APPENDIX
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Basic knowledge of surround sound
En
106
What is Surround Sound?
Surround sound offers the sense of being surrounded by sounds, an
experience common in concert halls and movie theaters. This can be
achieved by surrounding the audience with numerous speakers from
which sound is output uniformly in all directions. This “surround
sound” technology immerses the listener in sound with speakers
positioned not only in front of the listener, but also behind and to the
sides of the listener, making him or her feel as if they are actually in
the situation.
For precise directional control and quality of sound reproduction,
sounds must be split into separate audio channels for output to each
speaker. Surround sound systems for regular home use (7.1-channel
speaker systems) produce surround sound using seven speakers
and a subwoofer, as shown below:
A highly realistic sound field can be created with multiple speakers
installed around the listening position as shown in the illustration
above. However, this can be difficult to do in a living room. The unit
utilizes “digital sound projector” technology, enabling it alone to
provide a realistic and engaging surround sound experience.
What is a Digital Sound Projector?
A digital sound projector provides optimal control over the delay time
for each of the compact speakers installed in orderly rows, and
drives the amplifier for each of these speakers, synthesizing audio
signals output from each speaker as highly focused sounds (sound
beams).
These focused sounds possess wave-like characteristics. When they
hit a hard wall, they are reflected off the wall. A digital sound
projector outputs sound beams from five channels, including front
(left/right), center, and surround (left/right) channels, by reflecting
these beams off the walls so that sounds reach the listener from the
appropriate direction. It features a technology that enables true
surround sound without requiring the installation of speakers behind
or to the sides of the listener.
By combining sound beams coming from the front (left/right) and
back (left/right), it can also create two new audio channels for
surround sound playback using 7 channels. With this configuration,
the new audio channels output sounds from surround sound
channels, while sound beams coming from behind the listening
position (left/right) output sounds from surround back channels.
Yamaha’s audio technologies
This unit features many more functions based on Yamaha’s superior
audio technologies.
This technology enhances and extends bass and treble, which tend
to be weak in digitally compressed formats such as MP3 used with
portable digital audio players and computers. This makes
compressed audio sound more musically dynamic.
This technology enables precise digital recreation of actual acoustic
environments found in well-known concert halls and movie theaters.
This is achieved using Yamaha’s exclusive sound field programs,
which are based on data measured in various sound fields, and with
which the amplitude, depth, and volume of sounds have been
adjusted.
Basic knowledge of surround sound
Typical 7.1 channel speaker system
Front speakers
Subwoofer
Surround speakers
Center
speaker
Surround back speakers
Digital amplifier
Speaker
Sound beams are emitted
in the target direction
Compressed Music Enhancer
CINEMA DSP
The sound image of the system
