Author: Jay

Hey everyone it’s nice to meet you. I’m Jay, writer & founder of the site Easy Home Theater. I’ve been with the hobby of home entertainment for many years now. I decided to create this site to be a helpful resource, and share everything that I’ve learned from personal experience with you. I also happen to be a huge gamer, lover of all things tech related, and a major fitness buff (love weightlifting)

The Best Outdoor Bluetooth Speakers For 2023

Today we’ll be covering in my opinion, the best outdoor Bluetooth speakers for 2023. This will be a list of 10 of the most desirable, must haves for this year.

The list is directly below with a decision guide under that.

1.) Innovative Technology Premium 5-Watt Bluetooth Outdoor Rock Speakers

2.) Ultimate Ears BOOM 2

3.) JBL Flip 5

4.) Sonos Move

5.) Fugoo Go

6.) JBL Charge 3 JBLCHARGE3BLKAM Waterproof Portable

7.) OontZ Angle 3

8.) Altec Lansing Mini LifeJacket Jolt

9.) JBL GO 2 Portable

10.) AOMAIS GO

Decision Guide

Innovative Technology Premium 5-Watt Bluetooth Outdoor Rock Speakers

First up is a truly interesting one, if not a bit different. They’re speakers shaped like rocks. Bet you haven’t seen that before! Truthfully, I haven’t before this point either, but hey…However as far as performance goes, they’re actually exceptional.

But what do they have to offer? Well an important feature that I’m glad to see here is Bluetooth technology. By now I’m sure you know what Bluetooth is, but it’s always nice when it’s included. Pairing is simple at least. Just turn it on on your phone, press the button, and voila.

What I find interesting is that they work up to a distance of up to 33 feet.That’s pretty good, especially when you’ll likely have your phone close to them anyway. The next addition that’s really awesome is that they’re waterproof!

With their rugged exterior, they’d likely be right at home poolside, so an accidental knock into water won’t be a devastating event either way.

That alone is worth it. With a 5200 mAh battery, battery life is pretty good too at 10 hours of playback before needing a recharge. That should easily get you through a mini deck party, or get together.

Pros

Unique aesthetic design
Water proof
Bluetooth capability
Great Sound

Cons

A few reviewers have remarked about syncing issues.
5 Watts, so might not be for the person that needs extremely loud music.

Overall, I personally like these and think that for the average deck or backyard, these are awesome.

Innovative Technology Premium 5-Watt

Ultimate Ears BOOM 2

What a name. Just by its title, you already have an idea of what’s it’s going for. The Boom 2 is an interesting one to say the least, for a number of reasons.

The first peculiar thing that you’ll notice besides the shape, is that there’s perforations all around the speaker. The reason for that is simple, 360 degree sound.

Not too many can make that claim so it’s great to see that here. That means no more trying to sit somewhere specific to gets the best sound; everyone gets to experience that. The next thing that makes it completely worth it is it’s shockproof.

I don’t know if you’ve ever dropped a speaker, I have, but it’s not a good thing. But the fact that if you don’t have to worry about damaging this thing, should you happen to drop it while transporting it is invaluable.

Believe it or not, it’s also water resistant to boot meaning if you have a pool party, you won’t have to worry about a little splash ruining it. What’s particularly interesting to note here is that you can take phone calls too.

So let’s say you were playing music from your phone via Bluetooth, and you were getting a call. Well instead of taking it the normal way, you could use the Boom 2 to do so. Believe it or not, that’s not all.

What’s even better is that you can connect a second one to the original, and play them as a makeshift stereo system. With a 100 foot limit, you’ll be free to walk around while it’s playing too. Battery life is stellar with a 15 hour life and tops up with a micro USB cable.

Pros

Big sound in a small package
360 degree sound
Shockproof so no worries about dropping it
Weather proof
Bluetooth
Can be synced with a second one to play in stereo
15 hour battery life

Cons

Can on rare occasions have connection issues.

Honestly not too many negative things to say here.

Ultimate Ears BOOM 2

JBL Flip 5 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker

The JBL Flip 5 deserves a mention as well because of how good it is. Besides offering bookshelf speakers that tend to be quality, some might not be aware that they have a good standing in the portable speaker realm as well.

It’s pill shape is ergonomic, so that means it’s easy to transport as well.

Sociability is also a big theme here, as its Party Boost feature allows you to connect 2 speakers playing the same song for an even louder output

It has a 3000mAh battery which equates to about 12 hours of on time. That certainly isn’t bad considering you likely wouldn’t be playing it for longer than that in one sitting.

It even has an Ipx7 waterproof rating.

What does that mean?

Well that means you could literally go swimming with it since it can be technically dunked in water (would not recommend that at all though)

Here’s the real kicker with this speaker and why I said this is one for the socialites. You can connect the Flip with up to 100 other connect+ speakers at the same time, all playing the same thing. 100.. that’s incredible!

So as you could probably imagine, things could get loud pretty quick. But as far as the audio goes, that’s spectacular as well. They have a pretty substantial amount of bass and clarity which is unusual for a portable speaker this size meaning there’s no doubt you’ll love it.

There’s even support for voice assistants which is awesome.

Pros

Easy to carry around
Good battery life
Powerful sound
Waterproof
Can connect to other JBL speakers for even more output.
Support for Voice Assistants

Cons

Really nothing I could think of

I had trouble finding bad things to say about this one.

JBL Flip 5 Waterproof Portable

Sonos Move

This next speaker, the Sonos Move, is amazing due to its very clear sound quality.

The good news is that it profile as a whole isn’t unwieldy either at 5 x 6.3 x 9.4 inches, so you won’t feel limited as far as placing it is concerned. Not only that but it’s portable too meaning you’ll be able to bring it wherever you go.

What’s really interesting here is that when paired with another one, you could have them playing different songs at the same time or even the same song.

This definitely provides a lot of flexibility, especially if you have that one friend who doesn’t exactly agree with your music choices.

It’s compatible with all your standard streaming services as well such as Pandora and Spotify, so you won’t have to worry about having nothing to play. There’s also wall mounts included here as well, so you could even put it up somewhere if you wanted to.

Plus it’s even weather and shock resistant so no worries about durability either!

Pros

Fantastic sound quality
Can be paired with a second Sonos to amp up the fun
10 hours of battery life
Shock & weather resistant

Cons

None I could think of

This is yet another one you’ll probably want to take a look at. No doubt that it’ll serve you well.

Sonos Move

Fugoo Go

The Fugoo Go (man that’s a fun name) is definitely for those who happen to be a little rough with their belongings. It’s main claim to fame is that it’s 100 percent waterproof and can survive underwater (Up to 3 feet for 30 minutes to be exact) How does that work if it’s an electronics device?

Well it’s IP67 certified, so that basically means there’s a special coating that protects the internals. A lot of phones today include this as well by the way, so it’s awesome to see it here.

If you want to read more about the technical side of it though, you can here.

https://www.okw.co.uk/en/technical_data/IP-ratings.htm

The Fugoo also shockproof up to 6 feet. Not that I would ever recommend dropping your things to begin with, but at least you have the peace of mind knowing you won’t have to worry since accidents happen.

The battery is rechargeable via USB, and can be used for 10 hours straight before needing a recharge.

That’s more than enough to get you through even your most intense jam sessions. It’s portable as well so you can use it wherever you please; inside, outside, by the pool, in the snow…. Snow?

Yep, forgot to mention that it’s also snow proof, so you’re really getting something that’s really built to last. Like many similar speakers, you can also pair it with a second one to play in stereo.

It also has the ability to project the sound in all directions when placed on its back and can reach up to 92 db when placed on its side.

Bluetooth 4.2 also ensures you’ll get a solid connection with up to 100 feet when used outdoors.

It truly is a quality device through and through.

Pros

Waterproof, shock proof, and even snow proof
10 hour battery life
Ability to project sound in all directions when laid flat
Sounds great

Cons

The outer material is fibrous so if you wasted something on it, it wouldn’t hurt it but it could stain it

I personally like this one as it just looks nice and works well.

Fugoo Go

JBL Charge 3 JBLCHARGE3BLKAM Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker

The JBL charge 3 is another one that might be of particular interest to you. It’s able to connect up to 3 smartphones at once, so everyone could take turns playing their favorite tunes.

Battery life is certainly something to mention, as it has an estimated 20 hours of playback time. That’s huge! When you really think about it, that’s almost an entire day so no reason to complain about that.

IPX7 waterproofing is provided, so you won’t have to be afraid of any unfortunate mishaps.

Taking calls is also a breeze. With one button press, the music is stopped so you can then accept the call through its speakerphone ability. Not only that, but they’ll sound good to thanks to the charge’s superb sound quality.

If you want even more output, you can sync it to other JBL devices as well. It even comes in an assortment of colors to boot!

Pros

Bluetooth
Long battery life at 20 hours
Waterproof
Only 3 pounds
Speakerphone ability

Cons

None

Overall, the JBL Charge 3 is awesome and I’d highly recommend it.

JBL Charge 3 JBLCHARGE3BLKAM Waterproof Portable

OontZ Angle 3

The first thing you’ll probably notice about this one in particular is just how it’s shaped. There’s a reason for it though. This ergonomic design allows it to be placed on its side where typical rounded speakers would probably roll. Plus it just looks cool.

But the Oontz angle 3 is unique for a number of reasons besides its unusual shape. A very important feature to note is its inclusion of 2 acoustic drivers.

A lot of portable speakers include 1 larger driver, but by having 2 smaller ones, this can allow it be a lot more accurate.

It doesn’t stop there as it also includes a passive bass radiator design for further improvement. What does that mean for you exactly? Well what it essentially boils down to is a more accurate bass response, and a lot more of it at that.

So you get a lot more bass while being more accurate at the same time. That’s definitely a win win.

Here’s a really short, but informative article on bass radiators if you’re curious about the technical side.

http://www.centerpointaudio.com/passiveradiators.aspx

The Oontz is also water resistant, so any minor splashing done around it won’t hurt it one bit. Also happens to be dustproof, so trips to the beach with it are more than okay. Luckily it’s also extremely light at 9 ounces you could really bring this with you anywhere.

There’s also a sizable battery on-board providing a whopping 14 hours of battery life at 2/3 of the volume! That’s incredible because the higher the volume you play a powered speaker at, the more energy it’ll consume.

So the fact that it can play at nearly max volume for 14 hours certainly says a lot. You can also connect it to your smartphone via Bluetooth or an auxiliary cord, so you’re given ample options.

