Sound is the final result of any custom installation. This is with or without a video picture. Sure you will work with your computer sometimes but even then you enjoy nice low volume listening. Custom installers would like to leave their customers happy with all aspects of their custom installations not just the gizmos and gadgets.

It is a fairly straightforward objective to maintain audio system compliance right up to the speaker terminals. It is here that the installer loses control of the installation and must rely on luck. In wall and in ceiling speakers are the general choices but regardless of brand the sound quality level is limited. Even in areas where it is possible to use freestanding speakers, size and required positioning limit the ability to attain high-end quality sound. When the custom installer is faced with complaints from their customers it is not much that can be done in a custom installation. When one examines the ritual an audiophile must undergo to maximize the performance of expensive components it becomes clear the task involved. While it probably isn't a realistic goal to involve such expense it makes sense to evaluate the reasons why this activity is necessary.

The acoustics of the room probably play the most critical role in defining quality sound. Once expensive components are purchased and connected the sound quality is usually mediocre when it is heard in the room. Why is this when such excellent specifications accompany each component and headphone listening is phenomenal? Sound is subject to the surrounding acoustics whether it is a canyon or a small listening room in which it is produced. For sounds that are original any rendering is deemed a natural sound and will be accepted by any who hear it. For sounds that are reproduced through speakers and played in finite room spaces the results will vary wildly because of the rooms dimensions and the effects that reflections have on the speaker systems transducers. The room dimensions affect higher frequencies minimally because they are short in wavelength and replicate completely before they encounter any reflections. To a great degree these reflections define the ambiance of the room. The lower frequencies encounter a myriad of destructive reflections long before they can complete a cycle. These reflections cause interference patterns and alter the characteristics of the drivers producing the sound. This is one of the biggest problems associated with obtaining quality sound therefore deeper bass is often sacrificed for clearer sound. The sound will be more natural however if proper deep bass is present.

In most custom installations much attention is placed with the main listening area leaving the rest of the house to luck. No amount of equalization or electronic trickery is going to cause a high-end sound quality to exist. The loss of imaging and depth due to speaker placement is due to speaker and room interaction and the lack of the proper low frequency cues being present to convey depth and size. The typical subwoofer is designed as an independent product and its integration into a system is particularly difficult for many reasons. The room interaction is a major problem with large subwoofers because of the driver's large size. Subwoofers are tested as independent products with specifications to define its performance. That performance however is not evaluated in conjunction with other speakers in a real room of undefined proportions. The room will define to a great degree the sound quality however the inherent flaws in all subwoofers using current design technologies is the requirement for mass and low resonance to produce low bass frequencies and the influence that the room has on their frequency response. The excessive mass that subwoofers require has a negative effect on their ability to change position fast and speed is especially important in their upper range of operation. This is the range that the speakers overlap in their responses and these individual contributions must occur simultaneously. This problem becomes more critical when using subwoofers at higher crossover points with smaller speakers such as those used in custom installations. The momentum of the heavy subwoofer mass cannot be overcome with more power. It would require infinite power and zero cable losses to overcome the real effects of mass as the ear is extremely sensitive to such acoustic anomalies. Sure they can shake the walls and vibrate the gut but does it really sound good when you just listen for a while.

ALPHA D WITH VARTL TECHNOLOGY

Virtual Acoustic Radial Transmission Line (VARTL) technology is the first bass technology that deviates from drivers of low resonance and high mass. The alignment allows the use of minimum mass drivers of correspondingly smaller diameters to produce sub bass frequencies. The driver requires minimum cone movement at the lowest bass frequencies further increasing the speed at which the note is produced. This combination of low mass and short excursion requirements results in a low frequency system that responds in sync with your main speakers. An inherent benefit is that of acoustic shielding for the small driver eliminating its interaction with reflected waves from the room. The ALPHA D is the product for real room acoustic situations, those that are encountered everyday in the field, usually with no solution. The other problem is aesthetics of the installation and most customers will not compromise on certain things. The subwoofer, even if it sounded right on each occasion, would not be accepted to add to all areas where more bass is desired. The passive ALPHA D is extremely flexible in where it can be placed and has found a home in cabinets, walls, behind or under televisions and many other places that wouldn't even be considered for conventional powered or passive subwoofers. Its small size and unique dimensions allow it to be placed in full view if desired or required. This sonic and aesthetic flexibility opens many options for the installer to provide high-end quality sound to a client regardless of where it might be desired. The ALPHA D focuses on quality of sound no matter what type of system is involved. Installers have used the ALPHA D as an accessory for televisions, mini systems, computers as well as with individual room A|V systems. The performance is always improved and in ways never dreamed possible especially with the addition of a single low frequency product.