Home and Event Audio

We continue the series of transcripts of our podcast “Sound” [ 1 , 2 ], and today we have the third issue (dated December 19, 2013), in which Dmitry Kabanov and Timofey Shikolenkov answer the questions of the podcast listeners, discuss the differences between professional and home audio equipment and talking about audio systems for corporate parties and parties.



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Dmitry Kabanov: Well, today we are recording the third edition of the show “Sound”. And today is a terribly icy day. Probably, we will start with answers to questions that people leave in iTunes . Let's start with one question and continue in the next issue.



Timofey Shikolenkov: Let's hope that our activity on a few issues will increase.



Dmitry: Yes, yes, yes. Probably everyone fell asleep or changed the wheels on the machines.



Timofey: I think people are embarrassed to ask us. Although, it seems to me, there is nothing to be shy about. It is necessary with pleasure to ask questions that bother, worry, and which there was no one to ask - certainly not in a chain store to some salesman-student who knows even less. We will be happy to tell you something interesting. So ask and feel free.



Dmitry: Well, of course. Some questions are repeated. Some people just write on Twitter and so on. I am trying to aggregate and collect all this, but for the time being we are concentrating on those who write in iTunes. Maybe a little bit back to the topics that we have already closed in previous issues. [Here, for example] a person asks about listening in “vacuum” headphones, I'm not sure that there are such, but he calls them “vacuum”.



Timofey: I did not hear [about such].



Dmitry: “Listening in vacuum headphones is less harmful to hearing than listening in the plugs? Sincerely, Konstantin T. "



Timofey: I think that this is exactly the story that we discussed last time when they said that there are intra-channel headphones that are inserted deep.



Dmitry: Sometimes, as it seems to me, it is necessary to repeat, because new people are constantly connected to us, who do not always “reach” the first issue.



Timofey: Very vain, by the way. Since we have a subject something eternal. It is recommended, of course, to listen to everything. Just to be deeper into the topic.



Dmitry: We started with portable equipment and headphones. In the second issue, we talked about amplifiers, we started to make home appliances, we will probably continue today.



Timofey: Yes, and we also talked about “DACs”. About the way to high-quality music playback from a computer. It is much more interesting than everyone used to think.



Returning to the topic, there is such a myth that intra-channel headphones are harmful, and here there are many questions with terminology. There is English terminology, and in Russian there are not many analogues in principle. Therefore, they begin to invent some kind of “vacuums”. Well, what could be a vacuum in the ear? I dont know. This is something new.



There is a myth that these [intra-channel] headphones are harmful. Harmful with several things: first, when they are inserted, supposedly there is some resonance inside the ear, and these resonances are harmful to the eardrum. This is actually a myth, because the loudness with which the music is turned on in these headphones, it is usually much more harmful, and the resonances that occur directly when the headphones are “stuffed” in the ear are all laughter. The harm that can be done to yourself, too loudly including music, is much more terrible than all this nonsense, which is associated with the process of "cramming".



Again, back to the earplugs: this design of the headphones is absolutely normal, and professional musicians, and airport services just use these special ear plugs so that the ears are all right. Loud sounds are very harmful to the ears, much more harmful than any imaginary problems that may arise in the process of putting on or wearing headphones.



Dmitry: I also had an amateurish question along the way. We discussed a lot of enhanced output. Should it be further strengthened? Some, for example, are trying to plug some kind of amplifier into an already amplified output, and this can also harm ...



Timofey: ... not to harm. There are several options: the output can be either linear or headphone output, in which case it is already amplified. If you connect an already amplified output in addition to another amplifier, then this amplifier can be bad. It is not designed for already enhanced input. Its input cascades just can not stand it.



If the volume is not enough in the end (for which, in fact, cascade amplifiers are connected), then you need to look for a problem. Maybe this amplifier is not powerful enough for these headphones, or maybe the signal is initially weak - the recording is such that it is simply not enough, not enough volume.





The ADL by Furutech Cruise Headphone Amplifier is equipped with a USB input for connecting to a personal computer and an integrated charging power source.