Pros

Water resistant
Unique triangular design
Long 14 hour battery life
Adequate bass
Really small at 5.3 x 2.8 x 2.6

Cons

Not shock resistant

It’s really hard to dislike the Oontz Angle 3 given what it’s providing here.

OontZ Angle 3

Altec Lansing LifeJacket Jolt

Altec Lansing is another reputable company that is known for their quality electronics; more specifically their audio offerings. The H20 speaker definitely lives up to the name.

Immediately, you’ll notice something rather peculiar about this one. Besides the shape, what’s unusual is that fact that it’s floatable.

Yup, you read that correctly. You could actually float it in the pool (hence the name)

This is a speaker that almost seems to be immune to everything given its IP67 rating. It’s waterproof, shockproof, sand proof, dustproof, the list just goes on.

There’s no doubt that this is built for the people who can be unintentionally clumsy…(raises hand) What’s even better is that there’s an incredible 16 hour battery life that ensures that the party will live on.

It’s only 2.8 pounds, so it’s really easy to carry around. Bluetooth capability means there’s no need for external cords; though you can still connect one if you wanted.

The range of the bluetooth is also impressive at 100 feet so you don’t have to be close to enjoy it.

The built in voice assistant support also ensures you can use this as a smart speaker as well with support for both Apple and Android.

There’s even a built in smartphone charger!

Pros

Proofed to pretty much anything you can throw at it
Fantastic audio quality
A variety of different colors
Incredible 30 hours of battery life
Built in smartphone charger
Can be paired with a second one

Cons

Bass could be deeper

If having a speaker that’s just all around durable sounds good, then it’s hard to wrong with this one.

Altec Lansing LifeJacket Jolt

JBL Portable Go 2

The JBL Portable Go 2 is, like the name would suggest, a very portable and manageable speaker that puts out some serious sound despite its smaller stature. It’s of course a bluetooth speaker, so it’ll perfectly sync with your phone when you want to play music.

Another really cool feature is that it’s IPX7 certified to 3.3 feet for 30 minutes, so any accidental drops into the pool won’t matter. It also features built in noise cancelling which is an unexpected but welcome feature.

Couple this with the fact that it can also accept phone calls when paired with your phone and what you get is a very well rounded device.

Of course the sound is stellar too, with bass that actually seems as if it’s coming from something much bigger and high notes sounding very realistic. Plus it gets pretty loud.

In terms of appearance, it’s slightly rectangular with a mesh grill with the JBL logo laid on top of it and an led light on top of it signaling that it’s on. It’s a simple design, but it’s still very attractive.

What’s cool about this one as well is the fact that it can play music with a wired connection as well via the included auxiliary port so even if you don’t have bluetooth available, you won’t be without your music.

In terms of size it’s very small, measuring 1.3 by 3.4 by 2.8 inches and 9 ounces so it definitely lives up to its name. You also have a ton of options since it comes in 18 different colors so there’s something here for everybody. I would highly recommend this one to be honest.

Pros

Stellar sound
Built in noise cancelling allows phone calls to be crystal clear
IPX7 certified meaning it’s waterproof to 3.3 feet
Small size allows it to be incredibly portable
Can play music wirelessly as well as wired

Cons

While definitely acceptable, battery life could be a little better

JBL Portable Go 2

Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker

What if you wanted something that could last a really long time without compromising on things like durability or even water resistance? Well this one would be an excellent choice to go with. The reason for that has to do with what I just previously mentioned; the thing is built to last!

With an IPX7 rating, this speaker can withstand being submerged 3.3 feet for up to 30 minutes which is well beyond the resistance needed for the accidental dunk or splash. That basically means that this speaker can be used poolside and even at the beach.

So no worries at all when it comes to durability; it’s certainly built to last, making it perfect for those out there that may not always be the most careful when it comes to electronics.

But not only is it durable, but it’s able to play for an extremely long time with 32 hours of playback.

Personally, for a battery of that size, I’d say that’s pretty good.

In terms of sound, not only does this thing get loud, there’s also an appreciable level of bass present. With 40 watts of power (two 15 watt drivers and two 5 watt tweeters) there’s an awesome mix of clarity and low end that really is suprising.

Even though it’s not the smallest speaker in the world at 14.92 x 7.99 x 4.84 inches and 4.64 pounds, you’d still think the sound was coming from something much bigger which surely says a lot about its ability.

What’s more is that if you wanted to, you could actually pair this speaker with a second one for stereo sound with twice the power. That could certainly be helpful for get togethers where there’s a lot of open space and it’s hard to hear the music.

Plus it even supports Bluetooth 5.0 so you get a much stronger connectivity and range too.

All in all, it’s a solid speaker that sounds great, looks cool, and performs excellently.

Pros

Water resistant up to 3.3 feet at 30 minutes (IPX7 rated)
Large battery provides up to 32 hours of playback
Dual 15 watt drivers and dual 5 watt tweeters provides a rich sound with plenty of bass
Can be paired with a second one for twice the output
Has a handle for carrying
Bluetooth 5.0 for enhanced range and connectivity

Cons

On the larger side at 14.92 x 7.99 x 4.84 inches and 4.64 pounds

Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker

Decision Guide

So first off, what exactly makes a speaker better suited for outdoor use anyway?

Well to understand that, we have to first understand inside focused speakers. With a speaker who’s primary use is for inside settings, the sound from that speaker interacts with whatever happens to be in the room. This reflection results in what you hear, and is why it can be so different depending on the area.

However when that same one is hypothetically placed outside, it’s a completely different ball game.

With almost no objects to really reflect off of, lower frequency sounds (or bass) has a lot more trouble traveling longer distances, meaning it takes a lot more power just to make it audible. As a result of that, a speaker would need to be focused on better performance outside, rather than inside.

Due to that difference, these types of speakers tend to have a much higher emphasis on treble; and since treble has a much easier time traveling, it doesn’t need to get as loud for you to hear it. Of course a lot of audibility also depends on additional factors like driver size, materials, etc but you get the general idea.

Here’s an article on the hows, and whys if you’re wondering about the science behind it by the way.

http://www.explainthatstuff.com/sound.html

Keeping all of this mind, here are a few things to take into consideration when looking for the appropriate bluetooth speaker that fits you best.

Water Resistance/Water Proof

Something rather important that you may want to consider in your search, is the capability of some sort of water resistance/ proofing; especially if you plan on ever going to the beach/pool. There’s nothing worse than getting water inside a speaker, (I would know) and having it completely crap out on you. So I’d highly advise taking this into consideration as well.

Now believe it or not, there are different degrees to which a speaker can handle water. This is known as an Ingress Protection Rating or International Protection Rating (IP for short) This scale goes from 0-9 with with 0 giving little to no protection, and 9 giving the most. It also usually consists of 2 numbers.

The second number revolves around protection against water, and the first revolves around protection from things like dirt and debris. That number goes from 0-6. You can read more about that here if curious. https://www.averyweigh-tronix.com/News/news-and-case-studies-by-product/indicators-news-and-case-studies/what-is-the-ip-rating-system/

Ideally, try to get one that at least has water resistance to 3 feet so that way an accidental drop into a pool or spill won’t spell disaster for your device.

NFC Capability

NFC pairing (Near Field Communication) is yet another thing you may want to consider as well. This basically allows the speaker to connect with whatever Bluetooth device is nearby instantaneously, which allows you to not only save time, but effort as well.

So after the first time it’s connected, it’ll always remember that device and connect automatically until you unpair it yourself.

Pretty convenient right?

Battery Life

Battery life is always an important metric to go by, and in general, you’ll typically want to go with the speaker that has the highest battery life. Battery life is measured in milli amp hours (abbreviated to mAh) and the higher the mAh, the more use you’re going to be able to get out of it.

But something you’ll also want to keep in mind is that the bigger the battery, the bigger the speaker has to be to hold it as well. The ones on this list all have at the very least 8 hours of continuous use but they’re still compact so there’s no worries there.

Durability

Durability is also a key thing you’ll want to consider as well. If you’re an outdoorsy person that plans on taking their speaker with them, then you’ll likely want to consider a more rugged option. Typically these include things like water, sand, and even snow proofing (no really!)

There are even speakers out there that claim to be completely drop proof; meaning it’s pretty near impossible to break. The only downsides are that they may be on the heavier side, and they may not be everyone’s cup of tea in the looks department.

It’s really what you plan on using it for that’ll decide on the one you want to go with.

Bluetooth 5

So of course it goes without saying that most now a days at least have some form of bluetooth, but did you know that the version it supports actually matters too?

While there are multiple versions, and Bluetooth 5.2 is technically the newest, what you’ll find if it does support some iteration of the 5th version is simply Bluetooth 5 or 5.0.

It brings with it a host of improvements over its predecessor including much stronger connectivity even between walls and support for a theoretical distance of up to 800 feet.

So certainly if you can, one that supports the latest version is definitely the most preferable.

When/Why Should You Use A Bluetooth Speaker?

There’s also a few other common questions that some may have like why get a Bluetooth speaker? — or better yet, when’s the best time to use one?

Well if you’re basically having a small get together or outing like a cookout; or even if you’re just poolside, you’ll probably want to get one.

Or you could be simply relaxing outside by yourself and want to enjoy good sound quality, which would make it a good idea in that case too.

Basically any social ccasion outside where there’s a smaller group of people would be appropriate honestly.

While you could always use your phone, chances are the sound quality won’t be great, and it probably won’t be loud enough.

These types of speakers tend to work great for these types of events because they’re portable, have virtually no set up, and they’re usually compatible with a smartphone; meaning anybody can share their favorite playlists in a snap.

Plus some even manage to have decent levels of bass, which can really amp things up.

So the ones talked about on this list really centered around most of these things. They weren’t listed in any specific order though because everyone has different needs and I personally think they’re all pretty awesome.

But with all that being said though, that about does it for this one.

I really hope you enjoyed this article on the best outdoor Bluetooth speakers and at least found it somewhat helpful. For 2023, these will be the top choices you’ll want to decide between in my opinion.

It’s hard to go wrong with any of the ones mentioned here since they’re all a solid choice to go with.

If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask because I’m here for you.

Until next time, make it easy, keep it simple.

The Best Home Theater Systems For 2023

You can probably tell from the title what we’re going to be going over here; The Best Home Theater Systems For 2023.

When it comes to choosing a home theater, it can seem like there’s almost infinite options out there. So to help you out, we’ll briefly go over a few ways to do just that.

But if you just want to skip ahead, you can do skipping to the list.

A Premade Setup Can Be Less Work

First you’re going to want to consider the type of system you’re actually going after.

Do you want a premade home theater system, or do you want to make your own? With a premade system, everything you need in the way of speakers is already inside of the box, so all you’ll need to do essentially is plug it on. The benefit with this setup is that it’s a lot faster and easier to do.

