Can Wireless Home Speakers Deliver High-Fidelity Music?

Are you looking to pick a pair of cordless speakers? You may be perplexed by all of the technical language used by producers in order to describe the quality of their products. I will explain a normally used term which, however, ist often misunderstood: “total harmonic distortion” or “THD”.

It is often difficult to pick a suitable set of cordless speakers due to the great number of products. Aside from looks, you will often be confronted with having to study some of the technical specifications. Total harmonic distortion is typically not very well understood. On the other hand, this term is still significant in terms of determining the quality of a specific model. Different specs, for example “output power” or “frequency response” are generally easier understood.

Briefly, “harmonic distortion” shows how much the audio signal is being deteriorated as a result of the speaker or in other words how much the signal deviates from the original signal. There are 2 common ways in order to articulate harmonic distortion, either in percent (%) or in decibel (dB). If a loudspeaker states a distortion of 10% to provide an example then one 10th of the energy radiated by the speaker is distortion. A distortion of 10% may also be expressed as -20 dB. 1% distortion is equal to -40dB. A cordless speaker really has a number of components which add to harmonic distortion. One of those is the built-in power amp. This amp is driving the speaker element. The power amplifier itself is going to have a certain level of distortion. Typically the distortion of the amp will be larger the more output power it supplies to the speaker. Customarily manufacturers are going to publish amplifier distortion based on a specific level of power, usually a lot less than the rated highest amp output power. Having amp distortion specifications for a few output power levels gives a better picture of the amp distortion performance.Harmonic distortion measurements are usually conducted by feeding a test tone into the speaker. This tone is a pure sine wave signal with minimum distortion. The frequency of this test tone is generally 1 kHz. Distortion, though, is usually dependent on the audio frequency. Many amps are going to show rising distortion with increasing frequency. Specifically digital class-D amplifiers are going to show rather large distortion at frequencies higher than 5 kHz. Another component causing distortion is the loudspeaker element that usually works with a diaphragm that carries a voicecoil which is suspended in a magnetic field. The magnetic field is excited by the music signal. The change in magnetic flux, however, is not entirely in sync with the music signal as a result of core losses and other factors. Also, the kind of suspension of the diaphragm will create nonlinear motion. As such the result is distortion caused by the loudspeaker element. Many suppliers will publish harmonic distortion based on the audio level because usually the higher the speaker is driven the bigger the level of distortion.

As such both the amplifier as well as the speaker element itself add to distortion. Furthermore, there are other factors which also contribute to distortion. The total level of distortion is the total of all of these factors. The speaker enclose will shake to some extent and consequently add to the distortion. Overall distortion is best determined by measurement. A signal generator is used which supplies a highly linear sine tone to the loudspeaker. The audio is recorded by a measurement microphone. The microphone signal is then analyzed by an audio analyzer. The audio analyzer is going to calculate the level of higher harmonics or distortion. Though, pure sine signals hardly give an accurate indication of the distortion of the wireless loudspeaker with real-world signals. A better distortion analysis is the so-called intermodulation distortion analysis where a test tone which includes a number of sine waves is used. Then the number of harmonics at different frequencies is measured.

Also, please note that many wireless speakers presented at amphony.com will experience signal distortion during the audio transmission itself. This is for the most part the case for transmitters which use analog or FM type transmission. Improved types will utilize digital transmission and transmit at 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz to minimize signal distortion.

Points to consider when purchasing wireless surround sound speakers

There is a flood of cordless loudspeaker types readily available. Different products offer you different functionality and also level of quality. I’m going to allow you to decide which brand to decide on according to loudspeaker operation.