Those headphone amplifiers, which are now available on the market, respond normally to the connection to the “headphone” output. They do not "burn." We tried [so connect the amplifiers] many times. But here we must adhere to the principle of reasonable sufficiency: in this case it is desirable to set the volume as low as possible on the computer itself, if this all connects to the computer. And try not to increase the volume when it is not enough, on the computer, because it can harm the amplifier.



Dmitry: It seems to me that it is still worth less to get into the equalizer settings. We also talked about this a little bit. It is such a legacy of the past, a legacy of lower quality systems. It is worth being careful with this, as it seems to me.



Timofey: There is a separate story. What we will probably be today, including talking about, is a story about personal preferences. By and large, when we want to "intervene" in the sound, or even just choose our own headphones or speakers, we choose the sound that we like. Because we listen to him.



Therefore, the equalizers, on the one hand, make the sound the way we like it more. But it is important to understand that any influence, any impact on the sound on the way from the source to the sound emitter, whether it be headphones or speakers, inevitably entails a loss.



What the singer, musician, and sound producer originally conceived, we could not like everything. Of course, we can fix something, but at the same time we will definitely lose something. Therefore, of course, I do not recommend doing something, even if it seems that something is missing in the sound.



In fact, there’s just enough, just maybe, the equipment on which you listen to it, unfortunately, is unable to reproduce the idea that was in the head of the musician, the sound engineer, when this track was recorded when it came down. This is a reason to think that something is wrong with the equipment.



Dmitry: We wanted to talk about professional technology today. And it seems to me that it is still worthwhile to use one more question, which the listener left in iTunes. He just will create a bridge to this topic.



He said that he enjoyed listening to the first issue and signed up, and he is interested in the topic of professional external sound cards. He thinks that it would be interesting to listen to amateur level cards and more professional cards.



Maybe we hooked up a part of this topic in the last issue, when we said that amateurs do not always need professional equipment at the entrance, let's say, to record, [in comparison with the level of technology] at the output, necessary to listen to high-quality sound .



Timofey: As always, there are a lot of myths. The main feature that you need to know about the field of audio [is] that the “professional” technique here [is called] not because it is good, but from the word “profession”.



Let's try to draw an analogy with another theme: for example, there is, roughly speaking, a drill for 500 rubles, and for 50 thousand. Why? Because there are people who are engaged in construction professionally, for them it is work. And if they use a drill for 500 rubles, it will fail very quickly for them, it is not designed for such loads and such duration of work.



People’s misunderstanding of what “professional” equipment means, it seemed to me, from digital photography. There were cameras, "Soap" and there were "SLRs". Mirrors were considered professional simply because they are used by professional photographers. And since the “SLR” provide a much higher quality, people began to buy them as “home” [cameras].



There was such a [separate] class of devices, the “prosume” technique. It seems like a professional, but for home use. And here there was a “gap”: on the one hand, this technique seems to be like a professional, and on the other hand, people use its “at home”.



In the field of audio, this is not the case at all. There are completely different groups of devices, classes of devices that are designed for different tasks. And if we talk about sound cards, then, first of all, I did not hear that there were amateur external sound cards with USB output.



As a rule, they are all designed for some specific tasks. This is either sound recording, as we use it now: [microphones are connected to it]. Those who watch us in the video broadcast, they see it. They [microphones] are connected to a sufficiently large sound card, card. I don’t like one or the other word, because it’s not a card or a card, it’s just an external device that connects to a computer.



This is really a professional device that provides, in this case, a recording. It is intended for this. Through him, for sure, and you can make a conclusion. But this is not his purpose. This is another profession already. But we, as end users of any product, in this case (within our theme) want to listen to music. We want to listen to music the way we like, so that the music gives us pleasure.



Dmitry: Is it worth trying to find some kind of balance between professional and amateur in the search for your goals and objectives, if we can still operate with such categories?



Timofey: [In this case, such categories] is difficult to operate.



Dmitry: The fact is that some people are trying to get close to the top line of amateur equipment and not step over this line when they are already buying something extra for themselves, something that they cannot use.



Timofey: On the one hand, one would advise people to orient themselves on price. There is, say, a simple sound device, an external one. There is, it seems, the same simple, but for some reason, it costs twice as much. But to say unequivocally [that a more expensive device is better for everyone] cannot be, because there is a notorious marketing, and unfortunately, the truth cannot always be understood.