The downside is that there are some of less than stellar quality ones out there. With making your own, obviously the benefit lies in being able to customize it. Basically you’re deciding what speakers, what subwoofer, and what receiver you personally want.

This can yield some awesome results with some really great sound. The downside with this though, is that a lot of speakers can end up not sounding so great with one another. You would really have to do your research beforehand.

Not only that, but you’re also responsible for making sure that they’re compatible, so that could be a lot more work than someone might have time for.

(Though if you’re only interested in creating your own from scratch, I did do an article that should definitely help you out.)

https://easyhometheater.net/what-is-the-best-home-theater-system

Deciding On The Type Of System

Once you decide on that, you’ll then want to figure out if you’re after a sound bar, a 2.1, 5.1, or even 7.1 system. A soundbar is basically just that, a long strip of speakers in one casing.

This can be beneficial for the people who don’t have the most space in the world.

I talk about that more here if curious.

https://easyhometheater.net/the-best-sound-bars

On the flip side, you can lose that surround sound aspect, since it would technically be coming from one single location. In the more typical setup, (the numbered systems up above) separate speakers are used.

So for example when you see 5.1, that just means there’s 5 separate speakers.The 1 stands for the included subwoofer.

Fairly simple right?

Hopefully that helps some. Now with regards to this article, we’ll be going of over top premade home theater systems for 2023.

But these are all solid choices with great performance in my opinion.

Onkyo HT-S3910 5.1 Channel Home Theater

Logitech Z906 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System

Acoustic Audio LED Bluetooth 2.1-Channel Home Theater

Monoprice 10565 Premium 5.1 Channel Home Theater System with Subwoofer

Klipsch Quintet 5.0 Home Theater Speaker System

VIZIO V-Series 5.1 Home Theater

Onkyo HT-S3910 5.1 Channel Home Theater

The first big feature that it has is Bluetooth capability. What that means for you is the ability to play music without the worry of being tethered by an auxiliary cord. I’m pretty sure there’s those of you out there who know first hand how annoying that can be, so it’s really awesome that it’s here.

All you have to do is turn on Bluetooth on your phone, pair it via the receiver, and voila you have sound. So then you could play whatever you want without having to sit next to your speakers. Another really cool thing to note about this is it supports 4k.

Some older receivers when playing a video in 4k will be incapable, leaving you relegated to using an optical cable. Luckily, this isn’t the case here at all since it has support for it. It’s also really easy to connect as well. It has 155 watts, which basically means that output will not be an issue here.

What’s reassuring to see Is the support for Dolby True HD and DTS-HD. For those unaware of what those are, they’re two formats which support lossless audio. That equates to things sounding exactly the way the director intended. Really impressive to see that offered here honestly.

Some of the pros of the system are that the sound is exceptional and it gets loud. The subwoofer is also pretty good as well. There’s even 5 HDMI ports which is definitely helpful.

Another thing is that this is an ideal system for small/ medium rooms, so if you’re looking for output in gigantic spaces, that’s something you may want to keep in mind.

Pros

Great for small/medium rooms
Quality Sound
Easy to set up
Support for 4k resolution
5 HDMI ports

Cons

It’s probably not for the people with large rooms looking to fill that entire space.
Not for those who absolutely need the lowest bass possible.

Overall though, this is a fantastic system and is definitely worth your time.

Onkyo HT-S3910 5.1 Channel Home Theater

Logitech Z906 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System

The Logitech Z906 is a system that’s built on the premise of quality. It’s in a 5.1 configuration which is pretty standard. However what’s not standard is the punch this thing packs. With a 1000 Watt peak, you can tell it means business. Dolby DTS makes an appearance so you’re getting to hear every sound as intended.

A really cool fact about this one in particular is that it’s THX certified. THX certification is one of the hardest media accreditations to get, so the fact that it has it speaks volumes about its performance. An emphasis on making things easy is also a theme here with a remote that isn’t cluttered like similar ones can be.

Set up is also a breeze with a very straightforward process. The one thing that really stands out is its 3D stereo capability. What is that?

Basically if you were to play a movie or game that came before current standards, the sound would only be available in regular stereo. However with this, it can turn that normal stereo into surround sound, making you feel like you’re right there in the action. You can read more about that here if curious. http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/3D-audio-three-dimensional-audio

Pros

Easy to setup
It has a lot of power to provide a fun experience.
Great sound quality (that’s an understatement).
Subwoofer gives a nice bass output.

Cons

Will still have trouble in overly large rooms.
The remote loses signal after a few feet causing you to stand closer for it to work.

Still a great system that’s worth a closer look.

Logitech Z906 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System

Acoustic Audio LED Bluetooth 2.1-Channel Home Theater

The Acoustic Audio 2.1, like the name suggests, is a smaller sized system. With it being 2.1 rather than the more common 5.1, its focus is on smaller listening areas.

But don’t let it’s size fool you, as big things can and do come in small packages. Why might you be interested in this one? Well for starters Bluetooth is alive and well here. Being able to effortlessly stream music from your phone to a dedicated system is invaluable, and it’s really awesome that it’s offered.

That means a lot less fiddling with wires on your end. Another thing to note is it’s appearance. It comes in a slick glossy black, and really adds to that premium feel. It also lights up which looks really cool.

Sound quality is solid

Pros

A very attractive exterior that’s easy on the eyes.
Great for places like college dorms and small rooms
Bluetooth abilities, meaning all your favorite music can be used.
Surprisingly powerful given it’s small stature.
The audio quality is very good.

Cons

Not suitable for larger rooms
It’s a 2.1 system meaning the focus is on stereo sound and not surround. If that’s what you were looking for then this won’t do that.

Still, I personally found it to be very good so if none of this bothers you, then this may be another choice to consider.

Acoustic Audio LED Bluetooth 2.1-Channel Home Theater

Monoprice 10565 Premium 5.1 Channel Home Theater System with Subwoofer

The Monoprice 10565 is a 5.1 system with a big focus on quality. With 100 watts per channel, you’ll definitely have more than enough output in the average listening area. The subwoofer is an 8 inch down firing model.What this means for you is a lot more boom for your room.

It also has 4 rubber feet on the bottom. This is great for minimizing the amount of unwanted sound that might travel through things like walls and floors; meaning you can go louder without annoying your neighbors!

Hooking it up is simple, with all you needing to do is connect external speaker wire. This is one you definitely love. You can also wall mount so you won’t have to worry about a lack of options.

Pros

A lot of power with 100 watts per channel.
Sound quality is something you don’t need to worry about.
Wall mounting is also an option.

Cons

You’ll need external speaker wire and pin connectors.
Doesn’t come with a receiver

Overall it’s a solid home theater system.

Monoprice 10565 Premium 5.1 Channel Home Theater System with Subwoofer

Klipsch Black Reference Theater Pack 5.1 Surround Sound System

This is a system that exudes quality. This setup gives you all the surround sound that you need to add that extra layer of depth to your content. The interesting thing here is that it includes Klipsch’s unique trademark horn technology.

To make it simple, most traditional speakers include something called a silk dome tweeter. This is the part that’s responsible for the treble and higher end sounds. A horn tweeter however is able to reproduce higher level of accuracy compared to the other types.

The result is a more realistic presentation. What that means for you is that movies and games come to life like never before. You’ll be amazed with it honestly.

They come with wall mounting brackets so you can put them up on a wall, or on a shelf; the choice is yours. Even better is the fact they also come with floor stand mounts meaning they can be placed on a stand. As far as audio overall goes, you won’t be disappointed as this is a really high fidelity system.

Pros

Like I’ve said, the audio here is top notch so you’ll really appreciate it.
Multiple mounting options gives you a myriad of choices.
Horn tweeter offers a much more realistic presentation with media.

Cons

It doesn’t come with a receiver.
No wire and connectors

If you don’t mind the exclusion of a receiver, this is an excellent choice as well.

Klipsch Black Reference Theater Pack 5.1 Surround Sound System

VIZIO V-Series 5.1 Home Theater

This will be a system that’ll easily carry you into 2023, and beyond. This one is also different because rather than being the typical 5.1 surround setup, the left, right, and center are in the sound bar.

This saves space while still giving you the same amount of immersion. But what is it that’s so good about this one. Well for one, it can go as high as 96 DB.

But all the output in the world means nothing if the sound isn’t great. Luckily, that’s not an issue here. Another surprising aspect of this system is the subwoofer, as it’s advertised to go down to 50 Hz (hertz).

Basically, the lower this number, the better. Why? Because you’ll get a better bass over all. Even better is the fact that it’s wireless.

Pros

A low bass response means it’ll sound just like the movies.
Wireless capability means you won’t have to fiddle with wires.
Great sound clarity
Comes with all of the wires.
Looks good

Cons

The remote can also have connectivity issues sometimes.

Ultimately this is just a solid performer all around.

VIZIO V-Series 5.1 Home Theater

Well these are undoubtedly, in my opinion, the best home theater systems for 2023. With all of the options out there, I know that choosing can be a little difficult.

However for the current year, I feel like these are all solid choices for you to decide between.

But hopefully, this should all help to make things a little easier. Still, If you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask!

Until next time, make it easy, keep it simple.

Polk Audio CSI A6 Review

(Note: Given the age of the speaker mentioned in this review, availability of said speaker may have changed. With that said, the Polk Reserve Series R400 center speaker is a really similar speaker from what I’ve since experienced — with all of the positive things said about the CSI A6 holding true with this one)

Polk Reserve Series R400 Large Center Channel Loudspeaker

If there’s one thing in life I think we can all universally agree on, it’s that movies are awesome.

Plain and simple.

There’s nothing like the thrill of watching an amazing motion picture that just grabs your attention from the start to finish.

Even better is when you can enjoy that exact feeling in the comfort of your own home via surround sound. But before being able to fully enjoy your new home cinema, it makes sense to actually pick out the best parts that specifically work for you right?

So within that process, one of the most important components that you’ll desire is a really exceptional center channel speaker.

Why?

Well think about it. Was there ever a time where you were watching a movie and the dialogue wasn’t audible, so you had to turn it up?

However when you did, it was like the sound effects were loud, but the voices was still hard to hear?

That’s because of your center.

You see, the center channel’s responsibility is to reproduce about 80 percent of the dialogue in whatever it is that you’re watching. 80 percent, that’s huge!

So when you skimp on getting a good one because of whatever reason, you’d be missing out big time.

Keeping this in mind, I had decided to do some research on getting a new one because I was noticing this exact same issue.

