Guide to Audio Basics

[darreng101]

Could we please start a sub-section to subwoofers about how they connect to a receiver eg line level vs speaker level inputs.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of running your speakers from the receiver via the sub and then out to the speakers?

Many subs have this option although I think higher end subs opt for line level only.

Cheers

 

[darreng101]

And perhaps on Phase, 0 Degrees or 180 Degrees (Inverted)

Gracias

 

[davidwarner04]

Yes, thanks. I certainly think you should. Acoustics is not only a vital subject but compared to buying new hardware also a cheap path to follow. And any investments in acoustics is for life - you do not need upgrades

However, it is a tricky subject with lots of stuff sold that is mainly focused on the office market and sometimes works poorly even there.


Aaah.. my link above looks weird. Will try again:

Sounds of Science sound absorbers

few years ago I got my first guitar, a Yamaha Beginner Acoustic FG700. It has served me well

 

[blackhawk1928]

I'm going to update the file source section to make it a lot more organized and clear.

 

[blackhawk1928]

Making an update on electricity and how it relates to audio.

 

[usg414]

very nice..

 

[usg414]

neways how much time did it take to make this.. great effort

 

[chugot9218]

Great article, very informative! I had a comment that I wanted to share about my experience with Pioneer's customer service (*hint* it was horrible!) but I also did not want to jack your thread. I felt the lack and poor quality of their service was enough that I would not purchase one of their products again. Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents, I noticed it was listed as a recommended receiver manufacturer .

 

[blackhawk1928]

Well, my list is not based on the quality of customer support. Its based on how good quality the receivers and equipment actually is.

Some companies have absolutely phenomenal customer service, but the equipment has horrible quality.

 

[chugot9218]

Fair enough, I did actually receive a response from a manager and he was very apologetic, somewhat alleviated my concerns, but it was also concerning that my mainboard had to be replaced after 6 months. Audio quality wise I have few complaints but also little to benchmark it against.

 

[Hueristic]

First of all this was a great read, thanks a ton! Now what I'd like clarified is the SPdif section. I've found so much conflicting information on the subject that I am getting quite the headache. From what I understand it is a 2 channel (stereo) specification. But I have also read that it can and does carry other specifications compressed?

My main reason for this question is that I am trying to hook up a HTPC to a 7.1 receiver and my video is not hdmi. If I connect the hdmi from the video card then the system thinks there is another video stream (unacceptable). If I disable this display then the sound channels are also shut off.

 

[musical marv]

bravo, about time all this information was mentioned in a fairly laid out post.

this should be stickied and referred to/read by people seeking advice to familiarize themselves before asking us questions. a MODERATOR should look at this. [EDIT: looks like it got stickied by the time i finished writing this!!]

keep up the good work.
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you might want to briefly touch on the differences between "computer audio" and "home theatre audio"

s/pdif should be added to the optical connections listing.

analog connections should be listed, if just briefly

imo hdmi > coax since if you're going to be using one for video anyways.

for brand recommendations the words "budget inclined" give false representation. this leads one to believe they are brands for only people with little money to spend (for example under $500). for example my mid ranged pioneer receiver was $500 and i know they make even higher end models. my klipsh speakers were also around $500 (sub $350) and they are the lower end models. klipsh has sets which are over $10,000. i think you need to clarify this section a bit.

if you place down firing subwoofers on thick carpeting some of the sound will be muffled. to avoid this sometimes people place them on a hard board or other such platform. i've heard that down firing subwoofers are more omnidirectional and spread sound out better than forward firing models.

i agree with the weight comment in terms of audio equipment. i commonly use the reference with computer power supplies as well. a psu weighing 10-15lbs is a good thing (provided you dont try to actually lift your computer case!).

you might want to list a brief section on HTIB (home theatre in a box) solutions.

a small section on speaker placement and why running the "speaker test" to calculate speaker delay is important.

going over 2.1, 5.1, 7.1, multi sub setups: differences, pros, cons, etcetera might be nice.

Excellent and very informative.

 

[thee_prisoner]

You mentioned that peak power(headroom) is NOT important. A good amp will be able to deliver peak power without clipping or distortion. maybe we are getting are definitions crossed but I want an amp to put out lets say 1000(or a lot more) watts in a short instant.

Link that better explains it: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/manufacture/0708/

 

[alisdiar]

Really very informative post. I saved it for future and bookmared the link.

 

[icee123]

useful information, thanks.

 

[Deus Gladiorum]

Excellent guide! It very much helps that I already have an understanding of video and physics, but overall this is an excellent guide to someone like me who has never familiarized himself with anything related to how audio works.

I have a suggestion though, but bare with me because A.) I'm not finished reading this and B.) it might be difficult for me to explain:

For the layman, the one question that one might ask him/herself is, "well, if digital audio is composed of only dots while analog is continuous, how are these spaces or gaps in digital filled during the conversion from digital to audio?" Personally, I assume that these filled-in gaps in analog are essentially just spots that are devoid of any actual sound that a sound system is producing, and in its place are just background noises from any number of things in nature. Would I be right on that, and if so, if it's not already incorporated into the guide, perhaps it'd be beneficial to implement it as well?

 

[headhead]

thank you useful information

 

[tomc53]

Excellent guide! It very much helps that I already have an understanding of video and physics, but overall this is an excellent guide to someone like me who has never familiarized himself with anything related to how audio works.

I have a suggestion though, but bare with me because A.) I'm not finished reading this and B.) it might be difficult for me to explain:

For the layman, the one question that one might ask him/herself is, "well, if digital audio is composed of only dots while analog is continuous, how are these spaces or gaps in digital filled during the conversion from digital to audio?" Personally, I assume that these filled-in gaps in analog are essentially just spots that are devoid of any actual sound that a sound system is producing, and in its place are just background noises from any number of things in nature. Would I be right on that, and if so, if it's not already incorporated into the guide, perhaps it'd be beneficial to implement it as well?

That's a very good question. You are almost right, except that the digital must get converted to alalog or we wouldn't hear it -- the analog being a speaker. when a signal is converted from digital to analog, it really just becomes a string of voltages which are the sum of the digital numbers. the sound is theorhetically just pulses, with space between. What happens in practive, however is that electronics are not perfect, and the conversions take some tie to happen, so that the actual signal curves from from one level to the next, coming out looking very much like the original analog signal that we wanted to hear.
When digital recording first started and CDs became popular, the analog recording techniques were not quite as good as the digital ones, so that CDs sounded 'better' than the old analog. Basically, the OLD analog recording devices, such as magnetic tape, could not do a truly faithful representation of the sound, but only an approximation. In Studio recording the approximation was very good, but some of us oldsters remember cassette tape, which sounded nothing like the original, and it was easy to tell a recording from live performance. (Notwithstanding the old ads "Is it live, or is it Memorex".)Since the advent of digital recording and electronic music, it becomes difficult to tell a well reproduced recording from the original.

 

[juliahe]

Long but nice!

 

[HomeVision]

wow its really awesome thanks for your guide lines