The Details

Designed by renowned audio tech engineer Andrew Jones, the Pioneer SP-EBS73-LR “bookshelf” speakers can be used as stereo front-liners or as surround sound generators. Two concentric, 1″ mid-tweeter arrays provide clarity beyond the peers of these speakers, but the 5.25″ woofers also give you expressive, richly detailed bass, which is not always the case when you’ve got a lot of power in the treble.

Placed strategically, the SP-EBS73-LR speakers provide an outstanding surround sound experience because of their three-way design. The tweeters and woofers are paired up with 4″ midrange drivers. This unique driver configuration comprises Pioneer’s CST (Coherent Source Transducer) Concentric Driver. The build quality is regarded as superb, enhancing the resonance of the speakers. (They are 7.4″ wide by 15.7″ tall by 9.7″ deep, with gracefully curved sides.) To have surround sound, it’s recommended that the speakers be placed on stands about a foot out from the wall to allow their rear bass port, which gets down to 50Hz, to breathe and to allow the sounds to have more reflective space.

If you like music that’s heavier than classical/orchestral, jazz trio, New Age, etc., then you’ll want to invest in HD Tracks to listen to pop, heavy metal, blues, etc. These speakers are so high fidelity that they have a slight “treble forwardness” quality that reveals the tiniest flaw of lower quality tracks, especially with rock music and it sub-genres because there’s so much loudness.

The SP-EBS73-LR speakers can be used alone as your stereo output, or they can be part of a multichannel system as flankers for Pioneer’s Elite SP-EC73 center-channel speaker.

The SP-EBS73-LR speakers also come equipped with Dolby Atmos technology, which has been designed to accurately pinpoint the precise location of an audio object within a 3-D audio space and thus give you a far more realistic audio experience while you’re watching Atmos-coded Blu-ray movie or concert discs. The Atmos driver in these Pioneers is in the top and flush-mounted in a 20 degree, angled baffle. But, for now, Atmos coded movie discs are limited.

The best feature of the Pioneer SP-EBS73-LR speakers is simply the surround sound that you can buy without having to empty your bank account or go into debt. Retailing at US $700 to $750, it seems well nigh impossible to find a better surround sound system in this price range according to all available reviews.

Another Option

Another surround sound option, which costs several hundred dollars more than the SP-EBS73-LR speakers, is the Audio MASS System (5.1). Made up of a horizontally-aligned MASS Centre speaker, four MASS 10 satellites, and the MASS W200 active subwoofer, this system is praised by listeners for delivering power and sonic detail that’s exceedingly hard to match. The satellite speakers are so compact, standing on slender posts, that they can easily be placed so as to be nearly invisible, but they’re also designed with a futuristic or otherworldly beauty. The other two, larger components have the same eye-appealing quality. I should point out that you can find the 5.0 system for about the same price as the Pioneer speakers.

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The speakers that produce the lowest bass are tactile transducers — they typically produce frequencies in the 0.5 – 20 Hz range. Tactile sound is not perceived through the ears — it perceived through the body. Most subwoofers are incapable of producing audio in this range.

A good tactile transducer to start with is $150, entry-level Clark Synthesis Silver Edition (TST239) — it provides ample sub-frequency bass for the home user.

The Details

Tactile sound is the sensation of sound transmitted directly to the human body by contact, rather than by sound waves through the ears (tympanic sensation).

More specifically, it is sound perceived through bone conduction, through muscles and deep tissue, and via skin sensation. We perceive the vibrations through our haptic senses which include both kinesthetic (muscle) and touch (cutaneous) senses. We feel both inaudible (infrasonic frequencies) and audible frequencies. Thus, tactile sound is not just brute rumbles and shock waves.

Tactile sound can be perceived in high fidelity up to the mid-range frequencies. According to NASA research we perceive 0 to 1 kHz through the sense of touch, 0 to 3 kHz through kinesthesia (the sense of the relative position of neighboring parts of the body), and 0.20 kHz to 20 kHz through our ears. Note there’s an overlap — we can hear the range of 0.20 kHz to 3 kHz both with our ears and through other parts of our body. Also, some hearing-impaired individual can hear sounds up to 5 kHz through their skin.

Tactile sound is a sensation that many seek out. People often buy expensive subwoofers to achieve deep bass effects. In this pursuit, subwoofers are often pushed past recommend levels, resulting in damaged equipment, muddied sound fields, and disturbed neighbors. Typically, subwoofers not produce tactile sound very well. They are designed to transmit low frequency sound through the air, and they don’t usually produce bass below 25 – 30Hz. Correctly installed and enclosed subwoofers can producer lower and louder deep bass, but they will not produce the same level of tactile vibrations.

So what kind of device produces tactile sound? Tactile transducers, or electro-mechanical devices that are built specifically to vibrate objects. They are very similar to a loudspeaker woofer driver minus the cone.

