Joon Hartzell

I don't get it. My friends are always telling me to get better equipment for my TV, like stereophonic and stuff. When I want the sound to sound better, I just turn it up louder, and that works fine. Saves me a bundle of cash. I live in a small apartment, and wouldn't have room for more than one speaker anyway. Has anyone discovered this secret too?

chipmac

Do what ever makes you happy but louder sound does not equal cleaner, better sound. Many times if you turn up the volume louder than your gear can handle you get distortion. Better gear allows you to play at volumes that can be both loud or soft and still hear everything clearly.

DVD Josh

No, no one else has discovered the secret of loud, monophonic sound

Honestly, you are missing out BIG TIME. Louder does NOT equal better, it equals louder.

Shannon Nutt

Agreed - loud does not equal clean or clear.

Joon Hartzell

But my experience shows that it's just as good, at a much cheaper cost. And I haven't noticed too much distortion. I realize a lot of people have begun to equate "pricier = better", but I think you would be surprised if you just gave it a chance. Of course, if you have the money easily disposable, by all means buy extra speakers, but I think a lot of people would benefit from my experience on this. It was good enough for people in the 50's, after all, and if I want to rock the house, I can always just turn it up! For those of you who aren't really rich, don't waste your money on the extra speaker and fancy stereo stuff. Keep it simple, it works really great.

Shannon Nutt

Black and White TV was also good enough for people in the 50's - that doesn't mean it's the preferred viewing now.

Brian Shannon

I needed a laugh for today thanks

Come to think of it, maybe I should try my car with one wheel especially since the price of gas is so high . . .

DVD Josh

Everyone Join the Monophonic Revolution!!!

I feel like we should take up a collection so this guy can at least get another speaker

JM

While I think this guy may be a troll, I'll bite. Modern HT sound is less about volume than it is about DIRECTION. It is impossible to do 5.1 (or 6.1 etc.) with one speaker, no matter how loud it is.

TomOpus

He must be a troll.

Otherwise, why does he have a computer with an internet connection?

A deck of cards, a calculator, a newspaper, snail mail and over-the-air TV is cheaper!

Oh, he also thought Superman IV was the superior one of the series.

futbol

-notrolls-

Joon Hartzell

Okay, I see that you're all laughing at me and calling me a troll, for having a different opinion from the Kool Kids, and yes I know you can present technical information proving that expensive set-ups are superior to cheap ones. All I'm saying is that for many people, especially those of us with very limited space and money, you can enjoy perfectly fine sound with very little, and I have never been unhappy with my limited setup. People shouldn't feel pressured into buying stereo sound if it's not what they need. I really don't see what the fuss is about.

And, yes I DO think that Superman IV was the best of the series, and I think there are a growing number of people who agree with me.

gotapex

Actually, there's a strange bit of truth to this. This is why when evaluating equipment (ie. blind, ABX tests), you have to always test products at exactly the same volume. Even an increase in 1-2dB gives a perceived (heard?) advantage to the louder subject.

steebo777

Louder only equals better when you have equipment that can handle it. Usually when you are turning it up louder (like alot louder), you are creating distortion in the speakers big time.

gcribbs

Hey Bose has been selling louder over accurate for years and making a ton of money so maybe this is the future

Of course my Klipsch system powered by my Denon receiver can go way louder than your one speaker Tv so you see my system is better than yours. I think mine goes to 11 even

wordtoyamotha

Danol?

Alan Smithee

Hey, I just figured out I can ditch my big screen and just use a black and white TV and turn the brightness up higher!

bfrank

Well whats wrong with a little fun?

JupiterPrime

Not necessarily more expensive - you can have lesser expensive but the key to it is to have the PROPER equipment - hooking up your DVDPlayer to your 1970'2 Hi-Fi 8-track stereo is not only inferior - its just plain stupid - you might as well just use red/white/yellow to your TV - even THAT will get you better sound than those folks who THINK they are getting great audio out of their stereos.
I paid on $250 for my 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround system and its worth every single solitary cent WAAAAAY above and beyond my Tv's or my Stereo's speakers and output
So you go through the trouble of buying a DVDPlayer and hocking up 15-20 dollars for the DVDs but you feel people are pressuring you - I begin to wonder if your notactually shopping for movies at teh Chinese bodegas and street vendors getting bootlegs for $5 - but hey....you know best

OK, that settle it - you ARE a troll

Brian Shannon

Ok I'll keep playing

I hope you are happy with your setup. To call it "perfectly fine sound" is not correct. You are getting sound but having it come through one speaker has no placement, image or effect as in bass that a subwoofer would produce.

Be happy!

renaldow

I think maybe your definition of 'perfectly fine' and my definition of 'perfectly fine' are at different ends of the spectrum.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

And I would agree that no one should ever feel pressured to buy anything, especially if it's something they don't need.

But don't be surprised that people laugh at you for turning up your TV speakers and thinking it's just as good as a digital 5.1 soundtrack. You can rev up a Geo Metro really loud too, that doesn't make it as fast as a Ferrari.

Joon Hartzell

That's right, everyone jump on the bandwagon and mock me because of my beliefs and experiences. I have not attacked anyone, and last time I checked, this was a free country.


I resent being called 'stupid.' I have not resorted to any name-calling, even though I disagree with some of your opinions.

I can sense your mocking tone. I, unlike you, consider black-and-white moviemaking to be an art form, and often preferable to color. We have lost the lustery silver qualities in tones, as well as good portrayals of shadows onscreen because of color, which has hurt directors' storytelling possibilities. I'll gladly match any beautiful film noir movie to your color eyesores anyday. Color just isn't all its cracked up to be.

Again, I have NEVER said that those who can afford stereo speakers and equipment shouldn't do so, only that mono sound can still rock the house if it's what you can afford.

TopHatCat64

gotapex

I'm curious, let's see a show of hands. How many people who mock this idea, would turn around and recommend people buy a smaller TV, or sit further back, to compensate for relatively poor SD quality feed?

shelland

Are you talking only about watching TV and VCR tapes? Or do you watch DVDs at all?

Because with DVDs, it's not the volume that necessarily makes the difference - it's the placement of the sound. With surround sound, you hear the sound from exactly where it's coming from - voices from the screen, and sound effects from anywhere from 4 to 6 other speakers. With mono sound, everthing comes right from the front speaker.

No matter how loud or quiet you have the volume, you're listening to the sounds in "life like" reproduction with surround sound. If you don't want to listen to your DVDs as they would sound in real life or in the theater, then enjoy your current setup! If you only watch TV/VCR, then you're not producing those surround channels anyway - you don't need to worry about it.

I guess my point is, you don't have to crank the volume to enjoy being immersed by surround sound...