Wireless loudspeakers are an excellent choice for adding loudspeakers in many rooms of your dwelling without the need of adding wiring. In addition, these types of loudspeakers are ideal for adding multi channel audio to your Television with no need of running plenty of speaker cord around the room. Cordless speakers are certainly more complex than standard loudspeakers. They integrate an amp that could affect speaker performance. The cordless receiver also has to be good quality and also there exists a multitude of various technologies on the market. Loudspeaker wattage is one of the first specifications. The greater the speaker power typically the higher the speaker sound pressure level could be. The built-in amp as well as the drivers determines how much power the loudspeaker can endure. Speaker producers are going to either supply maximum or RMS power specs. RMS power is a lot more objective than maximum power as it offers much more clues concerning the exact amp power handling as well as amplifier power supply. Maximum wattage is commonly exaggerated by speaker makers since the loudspeaker can only endure this level during short bursts of time.

Both RMS as well as maximum wattage ratings are crucial when you compare various types. The maximum wattage rating must be significantly greater than the RMS rating seeing that music signals are of varying power and possess big spikes.

Another essential spec is the frequency response that shows over which frequency range the loudspeaker may reproduce audio though it is best to take a look at the complete frequency response chart when you compare speakers.

Audio amps will show audio distortion which changes with regards to the output wattage at which the loudspeaker is driven. The distortion is often known as “THD” as well as “total harmonic distortion”. Commonly the greater the speaker is driven, the harmonic distortion of the loudspeaker will increase. To allow quicker assessment of different brands, you would want to search for harmonic distortion figures for different output power specs. At lower output wattage, the distortion is usually pretty low. Once the output wattage approaches maximum rated wattage, the music signal will start clipping and the distortion increases dramatically. Also, the loudspeaker drivers are going to be driven into nonlinear regions and so ensure the speaker incorporates high-quality drivers.

Loudspeakers with greater wattage rating frequently have digital amplifiers which offer larger power effectiveness when compared with traditional audio amplifiers. Selecting a product which has a higher-efficiency amplifier is generally lighter as it does not need large cooling fans and saves you cash on electricity. Digital amps use a switching stage. This stage will introduce harmonic distortion. As a result digital amplifiers often times have larger audio distortion when compared with high-quality analogue amps.

Wireless loudspeakers with multiple transducers will require some sort of crossover. This crossover might be implemented with passive parts. A number of models incorporate independent amplifiers for every driver.

The cordless audio transmission is going to also substantially modify the overall performance of the speaker and therefore deciding on a high-quality speaker having a digital receiver is going to yield greatest results.

Digital wireless speakers make use of uncompressed music for the best quality or compressed audio just like Bluetooth speakers. Bluetooth outdoor cordless speakers offered at http://www.amphony.com/products/wireless-speaker.htm do not demand a dedicated transmitter but normally only one loudspeaker can pick up the music from a single transmitter. Other types of cordless loudspeaker transmitters may send the audio wireless to many speakers through the home.

Numerous Insider Tricks For Finding Stereo Speakers For Your Outside Patio

The frequency response is one of the most often found parameter in order to define cordless speakers. However, it can regularly be misleading and might possibly not offer a good indication of the audio quality. You may possibly not fully grasp how the frequency response is calculated. I’m going to discuss what specifically this particular term means. Ideally you will be able to make a more educated buying decision.

A set of wireless speakers are going to transmit and the reproduce a sound signal that is within the frequency response range. This range is specified by listing 2 frequencies: a lower and also upper frequency. For example, the lower frequency may be 20 Hz and the higher frequency 20 kHz. Using this specification it seems the wireless loudspeakers can function as a set of HIFI speakers. However, there is certainly more to understanding the cordless speakers’s overall performance than simply reviewing these figures.

It seems there are lots of ways that companies make use of when specifying the frequency response. Normally, the frequency response shows the normal operating range of the cordless loudspeakers. Inside this range, the sound pressure level is essentially constant. At the lower and upper cutoff frequencies the gain is going to decrease by at most 3 decibels.

Yet, numerous manufacturers disregard this particular convention. They push the lower frequency and upper frequency to where the cordless loudspeakers hardly offer any sound response. Moreover, these numbers say very little about how linear the cordless loudspeakers are functioning within this range. Preferably you ought to make an effort to get a frequency response chart from the producer. In this chart, you will find how the wireless speakers behave inside the frequency response range. You may also spot any kind of peaks and also valleys the wireless speakers (Go to this website in order to find helpful materials on waterproof wireless speakers) may have. Peaks along with valleys may cause colorization of the audio. Preferably the sound pressure level of the cordless loudspeakers ought to be linear through the entire operating range.