I understand this both as a marketer and as a user. Naturally, there are some values ​​of a specific product. Not always these values ​​are really needed by a specific end user. Yes, this product is expensive. Not because it consists of expensive parts, but because it solves someone’s specific task and does it well. And for that take money.



I am not ready to discuss the question of how fair this is, although periodically they raise the topic on the Web: “This device actually costs $ 60, and for some reason is sold for 300. Why so?” Because, probably, to pick up those elements that cost 60 dollars to get the final result, attracted a huge number of engineers. This is not an easy process.



Dmitry: Select, configure, run into production, etc.



Timofey: As in the Soviet joke about a TV repairman who came in and replaced one item that costs 5 kopecks, and took 3 rubles. For knowing what kind of detail, and where to stick it.



This is exactly the same story. Indeed, it is possible to take and disassemble some very expensive thing, to understand that it consists not of super-expensive components. And if you buy it in parts, it will cost less.



Dmitry: All the same, we know that certain companies add the value of brands to the value of their product.



Timofey: Yes, brand value. There are many factors here. On the one hand, you can say: "Orient on price", on the other hand, it is impossible. On the third hand, one can say: “Orient by characteristics”, but, again, it is possible and impossible, because those characteristics that are published [in the public domain] are usually almost the same [for different products], or [ in open sources] there are no characteristics that would really allow an assessment to be made.



And there is a misunderstanding of these characteristics by most ordinary people. If we take any very cheap column and see its frequency characteristics, we will see: from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. All that a person hears, roughly speaking. If we take a column more expensive, there the range of reproduced frequencies will be less. How so? A cheaper column reproduces a larger frequency range, while a more expensive column reproduces a smaller one.



So, the column is more expensive - it's just a “divorce of suckers”, all this is marketing. “You don't need to buy it in any way. You need to buy one that is cheaper because it has a wider range of frequencies. ” This is bullshit. Because if you look at the frequency response curve, what frequencies are reproduced, how we can hear, and what we cannot hear, many questions arise at once.



There is a myth that any speaker system, any headphones should produce a "smooth frequency response." And here you can talk about professional equipment. Unfortunately, or, perhaps, fortunately, the end user, listening to the acoustics with a smooth frequency response, will not be delighted with its sound. He does not like it at all. It will not be comfortable, will not deliver the same pleasure.



And this is where the conflict arises: there is a professional technique that really should sound perfect and have a flat frequency response - what’s at the input, then what about the output. There is a high-end hi-fi technique, that is, top-end hi-fi - [in this class], each speaker system sounds differently. [In this segment] every modern acoustics embellishes the sound. She changes him. And it changes it as conceived by the manufacturer of the acoustics.



Practically every speaker system, every company that produces acoustics, has a certain ideological inspirer, who knows how the system “should sound”. And since everyone’s ears are different, and the perception is different, and the opinion about how this “should actually sound” is also different, there is a huge number of different speakers. In the case of electronics [arises] exactly the same story, so it turns out that the combination of acoustics and electronics also gives a completely different result.



Dmitry: I see. It turns out that we have a price, there are specifications. And both the first and second, we, in principle, can not use to adequately assess their choices. It seems to me that it is important to fix it, because both the first and the second are often the selection criteria. It turns out that only sound remains.



Timofey: Actually, there are characteristics [for product comparison]. Those characteristics that will assess the sound quality, there are. And they are never published because it is a secret. These characteristics are not secret, they can be obtained in a certain way: only calculated, some can be measured.



But the average person cannot draw any conclusions from these characteristics. Almost every speaker has two dozen parameters. The majority believes that there is only power, resistance and frequency range. This is the maximum that a man in the street understands.



The fact that there are really a couple of dozens of characteristics can be understood if you go to the Audiomania website, open the page of any speaker: there is a link to the so-called datasheet, we have this called the “passport of the goods”. You can open and see how many parameters the speaker actually has. And the trick is that they never repeat.



The speakers, like fingerprints, do not repeat. Just take one speaker and replace it with another is impossible. It often happens that after a killing party some speaker of some kind of speaker system fails. And people come to us with tears in their eyes: “Sell me a speaker.” And this is impossible. [Exactly the same] speakers just do not happen. They were made specifically for this speaker system.



