition to cinemas as people tends to stay at home watching movies instead of watching in cinemas. A good knowledge of home theater setup is important in order to get the best viewing and listening experience possible for home relaxation and home entertainment.
There are many factors in setting up a home theater system. One of these factors is taking into consideration the shape and size of the room where you are placing the home theater system. The system must match the size of the room in order to get the best possible surround sound and life like performance. Small room should use lesser power speakers and lesser number of speakers compared to a much bigger room. A home-theater-in-a-box may be enough for small rooms. This consists of a 5.1 sub-sat system. If you have a bigger room, this home-theater-in-a-box setup may not be adequate. You may consider using bookshelf speakers or even some floor standing designs. In addition, you can gear towards 7.1 home theater systems. Some people start with small systems consisting of 2 front speakers first. Then, they add some speakers in a later time. This is possible if you are in a limited budget, however, make sure that all speakers compliment and match each other in acoustics and sound quality. You cannot get a realistic surround sound if your speakers are imbalance, with different sound quality and frequency response.

Aside from size of the room, you also need to consider the room acoustics. The walls should absorb the sound coming from your speakers instead of bouncing it. You can choose a soft wall materials as well as addition of thick curtains. Carpeting of floor is also a good solution in avoiding room echo.
Other components of a home entertainment system are DVD players or Blu-ray players, home theater receivers and the visuals, such as TV or Projector. Some are including the gaming consoles in the setup of their home entertainment room. The selection of the components will vary depending on your requirements as well as how much you are willing to invest for such package. Aside from the main components, another important factors in home theater system are the accessories, such as speaker cables and audio-visual cables. These cables largely affect the system performance. If you have a high-end system, it is a good practice to use a high-end cables as well to get the most out of your system.
Do not forget that you also need to consider the type of furniture for your entertainment room as this will also affect your relaxation and viewing pleasure. This may include the TV stand and component desk and speaker stands, couch and home theater seats. Lastly, seating position relative to visuals and speakers should also be designed properly to get the best possible viewing and listening experience from your home entertainment system.

Give Home Electronics the Audio Edge

The market for home electronics is booming, with hobbyists and electronics enthusiasts letting their imaginations run wild and creating new gadgets and prototypes by the dozen. Whether they are interested amateurs wanting to learn more about electronics, or engineers prototyping their new designs for commercial applications, these creative minds are using the most up-to-date components.
In the last few years, a number of online suppliers have made it their business to source the most sophisticated components and starter kits to get electronics enthusiasts going. These components, plus the passion of hobbyists, are the magic ingredients that can unleash a wealth of new ideas, from robotics to e-textiles.
As well as the circuit boards, relay switches and microcontrollers that form the hub of most new designs, these online suppliers also provide a wealth of accessories that support the creation of some fascinating creations. Take, for example, an audio amplifier kit, which adds superior sound capability to any new design.
Look online for an audio amplifier kit and it is easy to find some excellent technology. The STA540 audio amplifier kit, which is widely available, is a stereo amplifier that offers fully functional, two-channel audio amplification, and includes a standby switch, volume control and indicator LEDs. The kit also comes with a 6400BG heatsink to dissipate any potentially damaging heat from the circuits.
When the kit arrives it is completely disassembled, so you would need to solder everything to the PCB, so there is a lot of work to do, but therein lies all the fun. Assembling the kits is the best way to learn about how all of the components function, how they interact, and how they work together to deliver. The joy of these kits is as much in the work it takes to put them together as it is in the final creation.

One of the best things about buying these kinds of kit from knowledgeable online suppliers is that the websites are often run by professional electronics engineers, who are also home electronics enthusiasts themselves. They understand the components they supply, and they ensure that they only supply the best quality kits and parts.
The biggest benefit of this is that they are not only there to sell you products, but also to help you to choose the right components, and to advise you after you have bought a kit on how best to use it. Often they are open to answering questions about what to buy or how to use a particular piece of kit.
Knowing that this kind of support is there is one of the most reassuring things that you can have as an electronics enthusiast, especially if you are prototyping something new and want to get it right first time.
So, for anyone looking for audio amplifier kits or any other home electronics component, there is not only a wealth of gadgetry available, but a lot of advice, too.
If you have a design in mind that needs a reliable and high-quality audio amplifier, it is easy to find the right parts. Something like the STA540 audio amplifier kit is a good starting point for anyone wanting to learn about audio electronics, but always remember to shop around for the best deal and ask the help of experts when you are choosing what to buy.