You also want to look at the circumstances under which the frequency response was calculated. You typically will not find any information about the measurement conditions, however, in the manufacturer’s data sheet. Actually amplifiers may have different frequency responses depending on the loudspeaker driver element that is built in.

This change is most detectable with many wireless speakers that use digital amps, otherwise known as Class-D amplifiers. Class-D amps use a lowpass filter within their output to be able to suppress the switching components which are created by the internal power FETs. A changing loudspeaker driver load will affect the filter response to some extent. Generally the lower the speaker driver impedance the lower the highest frequency of the built-in amp. Moreover, the linearity of the amplifier gain will depend on the driver load.

Some amp topologies offer a way to compensate for changes in the amplifier gain with different speaker loads. One of those methods utilizes feedback. The amplifier output signal after the interior lowpass is input to the amplifier input for comparison. If not created adequately, this approach may cause instability of the amp however. Another method makes use of audio transformers between the power stage of the amplifier and various outputs. Each output was created to connect a different loudspeaker load. This method makes certain that the amplifier will be loaded equally and also increases amplifier power efficiency. Also, go and visit the following web site: http://theoldpaintedcottage.com/blog/category/store-goods/.

A Glimpse At Bluetooth Music Receivers

Nowadays lots of people have got a cellphone. A lot of the most modern phones will be able to keep songs as well as films. Generally you would probably hear the tunes stored on your smartphone through the use of some earbuds. Then again, the sound quality of earbuds enclosed with smartphones can be quite bad. Many speakers give far better audio quality compared to tiny earbuds. Through connecting your cell phone to some active loudspeakers, you are able to enhance your listening experience. Should you be looking for a method to stream music from the mobile phone to a pair of stereo speakers then you will find various choices to pick from. On this page I’m going to have a look at a couple of of these alternate options to be able to give you a better understanding of what is out there.

You’ll find several choices in the marketplace designed for linking loudspeakers to your smartphone. I’m largely looking at wireless solutions considering that you don’t want your cellphone to be tethered to your loudspeakers. Among the most common options intended for streaming music to a pair of speakers are Bluetooth audio receivers. These kinds of receivers will pick up the wireless signal from your cell phone and retrieve the tunes. Bluetooth audio streaming is normally performed by the commonly found A2DP as well as the most recent AptX standard protocol.

You are able to attach Bluetooth music receivers to any active speakers. But, a large number of stereo speakers available on the market are generally passive. To be able to connect to a passive speaker you may need to make use of an external power amplifier. Integrated Bluetooth wireless amplifiers, however, do not require an external audio amplifier. Bluetooth, then again, provides a rather limited cordless range of about 30 feet and as a result cannot be used for transmitting songs to different areas within your home. The working range may change depending on your surroundings as well as the level of cordless interference. Bluetooth is in fact supported by a lot of devices besides cell phones. If you desire to stream audio from a Computer, for instance, you can furthermore use a Bluetooth receiver for home stereos.

An additional option is Airplay. Airplay is an Apple proprietary format which enables streaming of uncompressed tunes. But, understand that the music saved on your cellular phone is generally compressed by using the MP3 or AAC standard and hence using Airplay is not going to improve the sound quality. If however you have uncompressed music available then employing Airplay makes a lot of sense. AptX is actually a compromise between the widespread A2DP standard and Airplay. A lot of older mobile phones, then again, don’t yet support AptX. Rather than employing a Bluetooth music receiver, you may want to look at Bluetooth cordless loudspeakers. These kinds of stereo speakers may receive tunes straight from your cellular phone without the need for a standalone receiver. You may find a lot of models available on the market. Bluetooth loudspeakers are usually quite small. For that reason, these generally are lacking in terms of sound quality. Try any model before you purchase any Bluetooth speakers to stay away from an unpleasant surprise. Furthermore you should be sure that any particular model of Bluetooth cordless stereo speakers is compatible with your smartphone just before your purchase.