It happens, of course, that they use mass-produced [speakers], but, unfortunately, this is typical of more expensive systems. There really are brands, and this is a whole big world. We will not go into this story now.



Dmitry: So, everything that allows us to make an adequate choice from the point of view of the average person is, in fact, sound. And you need to come, listen, choose on the spot. For this showrooms are made.



Timofey: Yes, that's right.



Dmitry: Maybe it’s worth talking about different tasks for which both one and the second type of technology are used?



Timofey: Yes, great. I just wanted to go to this. I would probably talk about those classes, about the tasks of acoustic systems that exist [on the market].



I literally yesterday spoke with our sales director and found out what he was most often asked about. He says that on holidays people want to buy something for the hall, restaurant or for the house. And they do not understand the difference at all. By the way, I often see people buying some kind of music center, taking a speaker, putting it in a plastic bag and hanging it outside [at the entrance to a store or cafe].





The moisture-proof (“all-weather”) acoustics of the APart MASK4 do not need to be covered with polyethylene - it is specially designed for use outdoors.



And you can see that this is a completely ordinary column, it hangs under snow, in the rain, but it works. It's amazing.For a while, it will still work. This is a miracle, because [it should not work]. This package, it all rattles, sounds disgusting. Why?And just people do not realize that in fact there are very inexpensive, one and a half to two thousand rubles moisture-proof speakers.



In fact, professional equipment, if we are not talking about studio equipment, is mostly very cheap. It would seem to be the opposite. Why home appliances should be more expensive and professional should be cheaper? The reason, as a rule, is this: professional equipment is mainly designed to create high sound pressure, and there is no talk about super quality.



There are expensive professional concert systems. Those who have been to concerts understand that sometimes everything sounds cool, sometimes so-so. It is clear: there are different classes of devices. But the main purpose of [concert systems] is not the nuances of the sound: what might be the nuances when there is such a noise around - people jump, shout. The nuances of the sound transfer makes no sense. They can not be transferred.



Dmitry: Well, of course. Yet they do not come to sit on the sofa.



Timofey: Therefore, there is a slightly different task [before the systems]. And this is a fundamentally different classes of devices. There are wall speakers, small, created for subtitles. Again, people think, “Oh, small, cheap. Cool!I don't need a big one, I have a small room. ” And they are intended for sounding. In English this is called “public address”, and for some reason there is no such term in Russian.



We sometimes call this a warning system, but if we start using this term, it will be associated with “Citizens, air raid” - with a siren or something like that. In fact, these are acoustic systems of not very high quality. Basically, they are hanged in restaurants, halls of large ones, just to “ring up” [the room]. In this case, [too] it makes no sense to transfer the nuances of the sound.



And here we must also add that [in comparison with home systems] they have a fundamentally different connection logic, a fundamentally different resistance. There are wall speakers for 100-volt systems, and for ordinary ones. Sometimes it happens that a person buys a receiver because he thinks: “Oh, it's just a multi-channel amplifier. Now I will connect it to each channel. ” He buys 100-volt systems and everything ends badly.



Dmitriy:Maybe it is worth explaining everything to ordinary people who are trying to understand how to organize their conference, how to have a great New Year's Eve discussion with colleagues or a New Year's party? And start with large rooms that require really serious equipment, and then move on to another class of devices, which, in principle, is sufficient to organize small events at home.



Timofey: Basically, the equipment that is bought home is the equipment of Hi-Fi level, it can be more expensive, it can be cheaper. It all depends on the task budget. And after all, in an amicable way, you will not buy a separate pair of speakers at home just to arrange a party and call friends. In this case, people use what they have.



Here I would like to warn you that after such parties people come to us with the request: “Sell us the speaker”. Why is this happening?Guests shout, rustle, stomp, jump, noise arises, and I want to make it louder. They do it louder and people get louder. And what arises about what we said last time arises: the useful signal is lost against the background of general noise, there is a desire to make it even louder.



In this case, of course, distortions arise, because the speaker system, like the amplifier, is working at the limit of its capabilities. But since there is such a noise around, no one notices this, and after another volume increase the speaker falls out of the speaker. Or part of the speaker. At this moment the party ends. It all broke.