So of course, I looked to the web knowing I needed to make some changes. That’s when I ended up finding one that an unusual amount of people were praising.

It was a no brainer from there.

What speaker was it? What was the result? Most importantly, how did it actually sound?

Let’s answer all of those questions and more in this Polk Audio CSI A6 review.

Appearance

Specs

Setup

Sound

Likes

Dislikes

Overall thoughts

Unboxing

So for those of you that read my review on the Polk RTI A3s, you would know that within in it, I stated that I bought them along with a few other things. One of those purchases was actually the CSI A6.

You would also know then how much of a pain it was to get the boxes inside the house..

Anyway in terms of the packaging itself, it was very similar to the box of my other speakers. It was a rather plain cardboard box with a picture of the center speaker on the front.

I don’t mind the minimalist design aesthetic honestly. As long as attention to detail goes into the audio, then I can’t complain.

The size though is what’s not so typical. Just like the other container, this one was pretty big.

Inside the actual box was nothing too exciting. You had your usual pamphlets detailing warranties and stuff like that.

Of course there was also the standard introductory guide, but other than that nothing really too special in that regard.

I’ve had other times where there’s like 10 papers inside just on the one product. So at least that’s not the case here.

The speaker itself was wrapped in some type of plastic foam, surrounded by even more on both sides to protect it against damage; which I really appreciated.

Attempting to pull it out was when I learned one very important thing, it’s heavy! In fact, it weighs a little less than 30 pounds, so you really have to be careful whenever you’re moving it.

Appearance

My first reaction when I finally got it out the package, and sat it down was WOW! That was for 2 reasons; its size, and its appearance.

Let’s start with the looks first. The one that I bought was in a cherry wood color.

I have to tell you, this thing is gorgeous in person.

The finish of the wood is smooth and glossy, so it really adds to that premium look. Now I will be honest that because of the gloss, it can attract some level of fingerprints.

But I don’t think this will normally be an issue if you’re not going to be moving it often.

The grill it comes with is really nice too because while it feels solid, it’s still pretty flexible. So if you ever plan on removing it, rest assured that you won’t break it.

The logo on the bottom of it is a nice little touch too. It’s subtle, but it does look good.

Here’s one thing you should know about the Polk upfront, should you be interested in it; the size. Besides being 30 pounds, in terms of footprint, this is not a small speaker by any stretch of the imagination.

To give you an idea, it comes in at an impressive 24 inches across, and 14 inches deep. This means that trying to place it in a cabinet isn’t going to work here. This thing demands adequate space.

Overall though, it’s beautiful in person, much more so than I was expecting.

Specs

So what exactly are you getting when you pick up one of these bad boys? For one it comes with 2 6.5 inch mid-range drivers. That’s pretty big admittedly. What that means for you is a much more powerful sound.

It has a 1 inch silk dome tweeter for the treble, which is pretty standard. For me personally, I prefer a silk dome tweeter other over types because they just sound a lot less harsh to the ears. Butthat’s subjective obviously.

It comes in an MDF wood which is awesome. For those unaware, MDF stands for medium density fiberboard. Why would this matter?

Well long story short when sound travels through something, it vibrates that object. This can introduce additional unwanted noise.

With this type of wood however, this side effect is minimized. You can read about that here if curious.

http://www.d-toolsblog.com/newsletter/mdf-ideal-speaker-enclosures-baffles/

Another cool feature included is the implementation of dual air ports (which Polk calls power port technology)

Again without making things too complicated, these are good for minimizing a common issue with speakers called chuffing. Just think of chuffing as a lot of unwanted noise.

By having 2 of these, it feels like Polk is adamant about maintaining audio quality and eliminating that, which is really cool. It does feature the ability to be wall mounted by the way if you chose to go that route.

Another really cool feature is the ability to be inverted as well.

Basically what that means is, if you were unable to place it on a table and had to set it under your TV, you can turn it upside down so that the sound is then projected upwards towards the listening area.

I really wish this was a feature that was standard because it gives people so many more options in terms of placement.

There’s a kickstand included as well for additional leverage, and a 5 way binding post to boot, meaning any connector will work.

Full measurements peg it at 24 inches wide, 14 inches deep, and 7.8 inches tall. In terms of sound specs, it’s rated at 200 watts, so the capability for some serious output is certainly there.

The frequency response states that it’s 55hz-26khz. I found that initially interesting because 55 is fairly low, which would mean it could technically reproduce some parts of the low end. It’s also an 8 ohm speaker rated at a 90 dB sensitivity.

This also happens to have what is known as Klippel Motor Optimization, as well as a Cascade Tapered Crossover. That might sound confusing, but all it basically entails is making sure that when you change the volume with it, it does so in a more controlled manner.

Their patented ARC (Acoustic Resonance Control) technology included here as well helps to further reduce any cabinet vibrations, so that all you get in the end is a good, clean sound.

Setup

Setup was nothing too difficult. I used banana plug connectors to connect it with my receiver. I will say though that the coverings on top of the posts were a little hard to get off so I had to use a paperclip.

Still, once off, all I had to do was connect the wire to the plug, and then the plug to the back of the center. I placed it on a spare table so it was situated just under the TV. I then calibrated it using an auto calibration mic.

From there, all that was left was to see if it was hopefully any good!

Sound

First up, music!

Now here’s the thing, testing a center speaker alone with music can be a little unorthodox, but I personally feel that if it can do great with music, then it’ll do fantastic with movies.

Turns out I wasn’t wrong.

I unplugged everything except the CSI A6, and to shake it up, started with some jazz. Man did this thing sound good.

I think what took me by surprise was how pronounced the sound was. It was authoritative but subdued at the same time.

You could hear every little pluck of the bass guitar, and the trumpets legit sounded like they were right there in my living room.

I was impressed that just one speaker alone was doing all of this. You could also make out all the little instruments and effects in the background too.

I could immediately tell that the sound was more on the warmer side, so for a genre like this it really shined. Next I was curious how hip hop would sound.

This was the biggest shocker I think.

After a few tracks, I really noticed something that I was not anticipating.

The A6 was outputting a respectable amount of bass!

Like let’s think about that sentence for a minute. A center speaker, pumping out bass like a subwoofer….

I genuinely didn’t know what to say at first. That was the first time I experienced something like that.

Now this is definitely due to the expansive enclosure it has; meaning that size is going to come with some pretty serious benefits.

Mind you, it’s not going to go down to infrasonic levels or anything like that, but in a normal setting it can bump!

With every passing note of the beat, it produced a tangible and satisfying kick that you couldn’t just help but to nod your head along to. I was super impressed by this point.

However there was one genre I had a burning curiosity to try it with, and that was some good old hard rock!

Let me just tell you, it did not disappoint.

My hypothesis at first was that because of the warmer sound, rock was going to sound a little iffy.

This couldn’t be any further from the truth. To say it surprised me was an understatement. With each track that I threw at it, every sound was recreated beautifully.

Strums and riffs came through with a mean but realistic twang, and arpeggios echoed into the distance with subtle gradation.

This thing meant business.

Voices even came through clear as day.

So with the obvious fact out of the way that music was fantastic on it, it was time for the main purpose I bought it for, movies! The movie that instantly sprung to mind was Alien Covenant.

Why that movie though?

Well without spoiling anything, there are a lot of scenes in it that toggle between being really loud and super quiet, and my previous center speaker had some serious issues with the dialogue.

My thought was that this should be perfect for it, given what it could do.

You know what? I was right. Too right in fact, because it scared the crap out of me in more than one instance lol.

But dialogue was crystal clear without the need for me turning it up even further. That was what I could really appreciate.

In other movies, it was pretty much the same story. If you’re coming from the audio from a TV to one of these, the difference will undoubtedly be massive.

You’re truly in for a treat with this one.

Pros

Dialogue is crystal clear yet full, making movies sound absolutely incredible
It’s capable of a respectable low end even without a subwoofer
Surprisingly sounds better the louder it goes
Zero distortion at high volumes
The real wood finish looks gorgeous in person
It works great for music

Cons

Picks up fingerprints rather easily, so if you move it around often it may need the occasional wipe down
It’s heavy at around 30 pounds
It’s very large, so putting this in a small room might be difficult

Overall Thoughts

Overall, besides those minor quibbles, there’s really not much to dislike about this speaker honestly.

I mean the clarity offered is truly impeccable, the wood finish looks amazing, and it’s versatile enough to handle both movies and music with ease (plus can we just reiterate on the fact that this thing has bass?!)

It’s all you could ask for in a center speaker really. It gets 2 HUGE thumbs up from me. It really is that good.

If you have the space for it, then this is a solid choice to go with.

It’s honestly impressive.

But that’s all I got for now. I hope you enjoyed the Polk CSI A6 review.

If you did then share it, and leave a comment down below because I always love hearing from you guys. 😉 Until next time, make it easy, keep it simple.

Can I Use Car Speakers For Home Audio?

Here’s an interesting question that came to me a while back… (more…)

OLED TV Technology Explained

OLED TV Technology Explained

It’s interesting how fast technology can advance, especially when it comes to TVs.

I mean think about it, how many television changes do you remember from just the last few years?

First we had the revolutionary change from standard definition to high definition; relatively recent at that.

Everyone thought that this was the pinnacle of display technology, and that there was no way anything was going to top this.

But you know what happened?

That very thing.

Just a few years later, 4K formats were introduced with the capability of offering visual clarity 4 times that of HD.

This was mind-blowing because it was improving upon something that already looked incredible.

Then came HDR, then expanded color palettes, etc.

Industries from there kept advancing, with one big innovation after another.

But one of the more interesting creations is none other than OLED!

So like the title implies, this will be an article on OLED TV technology explained, and why I think there’s major visual benefits when it comes to this technology.

What exactly is OLED?

OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode, and functions differently than the LCD (liquid Crystal Display) TV’s that exist today.

The biggest change compared to LCD, LED, or QLED TVs, is an OLED TV doesn’t use a backlight or bulbs.

What it does instead to produce a picture, is pass an electrical current through a special type of chemical which then shines light itself.

This allows for a few advantages; one of which is its ability of having an infinite contrast ratio.

Just as a refresher, a contrast ratio is the difference between the lightest and darkest elements on the screen.

The bigger the difference (or contrast) between light and dark elements that screen can create, the better the picture quality.

So by having one that’s technically infinite, it’s able to provide great visual benefit with content.

Before we cover those though, I wanted to give a more detailed, but still general idea of how it works since it may help give more context on why an OLED TV can do what it does.

Plus it can get pretty complicated all things considered.

How An OLED TV Works

So within every OLED pixel, there exists a thin film that’s made of carbon.

