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As I wired the new tuner/amp into the rack, I noticed that it was short a couple of inputs. I had insisted to the salesdude at Circuit City that if the system didn't work, I was going to bring it back. My requirements were: support for turntable, tape, CD, video, and outputs for my equalizer. Of course, the equalizer was left high and dry.
So back into the box went the $189 JVC, and off we went to get a unit that would drive the equalizer. The guy I had talked to last week wasn't on duty, so I talked to the next available clerk. I explained the problem I was having with the JVC. "Yeah, that's right," he said, "You don't have a TAPE2 on that one."
That sounded about right... I guess.
"None of the receivers on the bottom two shelves will do what you want. You can either buy a more expensive unit off the third shelf or get a refund."
Now, I'm not a cheapskate, but I don't believe in spending more than I have to. I had bought off the second shelf because the salesdude said it would work. Granted there was fifty dollars difference between the lowest price on the third shelf and the one I'd bought off the second, but I planned on this thing lasting at least five years, so I figured I better do it right.
After a little discussion, we decided on a $259 Sony. "Can I write that up for you?" asked the salesguy.
"Well, hold on," I said. "What about this Kenwood on the fourth shelf? It's only thirty dollars more: what's it got that the Sony doesn't?"
"Oh, that's a home theater unit. Did you want a home theater system?"
"Not really, but if it will do everything the Sony will do and give me home theater for just $30 extra dollars, I'll take it."
And so, I took home a Kenwood Tuner/Amp with Dolby Pro-Logic home theater capacity. I tried to explain to my wife what that meant, but she had never heard of home theater before. The kids had no concept either (that's normal for them).
When we got home, I hooked the bad boy up to our stereo VCR, directed the 'center' channel back through the TV's internal speaker, and popped in the first tape of the Star Wars Trilogy, which Santa had brought us. The kids nestled in for a leisurely video watching session. The tape started. The screen went black. We waited. Then, the opening caption flashed before our eyes, the first notes of the overture sprang from the television speakers, and the kids eyes popped wide open at the thunderous sound.
Then the Dolby Pro-Logic Surround Sound kicked in...
The side speakers blasted away: their fifteen inch bass cones visibly vibrating. My wife stepped from the kitchen to listen. The kids peeled themselves from the wall.
It was amazing!
I could not believe the difference between watching a video through a normal 'hi-fi' VCR in the MTS stereo mode and watching it through the Dolby Pro-Logic. The quality and added dimension of the sound was unbelievable. I was so impressed, the next payday, I bought a premium center channel speaker.
Basically this is how home theater works:
Since you already have a stereo, you use your existing speakers on either side of your existing TV. Now you get a third speaker to put above or below the television screen. The receiver, through some grand and glorious magic, directs the vocals through the center speaker so they seem to be coming from the screen.
Sound effects are directed to the two large stereo speakers. If a sound is coming from the left of the onscreen action, the effect is directed to only the left speaker. If the characters are 'widely spaced' on the screen, the voice of the person on the left might come from the left speaker and the voice of the person on the right would come from the right speaker.
Effects that require louder-than-life sound, would be channeled through the the two stereo speakers, as they can generally handle more bass. There is also a connection on the back of the receiver for a separate bass speaker. These things are cubical units measuring about two feet on each side, with one large speaker pointing toward the floor. They tend to be rather pricey ($300 and up). When an explosion occurs with my existing speakers, the sound rattles the window panes, so I'm not sure I need one.
To finish out the surround sound experience, two smaller speakers are placed slightly behind and above the viewing area; one to each side. This allows for a new dimension of sound to be added to video. It is possible for the system to address each speaker independently, or in combinations. A yell from the back-left speaker can actually cause the audience to look to the rear of the room.
One of the classic effects is the airplane fly-by. The characters may see a jet approaching from a distance. Their voices will come from the center channel speaker on top of the TV. A slight rumble can be heard from the stereo speakers. As the plane approaches, the front stereos grow in volume. As the plane passes overhead, the front and rear speakers are rumbling at full volume, and the bass speaker (the cube) is vibrating the floor. Now the plane has disappeared from the screen and the actors are staring over the heads of the audience (that's you). The front speakers are now quiet, and the rumble is handled by only the two rear speakers.
This creates the effect of the plane flying out of your screen, over your head, and out the back of the room. The movie Top Gun was one of the first videos to be specifically mixed for Dolby Pro-Logic Surround Sound, and is often used to demonstrate systems. In several scenes, you can tell where the next jet will appear on the screen, by the sound coming over your left or right shoulder.
I've got to say, I'm so impressed with home theater, that seeing a movie at the cinema is almost a let down. Once you have the components of a home theater system, you can move them around to suit your individual taste. In a mass market cinema, the sound system is designed to provide each member of the audience an equally enjoyable experience. What this actually means, is the best seats are degraded to be as bad as the wall seats.
Do this next time you go to the cinema: If you look at the walls to your left and right, you will see several (usually three on each wall) large speakers. These are the surround speakers. According to the lessons of home theater, you should sit in front of the front-most speaker, otherwise the airplane fly-over scene described earlier will result in the plane flying off the screen, hovering slightly ahead of you, then fading into oblivion, as if raising straight up.
This means the best seat in the average mass-market movie house is about eight to twelve seats back from the screen. At this distance, the volume of the center channel is usually so loud (for the benefit of those people sitting in the back) that it overrides the effects of the surround speakers.
Since I installed my home theater system, the only movie that has come close to the quality of video through home theater, has been The Rock. This I credit strictly to the fact that the director had 'paid his dues' making music videos for M-TV. Because of this, he was much more in tune with the audio of his motion picture.
The next generation of home theater is already available to the high-dollar audiophile that is willing to take out a second mortgage. As, for me, I'm waiting for HDTV and flat-screen technology to become affordable. Once they do, I'll never have to pay five bucks for a box of popcorn again!
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