Handy Home Theater 1
As we speed into the 21st Century, it is obvious that home entertainment has come along way from the
windup Victrola and the player piano. Those of us who have fond memories of these arcane instruments
may want to explore the possibilities of current and future technologies.
Of course, the terminology used to reference these new technologies is just one more form of encryption
designed to suggest that one cannot teach an old dog new tricks. Perhaps we should remind callow youth
that if they want to make millions selling us their dreams, they had better be ready to communicate with
us in good demotic English. Technobabble is just another form of the jargon youth has always used to
confuse parents and elders. Having weathered more than one of these linguistic waves, we should be able
to work through another with little more than momentary confusion and the odd moment of feeling
foolish.
Home entertainment is something that can and should be enjoyed by all generations (in moderation by
those under fifty, of course). While not many electronic superstores pride themselves on traditional
personal service, persistence may be rewarded. It could be argued that home theaters with huge video
screens and boxcar sized speakers are a lively way to fill an empty nest but that doesn’t address the
instinct that many of us have to simplify our lives and downsize our living space to allow for travel and to
adjust to changing health, mobility, and finances.
At a time in our lives when nature is downsizing our hearing, it seems like a double hit to reduce the size
of one’s home theater. While lifting heavy amplifiers may be a strength building exercise, many of us
have been advised to modify our exercise patterns or have weight limits to protect our creaking joints. Big
screen TVs are a big help to aging eyes but can be deadly for aging backs. Life, as my Grandfather was
wont to say, is one damn thing after another. Let us resist the temptation to throw up our hands (in a
carefully limited gesture) and shuffle off into the future. Modern technology offers a host of options that
can provide us with entertainment, information, and education to can keep our minds and hearts supple
and resilient well into the 21st Century.
As an electronics journalist, my living space is amply supplied with hardware. Some friends and close
relatives even suggest it is cluttered with wires and black boxes. Recently, I found that the time had come
to shift to less commodious quarters and that this would require modifications in my hardware
arrangements. I even came to realize that there wouldn’t be room for all the LPs that I had acquired over
the past half century. The cruelest cut came when I tore a rotator cuff and couldn’t pick up anything that
required two hands or weighed more than a martini (medicinal, of course).
My stalwart sons had already told me that I could not review any television sets bigger than 35 inches as I
could not lift them and they were no longer available on call. I try to keep in mind that a smaller screen
TV (27” or under”) can function quite well as a home theater monitor if one views the screen from
suitable distance. Viewing a really big screen TV in a modest living space is like sitting in the front row at
the local cinema. At a time when big screen sets are all the rage, 27 inch monitors are available with a full
range of features for home theater use. Moreover, such smaller sets generally have a relatively modest
price tag as compared to the behemoths.
Middle aged males generally have fading ability to hear high frequency sounds. We need a big full sound
and almost always prefer big full spectrum speakers. Yet if we transcend our prejudices, there are
incredible full spectrum speaker systems that practically disappear in even the smallest rooms. Consider
the BOSE Acoustimass 15 Home Theater Speaker System. It is truly difficult for us old dogs to learn that
modern technology can work miracles. The tiny paired cubes can be placed on tables, shelves, custom wall
mounts, even on or next to TVs since they are magnetically shielded. They can easily be placed at ear
level for maximum effect. Their tiny size is impressive and the sound they provide is utterly amazing.
But for home theater, one needs bass and the laws of physics suggest that when it comes to bass bigger is
better. The original Acoustimass Bass module was an impressive way of providing serious bass in a small
package. The new Acoustimass 15 powered Bass module can deliver a cannon’s roar or thunder claps
with all the power and punch one could want in one’s living room. If you favor music over special effects,
you will have no reason to fault the Acoustimass 15. Moreover, the Bass module contains advanced chips
that distribute the signals for surround sound in an exemplary manner. As an added plus, the Acoustimass
15 comes complete in a simple box complete with full instructions and all the cables and connections
clearly labeled for a foolproof installation. Not only was I able to install the Acoustimass 15 with one hand
but I could revel in the rich full crisp sound it provided for both my ears.
