The Importance of Audio

 Within the first ten minutes, there is an explosion and you’re amazed at how good everything looks, but what amazes you more is how bad it sounds.  Did that explosion just come from speakers of small headphones?  Why doesn’t it sound as good as the old projection or tube TV you just replaced?  Does the TV have a defect?  Consumer reports told me this model had better sound then all of the others so why am I not hearing it?
The answer is unfortunate.  Manufactures put nearly 10x more into the video-end of the production and design process when designing their TVs.  Look at your TV from the side and note how thin it is.

That’s one of the things that amazed you about it in the first place and for some reason; you actually judged which TV you got on how thin it is.  There physically is no room within the unit for a decent amp and legit speakers.  Didn’t the box say it had something called “SRS Surround Sound”?  What that means is that if you have a perfectly sized room with four complete walls that you will get that genuine tin can sound maybe to the left and maybe to the right more. You went over to your friend’s house then to watch the first Iron Man because they hadn’t seen it yet.  You see that in front by the TV and behind you are speakers.  The first air chase scene comes on and you are simply blown away at how good it sounds and how the room becomes where ever the action is.

Let’s face it; audio is more than half of the experience.  Good surround sound is something I like to call high definition audio.  You see how good a Blu Ray looks? The right system can give that to your ears.  There are some people who understand why a system helps but they seemingly go out of their way to convince themselves why they don’t need one.  I’ll address my most popular reasons here.

“I don’t have a room that would be good for audio.” This is probably the most realistic one but the only fault with this is that there are speaker brands who specifically design their speakers for odd or uncommonly shaped rooms.  Even still, there are brands that almost disregard the room entirely and just fire the sound to one common location in the room.  Brands such as these make a full range of speakers in all sizes.

“I don’t have the ear needed to appreciate good audio.” I shake my head anytime someone discredits their abilities like this.  Go into any store where they can actively switch between speakers mid-song and have them go through their setup and listen.  If you can say that there was one or two that you liked more than the others then congratulations!  You are just as qualified as I am to have “that ear”.  The only difference is people like me know exactly why that speaker sounds better, which is less important in the long run. 

“I don’t want big bulky speakers in my room.”  There is a reason why floor standing, bookshelf, on wall and in wall speakers exist.  The reason is because consumers have different needs for their rooms.  If you want the best sound and have the space, floor standing speakers are always the best.  Do not listen to what anyone else says; the larger the speaker means the better the sound.  Simply put, larger speakers can be made of better material and push more air.  Even Bose’s flagship speaker, the 901, is a speaker the size a third of a refrigerator.  Smaller speakers are made for smaller rooms because there is less need to move more air in them.  In wall speakers are designed for any room where you can have the big sound that you want without the appearance.  These are fantastic when you are building a new room, have easy access to run wiring through the basement or attic and need the space.

“I refuse to spend this much money for speakers!” This one is as realistic as it is misperceived.  TV brands do make home theaters in small packages that are great as starter kits to get you used to the concept of surround sound for under the $600 mark.  Why are there speakers that go for one thousand dollars each?  That’s more than the TV I got! I need five of those and a subwoofer?  I also need a thousand dollar receiver?  The audio world can reach limits only you allow it to reach.  Why are there speakers that cost that much?  The answer lies in its importance.  Let’s say you have a system that costs you $4000 and a TV that costs $2500.  Which one of those two do you think is going to last you longer?  Some studies show that home audio systems will last consumers anywhere from ten to twenty years.  How long do you plan on keeping your TV for?  How long do you plan on keeping your current car for?  Some people pay forty thousand dollars for a vehicle they are only going to keep for eight years.

Knowing that the system you can own will get more use than your car, will make family night possible again and can illuminate your home with music you all love, why wouldn’t you want a great system in your home?  For something that rations out to pennies a day over the lifespan of it, you can build a vacation spot in your home.  You work eight to nine hours a day and come home and want to relax.  You can sit down and pop in a movie and take a journey to the Caribbean, to outer space or the future and actually feel like you are there.  Just think, you are about to deny yourself this gift by trying to convince yourself that you don’t need it, can’t have it and shouldn’t want it.  Next time you think that, go into a showroom and have the sales associate show you a demonstration of good audio to see what you are missing.

Always remember, you do not know what you actually want until you see what you can have.