| The newest must-have for anyone with a TV and | | | | and speaker system. There are two primary varieties |
| stereo these days is a home theater setup. As usual | | | | of virtual systems, the 2.1 surround system and the |
| for our got-to-have-the-best society, most people think | | | | digital sound projection system. |
| big when they dream of their ideal home theater. How | | | | The standard placement for the 2.1 speaker system is |
| big? You know, big screen television, big sound from a | | | | to place two speakers in front of the listener, along |
| powerful receiver and amplifier, and really big sound | | | | with a sub-woofer placed somewhere inconspicuously |
| from the speakers spread all over the room. | | | | in the room. The system will recreate the effect of a |
| But, once the dream dissolves into reality, many of us | | | | larger 5.1 setup that has 5 speakers and the sub. On |
| realize that this big setup just will not work in our | | | | the other hand, digital sound projectors will use a single |
| homes. We might not have the room for all those | | | | strip of relatively small speakers to produce the sound. |
| speakers. After all, 5 speakers and a sub-woofer do | | | | Most often, the digital sound system will not have a |
| take up a considerable amount of space. Or maybe, | | | | sub-woofer. |
| we just do not want all those cables running around | | | | In either case, even though the setup is different, the |
| the base boards. Or, we do not want the technical | | | | same basic principle exists. The technology behind the |
| hassles of setting up and balancing such a large | | | | system is based on a knowledge of how humans |
| system. | | | | process sound internally. There are certain techniques |
| Fortunately, those with limited space or minimalist | | | | used to modify the sound waves to fool the human |
| design ideas still have options. The appeal of surround | | | | ear into thinking that there are more speakers than |
| sound can be addressed in a different way. | | | | what really are present. These techniques come from |
| Technology has stepped in and developed what is | | | | studies of psycho-acoustics, or the study of the way |
| being called virtual surround sound. Virtual surround | | | | that people perceive sound. To fully appreciate what |
| sound has been developed to mimic the sound | | | | technology has done, you need to understand a least |
| characteristics of a multi-speaker system. Even though | | | | a little about psycho-acoustics, as well as physical |
| it uses fewer speakers and cables, a virtual system | | | | acoustics (the science of sound). |
| approaches the overall sound of a 5.1 or 7.1 amplifier | | | | |