Dmitry: It turns out that most of the systems are not protected from such actions of an ordinary person, who can unscrew everything, after which the system will become unusable?



Timofey:It is almost impossible to protect against this [system], because ... well, how?



Dmitry: It’s like putting a 50 km / h speed limiter on a car. Still, it does not help.



Timofey: Yes. In the case of portable players, this helps, on the one hand, on the other hand, this is also a lock. There are some settings that allow you to remove this restriction. Then the question arises: the headphones are different. Some heavier load, some easier.



Accordingly, this restriction may, on the contrary, create a problem, [because of him] I cannot listen to my favorite headphones. The same with the speakers. [Protect them from "twisting" the volume] does not work. [In the columns] I did not see such restrictions as in the players. Because everything is very custom.



Dmitry: Maybe there are some other basic mistakes, myths, misconceptions that people make when trying to figure out how to use professional technology? We have already begun to talk about special equipment: waterproof, waterproof, for the street, and not for the room.



Timofey:Just a few words about the usual musical equipment for events. The second myth about professional equipment: people believe that the more expensive, the “more professional”. And cheaper equipment means, on the contrary, amateur.



And here just another dependency. You can buy professional equipment - an amplifier or a speaker system of thousands in ten and get a very powerful sound, which can voice the space of 50-80 squares - a small assembly hall or something like that.



Dmitry: This, of course, is simply fantastic ...



Timofey:Yes, no, that's fine. This is not the same technique that is designed for the home, because it does not reproduce the details, the nuances of the sound, does not give emotions. But before her and put such tasks. This is the very clear separation of equipment [professional and home].



How to determine [what class the technology belongs to]? On the one hand, for the price, although professional equipment is also expensive. A Hi-Fi equipment, on the contrary, sometimes is not very expensive. It is much easier to determine the difference by the connectors used, by connectors. A professional speaker system is the Speakon connector. Outside is round, it is completely different from those familiar terminals that people see in Hi-Fi themes.





It looks like the connector Speakon Neutrik NL2FX



Dmitry:That is, first go to watch the connector?



Timofey: If we are standing in a store and are exploring a product, we can determine its purpose in this way ... At the same time, as a rule, home appliances look like home appliances. Professional equipment and professional speakers rarely have any design delights. [They don’t use in their decoration] beautiful veneered cases, lacquer ... There is nothing like that.



Dmitry: Well, yes. This technique is not built into the interior. She has no task to please the eye.



Timofey: As a rule, this is a large box painted with black paint, and that’s it.



Dmitry: Which is also good, in principle.



Timofey:In general, yes. Here, probably, those who try to make a professional sound at home can begin to hate me. Indeed, it is possible at home to make a sound that, in terms of level, will correspond to a good studio.



About such devices, by the way, there were publications on Habrahabr - the project really turned out great. The man made almost perfect studio system. At the same time she looks cool in appearance. Lacquered body, all right.



Yes, this can be done at home, if you have hands, if you have the desire, time, skill. Those who do not have the skills, knowledge, soldering iron, it makes no sense to think about it. It is much easier to separate these two areas: professional equipment for professional use, home - for home.



If we see an ugly black box, in which some large speaker, and in the characteristics we see the Speakon connection, this is a professional equipment, and, as a rule, it is inexpensive. This equipment is most preferable at events such as a club or something that may temporarily become a club. And the amplifiers naturally must also be appropriate.



What is the beauty? The beauty is that “burning” is very difficult, because in such systems there is a sufficiently large power reserve in terms of the amplifier and acoustic system and a large number of all sorts of different protections. Still, we understand that professional use is the use, roughly speaking, 24/7. This equipment can sound without interruption.



What the home system is not about is not designed - you can, of course, listen to music around the clock, but no one does it, and usually they don’t think about it when they design the system. Although manufacturers claim that with ordinary home use, modern Hi-Fi systems can operate without loss of quality for about 20 years.



Dmitry: Seriously!



Timofey: Professional equipment is designed specifically for a constant load with the corresponding consequences. And if you really need to do an event for a hall, then, naturally, you need to choose professional equipment. I occasionally hear people saying, “Oh, I’ll bring them from home, put them in such and such a room, turn them on, and everything will be cool.”