This film is divided into 2 different sections called the emissive layer, and the conductive layer.

The reason it’s split this way is because it allows a lot more efficiency when an electrical current flows through.

Whether each layer is situated on top or the bottom depends on how the OLED was made since either way can be viable.

On the top and bottom of those layers are a different type of electrode called an anode, and a cathode.

The anode is a conductor that has a positive charge, and sits in the conductive layer.

The cathode is negative, and sits in the emissive layer.

You might think that by being emissive, that layer would be the one giving off electrons but it’s actually the one that accepts them.

So, how does this produce a picture?

Well it starts when an electrical current flows from the cathode to the anode.

When electrons from the cathode are sent to the emissive layer, the simultaneous lack of electrons in the conductive layer causes holes.

These holes, which are sent by the anode to the conductive layer, then travel to the emissive layer.

These electrons recombine with these holes, and results in an access of energy given off in the process.

This extra energy is then given off as light.

Whatever material is in the emissive layer will pretty much dictate the color of light shown.

Multiply that by a few million pixels and voila, you have a beautiful picture.

Now believe it or not, that’s the simple explanation, but it’s really the crux of what’s important to understand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLED

There’s also two different types of OLED called PMOLED (Passive Matrix OLED) and AMOLED (Active Matrix OLED).

PMOLED works by turning on different rows of pixels at varying times.

AMOLED works by turning on and off individual pixels.

The latter is what’s often preferred by TV manufacturers because it allows for a better looking presentation at that larger scale.

From all of this, what one could extrapolate is there’s probably some advantages to an OLED screen.

I mean something that drastically different probably has to have some kind of merit, right?

You certainly wouldn’t be wrong in that assertion.

Here’s what you need to know in case you’re interested one of these displays.

The Advantages With An OLED TV

1. Infinite Contrast Ratio

With more common traditional television sets, a backlight within illuminates all of the pixels at once.

Though it depends on the display and its settings, this can sometimes introduce light blooming.

While some techniques like local dimming may help reduce blooming in some capacity, the pixels are still mostly active at once (unless it’s a Micro LED TV)

Now with OLED, each individual pixel is turned on & off only when needed.

This essentially makes the difference between the lightest and darkest elements on screen infinite, meaning that contrast ratio is infinite.

What this ultimately means for you is a picture quality that’s incredible.

Having seen them in person, they’re fantastic in my opinion.

2. More Accurate Colors

Another rather interesting thing about OLED TVs is that they include an extra pixel completely.

Rather than the standard RGB (red, green, blue) layout, it includes an additional white pixel.

This difference allows for a picture to not only be more accurate, but lets it show even more colors all together.

This would result in an image that’s impressively more dynamic than what was previously possible.

3. Better Viewing Angles

Ever sit off to the side of your TV in the living room and notice how different it looks?

Well better viewing angles are a huge benefit from this tech, without content looking washed out when not sat in front of it.

4. Energy Efficient

So yet another plus about being able to toggle pixels at will is just that, they can turn off completely.

This means that the pixels not being used end up using less electricity, and thus, end up saving you power. Energy efficiency is a really attractive prospect, and that’s exactly what you’re getting here.

5. Fast Response Times For Gaming

A really cool benefit to OLED TVs is because of their fast pixel switching, their response times to inputs are really fast — giving them nearly zero input lag. This can be great for gaming where being able to react quickly is important.

Disadvantages Of OLED

While there are some really awesome things to love, there are potential downsides to be aware of as well.

1. The Blue Pixel Issue

An issue that OLEDS have, has to do with their blue pixel.

That material used tends to degrade a lot quicker than the ones used in the green, red, and white pixels.

This could mean a shorter lifespan overall.

Fortunately, improvements have been made in this regard and isn’t nearly as much of an issue.

Still this would be good to keep in mind.

2. The Possibility Of Burn In

Burn can occur when a image that’s stationary is left on the screen for an extended period of time, resulting in a ghosted version of that image on screen even after the content is changed.

Unlike the issue of a stuck pixel where it can potentially be fixed, burn in involves degradation of the pixel itself which is permanent.

This has to do with the way OLED TVs work since they use organic materials that light up from electricity instead of bulbs like an LED TV.

That means it’s not something that affects LED TVs, although those can still experience issues with their bulbs too from heavy usage and/or the brightest settings.

Luckily the possibility of burn in has been greatly reduced nowadays due to advances in the technology, durability, and materials of these TVs.

Though it’s not recommended to leave static things on screen for long periods of time for better longevity, (for any TV really) that potential issue has gotten much better.

3. Peak Brightness In HDR May Not Be As Bright

This one is a bit more nuanced since it’s another thing that like burn in, has been improved upon in recent times making it not really as much of an issue.

There used to be a larger discrepancy between peak HDR brightness when comparing an OLED with a led based TV, but recent ones can get very bright.

In fact, recent OLED TVs, similar to LED TVs, often achieve a peak brightness of well over 1000 nits in HDR which is where HDR content is mastered.

Though because technology is always advancing, a potential caveat is their maximum peak brightness may not be as bright as some newer LED TVs that can hit peak brightness of 4000 nits.

However I personally don’t find that to be an issue since 1000 nits in HDR is plenty bright, and some like the LG G4 can get much brighter than 1000 nits in HDR content.

4. OLED TVs Can Be Somewhat Hard To Manufacture

The entire process to produce one of these displays takes a while and can be somewhat complex. With that, pricing can be an element to consider compared LED TVs of a similar size.

Which One Would I Recommend In 2024?

There are some really incredible looking OLED TVs lately, making any one single recommendation difficult.

However 2 OLED televisions I think are great for 2024 are the previously mentioned LG G4, and the Samsung S95D due to their awesome HDR capabilities, wide color gamuts, and clear picture quality.

Check Availability Of LG G4

Check Availability Of Samsung S95D

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that OLED is an incredibly innovative piece of technology that improves upon the visual experience.

While things like price have initially marred widespread adoption, industries continue to progress in ways that may eventually make that a reality.

With the display tech offering infinitely deeper blacks, and more vivid colors, it’s hard not to be excited for something like this.

Especially when considering that there’s likely to be future iterations of this tech eventually released in some capacity.

While not certain, I could see some form of it becoming the new standard in just a few years.

But I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

Until next time, make it easy, keep it simple.

Home Theater Headphones Are A Good Idea

Here’s a scenario that might seem all too familiar. Picture this, you’re in your room watching an awesome movie on your brand-new sound system, and it sounds amazing.

You’ve got all your favorite snacks, you’re in your favorite lounging gear, and everything just seems kosher. But unbeknownst to you, it’s not.

What you don’t realize in the midst of your personal cinema time is that you have the volume incredibly loud. It doesn’t feel like it because it’s normal to you, but it might be.

Before you know it, your neighbor/parent/significant other starts nagging to you about cutting it down; or off even.

Yeah that’s never a fun situation, especially when you just want to enjoy your stuff. But luckily for your, there’s a workaround for those late nights and times where your speakers can’t be used; cue headphones!

See most people would associate headphones with listening to music or even gaming normally. But with a little thinking outside of the box, guess what else they could be used for?

Yup you guessed it, home theater!

A good pair of home theater headphones are an invaluable addition for a few reasons.

You can still watch all your favorite content straight from your television without the repercussions of having it too loud.

Even better, there exists noise cancelling variants where the only thing you’ll hear is your show, while others wouldn’t hear a peep.

Of course you might want crank your system up from time to time, (I know I do) but there might be instances where you can’t.

For those, you’ll definitely want a good set that provides a quality sound. At least that way, there’s a happy medium.

How Do They Work?

How To Choose The Right Ones

Using A Wired Pair

Using Them Wireless

My Top 3 Favorites

How Do Headphones Work?

Ever wonder how headphones work?

So within each side of the headphone, is a small driver very similar to the one present in a traditional speaker.

Wrapped around that is a small metal wiring called the voice coil. Two wires are then connected to this coil. There’s an adjacent magnet present that the driver also connects too, and the coil is wrapped around.

Now here’s the cool part.

When electricity is introduced, (plugging them in/powering them on) the metal wiring produces its own magnetic field.

From there, the magnet is repelled from this field, and it causes the driver or diaphragm to move depending on how much electricity it’s getting (volume).

This movement is what creates sound.

Of course that’s a brief overview since it gets a lot more complex and can vary even depending on the type of headphone, but that gives you a general idea of how they work.

Here’s a more in depth look if curious.

https://headphonereview.com/guides/how-do-headphones-work

So the real question then becomes, how do you pick the most appropriate ones?

How To Pick The Right Headphones

Picking the right pair of headphones for your media consumption can be a little daunting. I know it was at least for me. Therefore, in order to choose the right ones, here’s a few tips that might help you with your search.

One really important thing to look for is the frequency response. Frequency response is just a measure of how high and low an audio component can go. The bigger this range is, the better.

The upper part of this range is measured in something called kilohertz (kHz) and the lower part and number on the left is measured in hertz.

Kilo stands for 1000, and kilohertz basically means 1000 hertz.

Hertz (Hz) is simply a measure of electrical frequency, and the amount of vibrations of that frequency per second.

With that, what you would ideally want is the left number in the frequency response to be as low as possible.

You’d want the number on the right of it to be as high as possible. This will honestly give you the broadest range of sound.

A good number to shoot for would be 15Hz on the left and 10Khz on the right as I’ve found this to be best sonically in terms of dynamic range and immersion. 20 on the left, and 20 on the right is more common but okay too.

What this is going to allow you to do is get the smoothest bass and the most crisp highs without any compromises. That’s if they show the spec sheet though, which In many cases they don’t.

What do you do then?

Well the next thing you’ll want to look for in headphones is the driver size.

They are measured in millimeters or mm. A bigger size is obviously going to mean a much bigger sound. The only thing though is that the size of the headphones themselves would also increase as well.

I’ve personally found the best middle ground in regard to that issue is 40mm. At that size, the headphones aren’t overly massive and unwieldy, but you still get that same level of oomph you might miss otherwise.

I genuinely feel like 40mm is certainly the best for movie watching because the sound isn’t boomy or bloated, but tight and controlled; at least from what I’ve noticed.

Another huge factor you’ll want to take in to consideration is choosing the right type.

Would you prefer headphones that go on your ears, or over them? Either one is fine for movies honestly. Over the ear headphones do tend to block out more sound though, but they’re usually larger.

They also prevent a lot of sound leakage I’ve noticed. On ear have more punch and can go louder, but the soundstage isn’t as wide. It’s really going to boil down to what you find more important.

From there, you’ll want to decide if noise cancellation is a priority.

