stupid questions? yep

[jaygeorge1979 10+ year member]

ok the search thing wasnt working for me, I am trying to figure a couple of things out:

what is a plate amp? is it a reciever?

what is a line array system or something like that?

If you build your own speaker box and buy the individual speakers, (woofer, couple midrange, tweeter) do you crossover each one individually inside of the box?

does the reciever you buy really influence sound quality to a noticable level or is it just the speakers?

do you guys buy seperate equalizers or doer your reciever do taht for you?

thanks to all who assist, BOOOO to all who refuse....//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Click to read more...

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

what is a plate amp? is it a reciever?

A plate amp is an amplifier mounted on a...well...plate. It usually mounts on the back of your sub enclosure.

what is a line array system or something like that?

A vertical row of speakers, designed to get very efficient and have excellent on-axis response.

If you build your own speaker box and buy the individual speakers, (woofer, couple midrange, tweeter) do you crossover each one individually inside of the box?

The crossover you use will divide the speakers into their respective frequency ranges, yes.

does the reciever you buy really influence sound quality to a noticable level or is it just the speakers?

If you buy a cheap receiver, it might go into clipping sooner, or build construction might be lacking...

do you guys buy seperate equalizers or doer your reciever do taht for you?

I did because I'm not using a receiver, but seperate components...higher-end integrated amplifiers and receivers do include some sort of onboard processing though.

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

if you aren't watching movies, then don't get a receiver. i want to sell mine because i'll never have a tv in my room to watch a movie off anyway.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

if you aren't watching movies, then don't get a receiver.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif

No, I think the correct thing to say is "If you don't care about broadcast band reception, or are serious enough about it to invest in a seperate tuner, don't get a receiver".

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

tsk tsk, i was alluding to an integrated amp. those receivers with 12.1 surround and 50 million features don't help the quality of the sound if u are just doing stereo, they just hurt your wallet.

 

[MastaFlex 10+ year member]

The receiver i bought for my room i got for my surround sound system. Also i got it for my tv, but the main reason was so i had a place for my Cd player - aka the 6 disc changed i bought for it to plug into something. I think it was a great buy on my part. The reciever is great quality, works great for my sound system.!

 

[thylantyr 10+ year member]

A vertical row of speakers, designed to get very efficient and have excellent on-axis response.

Could be horizontal, could be 'J', could be leaning, like the tower of pizza[//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/yumyum.gif.0556df42231b304b9c995aefd13928a8.gif], could be upside down on the ceiling, //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/typing.gif.fd7c44a94b6ea7a328969e3ae0e010f7.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/patriotic.gif.b47a6e0394a3738334c387bdf79409f4.gif

... also could be this stacked

http://cover6.cduniverse.com/CDUCoverArt/video/6811719.jpg

Line Ray //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smokin.gif.f1dc8d2acb1809e863ebd6a47eaa0d45.gif

 

[jaygeorge1979 10+ year member]

Mr. Frost...you sure know your stuff...now, this line array business...why is it good to have to have "on axis response"? i mean, how does taht differ from regular speakers cabinets?

so a plate amp is only an amp used for a subwoofer mounted to a box? so u wouldnt use a plate amp to power, say, tower speakers or the center?

As far as equalizer goes, you said most recievers have some kind of sound processing? If not, shouldnt the crossovers put the right freq into the speakers? or would i need to buy a seperate equalizer for that?

thanks for ALL help //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

What I meant by on-axis response is that the speaker has a high soundstage - a wider "sweet spot" up/down vs. side to side.

Plate amps are generally used to power subs - but if you had a Class A/B plate amp, you could use it to power full range speakers. They're just less flexible to use, IMO, than a dedicated power amp.

The Xovers on the speakers are only part of the system //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif Sometimes, you want an EQ to tame any harsh responses you might get in-room, or to tune the system for personal taste.

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

this is only a theoretical guess, but will you have less beaming with a line array? i haven't heard a DIY one, so i can't say.

 

[jaygeorge1979 10+ year member]

what is beaming?

and what is a dedicated power amp as opposed to a plate amp?

im learning so much...keep the answers coming :-D

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Beaming...a good example of this is a larger diameter driver (like an 8") playing high frequencies. Once you move out of the driver's "sweet spot" on-axis (with the driver pointing directly at you), the sound begins to suffer.

Some speakers (like my Klipsch Forte II's) actually sound worse pointing directly at you.

By a regular PA I mean...well, like a regular piece of on-the-shelf equipment //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif...because most don't use plate amps for powering their main channel monitors.

 

[jaygeorge1979 10+ year member]

so beaming is the term used to describe poor sound quality outside of the speakers sweet spot...if i am not in the sweet spot, and i hear crappy sounds, i call it beaming?

im not really understanding how an 8inch driver playing high frequencies relates...unless by sweet spot you dont mean where you are sitting, instead a sweet spot is the recommended freq range? ahh im confused agian...

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

think about the higher range of sound as a flashlight versus a lightbulb. the lightbulb is turned on when in the optimal range, and the smooth sound (hence sweet spot) has excellent soundstage and imaging. now, take it out of it's ideal environment and u turn on the flashlight. the flashlight is very monodirectional and when pointed at you, it is uncomfortable on your eyes, much like a beaming speaker on your ears. so frost, that is what i was asking. do line arrays suffer from beaming much because of the multiple driver use?

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

so beaming is the term used to describe poor sound quality outside of the speakers sweet spot...if i am not in the sweet spot, and i hear crappy sounds, i call it beaming?

Not just "poor sound quality", but actual decreased off-axis output (increased directionality). The higher in frequency you go, the more directional the speaker will be become.

It has to do with the relationship between the length of the soundwave and the diameter of the cone. Because of this, obviously, with a large cone you are going to run into more beaming issues sooner in the frequency range.

Some speakers may just sound like crap off-axis. Doesn't inherently mean it is beaming.....just that that particular speaker sounds like crap off-axis.

Beaming is a certain relationship (wavelength to cone area), causing a certain effect (increased directionality)

im not really understanding how an 8inch driver playing high frequencies relates...unless by sweet spot you dont mean where you are sitting, instead a sweet spot is the recommended freq range? ahh im confused agian...

It was just an example, since an 8" woofer will begin to beam at a *relatively* low frequency.

A good read on the subject of beaming: http://forum.carstereos.org/showthread.php?t=41151&highlight=beaming