Frequently Asked Questions
- As professional installers, do you use generic wire and cables or do you go high-end? Does it depend on the job? Can you tell the difference?
- I don't have an A/V receiver... what's the best way for me to get surround sound directly out of my HDTV?
- Can in-wall speakers deliver the same sound quality as floorstanding speakers? And can in-ceiling speakers deliver the same impact as in-wall speakers?
- I'm replacing my 12 year old Sony 32" with a flat panel, the the bedroom. We would like to get a wall mount that swivels to the bed and chairs. Do you have any recommendations?
- Our house has stone floors, high ceilings and tons of echo. Are there any ways to inexpensively kill the echo?
Frequently Given Answers
- As professional installers, do you use generic wire and cables or do you go high-end? Does it depend on the job? Can you tell the difference?
Wire....My eyes are rolling - everyone worries about it. Fear of getting insufficient quality drives dramatic concern. After all, it is the highway on which your signal travels to your speakers. You could ruin the quality of the music. Logical concern: great amp + excellent speakers + bad cable= lousy sound. This is true, but you can really go overboard. Many people have been taken advantage of by “measurable” differences. Here are a few basic guidelines to keep it simple.
Get the biggest wire possible? First, quick wire education. The lower the gauge, the larger the wire - 10 being the lowest reasonable size and 22 gauge being the smallest. So go with 10 right? Rarely.
There is definitely a point of diminishing returns. If wire is too small you will lose some of the frequencies and therefore fidelity. But, average 16 gauge wire will handle an 8 ohm full range speaker up to 48 feet with no discernible change. And since most speakers are easily within 25 feet of your amplifier, don’t spend the extra money. THX is very particular and they rate 14 gauge at 40 feet and 80 feet for satellite speakers. For distributed audio to ceiling speakers, 14 to 16 gauge is typically fine. Since most in-ceiling speakers can not reproduce music with high end subtlety, any frequencies lost would have likely not even been produced anyway.
Oxygen free? This wire has less impurities (iron etc.) and technically conducts better, but not a discernable amount. The reason it is worth buying is because it is less prone to corrosion and therefore performance will not degrade.
The Jacket: Often a cable is made to look better by having a large transparent jacket that enlarges the look of the copper much similar to an object under water. Basically, it’s marketing but it often has the adverse effect of stiffening the cable and making it less manageable. In-wall rated cables have more flexible yet stronger jackets and can be “plenum” rated to meet fire codes. And, for outdoor speakers we use cable that has a direct burial rated jacket.
Twisted wire? This is much like Cat5. Twisting speaker cable can dramatically reduce electrical interference. If simply running from your amp to your speaker in room, this is not necessary. But when long runs in walls are required, especially when running where there is high voltage, it can help reduce interference and keep the dreaded hum out of your speakers.
Gauge your situation to select the right wire. (sorry about the pun). Simply stay above the minimal requirements and you will be fine.
- I don't have an A/V receiver... what's the best way for me to get surround sound directly out of my HDTV?
First, you have to set your expectations. If you do not want to use a receiver, the surround sound quality will be compromised. This should only be considered for secondary listening. There is no substitute for having 5 actual speakers and a subwoofer. Remember, "virtual" surround means "not real" surround. Despite my bashing tone, there are some good solutions for non-theater rooms. Everyone knows the speakers that come with TVs are poor. So many of my customers want something better in a study or bedroom, but not at the price of a full system.
Both Polk and Yamaha make self-powered "sound bars" that mount directly under the flat screen TV. They are compact and, best of all, decode the digital signal from the TV to deliver much better sound. Both of these products deliver left, right, and center easily enough, but do special processing to create the virtual surround channels. It is all about expectations. They are much better than the 2 watt speaker in the TV, but should not be compared to a quality receiver based system. They are great 2nd room solutions.
- Can in-wall speakers deliver the same sound quality as floorstanding speakers? And can in-ceiling speakers deliver the same impact as in-wall speakers?
This is a very common question, primarily because it is what customers want to hear. "Give me back my floor space, hide it in the wall, but keep the quality high." In general, in-wall speakers have dramatically improved, but only a few can perform as well as floor standing speakers. Those that can are often larger than people want and can cost just as much or more. The key is whether or not they can produce the full range of frequencies in the music.
In a home theater situation, the high and mid-tones can easily be reproduced by in-wall speakers and the lower frequencies are handled by the subwoofer. But in a stereo application, without the subwoofer support, they tend to sound weak. Now in-wall subs are available to solve this issue. They, too, are not as efficient as in-room subs - the good ones cost more plus require installation.
The most important thing to remember when looking for comparable in-wall speakers is to make sure they have a back enclosure. A traditional speaker has an enclosure specifically designed to help the drivers perform efficiently. Speakers that are left open in the back invite issues. Performance will vary dramatically based on their location in the wall or ceiling. Also, without some type of back-box, much of their sound can travel into the adjoining room or next floor. Manufacturers like Tannoy, Totem and Legacy recognize this fact and reengineered their in wall/ceiling speakers to be comparable to their floor standing products.
Ingenious new drivers and years of engineering have gone into producing quality sound from more discreet speakers. So if you are willing to spend more money for a quality aesthetic solution, in-walls can finally sound as good as floor standing speakers. But if seeing the speaker is acceptable, the bang for the buck is still better.
- I'm replacing my 12 year old Sony 32" with a flat panel, the the bedroom. We would like to get a wall mount that swivels to the bed and chairs. Do you have any recommendations?
The simple answer is a mount with an articulating arm. There are several companies that make these products and most are very similar. Chief, Omni and Peerless to name a few. All will give the ability to rotate the TV and see it in both areas.
However, there are aesthetic issues to consider as well. First, most TVs now require a cable or satellite box to receive HD programing and of course a dvd player is required for the movies you rent. So the AV connections from the components as well as power needs to get up to the TV mounted on the wall. They never show the mess of wires in advertising or the fact that most mounts have little or no cable management.
One of the best solutions to overcome the clutter is what we call a back box. The box can be installer between 2 studs and will give a place for power and wires to be housed. It also hides the mounting bracket giving a flush look when pushing the TV against the wall. When a hole in the drywall is cut to install this box, it gives the electrician and AV installer an opportunity to "fish" all the wires through the wall giving a much more finished look.
- Our house has stone floors, high ceilings and tons of echo. Are there any ways to inexpensively kill the echo?
I'm sure it does - you have quite the acoustic nightmare. Truly you need full acoustic analysis and without measurements and a surface diagram - I can only give general recommendations. Most people don't understand the basics of sound reflection. Ironically many would say the acoustics are great. The old concept of good acoustics was that it is easy to hear without amplification. Of course, today we have plenty of watts to go around and the old fashioned concept that acoustics only muddies the sound. The problem occurs because the sound waves are never absorbed so you hear the same sound many times until it finally finds the sofa and diminishes.
Since the ceiling is difficult to cover you need to focus on all other surfaces. - so any area that can be covered should be, especially the wall opposing the speakers. Acoustic panels are the best thing to use, and are not difficult to install - and no it does not have to look like an office cubicle. There are thousands of fabric colors to choose from and you can be creative with patterns to make it more artistic. But they are not the cheapest option. The least expensive treatments are rugs, textiles or drapes. Now these alone absorb only some of the frequencies. The thicker and denser the material the lower the frequency it will absorb. So thick drapes on the windows are better and area rugs work better with thick pads underneath. There is also less expensive (but ugly) acoustic material designed for studios. The trick is to attach it to the wall and then cover it with fabric art or a decorative rug.
One last tip -make sure your speakers are as low as possible. The closer to ear level when seated the better.