There are two basic flavors of transducer: inertial shakers and linear actuators. Let’s take a look at the differences between the two:

Inertial Shakers

Inertial Shakers operate by shaking a mass in an enclosed housing. The resulting vibrations are transferred to an attached object, like the wooden crossbeam of a couch, for example. Usually, shakers are bolted directed to an object.

Companies that make Inertial Shakers include: Clark Synthesis, Aura Sound, Earthquake Audio, Buttkicker and Sonic Immersion Technologies. These devices vary widely in price — some produce a simple shaking effect, some produce high-fidelity sounds that compliment to a stereo system or home theater (such as those offered by Clark Synthesis, my personal favorites).

A good tactile transducer to start with is $150, entry-level Clark Synthesis Silver Edition (TST239). It will produce solid definition to drum hits, or shake your fillings loose if you so desire. The transducer can be installed in less than an hour. It took me about 45 minutes to bolt it to the bottom of my couch, using the parts provided with the transducer. In my test installation, I removed the fabric from the button of a couch, and bolted the transducer to a crossbeam underneath. Once installed, the entire couch functions as a bass speaker.

But wait, we need to power the tactile transducer! Clark Synthesis sells a $350 customized tactile amplifier to do this, but you can actually use any amplifier that outputs at least 100 watts (check the Clark Synthesis documentation for more info). Well, Cambridge Audio makes good amplifiers, but their entry-level models start at $330. We can instead use an AudioSource amplifier. This is a 2-channel 100-watt (50 watts x 2) power amplifier, which can be purchased for under $100. This amplifier is well-reviewed —  111 reviewers on Amazon gave it an average of 4 out of 5 stars. You attach your amplifier to the tactile transducer using standard speaker cables. You then connect the amplifier to the Sub Out connector on your receiver.

Linear Actuators

Linear Actuators are transducers that push against a hard surface. They apply a force directly to an object, in contrast to Inertial Shakers which vibrate themselves, and then transmit that vibration into another object. Commercially available Linear Actuators usually replace the feet of a chair. They operate by pushing against the floor, and directly lifting and dropping a chair. They tend to be more expensive that Inertial Shakers, and they can be only installed under chairs — they can’t be installed under a floor or in a swimming pool like the shakers above.

Companies that offer Linear Actuator include: Crowson Technology and d-Box Technologies.

See also: The Tactile Transducer FAQ

The post The Speakers With The Deepest Bass: Tactile Transducers appeared first on Reactual.

The HK 3700 received 4.5 out of 5 stars from CNET, and it’s the highest rated stereo receiver on Amazon, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars from 72 reviewers.

Note that the HK 3390 is designed for stereo sound reproduction. It can, however, accommodate home theatre devices such as a cable box or gaming system, albeit only via composite video connections. If you are looking for a budget home theatre receiver, the top rated receiver is Onkyo’s TX-SR333 receiver.

You can find Harmon Kardon’s 3390 receiver on Amazon for about $310.

The post The Best Stereo Receiver Under $250: Harmon Kardon 3700 appeared first on Reactual.

Average Amazon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (from 329+ reviewers)

These M6 Earbuds by MEElectronics are more durable and provide better sound that comparable earphones in their price range. CNET rated them 3.5 out of 4 stars saying “A great value for bass addicts”. These earphones incorporate a “memory wire” and an angled ear tip, making them good earphones wear while  engaged in sports.

You can get the MEElectronics M6 at Amazon for about $20.

Sleek Audio SA1 High Fidelity Earbuds ($79)

Top Review Sources:

• Engadget: “At $79.99, it has few contemporaries that offer as much flexibility.”
• Gear Diary: “Sounds excellent, Looks gorgeous”
• Amazon: Average 3.9 out of 5 stars based on 16 reviews

Sleek Audio set the standard of a flexible listening experience with their SA6 earphones that offered interchangeable tuners and wires. Now they’ve released the much more affordable SA1 model which delivers the same award-winning sound quality and adaptable features. The SA1 cable is lightweight and won’t pull out during activities and is for those who don’t like the ones that go around the top of the ear.

The Sleek Audio SA1 earphones are available on Amazon.

Klipsch Image S5i Rugged Earbuds

Average Amazon Rating: 3.9 out of 5 (from 50+ reviewers)

Klipsch has released a ruggedized headphone, the Image S5i. The earphones are weather resistant and feature extra large buttons which can be operated while wearing gloves. So far, they are getting good reviews on Amazon.

The Klipsch Image S5i Rugged Earbuds are available on Amazon for about $100.

