Are you part of the Netflix Generation? How about Youtube? Can’t forget Wii, Xbox, and Playstation, either. It is becoming a fact of life that TV is no longer just broadcast and cable. A typical modern video installation includes an HDTV, almost certainly a cable box, satellite box, or TiVo, and very likely a Blu-ray player, or a Roku box, or an Apple TV, or… you name it. What’s important is that the HDTV is now the portal for a phenomenal amount of entertainment, most of it with great sound. And think about this… a LOT of what is available through your HDTV doesn’t even have a moving picture with it at all! That’s right, your TV is now your music portal too. Whether you get Pandora, or Rhapsody, or even stream music from your computer through to your TV, Blu-Ray player, or Apple TV, you have billions of options. Cable and satellite systems almost always have multiple music channels available – all digital sound. So I will say this once. If you are listening to TV, movies, and music through the speakers on your TV, no matter how much you paid or what kind of fancy pixels, LEDs, or refresh rates you got, you are not getting the benefit of true hi-fi sound. By far the simplest solution, and most economical too, is the Boston Acoustics TVee Model 20 soundbar, featuring an included wireless subwoofer, simple one wire hookup to the TV, and super-simple remote learning feature so your living room so you just use your regular old remote as normal. It’s a no-brainer. So, as Ben Stiller says in Starsky & Hutch, “Do it! Do it!”
Viewed from Kowloon, Hong Kong is spectacular at night, like Manhattan or San Francisco. I took this picture during a recent trip. So what does this have to do with the SoundWare XS 5.1? Well, in this photo are probably about eight million small apartments, each with a person or family that loves sound. But it’s the city and there’s not always room for 2 channel audio, much less a full 5.1 system. The SoundWare XS satellites are truly tiny cubes, barely more than 3 inches on a side, and a subwoofer no bigger than a microwave oven. We include brackets for the sats so you can get them out of the way. More importantly, these tiny satellites include a mid/bass driver and a real tweeter – so we’re talking about real hifi, not an approximation. If you are short on space, or even if you just like to be free of clutter, the SoundWare systems are perfect – have a listen!
A. When installing speaker wire behind a wall or ceiling a UL/CL rated wire should always be used. This classification of wire adheres to national standards for in wall wiring, based on such criteria as fire, chemical, and abrasion resistance.
Speaker wire size is measured in gauge using the AWG, or American Wire Gauge, system. A larger gauge will better conduct current, or power, from your electronics to the speaker. In general, a larger gauge (lower AWG number) will carry more current over a greater distance without loss. Common sizes from largest to smallest are 12, 16, and 18 gauges. It is always best to use a larger size if in doubt. Wire should always be budgeted into a system, as it is usually not included with the speakers.
If you pick up an acoustic guitar (depending on the design of the neck) and play the top E-string on the top fret, you are playing B, at about 988 Hz. Some electrics even go a couple notes higher. A quick look at our specs will show that we transition to the littlest driver, the tweeter, somewhere around 2,500 to 3,500 Hz, and the tweeter specializes in the highest frequency range, up to 30,000 Hz in the SWB tweeters of our top of the line VS Series speaker models. Of course you would point out that a piccolo goes even higher. How high? The top note on a typical piccolo is a C at 4,186 Hz, but that doesn’t explain the need for more range. As a rule all musical instruments convey the fundamental tone AND harmonics of the tone. So if you play that 4,186 Hz C, you are also getting multiples of that frequency, at 8,372 and 12,558 and 16,744, etc. And there is the air noise from the person blowing into the instrument. Even the guitar’s top note of 988 Hz has plenty of harmonic content and even more if it is a steel string or electric. If you don’t convey these harmonics, you have “harmonic distortion” – and the real effect is a loss of airiness, openness, and clarity in the sound. Cover a speaker’s tweeter with your hand (avoid touching it) and you will see how dull the sound becomes. So is this top range important? Absolutely!
Are you part of the Netflix Generation? How about Youtube? Can’t forget Wii, Xbox, and Playstation, either. It is becoming a fact of life that TV is no longer just broadcast and cable. A typical modern video installation includes an HDTV, almost certainly a cable box, satellite box, or TiVo, and very likely a Blu-ray player, or a Roku box, or an Apple TV, or… you name it. What’s important is that the HDTV is now the portal for a phenomenal amount of entertainment, most of it with great sound. And think about this… a LOT of what is available through your HDTV doesn’t even have a moving picture with it at all! That’s right, your TV is now your music portal too. Whether you get Pandora, or Rhapsody, or even stream music from your computer through to your TV, Blu-Ray player, or Apple TV, you have billions of options. Cable and satellite systems almost always have multiple music channels available – all digital sound. So I will say this once. If you are listening to TV, movies, and music through the speakers on your TV, no matter how much you paid or what kind of fancy pixels, LEDs, or refresh rates you got, you are not getting the benefit of true hi-fi sound. By far the simplest solution, and most economical too, is the Boston Acoustics TVee Model 20 soundbar, featuring an included wireless subwoofer, simple one wire hookup to the TV, and super-simple remote learning feature so your living room so you just use your regular old remote as normal. It’s a no-brainer. So, as Ben Stiller says in Starsky & Hutch, “Do it! Do it!”
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