Selecting A Set Of Efficient Cordless Speakers

I will have a look at the phrase “power efficiency” that lets you know just how much wireless loudspeakers waste to help you pick a set of cordless speakers.

Various challenges are brought on by wireless speakers which have low power efficiency: Cordless loudspeakers that have lower power efficiency are going to squander a certain amount of power. It’s best to make note of the added power cost when choosing between a high- and low-efficiency model. The squandered power is dissipated by the wireless speakers as heat. To protect the circuit components, low-efficiency cordless speakers must find methods to remove the heat which is created. Usually additional components need to be included to radiate enough energy and maintain the optimum working temperature. These elements are typically heat sinks and fans. Heat sinks and fans are heavy, use up space and also produce noise. Cordless speakers with low efficiency cannot be put in tight spaces or within sealed enclosures as they require a great deal of circulation. Because low-efficiency cordless speakers are going to provide just a small percentage of the power consumed by the amplifier as usable audio energy, the amp requires a larger power supply than high-efficiency versions resulting in higher cost. An increased amount of heat will cause additional stress on components. The lifespan of the wireless loudspeakers might be decreased and reliability may be jeopardized. High-efficiency cordless speakers however do not endure these issues and may be built very small.

While trying to find a pair of loudspeakers for outdoors, you will find the efficiency in the data sheet. This figure is generally listed as a percentage. Analog Class-D amps offer a power efficiency of around 25% while switching-mode amps offer up to 98%. Having an amp which has an efficiency of 90% as an example shows that 10% of the energy that is utilized is squandered when 90% will be audio power.

Please note, though, that efficiency depends upon how much energy the amp provides at a given moment. Since every amp is going to demand a certain amount of power, irrespective of the amount of power the amplifier delivers to the speakers, the amp efficiency is larger the more power the amp delivers and is usually specified for the greatest power the amp can handle.

The measurement setup of amp power efficiency uses a power resistor that is attached to the amp. The amp itself is being fed a constant-envelope sine-wave tone. Then the energy used by the resistor is tested and divided by the energy the amp consumes. Because the efficiency will depend on the audio power, typically the output power is swept and an efficiency graph created which will show the amp efficiency for every level of output power.

Whilst switching (Class-D) amps possess among the highest efficiency, they have a tendency to have higher music distortion than analog music amplifiers and lower signal-to-noise ratio. For that reason you will have to weigh the dimensions of the cordless loudspeakers against the music fidelity. Having said that, digital amps have come a long way and are providing better audio fidelity than in the past. Cordless loudspeakers which use Class-T amplifiers come close to the audio fidelity of models which have analog amplifiers. Subsequently picking a set of cordless speakers which use switching amplifier with great audio fidelity is now feasible.

How Have Current Wireless Speakers Evolved Recently?

An ever growing amount of wireless systems such as wireless speakers produces growing competition for the precious frequency space. I’ll have a look at a number of technologies which are used by modern day digital sound systems to see how well these solutions can work in a real-world situation.

The growing rise in popularity of wireless consumer systems just like outdoor cordless speakers has begun to cause difficulties with various gadgets competing for the restricted frequency space. Wireless networks, cordless phones , Bluetooth and other devices are eating up the precious frequency space at 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz. Cordless audio gadgets need to guarantee robust real-time transmission within an environment having a lots of interference.

Conventional FM transmitters normally operate at 900 MHz and don’t have any certain way of dealing with interference yet changing the transmit channel is a method to cope with interfering transmitters. Digital sound transmission is usually utilized by more sophisticated sound products. Digital transmitters typically work at 2.4 GHz or 5.8 Gigahertz. The signal bandwidth is higher than 900 MHz transmitters and thus competition in these frequency bands is high.

