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Making a sound difference

Making a sound difference

Every year, each of the various TV manufacturers proudly announce how they have further improved the quality of the picture.  Whether your new screen is HD Ready, Full HD, 4K Ultra HD, or even 8K, everything is focussed on the picture.  You will hear manufacturers explain how they have better contrast, depth of field, stability, or latency.

The quality of the picture is usually the first (and sometimes the only) way that people choose between different models of TV, we suggest it is essential that you should also consider the quality of the audio.  For years, manufacturers have eagerly refined their picture processing techniques, the improvements to the TV sound have not progressed at the same pace.

For some considerable time, manufacturers have created thinner and thinner TV’s to meet the desire of most customers, this has restricted the size of the speaker that can be built into the chassis of most televisions.  The net result is, in many cases, the picture might be stunning, but the sound could do with some additional help.

A few years ago, Sony introduced a technology in their OLED televisions that creates the sound directly from the TV screen.  This is no marketing gimmick… the results are rightfully impressive, even giving a convincing sense of direction; for example if the picture is showing someone talking on the left side of the screen, that is where the voice will appear to come from.  With each annual generation of new televisions, Sony has improved and refined their Acoustic Surface technology.

However, no matter whether you are looking for a budget or premium television, large or small, you can easily improve and upgrade the overall quality of the sound by adding external speakers.  This used to mean the ubiquitous home cinema or home theatre systems consisting a main unit driving small speaker that you would place around your room.  Clearly, placing speakers around your lounge will give optimal immersive experience, with the speech being focussed from a front central speaker, and all of the additional action, sound effects, and music, being oriented to the other left, right, and rear speakers.

A far easier solution which is quick and easy to install is a soundbar.  These have become hugely popular, and are available in a tremendous range of sizes, styles, power outputs (and price tags).  Some soundbars are self contained, all-in-one solutions, whilst others have a separate subwoofer which is responsible for providing the bass, and therefore contributes to the overall richness of the sound.

Many of these soundbars have helped solve a basic, but important issue of our times….. helping us to hear speech in television programmes, rather than it being drowned out in overbearing “background” music or other atmospheric sound.  Soundbars and home cinema systems help separate the various sound channels, and allow the “voice channel” to be slightly amplified above the other sound.  Most television programmes these days, particularly drama, documentary, and natural history, are designed to be watched on larger tv screens, and heard through external tv speakers.

If you have recently invested in a new television, consider adding a soundbar, or other form of external speakers.  You will be amazed at the extent to which this improves your enjoyment when watching TV, and you can choose a model to suit your budget.  The better models are substantially more capable of producing rich, high quality, audio, with some being perfectly suited to also streaming music from your phone or mobile device, and being an integral part of your wireless multi-room audio solution.

If you would like to find out more about the choices for upgrading your TV sound, please visit our showroom and a member of our team will be pleased to demonstrate some options, or take a look online at our selection of soundbars.



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