If you replace your standard TV speakers with a unique and stand-alone speaker system, it can result in a total change in the sound quality giving you a much improved audio experience. Obviously, for someone who only watches chat shows and soaps, this won’t really be of benefit because this type of sound improvement really impresses when you are watching films, music DVD’s and other similar shows. Most modern televisions come supplied with reasonable speakers (nicam stereo) but they cannot compare with a specialist surround sound system that you can buy. Why do people fancy a HD television set? More than the mass availability, it is word of mouth publicity from family and friends.
The two things to consider before you buy a HD television set are to be sure of your expectations and your budget. If you are going to be buying - or already have - surround sound speakers, as a general rule of thumb, 10 percent of the TV’s cost should be spent on speaker cabling. You would also require av receivers or amplifiers to manage the external speakers. Though this topic demands another chapter, but this is an additional cost, which can run from several hundreds to thousands.
Several aspects govern the world of speakers and there are several types available – you are considering the ratio of 5:1 and above which are 5 speakers to one sub-woofer. The speaker system has one speaker at the center followed by one left and one right surround speakers which are placed at the far front corners from the seat, and two rear speakers one right and one left. Each is independent and although the positions done have to be equal the optimum seating place is in the middle of them all. Usually the av receivers/amplifiers can be suitably configured for the right volume output and the speakers positioned accordingly.
The sub-woofer basically creates the “oomph” in a movie so having a capable sub-woofer will enhance your movie enjoyment greatly. It can give sound a completely real life feel, which is available only in theater halls. Moreover the deep bass frequencies, which you hear from sub woofers, are practically from all sides as they are at the level or below human hearing levels. It is very difficult for our ears to actually pin-point the direction in which the sound is coming and that is why we can only sense that an earthquake seems to be all around us, rather from coming from a particular direction.
Though you are free to place the sub woofer anywhere in the room, you still have to consider the size of the room, the type of flooring it has, the furnishing fabrics and the construction of the wall to get optimum output from it. The ideal position however of the sub woofer is in the front section of the room immediately to the right or left of the primary speakers. Speaker sets can be picked up relatively cheaply, and of course, second hand. An excellent starter choice for speakers, if its within budget is the Canton movie CD-1 (now CD-101) which has a high quality, slimline aluminium construction that makes it a real eye-catcher.