Yes, everything will be cool if there is a power reserve, which, as a rule, is not. Home systems are much less powerful. The tasks they are called upon to perform: to sound qualitatively, pleasing the ear and reproducing the nuances and details, the emotions that are embedded in the sound. Naturally, this is not necessary at any events, and this can end badly: overloading with the failure of an amplifier or acoustic system, depending on where the stock was.



Dmitry: Here, it seems to me, it is important to fix that if we still determine home appliances by sound and sound ...



Timothy: Well, by quality.



Dmitry: ... then in the technique that we use for events, we focus on other things.



Timofey:There, as a rule, it is already [becoming relevant] and talking about power. You can also look at the diameter of the speaker. If you need to voice a large space - you need more power. Or a large 15-inch speaker that will reproduce everything in full.



At home, the situation is completely different. By the way, there is another myth. It is believed that small speakers cannot reproduce very low bass, and we need a 15-inch speaker, otherwise we will not hear the deepest bass. It is a myth.



Modern technology allows you to hear the deepest bass using a much smaller speaker. If someone is ready to argue with me, come to Audiomania, we can argue. I'll turn on the system, you listen.



Dmitry: So, you need to sit down and listen to professional equipment last?



Timofey: Not exactly. There is a professional technology rather expensive, designed for the same studios, which sounds very cool. Recently, our engineers have assembled such a kit, I listened. This is the level of really good, very “true” Hi-Fi.





Professional active acoustics Genelec 1037C - the pleasure is not cheap, but it is intended for professional studio work with sound



It is possible to make professional speakers from high-quality components, but at the same time they sound quite decent. It's just a matter of price and a question, again, of reasonable sufficiency. Here we come to the club, and there Hi-Fi sound. What for?What have we achieved with this? What will a person come and in complete silence, when there is no one, will be listening to music there early in the morning? Well, it's complete nonsense.



There are tasks in which this sound is needed. For example, there is some small space, for example, some kind of chill out in the same club. But here the question is that in this chillout super sound is not necessary. You can restrict yourself to the same wall speakers that simply podkvuchivayut space, and people there somehow relax, rest.



These wall speakers are waterproof and frost-resistant, there is even a fun interior-exterior speakers in the form of pebbles, you can put on the street. It looks like a cobblestone is good, but in it the speaker actually is. And that sounds perfectly normal considering the conditions in which the equipment is used.





Weatherproof speaker Monitor Audio Climate 60 is used for scoring open spaces such as gardens, cottage or even a swimming pool, and thus is able to reproduce the sound level Hi-Fi



Dmitry: It may be, then why not suggest some stores that are doing just one or the other? How does all this differ? So that people understand just where to come.



Timofey:There are shops focused more on professional equipment. These are, as a rule, shops that also sell musical instruments. If the store sells musical instruments, most likely, this is a shop of professional equipment. If you are going to buy something for yourself at home, you will definitely not go there.



If you are going to buy something to share events or equip a restaurant or club, most likely this is the case. Trying to come there with your CDs and your favorite music and asking to put something to listen is useless. They will look at you very strangely.



Dmitry: It is unlikely that something will be put.



Timofey:Well, maybe even work. It depends on what you are going to buy there. Maybe some expensive set. But it is not very clear why. This is a completely different story. This is a hardware for another task.



It can be both cheap and expensive depending on the same values ​​that we are talking about: brand value and everything else. You can trust one brand, you can trust another. Naturally, this is not free, because money is invested in a brand, and we pay for it.



Dmitry: So. Do we still have something else from the myths that will help to understand this difficult choice?



Timofey:Perhaps, probably, everything. Roughly speaking, it is possible to divide the speakers into several subgroups. First: Hi-Fi. These are beautiful acoustic systems that sound cool and allow you to listen to all the nuances and not to lose the sincerity and emotions that were originally incorporated into the composition.



Group Two: this is professional equipment related to the voice acting of events. Discos, clubs, restaurants - in situations where there comes a DJ. This equipment is professional: large speakers, large amplifiers. As a rule, cheaper. But not always: there also have their own classes of devices. But, if in general to compare Hi-Fi and professional equipment, professional, as a rule, cheaper.



