River City Select

I will make the assumption that you have a surround sound or home theater receiver and begin from there. There are 3 main home theater speaker setups which you will see termed 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1 channel surround. You will also see noted the terms Dolby Digital, DTS, and Dolby Pro Logic. Let’s dispense with the latter first: if your receiver is only Pro Logic (only older receivers at this point) you do not need to worry regarding 6.1 or 7.1 surround. There are numerous other formats such as Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro-logic IIx, Dolby TrueHD, DTS neo:6.1, DTS-ES, True-Surround XT, and undoubtedly more.

The two constituents to consider are:

1. how galore channels does your scheme permit, and

2. Do you want to buy that some speakers?

All the receivers that support more than 5.1 channels will likewise work fine with a 5.1 channel setup. Obviously, 7.1 will provide better surround sound than 5.1, but at the expense of two extra speakers. If you have a fixed budget you will have to determine whether to buy 5.1 higher quality speakers, or go for for less speakers to grant for 7.1 channels. By the way, the .1 channel is the home theater sub-woofer. The sub-woofer is, in my opinion, in truth necessitated for home theater. A system will work without it, but I don’t commend going without for home theater. The center channel is also very important for home theater, serving to anchor the sound to the video screen. If you go to our internet site by the link at the bottom of this article you may see images for the descriptions following. These are the commended placements according to Dolby Labs.

5.1 surround system:

A). Center speaker centered on video source

B). Sub-woofer(s) in arc with the main L & R speakers amid speakers and video source

C). L & R front on a 22-30 degree angle from the sitting, on an equidistant arc connecting the center channel and subs

D). L & R surround equidistant and on a 90-110 degree angle from the sitting position

6.1 surround system:

A). Center speaker centered on video source

B). Sub-woofer(s) in arc with the main L & R speakers amid speakers and video source

C). L & R front on a 22-30 degree angle from the sitting, on an equidistant arc connecting the center channel and subs

D). L & R surround equidistant and on a 90-110 degree angle from the sitting position

E). Rear center 180 degrees (directly behind) the sitting position

7.1 surround system:

A). Center speaker centered on video source

B). Sub-woofer(s) in arc with the main L & R speakers amidst speakers and video source

C). L & R front on a 22-30 degree angle from the sitting, on an equidistant arc connecting the center channel and subs

D). L & R surround equidistant and on a 90-110 degree angle from the sitting position

E). L & R rear equidistant and on a 135-150 degree angle from the listening position.

Sub-woofer Setup

Your sub-woofer may have a switch for Dolby Digital / Pro Logic. If you have a Dolby Digital capable receiver set it to that even if you are using Pro Logic. The same goes if you have multiple inputs on your sub. If your input is labeled LFE it is the equivalent of a Dolby Digital input. You want to use the input to the RCA style plug (or plugs) if you are using the sub-woofer in a surround system.

If you have speaker level binding post inputs, these are almost always for using the sub-woofer in a non surround sound speaker setup. Preset the sub-woofer level control to regarding halfway before running the white noise test tone to calibrate your receiver speaker levels. You utterly must run the test and remainder your speaker levels to have the surround system carry out properly.

Don’t worry in regards to the crossover frequency control on the sub for Dolby Digital or better systems. For Pro Logic set it to the point where bass in your main speakers drops off, which will require looking at the documentation for your speakers.

If you are not using your sub in a surround system, you may, with advantage, use the speaker level inputs on the back of your sub. The vantage to this is if you have little speakers. The receiver left and right channels are connected directly to the sub-woofer, and the left and right speakers connect to the speaker out connectors on the sub-woofer. What this does is concede the sub to give rise to the low bass that the main speakers may not, which of course the other types of connections would do also. The vantage here is the fact that with the sub-woofer connected this way, it filters the bass out of the signal, so your main speakers never try to fabricate the bass that they can’t handle. This results in clearer, cleaner sound and more volume capability from your main speakers.

Sub-woofer placement is in general as beneath for other speakers. It is true that bass is omnidirectional and so you must be competent to place a sub-woofer anywhere, but as frequent this depends on your situation. I play music loud, and may detect where the sub-woofer is located by the feel of the vibrations. I find it very distracting to have the bass seem to come from the front of the room, but the vibrations of the bass coming from another direction. I hence always prefer a sub-woofer to the front of the room.

How to get the most out of your speakers (How to improve your sound quality for no extra cash )

The initial thoughtfulness with a new speaker system is placement, and the second is wiring, both of which is worthy of consideration. We will cover wiring basi with some generalities that utilize to all kinds of speakers. The placement share will cover in home speakers only.

Wiring your speakers

First and foremost, wire selection may be very important. If your speakers are to be installed in-wall, you will need speaker cable rated cl3 or equivalent. If outdoor speakers, you will have to try to use what is termed direct burial cable or equivalent. Next, if you care when it comes to the sound quality at all, 22 gauge cable is not recommended. It may be used for very short runs, and is littler for hiding, but due to resistance you will sacrifice a great deal of sound quality. I would commend 16 gauge wire for most runs, unless you in truth want to get the best out of your speakers, in which case use 12 gauge or larger. For a long run I would commend more prominent than 16 gauge. (We have a cable article and distance chart on our internetsite at the link at the bottom.) I personally use a good audio quality 12 gauge cable myself, but you will pay more for cable this large. The vantages are better dynamics, and the amplifier may control your speakers better due to low resistance wire. As always, let the price point of your speakers determine the cable. Don’t put pricey cables on cheap speakers, and vice versa. BTW, don’t undertake to use romex (house wiring) rather of decent quality audio cable. Really, just say no. For so some reasons.

