LinkTastic Online Shopping - Buyers Guide For Audio Systems
The days when choosing an audio system meant opting for convenience rather than performance are long gone. Today's audio systems can give many an audio separates set-up a run for its money. Most audio systems now come with infra red remote control handsets.
There are two basic types of audio system available with an extensive variety to choose from.
- Micro Systems:- Micro systems are the smallest and in the past were bought as secondary systems for bedrooms, kitchens or family rooms. However, improved performance coupled with more powerful amplifiers has seen the micro system moving into many living rooms as the main system.
- Mini Systems:- Mini systems are compact in size and normally consist of a compact disc player; a tuner for radio and a tape player. Some mini audio systems also feature double tape decks and surround-sound. A large number of mini systems are bought as living room systems as they offer a good mix of performance and features yet occupy a fairly small space.
AUDIO SYSTEM FEATURES
CD Player
A CD player is almost standard on today's audio systems.
CD Features
- Track Programming:- Most CD decks offer a track programming facility, which allow you to programme the tracks in the order you want to play them, or to play them randomly.
- Intro Scan:- Intro scan feature enables you to play the first 10 seconds or so of each track to let you know what is on the disc.
- CD Changers:- Audio systems that offer this facility store around 6 discs, although some audio machines do offer a larger capacity. This enables you to load up several or more discs for hours of uninterrupted play. Some audio machines also allow you to change the remaining discs while another is playing.
- CD Text Compatible:- A growing number of discs are compatible with CD text. This puts text information on to a CD, such as artists name, or track title, which can then be viewed on the players LCD screen.
Recordable And Rewritable CD
Recordable CD (CD-R) and Rewritable CD (CD/RW) machines are found in some audio systems allowing you to record CD's, radio, LP's and tapes onto a blank compact disc. CD-RW discs can be used and re-used like an audio tape, but recordings cannot be erased from CD-R discs.
Tape Deck
As CD and Mini Disc sales have increased, some manufacturers have dropped the audio cassette function from the machines. However the tape deck is still widely available on many systems.
- Double Cassette Deck:- Tape decks may be single or double versions. The latter allows you to copy or edit cassette tapes.
- High Speed Dubbing:- High speed dubbing enables you to copy tapes at twice the normal speed to save time. This may impair the playback quality on some machines and it may not be as good as the original recording. It is a wise idea to invest in good quality blank tapes.
- Continuous Play:- Continuous play automatically starts the second tape deck when the first one has finished. Rather like the CD changer. However continuous play will only play through two tapes so the length of continuous play is far shorter.
- Auto Reverse:- Auto reverse will automatically reverse the tape direction so that both sides of the tape are recorded upon. Auto-reverse decks often use twin tape heads for reading each side of the tape (A or B) in either direction.
- Programme / Track Search:- This feature makes it far easier to search for a specific place on the tape to find a song or place to start your recording. Most search systems work by hunting for pauses or gaps between recordings.
- Synchro Edit:- Synchro edit starts the cassette deck and CD player at the same time, making it easier to record compact discs. The playback deck is put into play/pause mode and the record deck into record/pause mode. Pressing a button causes the decks to playback and record simultaneously, which means that you do not accidentally miss the beginning of a recording.
- Audio Edit:- Audio edit calculates the number of CD tracks that will fit on a tape and records them. This works by reading the CD's Table Of Contents (TOC), an electronic file that stores track and time information.
- Manual Recording Level Control:- Most systems automatically set the recording level, but you may prefer to do this yourself, in which case you will want a system that also offers a manual recording level control.
Tape Type
Automatic tape-type selection means that you will not have to worry about whether the machine is set up correctly for the cassette type. There are several tape-types each requiring different processing during recording for the optimum performance. Tape-types include: ferric, pseudo-chrome and metal. Automatic tape-type selection uses identification notches on the cassette shell to determine the tape-type, and then automatically adjusts the recorder's electronics characteristics to match it.
Dolby Noise Reduction
Why is Dolby Noise Reduction Needed?
Cassettes run at a slow speed, which results in tape hiss. The Dolby noise reduction system "listens out" for the quiet parts of a signal, which are usually low-level, high frequency signals. These are then boosted during recording.