Frequency hopping products, however, are going to continue to cause problems given that they are going to affect even transmitters working with transmit channels. Sound can be viewed as a real-time protocol. Therefore it has strict demands regarding stability. Also, low latency is important in several applications. For that reason more advanced strategies are needed to ensure dependability.

A frequently employed strategy is forward error correction where the transmitter sends extra data along with the sound. The receiver employs a formula that utilizes the additional information. If the signal is damaged during the transmission as a result of interference, the receiver can remove the invalid information and recover the original signal. This method will work if the amount of interference doesn’t go beyond a certain limit. Transmitters employing FEC on its own typically can broadcast to any amount of wireless receivers. This approach is usually used for systems in which the receiver is not able to resend information to the transmitter or where the quantity of receivers is pretty large, just like digital radios, satellite receivers etc. Yet another approach uses receivers that transmit data packets to the transmitter. The data that is transmit includes a checksum. From this checksum the receiver can easily see whether any specific packet was received properly and acknowledge. In situations of dropped packets, the receiver will alert the transmitter and the lost packet is resent. As a result both the transmitter as well as receiver need a buffer to store packets. This buffer brings about an audio delay that will depend on the buffer size with a bigger buffer increasing the robustness of the transmission. However a big buffer can lead to a large latency that may cause issues with speakers not being synchronized with the video. Cordless products that incorporate this technique, however, can only transmit to a limited quantity of wireless receivers. Normally the receivers have to be paired to the transmitter. As each receiver also requires transmit functionality, the receivers are more expensive to make and also consume more energy. To be able to better overcome interference, a number of wireless speakers will monitor the accessible frequency band so as to determine which channels are clear at any given point in time. If any certain channel becomes crowded by a competing transmitter, these systems may switch transmission to a clean channel without interruption of the audio. Because the transmitter has a list of clear channels, there isn’t any delay in trying to find a clear channel. It is simply selected from the list. This method is often termed adaptive frequency hopping spread spectrum.

A Quick Guide For Understanding Audio Amps

Stereo amps are at the very center of each home theater system. As the quality and output power requirements of today’s speakers increase, so do the demands of power amplifiers. With the ever growing amount of models and design topologies, like “tube amplifiers”, “class-A”, “class-D” and “t amplifier” designs, it is getting more and more difficult to pick the amplifier which is best for a particular application. This article is going to explain some of the most common terms and clarify some of the technical jargon that amp suppliers regularly use.

An audio amplifier will translate a low-level music signal which often originates from a high-impedance source into a high-level signal which can drive a speaker with a low impedance. In order to do that, an amplifier makes use of one or several elements which are controlled by the low-power signal to make a large-power signal. Those elements range from tubes, bipolar transistors to FET transistors.

A number of decades ago, the most common kind of audio amplifier were tube amps. Tube amps utilize a tube as the amplifying element. The current flow through the tube is controlled by a low-level control signal. In that way the low-level audio is transformed into a high-level signal. Tubes, on the other hand, are nonlinear in their behavior and are going to introduce a fairly large level of higher harmonics or distortion. However, this characteristic of tube amplifiers still makes these popular. Many people describe tube amps as having a warm sound as opposed to the cold sound of solid state amplifiers.

A drawback of tube amplifiers is their small power efficiency. In other words, most of the energy consumed by the amp is wasted as heat as opposed to being converted into audio. As a result tube amps will run hot and need adequate cooling. Moreover, tubes are quite costly to make. As a result tube amplifiers have mostly been replaced by solid-state amps which I will look at next.

Solid state amplifiers replace the tube with semiconductor elements, typically bipolar transistors or FETs. The earliest kind of solid-state amplifiers is generally known as class-A amps. The working principle of class-A amps is quite similar to that of tube amplifiers. The primary difference is that a transistor is being used as opposed to the tube for amplifying the audio signal. The amplified high-level signal is at times fed back to minimize harmonic distortion. If you need an ultra-low distortion amplifier then you might want to explore class-A amps since they provide amongst the smallest distortion of any mini audio amplifiers. The main drawback is that similar to tube amps class A amplifiers have quite small efficiency. Consequently these amps need large heat sinks to radiate the wasted energy and are frequently rather bulky.