I will tell you that with noise cancellation, they’ll probably need to be charged from time to time, so keep that in mind. If possible, I would opt for it, but that’s just me. Other than that, I’d truthfully look at the reviews beforehand too.

What better way to gauge how a headphone might be than hear from some of the people that already have it (besides owning it obviously.)

I mean a bad pair isn’t going to be reviewed highly, so the it’s a pretty safe metric to go by.

There’s also earbuds as an option too which can provide an additional level of portability and convenience.

Then there’s Bluetooth support which I’d say is extremely important because that’ll allow you to forgo wires entirely, allowing you to move around more freely.

The type of Bluetooth isn’t important though if you’re not going to be walking all around the house with them, but if you are and think you’ll be farther away than 33 feet from the outputting device, (the limit of Bluetooth 4.0) then you’ll you’ll likely want one with Bluetooth 5

Now let’s say you chose to go the wired route though, how exactly would you get the sound from your TV to your headphones, if that’s possible? Good question.

Using Wired Headphones

You would think that with the wired option, it’d be annoying trying listen to content since you wouldn’t be able to sit down with being tethered and all. However, there is an interesting way to do it.

If you happen to have a Roku Ultra, you may have noticed there’s an mp3 jack on the remote. Interesting right?

Well actually, what you can do is connect your headphones to the remote, and you’ll hear whatever’s happening on screen. That way you could sit anywhere in the room, while technically still using wired headphones.

There’s even a pair of JBL headphones right in the box.

How cool is that?

Also if you prefer wired connections, you also have the option of connecting your headphones directly to your receiver via the headphone jack if it supports it.

Using Wireless Home Theater Headphones

But let’s also say you don’t have the Roku, and you want to listen to your TV completely wirelessly. Luckily, you have a few options. If you have a pair of wireless headphones already, check to see if your TV has Bluetooth capability.

If it does, all you would have to do is go into the TV menu to pair them, and you’ll be good to go. A lot of modern televisions have it. If it doesn’t though, you can still give your TV the ability via an external device.

The Avantree Transmitter allows that very thing. It connects to your receiver via an HDMI and RCA cable. You would then press the button on it to pair it.

That’s it really. Pretty straightforward.

Now that you understand what to look for, what are a few that I’d personally recommend?

My Top 3 Headphones

There’s a lot of truly fantastic headphones out there. So, here are 3 of the best headphones that I’ve tried so far.

Sennheiser HD 450BT Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Headphone with Active Noise Cancellation

Right off the bat, these aren’t the smallest headphones in the world. They aren’t huge, but they aren’t tiny either. The sound however is ginormous.

They have an incredibly wide sound stage, which makes everything so much more immersive. The lows hit hard, and the highs are delicate, with both coming together for a really balanced & pleasing sound.

You’ll really love this one.

Sennheiser HD 450BT Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Headphone with Active Noise Cancellation

Sony WHXB700 Wireless Extra Bass Bluetooth Headphones

If you’re someone who has a thing for bass, these are for you.

Admittedly they aren’t the most neutral sounding headphone since they certainly favor the low end, but they do so in a way that’s engaging and immersive.

They certainly aren’t boomy or anything.

The sound is still extremely clear, and you can tell they have that little bit of extra kick that favors the bass. Speaking of which, the bass itself hits heavy but remains tight, and when there’s a bass drop in a movie, it’s really almost like you feel it.

Definitely a fun pair that’s for sure.

Sony WHXB700 Wireless Extra Bass Bluetooth Headphones

Beats Solo 3 Wireless Headphones

Beats I feel get a bad wrap when it comes to sound quality. I mean being honest, I wasn’t the biggest fan of beats in the past personally.

I originally felt there were just better options out there comparatively. But with the Solo 2, that changed. I decided to give them a try because I heard some pretty good things about them.

I’m not sure what they did, but they were leagues above what I had heard from beats in the past; they were actually really good!

No longer were there overblown lows to where bass overshadowed other frequencies. The sound was pristine. Then when I got the solo 3s, they were even better. You might surprised how good they are.

Also reviewed these if you wanna know more in depth about them.

Beats Solo 3 Wireless Headphones

https://easyhometheater.net/beats-solo-3-wireless-headphones-review

Well that’s it for now guys. I hope that with all this, you can see why home theater headphones would certainly a worthy addition to your movie watching.

There’s a lot of really good options out there, so hopefully with this you have an idea of how to choose the one that best suits your needs.

But let me know if there’s anything I’ve left out, or even anything else you’ve found that might be helpful.

Take care, and like always, make it easy, keep it simple.

What Is The Best Gaming Console To Buy?

Wait… home theater.. and video games… what?

Yep that’s correct.

You see, most people don’t take into account the fact that a decent portion of the home theater sphere does actually include the topic of video games believe it or not.

I mean think about it, let’s say you finally set up that man cave you’ve been clamoring for, for a while and you manage to get everything set up just the way you want.

Sure you’ll test it with some movies, maybe even watch a few shows.

But chances are you’ll eventually be at least slightly curious how video games look and sound on it at some point or another; even if you aren’t massively into them.

Not to mention the fact that there’s people who build entire game rooms around them.

Let me tell you firsthand, it’s such an incredibly awesome experience. There really isn’t anything like it when you do it right.

Now more than ever, exists an impressive amount of variety offered (putting it very lightly). That’s both a good and a bad thing. It’s good because hey on one hand, it gives you a lot of options.

On the other It’s bad because, what the heck do you pick?!

With all the gaming options available today, it becomes increasingly harder to decide what to get and why.

By now you might be wondering okay…so what is the best gaming console to buy?

The short answer is that it’s really hard to say. It’ll honestly depend on what your particular interests are. But chances are, you’re probably looking for a direct answer.

Since I’m a huge gamer as well, I’ll take the liberty of helping you out.

So the long version will be an elaboration on that. I’ll go over each home entertainment console, and why someone might be happy with a specific one.

At the very end, I’ll give you my personal thoughts about what my favorite is. Sound like a plan?

Let’s get to it.

The PlayStation 4 Slim

The PlayStation 4 Pro

The Xbox One S

The Xbox One X

The Nintendo Switch

My Personal Favorite

The PlayStation 4 Slim

First up the PlayStation 4 Slim.

Man has this thing been around forever (the brand I mean). I remember playing the first iteration back in the year 2000 and being floored how amazing it was.

The PlayStation 4 (obviously being the 4^th version) is a culmination of sorts on what Sony has learned over the years. The slim is the new standard version of the original 4 from 2013. Nothing changed majorly. It’s just a slimmer version of it.

It features a Blu-ray player, so it’ll let you play all your favorite DVD’s along with Blu-rays. It also has its own marketplace called the PlayStation store. This store features thousands of movies and games. Some are free but most are not.

The console supports HDR (high dynamic range), and something called remote play. Remote play is pretty cool because you can stream your gameplay to friends so they can watch.

The controller has something called dualshock rumble which is basically a vibration within it that reacts to what’s happening on screen. So why would you go with the PS4? There’s a lot of reasons honestly.

Reason #1….First party games!

Holy moley guacamole are there a lot of good games on it, especially first party. Think of a first party game as one that’s unique to that brand and isn’t available on any other console.

From Horizon Zero Dawn to Ratchet And Clank, there’s really no disputing how good its personal lineup is.

Reason #2 PlayStation VR

If you haven’t tried virtual reality, then I don’t know how else to put it other than you’re in the game. No like seriously, when you put this thing on, you’re inside the game world. Have you ever seen Tron or Sword Art Online? It’s that level of intense.

I wish I could describe how amazing it is over text, but you would need to try it yourself to understand. It really feels like the future. There’s also a growing list of other content on it as well. YouTube even supports VR (now that’s a wild experience.)

Even on non VR games, you can still play standard ones. Best way to describe how that is, is that it feels like your sitting in a movie theater in front of a giant screen. It’s so strange because it doesn’t feel like something like this should even exist yet.

While there is virtual reality on the PC, as of right now, the PS4 is the only home console with a VR device.

Reason #3 Shareplay

This one’s awesome. If you’re a really social gamer, then this ones for you. If you have a game on PS4 that you’re playing online, then what you can do is invite someone else to your game to play with you. What’s special about that is the other person doesn’t even need to own the game to play along.

Reason # 4 Backwards Compatibility

Being that this is the 4’th PlayStation, it only makes sense that there’s a large catalogue of games existing from previous generations.

Sony was aware of that and so allowed the PS4 to be backwards compatible with them; with a few limitations of course.

While it can support past games, that number is limited, and is only offered online via a service called PlayStation Now. There’s certainly a larger amount that’s supported than there use to be, but just be aware that it isn’t all of them.

Overall the PlayStation 4 is awesome, and it’d be really hard to go wrong with it. With so many games, it’s pretty obvious that there would be a massive number of genres to choose from as well. I noticed that there tends to be a lot of Action RPGs on it (role playing games) If that’s a genre that interests you, then you’d definitely be right at home.

There’s certainly something here for everybody. I would also go with the PlayStation if you’re someone who values socializing since a large part of the experience is playing and interacting with other players online. I can tell you personally that it really is fun to do so. Plus there’s even VR support.

The PlayStation Pro

This is an interesting one. Introduced in 2016, the Pro version you can think of as a supercharged PlayStation 4. The internals have been ramped up to support a bigger range of features.

If your curious about the technical difference of what’s changed, you can read about it here.

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/ps4-pro

In general the PS4 Pro has a few really big draws over its counterpart.

Reason #1 4K Gaming Support

If you aren’t sure what 4K is, I’ve covered it here.

https://easyhometheater.net/what-is-a-4k-television

Simply put, 4k is a resolution that’s 4 times that of 1080P otherwise known as full HD. That bump in resolution makes a huge visual difference.

The fact that it can support resolutions this high means games on it will look crystal clear. I can certainly vouch for that fact since I own one right now. However this takes a lot of power to do and so that brings me to my next reason you may want one.

Reason #2 More Powerful

Another reason you might be interested in this one is if you care about how your games look. With so much power, the pro is capable of pumping out some truly impressive looking games.

When I say impressive, I mean the kind of graphics where it’s almost hard to distinguish from real life. Things really look that good on it.

That’s not even to mention that it also supports all of the latest Dolby Digital Formats so if you have a good sound system, wow are you in for a treat. This extra power also allows games to not only look better, but play better as well. It even improves how VR games look..

It really is an awesome console. The only thing to keep in mind though is that it doesn’t play 4k Blu-rays.

The Xbox One S

The Xbox One S is a newer version of the original Xbox One released back in 2013.