How Does Dolby Noise Reduction Work?
When the tape is played, the boosted signals are pushed back to their original level, and noise signals are pushed down also. This means that the noise is now at a lower level in relation to the sound and so hiss is reduced. Dolby B is the most commonly used noise reduction system, which reduces the tape noise by about half. Dolby B encoded recordings are compatible with tape decks without noise reduction.
OTHER AUDIO SYSTEM FEATURES
Amplifier
The amplifier is the heart of an audio system and allows users to select the sound source i.e. CD, tuner, tape, and change the sound characteristics and volume level. The amplifier also provides the power to drive the speakers.
Tone Control
An amplifier may have separate tone controls for altering bass - the low frequency sounds, and treble - the high frequency sounds, or a graphic equaliser, which splits the sound into frequency bands and offers more precise control.
- Spectrum Analyser:- A spectrum analyser displays the frequency bands as rows of lights on the systems LCD, which can be visually adjusted to alter the sound.
- Bass Boost:- Bass boost increases the bass frequencies to give the sound more punch.
Tuner
Most tuners offer the main AM bands (long/short/medium wave frequencies) as well as FM (frequency modulation) reception.
- Analogue:- Analogue tuners have a number scale with pointer.
- Digital:- Digital tuners have a numeric display and offer other features such as auto-tuning where the frequency band is scanned automatically. A Preset function allows you to find your required radio station at the touch of a button and some have a clock timer and sleep system so they can be automatically set to switch on and off.
Radio Data System
Some audio systems offer RDS this transmits digital information along with the radio broadcast, such as the station name. Some RDS tuners select various music stations for you and give the latest travel information. This may be an automatic function on an audio system, if you do not require it you should make sure that you purchase a system where this facility can be deactivated.
Digital Radio
Digital radio is based on technology called Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB). This enables the audio system to transmit radio in the form of computer code, rather than as and analogue wave. Digital Radio offers interference free near CD-quality sound, extra channels and features such as text and graphics display.
Mini Disc
Some audio systems may also now have a Mini Disc player in addition to the CD player. Mini Discs are about half the size of a CD and offer near-CD quality sound. Systems with this facility produce high-quality copies for use in Mini Disc personals, portables and in-car systems.
Loud Speakers
- Two way Speakers:- The majority of audio systems offer two-way speakers, which comprises a woofer for bass sounds and a tweeter for treble sounds. Some audio systems have movable tweeters that can direct the sound around the room.
- Three way Speakers:- This comprises the woofer and tweeter but in addition has a mid-range unit as well.
- Five way Speakers:- Dolby Pro-Logic surround-sound systems may have up to five speakers for the various audio channels, namely left, right, centre, and surrounds.
Power Output
The power output of the amp may be measured in two ways. Either by the peak music power output (PMPO), which takes the highest signal readings and adds them together or by root mean square (RMS), which is an average reading. The PMPO usually look higher so the two should never be directly compared.
Sound Processing
Some audio mini systems include a digital signal processor (DSP), which alters the sound of the music, for example making the music sound as if it's inside a hall. Some advanced audio systems now offer enhanced stereo, which aims to create a surround-sound effect thorough two-way speakers.
Home Cinema
If you are after the home cinema then you really have to look at purchasing an audio system that offers Dolby Pro-Logic surround-sound. Top of the range audio system models may offer a Dolby Digital Decoder to split the signal to the correct channels. Some audio systems may also include DVD players, which can be used to play DVD movies discs and audio CD's.
Audio-Visual Sockets
AV sockets enable you to link other equipment to your system such as turntables.
Types Of AV Sockets
- AV-out:- Some audio systems have AV out sockets, which allow the sound to be fed to an external source, such as a television or camcorder.
- AV-in:- Others may have AV-in sockets allowing sound to be fed to the audio system from equipment such as VCR's or DVD's.
- Phono Sockets:- Most Mini audio systems use this type of single socket for audio signals.
- Scart Sockets:- Multi pin Scart sockets are those used for connecting VCRs and Satellite receivers to televisions.
- Digital Output Socket:- This maybe an optical or coax socket, which allows CD's to be digitally copied onto another digital recording system like Mini Disc. Digital copies are equal in quality to the original recording.
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