Since moving into the new condo, I’ve been lax about hooking up our surround sound system. Frankly, without jungle noises from the rear-channel speakers, LOST just ain’t what it used to be. This week, I decided I’d unbox my sound system and enhance our new high-definition television with stunning 5.1 channel special effects.
Problem: real surround sound requires speakers in the front and rear of the room … and in this condo, there’s no easy way to run speaker wire from the receiver to the rear-channel speakers. In our last house, Clyde (bless him!) ran speaker wire through our claustrophobic attic crawl space, enabling us to drop the wires through the ceiling. Here, though, that approach isn’t possible … and running the wires under the carpet won’t work, either.
All the fuss about wiring got me looking for wireless surround-sound solutions. As usual, I did a lot of research — and even some home testing — before making a final choice. If you’re in the market for a wireless surround-sound system (and you should be, especially if you’re in an apartment, if you move frequently, or if you’re put off by the complication of hooking up a surround-sound system), you can save yourself a lot of time and effort by taking my research and experience into account before you buy.
A few glowing reviews led me to Xitel’s SOUNDaround, which claims to deliver “a full 360 degrees of rich, vibrant audio without having to install lots of expensive equipment or messy cables.” In theory, this device works its digital magic on the puny two-channel sound coming out of your cable box, VCR, DVD player, or stereo television, converting it into virtual surround sound — without adding any additional speakers.
In reality — that rave review from USAToday aside — the experience is less than overwhelming. SOUNDaround never made me feel wrapped in sound. The unit does pump up the volume a bit. It does help small speakers make more of deep, rumbling bass tones common in DVD movies.
But, like the awful and overpriced BOSE 1-2-3 system, SOUNDaround fails to deliver on its promise of an immersive sonic experience. Since even the least-expensive surround sound systems surpass it, I can’t recommend it.
One note: most of today’s programs and DVDs are encoded with surround sound. When you listen to these over basic stereo speakers (like the speakers in your television), the music and special effects often obscure what the characters say. For all its flaws, SOUNDarround does do a good job of dampening the music and sound effects and clarifying the dialogue in these shows.
If you’re absolutely not interested in true surround sound and plan to stick with your basic television speakers, SOUNDaround may be an inexpensive way (at $99.00) to make your present television sound much clearer.
So: having returned my SOUNDaround to the Circuit City from which it came, am I still listening to flat television sound?
Nope — in fact, I’m listening to vibrant, rich, 5.1-channel surround sound … without wires. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you how I managed this miracle — for less than seventy bucks.
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