Simple Audio Secrets - Setting Up Your Home Audio Production Studio

Audio education production is a phrase that can be looked at in two ways. Let me explain what I mean:

1. Audio education production can be a way of describing how to implement audio in the production of education video.
2. Audio education production can be a way of producing videos that focus on the education methodology that focuses on techniques that are best for people who learn through listening.

There are different ways of learning including visual, verbal, physical, and aural. Some people learn better and faster with aural teaching. Others learn and retain more when they can use several senses at the same time. What this means is that when you are producing a video, you need to consider both the end-user and how important your audio is to this listener.As for education on how to best use audio in video production, do not overlook the importance of using good equipment and the right words. You would think twice about creating a website to sell your products with cheesy looking graphics. You should be just as careful about educating yourself on the proper methods of getting the best voice over on your video.

What, you ask, do I have to do to gear up for audio education for video production? Here are some guidelines that offer a good starting place.
Some people just do not have the voice for audio production. Tape your own voice and listen to it. While we tend to be critical of our own voice, try to be objective. Do you speak clearly? If you are not sure, ask someone else to listen to it and give you feedback on whether they can understand what you are saying.
If your voice passes the grade, the next step is to use the best microphone you can afford. Even if your voice is perfect, cracks and snaps and burbles will not make the listening experience pleasant.
The voice is okay. The microphone is okay. The next step is to make sure that the message delivered is crisp, clear, and concise. The best voice and the best sound will not compensate for a rambling voice on your video.
If you get the first type of audio education mastered, your videos will be able to deliver the kind of audio needed for the second type of audio education.

Advantages of Home Theater Systems

Have you ever wondered why people prefer to pay just to watch movie at the cinema? The answer is simple. It is simply because the sound system is excellent and the screen is bigger. This is great if you are watching action movies. However, with the advance technology today, home theater system is designed to bring satisfaction to users who want to enjoy watching movie at home. This system will give the amazing experience that you just can't get from a normal television set. It consists of a big screen LCD and a set of speakers.
Here are some of the main advantages of having home theater system at home. First of all, the main important difference of using this system is the sound effects. You can just compare the sound quality with an ordinary television. Using this system, you can actually listen to each and every word clearly including the breathing and sigh sounds. The good thing is the sound projection is 180 degree. You will have left, right and center speakers so that the sounds are spread evenly in your living room. If you can listen clearly, some of the movies has different soundtrack coming from the right speaker and left speaker. This is the sound system effect for most of the action movies.

Another great thing about this home theater system is the screen. You are able to watch your movies clearly and watch in the dark. Using this system, the images are clearer and sharper compared to using normal television. Some people may not feel the need to watch movie at a bigger screen but you will surely feel the difference as you don't have to stress your eyes watching movies at a small screen television.
These are among the great experiences of having a home theater system at home. Now, you don't have to queue for hours and spend extra bucks just to buy your movie ticket. You can always watch movies at home at your own comfort zone and during your leisure time!

