Advice From You Audiophiles

[Brian Cash]

Since ive gotton hooked on blu ray ive really been getting into home audio theaters as well to listen to the movies as they were ment to be listened too. I have some knowledge when it come to audio systems but not as much as i like, i hear people talking about frequencies and other stuff and its a new language. So my question is does anyone recommend a book i could pick up that i could learn some stuff from....Thanks

[Snowgod]

While I cannot think of any books to recommend, I have had a number of friends thank me for what they learned from the Sound and Vision magazines I have loaned to them. I also think that a group of friends can form a home theater group and have movie nights at each others homes thus gaining experience with different home theater set ups. I will warn you that the downside is the race to keep up with the neighbors will happen as you each upgrade to keep ahead.

[krazeyeyez]

i am curious as to what kind of education is required to get into hidef in general, audio, visual, home installation etc.... what do these guys major in to get into this field of work.

[Woody]

I concur that solid industry mags are a good resource. I have been subscribed to Widescreen Review for years (even though they were closet HD DVD pushers). They have alot of good information/articles on the ins and outs of numerous HT subjects.


Course-wise, not many big universities offer specialized training for this stuff, but I am sure there are smaller "technical" colleges may get into a few misc courses specific to HT install.

There isnt a TON of knowledge involved with the actual install process. When it gets into technical things like the physics of accoustics and detailed custom HT design (ie: professional calibration, accoustic panelling, etc.) there are courses offered by PARA and other organizations that have similar interests. They offer certifications and many other things.

The problem is most of these things are localized, so you actually need to travel to big cities, or be lucky enough to live close. Some of them also require you to be employed by a certified employer to even attend the classes/training.

In the end, I would just google it and look for some reputable sites that have various articles written about many different subjects pertaining to HT.

You can learn alot from this type of research.

[Gremal]

The best online resource for high end audio (not HT) is Positive Feedback online... www.positive-feedback.com. It depends how "into" audio you want to get. PS Audio has a free DVD (at least they were offering it free as of a few months ago) that talks about the role of electricity in an audio system and gives you a lot of background on electricity. I think this is absolutely essential to understand audio and specifically the importance of electricity. The DVD isn't an advertisement and does include a lot of good information in a friendly style that's easy to understand, not unlike "Nova". It is rather hastily produced and not of good video quality, but the company is PS Audio not PS Video.

If that seems too basic for you, I suggest you get deeper into it and understand the issue of absolute polarity. Read "The Wood Effect" by Clark Johnsen in a book that brought attention of this phenomenon to the public (or at least to audio geeks like me).

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by krazeyeyez

i am curious as to what kind of education is required to get into hidef in general, audio, visual, home installation etc.... what do these guys major in to get into this field of work.

The person at my favorite audio shop was in sales (high end stuff, but nothing to do with audio) and talking with her, I have discovered all of her audio knowledge was learned "on-the-job" and although she's very knowledgeable, she has no system of her own..... the owner on the other hand, has committed his life to the art of audio.......

Subscribe to a magazine, but if they give praise to something, doesn't mean it's good..... but as far as learning technical specifications, and their implications..... that's where I'd start.

****I know very little about audio in comparison to most********

[Brian Cash]

Thanks everyone for the advice I love audio and having a kick ass home theater setup i just would like to understand it more and make sure im getting the best quality out of my setup a few of my friends reffered me to two books Introductory Guide to High-Performance Audio Systems and Home Theater for Everyone: A Practical Guide to Today's Home Entertainment Systems

[bassbone57]

Originally Posted by Brian Cash

Thanks everyone for the advice I love audio and having a kick ass home theater setup i just would like to understand it more and make sure im getting the best quality out of my setup a few of my friends reffered me to two books Introductory Guide to High-Performance Audio Systems and Home Theater for Everyone: A Practical Guide to Today's Home Entertainment Systems

It's a neverending quest. I've been in the Audio business for over 11 years and I'm still learning all of the time. I know a lot more than most, but I read up on stuff a lot, I work in the A/V business, so I am exposed to it all of the time. There is TONS of good info online and at the AVS Audio forums, but there is also a lot of opinions and bad info too. I know there is a Home Theaters for Dummies book, and it covers a lot of the basics and there is some good info in there, but it doesn't dive into the really nerdy detailed stuff. They don't want to scare people off I'm sure.

-K

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by Brian Cash

Onkyo TX-NR905
Klipsch Icon Series

Sweet.

I have an 875 arriving today, and I have PSB (fronts) and Energy (sides and rears).

Gary

[Brian Cash]

Originally Posted by dialog_gvf

Sweet.

I have an 875 arriving today, and I have PSB (fronts) and Energy (sides and rears).

Gary

Yeah its a sweet receiver but a little too much for what I need im thinking about selling it and downgrading to the 805 or 705