Its purpose is to create high sound pressure. There is no talk about some super-sounding, we just need to “light up” this space well, so that people can feel the whole atmosphere.



Further ... there is a technology for sounding in cafes and restaurants. As a rule, in the corners or on the walls hang such columns. Unfortunately, not always designed specifically for this. I occasionally see that [for use in a cafe] buy a stereo with a subwoofer. The subwoofer is under the bar, and two speakers are hung around the hall - this, of course, looks very funny.



Most importantly, it is completely incomprehensible what they will do with this. The audio system breaks down, because it can not be operated 24/7. People buy one more, and one more, and so, until they understand what's the matter. And this does not come soon, because people in Russia, unfortunately, do not like to look for information, they do not like to read. And, more importantly, they do not trust.



If we come somewhere and ask the consultant a question, we understand that this is a consultant from the store, “He’s interested, he wants to sell, he wants to buy me”. I do not believe him, naturally. If I have time, I start digging. And if I do not have the desire to dig? “What is music to play? And, there is a music center, I will go and buy it now. Everything, I solved my task. ” About what will happen next, in the future, as a rule, people do not think.



Dmitry: Maybe, on the other hand, people think: “People come to eat and not listen to music.” And in the end, only those who serve visitors listen to music, and their opinion does not count.



Timofey:The question here is not whether they are listening or not. The question is what's next. You need to understand that professional equipment is a very long use. Unless, of course, this tavern does not plan to close in a month. This is an equipment that should work for many years in the mode from morning to night and generally around the clock.



Dmitry: I'm talking about it. If you don’t look at who is listening to this, but to proceed only from what this institution does, then simply from the point of view of saving, the elementary will be much cheaper ...



Timothy: It seems to be a saving. Buying a household solution. In fact, this is never a saving. The same mixers, amplifiers, designed for 100-volt technology, which is used for warning and voice, are inexpensive.



And these speakers are inexpensive. And all this is designed to work almost around the clock. It does not create any problems. It works and it works, and you don’t need to think about it.



Dmitry: That is, an amateur version, which he picked himself, will cost a lot of money later?



Timofey: Yes. Just then you have to buy another one, and then another. As a rule, all this falls apart, because it is not intended for such intensive exploitation.



Well, there are all kinds of specialized things like waterproof speakers, outdoor acoustics, which you can hang and not think about whether you need to cover it with a package. It is perfectly designed for this task and sounds normal in quite extreme conditions.





Audio-Technica AT-SPP40W- waterproof speaker that allows you to listen to music at a picnic, the beach, in the bathroom or pool and protects your phone or player from splashes. The model is equipped with two speakers 28 mm for high-quality sound. Powered by 3 AA batteries.



Dmitry: They'll cover you anyway. This is psychology.



Timofey: It will not be worse. Although sometimes it may be. There are also specialized acoustics, for example, for a sauna, for a bath where the temperature is high. And humidity. If you hang a regular plastic column in the sauna, it will be bad almost immediately. Worse, the amplifier will also be bad - most likely, a short circuit will occur in the system. Burned, not burned - that is the question.



We forgot to tell you about professional studio sound - this is a very special and special topic. If you are a sound engineer, then you have a professional monitor that reproduces everything with a perfectly flat frequency response, as far as the technique allows. This sound is the most correct, it is very correct, but it is very uncomfortable.



Dmitry: The question is whether he will allow him to rest [to the music].



Timofey: Unfortunately, will not allow. It seems that buying Hi-Fi, we buy and slightly embellished, somehow modified sound, but we still buy it so that we like it. If your task is to listen to an even “right” sound, you are a sound engineer. If you are not a sound engineer, it means that you are not busy with your own business.



Dmitry: So greed can ruin you.



Timofey: Yes. By the way, studio equipment, as a rule, is not cheap. Good loudspeakers with more or less even frequency response also cost a lot of money.



Dmitry: Therefore, it will be doubly insulting to spend money and not get the desired rest and sound quality.



Timofey: Right. Perhaps that's all.



Dmitry: Well, well ... we got a good release.



Timofey: Great!