How To Stream Audio Through Your Home

A large number of wireless audio transmitter products have emerged over the years. They promise to cut the cord to your audio equipment. We will examine the impact of new technologies on the performance of these products. Also, we'll examine if they keep their promise of eliminating the cable clutter.
The first form of wireless audio transmission was in the form of AM and FM radio stations. While still being popular today, FM radio is now being replaced by new technologies including HD radio, satellite radio and DAB broadcasts. A range of today's wireless consumer products cut the cord such as wireless surround sound kits, baby monitors, wireless microphones and Bluetooth transmitters.
Setting up speakers in another room and distributing music throughout the house are some of the applications of wireless audio. Many homes are not wired for audio. The technologies used today all have pros and cons as we will examine.
FM transmitters are using the most traditional technology in which audio is sent by changing the frequency of a radio-frequency carrier. The technology, which is called frequency modulation (FM), is fairly simple and cost-effecive to build and offers high range. While most of today's 900 MHz products use FM transmission, FM has some major problems.
FM transmissions will pick up static which is noticeable as a background hiss depending on the location of the wireless receiver. The reason for the varying quality is a phenomenon called multipath fading which is a result of reflected radio waves cancelling each other out. Using two antennae is one method some devices cope with this problem (diversity receivers). Another problem is that FM radios easily pick up interference from competing wireless transmitters.
Another technology which has gained popularity recently is called Bluetooth. Bluetooth was originally designed to connect computer peripheral devices wirelessly. Before the signal is broadcast, Bluetooth transmitters will convert the audio into a digital format. One of the advantages is the high robustness against wireless interference. However, Bluetooth was not designed for audio transmissions. Therefore is does have several problems. Bluetooth only offers a range of 30 ft or less and will compress the audio since it does not offer enough space to transmit an uncompressed CD-quality signal. Due to the compression, the audio quality will be degraded compared to the original. Another problem is that Bluetooth will introduce a delay or latency to the signal during the transmission. This delay is a particular problem for video and surround sound applications. In these applications the sound from the wireless speakers would be out of sync with the video and remaining speakers.

The technologies used for satellite radio and terrestrial digital radio offer high range. However, they also use extensive audio compression. Further, a delay of up to several seconds is introduced.
Another technology sends the audio digitally without using audio compression. The signal will retain the original quality by avoiding audio compression. This technology offers an audio latency of less than 1 ms. Therefore these transmitters can be used for wireless speaker kits in a home theater setup and other real-time applications.
To be robust against interference from other wireless devices, this technology uses forward error correction. This mechanism can repair errors during the transmission. Some recent products use the 5.8 GHz frequency band which is less crowded than the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz bands. The result is high reliability. Other than Bluetooth, this technology can operate and number of receivers per transmitter which is key for sending audio to several locations throughout the house.

5 Tips For Setting Up a Home Audio Recording Studio

When putting together a home audio recording studio, there is no doubt that equipment will play a major factor in the success of the recordings. However, this does not mean you have to pay top dollar for everything you purchase. Most people are going to initially navigate to the well established brand names. And if you have thousands of extra dollars collecting dust, why not? These companies manufacture great equipment. But it is not necessary to limit yourself to these brands. In fact there are countless other companies out there that produce top-notch equipment and at much more reasonable prices. I have made it a point to do my homework before making any purchases. And it has seemed to work well for me. Here are a few tips when it comes to purchasing equipment for your home audio recording studio.
1. Before any recording is done, make sure the recording space sounds good! Test the area with room measurement software. REW Room EQ Wizard is amazing... and free. Adequately treat the problem areas with bass traps and broadband absorbers. There is no point in having quality equipment if the room sounds like crap.
2. Research! This is why God gave us the internet. There are a ton of great recording forums out there that can teach you everything you need to know about equipment. Members of these forums may be able to lead you in the direction of some low-cost gems. Also check out the review sections on music instrument retail sites.

3. Check out equipment shootout videos on the internet. There are plenty of quality videos that compare equipment from different brands. Use your ears. Decide what you like best. It's okay to pay attention to brand names, put don't put too much value on them. There are less well-known companies out there that make excellent equipment. Seek them out. Quality doesn't have to come with a high price tag.
4. Study the fundamentals of setting up a recording studio. Good equipment is of little use if you have no idea how to set it up correctly. Just imagine having several thousand dollars invested in microphones. Now envision an unsatisfactory final project because you neglected to learn the proper placement of these audio-capture devices. Extremely depressing, isn't it?
5. Practice! Learn your equipment just like you would a music instrument. Get accustomed to all the features. Regardless of the quality of the equipment, you have to know how to use it. Being able to get the maximum capability out of your equipment can make all the difference.
These are just a few suggestions to consider when setting up a home recording studio and purchasing equipment.