Etymotic HF5 Earphones

Average Amazon Rating: 3.9 out of 5 (from 52+ reviewers)

One of the best sports earphones available. Etymotic succeeds in creating a balanced realistic sound. Bass-enthusiasts may be disappointed with the thin reproduction of low-frequencies. CNET rates them “Very Good” and iLounge gave them a “A-” rating.

The Etymotic hf5 earphones are sold on Amazon — they are available in Red, Blue, and Black. They sell for about $95.

If you looking for an Etymotic with iPod/iPhone/iPad controls included, consider the Etymotic ER23-HF3.

Monster iSport Immersion Earphones

Average Amazon Rating: 4.3 out of 5 (from 131+ reviewers)

The iSport Immersion Headphone by Monster is designed to be used while engaged in activities like snowboarding, running and working out at the gym. They are durably built and completely sweatproof. In fact, they can even be put in the wash for cleaning.

Available at Amazon for about $150.

Shure SE425 Sound-Isolating Earbuds ($299)

Pros:

• Accurate sound quality that lives up to the price, Bass is balanced, not heavy
• Detachable cord for replacement
• Lightweight, durable design
• Ergonomic eartip design sits inside the outer ear; cord goes over top of the ear

Top Review Sources:

• GadgetMac: 4 out of 5 stars: “For those who truly want to experience the music as it was produced”
• CNET: 4 out of 5 stars, overall score- 8.0, Excellent: “An excellent choice for eclectic listeners who demand stellar audio and a high-quality design”
• Amazon: Average 4.1 out of 5 stars based on 18 reviews

In business for over 80 years, Shure has long been the go-to audio electronic company for both professionals and amateur audiophiles. Those who use earphones during strenuous activities may tend to wear out their cords before the speakers go, so the detachable, replacement cable feature is alluring. Included are three sizes of the flex and black foam sleeves as well as 1 pair of triple flange and 1 pair of universal fit foam sleeves. With a tweeter and woofer in each ear, both the sound-isolation and sound quality are excellent providing a true sound for a broad range of music styles.

The Shure SE425 sound-isolating earphones are sold on Amazon.

The post The Top Rated Earbuds For Sports appeared first on Reactual.

Since their appearance on the internet in 1994, MP3 files have made music much easier to transfer around the world. Because MP3 files are compressed, their file size is typically ten times smaller than the original, uncompressed audio file. This means quicker downloads, and the ability to store more music on an iPod.

However, because MP3 files are compressed, the sound they produce is always going to be inferior to CD-quality sound. But does this really manner? Is there a meaningful difference between a MP3 audio file encoded at 320kbp, and a lossless (CD-quality) sound? In many listening situations, MP3 files will pass the test with most listeners. But if you are listening on high fidelity equipment, you may notice some sound artifacts, because some parts of the music are actually missing.

To understand this, let’s examine what’s actually involved in making a MP3 file. The MP3 coder splits a music waveform into discrete time chunks. Then, using Transform analysis, examines the spectral content of each chunk. Assumptions are made by the codec’s designers, on the basis of psychoacoustic theory, about what information can be safely discarded. Quiet sounds with a similar spectrum to loud sounds in the same time window are discarded, as are quiet sounds that are immediately followed or preceded by loud sounds. Other compression techniques are also used.

In an article in Stereophile magazine, John Atkinson explains that all MP3 codecs permanently discard real musical information that would have been audible to some listeners when played through some systems. After much spectral analysis, the author John Atkinson concludes:

Basically, if you want true CD quality from the files on your iPod or music server, you must use WAV or AIF encoding or FLAC, ALC, or WMA Lossless. Both MP3 and AAC introduce fairly large changes in the measured spectra, even at the highest rate of 320kbps. There seems little point in spending large sums of money on superbly specified audio equipment if you are going to play sonically compromised, lossy-compressed music on it.

Gizmodo also did a listening test with a 1000 volunteers, to discover which MP3 bit rates were acceptable to their ears. Almost all the listeners were happy with MP3 files encoded at 200 kbps and above.

When music is encoded at rates below 192kpbs, many listeners hear a distracting phasing effect on high-frequency sounds like those produced by cymbals.

So, after surveying many online articles and forums, and after doing my own audio tests, I’ve come to this conclusion:

In most listening situations, music played in MP3 files encoded at 256kpbs or higher, is virtually indistinguishable from the same music played in lossless formats like FLAC or WAV.

However, if you listening on a audiophile-grade sound system, you may be able to detect some definite sound quality issues when listening to MP3s. This is especially true when listening to classical music, or other music that covers the full dynamic audio range.

If you are listening on a iPod or MP3 player, you can probably stick with MP3 files, because the circuitry in iPods and other MP3 players is too small to properly drive good headphones. If, however, you are using a portable headphone amplifier in combination with high fidelity headphones, you may want to opt for a lossless audio format.

The post Is There A Real Difference Between MP3s and CD-Quality Sound? appeared first on Reactual.