Many people like to watch TV with a good picture without interference, with good sound. But large speakers that support multichannel sound spoil the whole impression of them with their size. Not everyone will want to install large units in a room where there is already little space due to furniture or other appliances to improve the sound quality. Recently, a technical revolution in the world of audio engineering took place: the soundbar was invented. What is a Soundbar, what is it for, and where should it be installed?
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What Is It?
A soundbar is an external speaker system that connects to other electronic devices to form a better sound quality. Unlike full-sized speakers with multi-channel support, this option takes up minimal space, is placed on any horizontal or vertical surface, and handles its tasks effectively. The soundbar is a mono-speaker, in the case of which several speakers are placed at once. The device is notable for maximum ease of setup and significantly improves sound quality when listening to music.
Traditional audio systems have long lost their relevance. Modern consumers often experience a serious lack of space, trying to get rid of unnecessary things. That’s how the long speaker, which has up to 10 speakers inside, appeared. The precisely calculated location of the acoustic components provides the desired Dolby surround effect. The second name of the soundbar is the Surroundbar, due to the fact that the speaker forms a surround sound.
What Do You Need a Soundbar For?
One thing that can be disappointing about them is the sound of the different frequency ranges. To get better sound in your car, you don’t have to buy oversized speakers or specialized audio systems at all. Audio manufacturers have come up with a better option – a compact and stylish soundbar.
A soundbar is a mono speaker, consisting of several speakers built into a single housing. It is much smaller than modern loudspeakers, but at the same time, it was a cheap and miniature replacement for them. Its main advantage was that it takes up very little space with a significant improvement in the sound, easy installation, and setup. Manufacturers of these devices have made a great leap forward in the production of audio equipment, but are not going to stop developing, all the time upgrading and improving the portable sound equipment.
Although the soundbar is a mono device, the special arrangement of speakers and its design allows you to get the three-dimensional sound of proper quality, without which it is almost impossible to listen to music with pleasure.
How The Soundbar Works
The structure of the device is similar to the device of other portable audio systems. It often contains:
- the central audio processor – the brain of the mono speaker, generates sound;
- a system board to regulate the operation of other modules;
- audio decoders or audio converters to connect additional speakers or speakers;
- amplifiers for multichannel audio;
- radio tuner to receive and listen to radio stations;
- stereo balance control for clear adjustment of the left and right channels;
- equalizer for adjusting the sound quality of individual bass and treble frequencies;
- drive for playing music from optical discs;
- speakers for analog sound playback.
The principle of its operation is comparable with that of a simple speaker. The transmitter sends a sound signal to the audio processor through the port interface. The central audio processor performs audio transcoding. It is converted and then transmitted to the speakers, from where it comes out in the analog form.
Active or Passive?
Like any other acoustics, the soundbar can be an independent device or a passive speaker system, which is connected to the receiver. Active soundbars do not require a receiver, have a built-in amplifier, sound processor, power supply, a set of all sorts of interfaces. Choosing a soundbar at this stage is simple: if you want one compact and modern device, choose the active soundbar. If you have a receiver, then look for a passive one.
Why Do We Need All These Interfaces?
Active soundbars are equipped with multiple interfaces, which turn a simple speaker into a multifunctional device. The simplest models have the usual audio jacks, as well as a USB port, to which you can connect an external media with music. They can also be equipped with an optical input – it will provide better sound quality and the ability to transmit multichannel sound. But the best option is an HDMI port. The more HDMI inputs in the soundbar, the more devices you will be able to connect to it – whether it is a Blu-ray player, a game console, or a tablet.
The design of the device necessarily includes the following components:
- Player. It is the one that plays the broadcasted sound and is a part of every audio system, no matter how big or small it is.
- Acoustic elements. For multi-channel sound, the system can use wide-band speakers as well as more advanced components. In addition, there should be subwoofers inside. It is worth considering that the cheaper the model, the lower the quality of the components will be.
- The converter of digital signal to analog. The central processor, which performs the function of encoding, converting acoustic waves, acts in this capacity. The output is a surround sound, radically different from that delivered through the speakers.
That’s It!
The main advantage of soundbars is that they allow you to improve the sound quality easily and easily, and they do not require any engineering education for installation and setup. Taking this into account, you can give up the idea of purchasing a real multichannel system in favor of a more convenient and practical soundbar. So I hope this article was useful for you and that you choose the right soundbar and improve the sound in your car.
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