Class-AB amplifiers improve on the efficiency of class-A amps. They use a series of transistors in order to break up the large-level signals into two separate regions, each of which can be amplified more efficiently. As such, class-AB amplifiers are typically smaller than class-A amplifiers. When the signal transitions between the 2 distinct regions, though, a certain amount of distortion is being created, thus class-AB amplifiers will not achieve the same audio fidelity as class-A amplifiers.

Class-D amplifiers improve on the efficiency of class-AB amplifiers even further by making use of a switching transistor that is always being switched on or off. Thus this switching stage hardly dissipates any energy and thereby the power efficiency of class-D amps generally surpasses 90%. The switching transistor is being controlled by a pulse-width modulator. The switched large-level signal needs to be lowpass filtered in order to remove the switching signal and get back the music signal. Due to non-linearities of the pulse-width modulator and the switching transistor itself, class-D amps by nature have amongst the largest audio distortion of any audio amp. New amps incorporate internal audio feedback in order to reduce the amount of audio distortion. “Class-T” amplifiers (also called “t-amplifier”) utilize this sort of feedback method and for that reason can be manufactured extremely small while achieving low audio distortion.

The Things You Must Know About Cell Phones

Many people use cell phones as their only means of communication. Not only can they make phone calls, but you can also text, email and surf the Web. Keep reading and you’ll get great advice that can be used with the cell phone you have.

Make sure that you restart your cell phones every once in a while so that you can get rid of the memory that is stored from programs like Twitter and Facebook. It should function much better as a result.

If you phone gets wet, it isn’t necessarily beyond repair. Take the battery out and put it into a bowl full of rice. The rice will naturally attract any moisture from within.

Be careful not to watch too much video while using your cell phone out of wi-fi range. Your phone plan may have a monthly data allowance. Video takes quite a bit and it can add up quickly. Try a new plan if you cannot stay within restrictions.

Smartphones will run slower as they age. It may be difficult to update any apps or operating systems as time goes on. There are times where you will need to choose. You can stick with what you have, but not update it, or you can get a new phone that can handle the updates.

If you are buying a smartphone, make sure you need it first. Smartphones cost a lot of money, but they do a lot of things. However, not everyone requires the latest, most innovative features — just a simple means of calling others. If that is you, keep in mind that smartphones cost more initially and the monthly fees are higher. It may be best to seek other options.

Be sure you truly require a smartphone before purchasing one. Smartphones are costly, but they have lots of benefits. The truth is, though, that a lot of users only want to talk on their phone. If this is what you’re like, then you shouldn’t buy a smartphone because it costs more and that may be bad for you. They are not the best investment for everyone.

Take time to find out the different applications you can do with your phone. Most recent models of phones are capable of surfing the web and playing music. You can also access a calendar function on many of them. Figuring out what goes into these programs is going to help you get a lot of use out of the money you spend.

When cell phones get older, they begin to slow down. Over time, stuff like updating your apps might become cumbersome. Many times, you will be faced with a decision to make. Keep the old and familiar or take a chance with a new upgraded phone.

If you only want a phone to make calls, don’t get a smartphone. Everyone has one, but most people are paying for features they may not need. Since smartphones cost much more than plan cell cell phones (click this link in order to find more information regarding cell phones for senior citizens), economize and buy a regular cell phone if you just want to use it for voice conversations.

Playing mobile games can cure boredom and add some much needed excitement to your day. You’d be surprised at the quality of the games out there for cell phones. Don’t overburden your phone with too many games, since this can eat up your memory.

No matter how little you knew about cell phones previously, having read this article, you now have an idea of where to turn and what to do. It’s your choice if you want to make full use of it. These tips can help you achieve another level of satisfaction with your phone. Nothing can be worse than if you have a phone that isn’t fun to use.