The Xbox One S is pretty similar to the PS4 if anything, however there are some differences that may make you want to go with this one (no pun intended)

Reason #1 4K Blu-ray player

This is quite the enigma. While the One S doesn’t support 4k gaming, it does have a unique defining feature; a 4k Blue-ray player. Those are relatively new, so the fact the Xbox One S even has one is both surprising, and incredible

Reason #2 The Games

Sony isn’t the only one with an exclusive line up as Microsoft’s Xbox has a spectacular assortment of games as well.

From Halo to Gears, let’s just say it’d be really hard to be bored. The games offered here at top notch so again, there’s something here for everybody as well.

Reason #3 HDR Support

Besides being able to display 4k content, it possesses the ability to display HDR content as well. HDR again stands for High Dynamic Range. Think of it as an exponentially increased contrast ratio that mimics how the human eye see things.

Again, this is also something you would need to see in person to appreciate (there’s been a lot of those instances haven’t there?) As long as you have a TV that’s capable, you can take advantage of this new technology.

Reason #4 It’s Small

The One S is really small compared to other consoles. If you’re someone who doesn’t have the most space in the world, having a console that’s small is a life saver.

As a whole, the Xbox One S is a spectacular console with its main draw being it’s 4k media capabilities. If that’s something that interests you, then I would go with this one. I’ve also noticed that there’s a lot of racing games available on it so if you like that, then there’s another reason to go with it.

As far as the social aspect goes, that’s present here as well with a booming online multiplayer network. Overall, there’s plenty to keep you entertained here.

The Xbox One X

Here’s another certainly interesting one. Its main characteristic is that it is the most powerful home console to date.

It certainly lives up to that claim with almost the same amount of power as a dedicated gaming PC. Pretty impressive to say the least. So why would someone be interested in this one?

Reason #1 4k Blu-Ray Player

Being the next step up, it’s only natural that it would sport this feature like its smaller sibling. The player in the system itself is the same though so that hasn’t changed. Still it’s good to see it here though.

Reason #2 The Power

I’ve mentioned how insanely strong it is right? The Xbox One X not only has everything the Xbox One S has, but it’s also capable of 4k gaming.

Not to mention all the typical bells and whistles like HDR and backwards compatibility. This means that if you’re concerned with in game graphics, it will undoubtedly look the best on here.

Reason #3 It’s Small

Believe it or not, this console is small too. This is due to much more efficient internals. You would think something this powerful would be lumbering, but fortunately it’s not.

https://www.pocket-lint.com/games/news/xbox/137909-xbox-one-x-price-specifications-and-everything-you-need-to-know

While the One X supports the same games that the S does, it does so at a much higher fidelity. If you’re one for eye candy and a smoother gaming experience overall, go with this one. You probably won’t believe how good it looks just as a heads up.

To put it bluntly, it’s a beast.

The Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo switch certainly is unique in that it is technically both a home and portable console. When at home, the console rests on a dock, and the sides of the switch come off.

These are called Joy Cons. When you decide to go out, you can attach the joy cons to the console and use it like you would say a 3DS. Why would someone want this one?

Reason #1 The Games

Jeez Nintendo is on fire with games lately. They started off 2017 by releasing the switch and the groundbreaking The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The game was so good that not only was it one of the highest scoring games in history, but everyone collectively lost their minds over it (me included).

Then with the holiday season approaching, they decided to go with a 1, 2 punch and release Super Mario Odyssey, one that scored just as high. I’m not one to buy into the hype; in fact I’m usually a huge critic.

But oh my.. Zelda and Mario, I can comfortably say, are 2 of the best games I’ve ever played ever, period. I was not prepared for how good they are.

I wish I could convey to you the joy you experience playing them, but it’s something that’s simply experienced.

Reason #2 Convenience

I don’t think there’s anything more convenient then being able to pocket a console. Being able to take it with you anywhere you go, and use headphones with it is awesome enough.

But being able to prop it up via the kickstand on the back, slide the joycons off, then play 2 players with someone else on it seems like such a novel idea that I wish it existed sooner. It makes a portable console a social event which is so cool.

The PlayStation 5

The PlayStation 5 is the successor to the PS5 and in my opinion, is certainly a worthy one as there’s lots of things improved.

All of the things I’ve said about the PS4 holds true with this one as it’s backwards compatible with the PS4 games, the controller is improved with haptic feedback, and it’s much more powerful.

Games on it look absolutely beautiful, and the improved speed from the SSD makes a difference when it comes to loading from my experience.

It can even theoretically go up to 8K resolution which is impressive.

It’s an all around amazing system in my opinion.

The Xbox Series X & S

The Xbox Series X & S are the successors to the one x and when it comes to how games look on them, they’re simply gorgeous. From the clarity of games, to how smooth they look, it feels like a step up.

The Series S has support for up to 1440p and the Series X can theoretically do up to 8K resolution which is incredible.

It even allows you to have dynamic backgrounds on your dashboard that move which I think is really cool. They’re really great systems.

My Personal Favorite

So here’s what you’re really curious about…(probably not but I digress)

Which one do I personally like the best?

Plot twist…..all of them.

What??

Yep.

It seems like every major console maker came out swinging, and in the end it’s really us that wins. I wish I could pick a favorite, but each console brings with it something so unique that I couldn’t honestly choose.

I eventually had to get all of them because they each had exclusive games that I knew I had to have. It’s not even just that they have fantastic games either; but it’s the sheer amount of fantastic games offered from each system.

You really would be hard pressed to go wrong with any of them though. And forget about it when it comes to playing them on your speakers.

You think it’s intense playing it on the television, but you hook it up to a good surround system and say goodbye to anything you planned to get done that day. They’re such an entertaining addition to a home theater.

So to answer the original question about what is the best gaming console to buy, ideally I’d say all of them. But realistically, it’s really going to boil down to what features you prefer.

Keep in mind though that since the PS5, Nintendo Switch, & Xbox Series X are the newest, availability of the other consoles mentioned may vary due to them being older.

Other than that, they’re great systems.

But that’s about wraps it up for this one.

Until next time make it easy, keep it simple!

http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/rf-technology-design/digital-signal-processing/dsp-basics-tutorial.php.

AV Receiver Guide

So with all of my tinkering, and through unfortunate trial and error (lots of that one), here’s something you’ll probably appreciate, an AV receiver guide!

I feel like the receiver is one of those components in a home theater that doesn’t necessarily get the respect it deserves. Now I’m not going so far as to say that it’s completely overlooked, but compared to something like a subwoofer, you wouldn’t be blamed for initially thinking it’s not too exciting.

But what If I told you it was?

There’s more to it than meets the eye. What If I told you that there’s probably an entire host of really cool settings in your receiver that you didn’t even know existed?

See the thing is the manuals that come with these devices can sometimes be very unuser friendly which ends up doing the exact opposite of the thing they were trying to do in the first place; which is help you!

I mean it’s only fair for you to know about them since it’s not like anyone actually takes the time to point them out to you. Anyway, these won’t be in any particular order by the way, so don’t worry about that. But anyway, without further ado, let’s jump right into it.

1 – DSP Modes –

See here’s an interesting that not too many people are aware of when they get a shiny new receiver; the fact that they can alter the sound with their remote. Yes you heard that right, just with your remote alone.

Nearly every receiver out there comes equipped with their own version of what called a DSP mode. DSP stands for Digital Signal Processing.

Basically the way it works is it takes the sound from the source coming in to the receiver, and then manipulates it using algorithms, that depending on whatever mode it’s on.

Of course, that’s a vastly oversimplified explanation of what it is, but if you want to know more about the in depth dynamics of it, you can read about it here.

DSPs are awesome though because they can take sound from a speaker that just sounds okay, to something that sounds amazing. However here’s the thing you should know, every receiver has a different set of these modes. Not all of them have the same names or effects.

That means it’d be impossible for me to tell you exact ones the ones to try since every receiver is going to have a different type. They can even be different from within the same manufacturer. But I can tell you the mode I’ve always leaned towards on all my receivers; cinema or movie mode.

Movie presets tend to just sound better from the other ones, at least from my experience. No idea why, but that’s what I’ve found. Ultimately, you’ll have to play around with them yourself and make that call because there’s a ton of unique ones on each receiver.

That and everyone perceives sound differently. They can range from sci-fi to drama; the list goes on. But trust me, they’re certainly a lot of fun to mess around with. A DSP mode can also fix a problem that I had covered in the other article about why a speaker may sound hollow, even when it’s supposedly a quality one.

https://easyhometheater.net/home-theater-problems#hollow

A DSP Mode can certainly help in this instance because it gives you a relative amount of control on how your sound…well sounds!. If it’s lacking in treble, or the mid range sounds recessed, you now have the ability to somewhat remedy that.

The interesting thing I’ve found over the years though is that every speaker reacts differently to them. What I mean by that is that some modes may have a different degree of effect on one speaker compared to another.

What sounds good on one of them, may sound completely different on another.

2 – Adaptive DRC –

This is a really cool one too. Within your receiver is something called Adaptive DRC.

DRC stands for dynamic range control, and acts as a way of limiting the dynamism. So why would this setting be worth mentioning? Well let’s say it’s nighttime and you want to watch a show but you don’t want to necessarily turn up the volume.

What this does is make the highs and lows the same level so there aren’t giant spikes in volume that might scare the crap out of you. This is really helpful when you want to watch things at a moderate level, but you don’t need movie theater levels of intensity.

3 – Individual Speaker Level –

This is one of those settings that lets you customize things even more. With the speaker level setting, you can adjust the individual volume level for each speaker to your liking.

Even though most modern receivers come with some sort of calibration mic to do things automatically, you can still tweak even more if you wanted to so it’s a nice touch.

4 – Input Rename –

Just like the name suggests, the input rename allows you rename each input to whatever device it happens to be under. So instead of being called HDMI 2, you could change it to Blu-ray or something like that.

This is useful because when you start getting up there with the number of things you connect, you’re going to want an easy way to remember all of it. This allows you to do just that.

5 – Stereo Mode – This is the mode that you should use when you have just 2 speakers and want to listen to music. Of course you may add a subwoofer, but this mode limits sound to only 2 channels. This means it technically could allow your speakers to go higher than normal in volume since there’s less speakers drawing power. Stereo has a focus on audio acuity, so this is what you should use if you’re only using 2.

*Bonus Setting* Straight or Pure Mode – This mode is particularly interesting because it turns off any DSP settings, equalizations, etc. Think of it as an even purer stereo mode. This means that all you are getting is sound from your 2 speakers; this even excludes the subwoofer from being used.

Now why would someone want to use one like that? Well if you are an audio purist and you have a really high quality file of music that you want to play, this would be that mode to use.