So while I still lust in my heart for massive speakers with huge drivers, long and critical listening to block
buster films, treasured vinyls, and current CDs ranging from classics to spoken and exotic odds and ends
convince me that this Bose home theater system is more adequate for the task.. I would prefer full and
unfettered use of my gimpy shoulder, but I do not feel sonically deprived listening to the Bose
Acoustimass 15. Indeed, I took the opportunity to audition the Bose Acoustic Wave Music System and
found that this sleek and beautifully designed system could serve as a very agreeable unit for a really
compact home theater although I would be loath to sacrifice the full range of options and features that
come when using separate components in conjunction with the Acoustimass 15.
Those who are downsizing from serious component systems may shift to the Acoustimass 15s without
suffering any serious sonic loss. If one is starting from scratch, Bose has a number of very attractive,
compact, and singularly sophisticated components and systems which can be the sonic center of petite but
robust home theater. When compared casually to large standard components Bose products may seem
expensive but if one listens to the very full sound and realizes that such quality involves very sophisticated
engineering and materials together with special manufacturing techniques that make the cost quite
reasonable. The density and clarity of diamonds are achieved at considerable sacrifice and the analogy can
be sustained when comparing Bose to more conventional products.
Stalwart souls who have resisted the lure of home theater might want to find a modest system that will
provide good cinematic sound and can provide music and radio programs as well. Consider the Yamaha
Cinema Station Home Cinema Compact System AV-1. In a single box smaller than a steamer trunk (how
nice to address an audience that can understand that analogy), Yamaha has packed five compact speakers,
a bass module, and a combination amplifier, tuner, and CD player with Dolby Pro Logic surround sound
and DSP (Digital Sound Processing). This entire package sells for under $800 and is a very notable
bargain. The five audio channels can use 30 watts of power each and the powered subwoofer can provide
reasonable muscle with 50 watts of power. I found the very legible display panel especially noteworthy
and reflecting the sensible design extending even to the system remote control. Like the Bose speakers, the
AV-1 includes a full set of speaker cables and connectors with ample cable to provide for suitable
placement of the surround speakers.
Folks who promote home theater systems are given to suggest that everyone should have the largest
possible television monitor which argues against downsizing. Happily, there are sensible tables
establishing the appropriate size in relation to the distance from the viewer(s). According to these Tables,
in a small room, a 27 inch or smaller TV screen can provide a satisfactory centerpiece for a home theater.
One still needs a good monitor and magnetically shielded speakers but an entire home theater system can
be fitted into a very small room.
There are many options for compact home theater systems worth considering. Among these one might
consider the JBL Simply Cinema ESC350, a seven piece home entertainment system featuring The
Source (a Dolby Pro Logic processor, and an AM/FM tuner with 200 watts total system power. If one is a
purist, a singular sounding compact system can be assembled by matching an Atlantic Technologies
speaker system with a Kenwood VR-309 receiver and a DVD (Digital Variety Disc) player such as the
Onkyo DV-S717 (or if you really want to downsize, the Panasonic DVD-L50 with its flat 5 inch screen)
and a home theater surround sound processor from Rotel or Lexicon.
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Remember that the joys of home theater can be downsized as can the expense of such a system. Do not
allow yourself to be snookered by fancy terminology or high pressure sales persons. Shop around to
determine what is available that conforms to your requirements and budget. If you are considering very
high end equipment it might make sense to get your hearing tested. Spending thousands extra for high
end sound that testosterone has effectively blocked from middle aged males seems silly. Of course,
annoying hisses that might drive others crazy may fall nicely outside our hearing range.
Just keep in mind that downsizing component does not mean that one has to settle for less sound. Even
headphones can provide Dolby Digital 5.1 sound with suitable modestly priced special sound processors
from Sony or Sennheiser and headphones may allow one to restore some of the high end sound without
driving other listeners from the listening area.
David M. Doll
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