You wouldn’t want any external equalizations affecting the sound in any way, so it allows you to get the purest output possible.

I hope you enjoyed this unofficial yet official av receiver guide. At the end of the day, there’s so many more settings out there that I’ve probably inevitably missed some. Let me know of any other cool ones you’ve found in the comments below so that it can help someone else.

But that’s all for now. Until next time guys, see ya!

What’s An HDR Television? (Understanding This Visual Tech)

What’s An HDR Television? (Understanding This Visual Tech)

Subjectively speaking, it’s interesting just how fast things progress in home theater

It wasn’t that long ago that the change from standard to high definition was made with the television for example.

Then a few years later UHD came along and completely changed the game with a resolution 4 times that of 1080p.

Now we’re presented with yet another format that can enhance the visual experience, HDR.

An HDR television is one that takes advantage of this interesting format, but what exactly does that entail?

Let’s find out.

What is HDR exactly?

HDR is an acronym that stands for the words High Dynamic Range.

It’s a format that originates in photography, but happens to have recently made its way over to video and television.

Basically, it’s mimicking how the human eye would see an image with things being lighter & darker on screen at the same time.

This results in a much more true to life picture on screen.

It also touts a broader range of colors that couldn’t be displayed previously.

How much more exactly?

Try millions more colors.

At least that’s the simple explanation.

The actual effectiveness of it still depends on the TV and its implementation.

Let’s go deeper though so we can really understand it.

Why Was HDR Introduced?

Why was this introduced though?

Well, with the way standard video signals work, dark and light portions in content are usually missing elements in that scene that it was originally intending to capture.

That’s because they’re based on older standards set decades ago, thus, aren’t adequately represented due to technical limitations from that time.

Knowing this, industries set out to solve this dilemma.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to look too hard since the answer already existed; albeit on a different platform.

That platform being photography since the concept of HDR isn’t new.

So with a little tweaking, this was made into a format usable with video.

They could then offer a true presentation of whatever it is that they’re filming.

But in what way specifically?

Well it has a lot to do with brightness and contrast.

How Brightness and Contrast Changes With HDR

A television screen’s luminance is measured in something called candela per square metres (cd/m2)

It is more commonly referred to as nits.

This basically measures how bright the TV is capable of going.

The more nits, the brighter the image.

An SDR, (standard dynamic range) HD 1080p television is typically capable of going a little above 100 cd/m2, or 100 nits.

With HDR, this number can be as high as 10,000

Though that’s the peak since there aren’t 10,000 nit displays yet commercially available.

You might be thinking well isn’t that too bright?

Surprisingly no since it’s not like the entire picture is that bright at all times.

It simply means that the elements that need to be that bright can reach that peak while the other parts stay dark.

It’s a lot more true to how you would see it in person.

Think of what happens when you see the sky during a sunny day.

Do you simply see one bright splotch?

Or are you able to make out details in the sky as well?

It works the same way here.

When an image is displayed in high dynamic range, you can see all the fine details that are usually left out.

Same thing goes for brightness (the dark parts of the image)

Typically, all of these small details would get crushed in shadows prior.

This was the only way industries could display the image, since showing everything would have taken up too much data to do normally.

It simply wasn’t a feasible option.

However technology has advanced far enough now for this to be something that is possible.

It allows for portions of an image to get both lighter and darker at the same time.

This allows it to show much more detail in the shadows, with greater detail in the highlights too.

So there can be something that’s reaching peak brightness on screen at the same time something is completely dark.

But it also allows for a lot more nuanced shades too; meaning it can also reproduce everything in between absolute white, and absolute black in a much smoother gradient.

A lot of the little shades you couldn’t see before are now visible.

This is an example of how a television might represent the change from light to dark portions of the screen right now.

This is an example of how, with HDR, it could handle that change (although how well that’s done is dependent on how good that TV is)

That difference between light and dark is referred to as the contrast ratio.

The higher the contrast ratio, the better looking the image.

Through HDR, the contrast ratio is amplified to a considerable degree.

As you could probably imagine, when done right, this could hypothetically result in a picture that looks vastly better than before.

I can certainly vouch for that sentiment.

I have a few HDR screens, and for me to even try and explain to you how good it looks in person would be difficult.

It’s one of those instances where you would need to see the tech for yourself to fully understand.

But do you want to know the interesting part?

Not all HDR is the same.

The Different Types Of HDR

Suprisingly, there’s actually different types of high dynamic range formats too.

These include formats like Hybrid Log-Gamma, HDR10+, & Advanced HDR by Technicolor — though there’s lots more that now exist too.

The 2 main ones used right now though are Dolby Vision and HDR10.

So what’s the difference?

Well I’ll first tell you the technical difference, and then I’ll tell you what I personally noticed.

HDR10 is a format that’s backed by an industry called the UHD alliance which is a collaboration of some of the biggest companies & individuals in the world in cinema & electronics.

It’s the same industry that helped to popularize UHD (ultra-high definition otherwise known commercially as 4k)

They’re responsible for a lot of the recent video format pushes into the mainstream.

https://www.cnet.com/news/what-is-uhd-alliance-premium-certified/

It’s also typically offered on ultra HD Blu-rays.

HDR10 supports a brightness up to 4000 nits, and 10 bit color (an extended color palette).

It also has what’s called static meta data meaning everything within the film is mastered at a predetermined brightness.

Dolby Vision on the other hand is Dolby Digital’s version of HDR.

If a screen meets their specific criteria, then it’s allowed to tout that it adheres to their standards, thus gaining their certification.

It’s a lot more personable too because Dolby Vision usually is calibrated for each display’s maximum capability.

So basically each specific screen can utilize HDR to the best of its ability. It also supports a luminance of up to 10,000 nits and a 12 bit color space.

While no televisions as of right now can reach that level of brightness, the capabilities of the standard are already set so that once those displays are available, they’ll be able to fully utilize Dolby vision.

It also has what is known as dynamic meta data.

Where HDR10 displays the picture based on the predetermined parameters of the movie, Dolby Vision can do so on a scene by scene basis within the movie (hence the dynamic portion).

This theoretically allows for a much more accurate and vivid image.

Sounds like Dolby Vision would be the clear winner right?

Well not exactly…

http://www.techradar.com/news/hdr10-vs-dolby-vision-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-hdr-format-war

It’s really not as clear cut as you might think.

This is what I found to be true (this is just from my perspective by the way) in terms of difference personally.

To be honest with you, I didn’t really notice that much of a difference between the two. I mean they both looked downright gorgeous on the two different displays, but the difference was negligible.

I mean maybe Dolby Vision screen was slightly brighter, but any major differences I didn’t notice.

(Now the following 2 pictures aren’t actually HDR 10 and Dolby Vision pictures since you would need the same video file that supports both formats, and those panels side by side to see the difference.

These are just to demonstrate to you basically what I saw in terms of difference and how close they were)

HDR 10

Dolby Vision

While it’s subjective, and implementation can vary based on both the source and the TV, I personally found them to look really similar in my opinion.

Considering they currently look pretty close, it’s not going to make the biggest difference in the world with regards to what version you pick.

At least for right now.

Once displays start releasing with higher nit ranges and more bit rates, the difference in image quality could widen, potentially making Dolby Vision a better choice.

When this happens remains to be seen of course, so it might be a few years before we start seeing any 10,000 nit panels.

What’s The Difference Between Photo HDR And HDR Television?

You might also be curious what the difference is between photography’s version of HDR and the video version since I did mention that before.

I don’t want to get too technical but here’s what you should at least know in reference to that.

When you take a picture with a camera, it can only represent one exposure at a time for any given image.

As you can imagine, this may leave a lot more to be desired in terms of quality.

However to deal with this, the camera sensor combines multiple exposures together into one image to get a broader range of light.

This broader range of light is what gives that image depth, and makes it pop.

This is not only useful to see all the hidden elements of a picture that are normally lost, but it also looks better in general.

Video HDR is different because it doesn’t need to do that.

What it’s able to do is represent both at the same time so that nothing is overexposed or crushed.

Naturally this results in an exceedingly dynamic image.

Again it can’t be overstated how incredible this looks on an adequate display.

Do You Need Anything Special For HDR?

By now you might be asking yourself if you need anything special to take advantage of HDR, and the answer would technically be yes since it’s not something you can just download or anything like that.

Being a format, a device has to explicitly state that it supports it.

This where you might see the UHD or Dolby Vision certification on the outside of the box that says this.

Then you would need a television that says it’s capable of it, and the content that’s HDR compatible.

Other than that though, there’s really not much else to it.

There isn’t any special ways you have to hook something up.

As long as you have high speed HDMI cables, then you’re good to go.

This one supports it fully. Zeskit HDMI Cable 6.5ft

As far as content goes, most cable television channels as of right now don’t support it though this may change in the future.

If you want to watch movies with it, then you would need to invest in a 4k Blu-ray player since UHD Blu-ray is what is supports it.

Both the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 can utilize it too meaning the games on those consoles have the capability for it as well.

What Format Might Come Next?

Now this may be surprising, but Samsung, LG, Sony, & TCL have all introduced 8K displays that can be bought today.

But that said, 8K is nowhere near prime time. In fact by my estimate it’ll probably be a good 10 years before it’s mainstream so don’t worry.

https://easyhometheater.net/8k-tv-is-coming

But the fact that there’s already talk of resolutions of 8K and (gasp) above that really boggles the mind. I think it’s going to be so cool to see what new formats start to show in the future.

Then there’s the aforementioned HDR10+ which is actually Samsung’s entry into the HDR battle.

What many may not know is that manufacturers who want to use the Dolby Vision license actually have to pay a fee first before being able to implement it.

So Samsung decided that they would just launch their own HDR format where this wasn’t required.

Where Dolby Vision adjusts the image on a scene by scene basis, 10+ takes it a step further by adjusting things on a frame by frame basis.

This should theoretically allow for an even greater improvement in picture quality.

However since there isn’t exactly a wealth of content to test, we’ll have to play the waiting game to see how it stacks up once enough content is available.

This will ultimately decide how successful it becomes.

Or hey, maybe it’s even Micro Led TVs?

Who knows.

What do you think is next big thing in display technology?

I’d love to hear from you guys down in the comments below (like I’m genuinely curious please let me know lol).

Anyway hopefully all of this helps you to understand a little bit about this new standard and why it’s so exciting.

Again without nerding out too much, it really is something you need to see in person; pictures won’t do it justice.

If you need help with choosing TVs, here’s an article that I did that should help you to do just that.

https://easyhometheater.net/the-best-tvs

Until next time, make it easy, keep it simple.