One mutual question is if imagination cable makes any difference. I ought to state here that a heap of persons consider the very subject to be so much snake-oil. I personally believe that I may listen a good deal of differences, depending on the quality of the related system. In other words, any hearable deviations in cable will be more noticeable in a scheme with more resolution. Also consider that a heap of listeners not merchandising cable assert to listen a difference. Consider any double blind tests carefully. I ordinarily may pick holes in the logic behind most of these tests, and point out components not considered. One perfective example was an amplifier test (by a major audio magazine) that level matched the amps, did a double blind test, and asserted the amps sounded identical, so they commended that everyone buy the for less amp.

Here’s the rub: Under their precise conditions, which are not normal listening conditions, the amps sounded the same. Consider this unmentioned idea: The for less amp had less power output than the other, and under normal listening conditions, say with piercing rock music, and inefficient or difficult to drive speakers would have pooped out before reaching satisfying listening levels, not to mention clipping and distorting from over-driving the amp. One problem with the double blind tests is, in order to be accurate, they have to control each element in the universe that could affect the results, even unknown factors. The other is, in order to compare everything on an even playing field, they measuredly diminish or nullify the differences, then triumphantly proclaim they are all the same. The perfective example from above is level matching at a volume level that does not stress the more without apparent effort stressed amp.

Polarity or Phasing of your speakers is very important. This means finding the wire with a stripe or writing on one side, and connecting that wire to either the + (red) or -(black) on the amplifier and the speaker. It does not matter whether the stripe on the wire connects to plus or minus, as long as it is the same at both ends, and on all speakers. I always connect the plus to the stripe, just to be consistent. If you get this wrong you will lose closely all your bass response, and voices will float around rather of being centered when they ought to be.

Home Speaker Placement

Ideal placement for best sound is going to vary with the type of speakers you have, but we may supply some good generalities. Obviously, for a surround system, you have a good deal of built in limitations. The center channel needs to go above or under center of your television, (or perchance centered behind a projection screen) and the left and right front need to go to the left and right front. So on for the rest of the speakers. It ought to be added at this point that for surround sound placement the idealisti is all 3 front speakers an equivalent distance from the listener. This in truth places the front speakers on an arc. It is in general good to put rear surrounds a little higher than ear level so that all listeners get a better prospect to listen all the speakers. Leaving apart the evident details of surround sound, here is how to improve the sound of your scheme for free.

First, don’t put anything in front of your speakers, and if they are placed in a cabinet make sure that the front of the speaker is even with the front of the cabinet. Also, keep in mind that numerous speakers such as the rear ported potpourri carry out very poorly in cabinets. Make sure speaker ports, which may be in the front, rear, side or elsewhere, are not blocked. This goes for sub-woofers also. Stability is likewise important, your speakers need to stay stable at high volume levels. If they move with piercing drum beats, your system will be robbed of punch and impact. If you use speaker stands make sure they are stable sufficient for the size of speakers you have. One quick tip is to use a lot of blu-tack or mortite putty amongst the speaker and stand to improve the coupling and add stability. Spikes on the bottoms of the stands work well for carpeted rooms.

Next, check out the sound of your speakers. Many speakers sound better when aimed directly at the listener, and located at ear height. This is not always the case, however. If the treble or voices sound a little too sharp, then perchance the speakers will sound better aimed straight out rather of at the listener. Listen to the bass. Is it boomy, or lacking? If your speakers sound a little boomy, like they are in a barrel, bass response may in all probability be bettered by moving your speakers further from a wall or corner. If your speakers are too light in bass, they may sound better closer to a wall. Remember not to block any bass ports. If the speaker is rear ported it needs a little space out from the wall and clearance on the sides of the speaker to carry out properly. One little tweak you might try: a lot of speakers sound better with the speaker grills off. Try removing them and see if they sound better. In galore cases there will be no noticeable difference, but it costs not one thing to try.

Other issues: If your speakers are correctly phased as described above but voices are not sharply locked in emplacement you may have your speakers too far apart. This in general applies to stereo, not surround sound. If not used on a surround system, the sub-woofer crossover point must be adjusted to coincide with the drop off in bass from your main speakers. You may find this listed in your documentation, ordinarily on the order of the -3db point. If after all this your speakers don’t seem to carry out like they should, you will have to consider whether the amplifier attached to them is up to the task of driving them. There are more issues here than power, exceptionally impedance. An amplifier that has high wattage may drive 8 ohm speakers well, and do very poorly on 4 ohm speakers if the amplifier is not designed for “high current” or rated into 4 ohm speakers. In addition, a great deal of amplifier (or receiver, home theater amplifier, etc) makers use respective methods to exaggerate the wattage ratings on their amplifiers. The true rating to look for is called the RMS rating, and will have to be rated into a specific impedance (4 ohm, 8 ohm) etc and at a specific distortion rating.

Kickport Soundport Bass Drum Black Pic

Kickport Soundport Bass Drum Black Photo

Kickport Soundport Bass Drum Black Picture

Kickport Soundport Bass Drum Black Photo

Most helpful customer reviews

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Bad Purchase…
By david antepara
I really thought that it was going to be a good improvement for my 22″ kick drum as it was advertised, but it was a total fiasco…If you hit your bass drum really hard this thing doesn’t stays tight, it goes on the loose.
I was on a live gig and i’ve had to take it out because it became a real problem…Too much money for a piece of plastic that doesn’t work well…One star is too much for this item.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Noticeable Improvment
By Paul Colton
I just got this yesterday, and installed it on the basswood cheapie kit I have in the basement (22×20 bass drum, Evans EMAD batter and reso) and practice on. The increase in attack and volume is noticeable. I removed the EMAD from the resonant side, enlarged the port hole and installed per instructions. [except unless you have tiny chimp hands, ignore the part about reaching through the port to move the rubber flange into position. I tried this for about 5 minutes, then just bit the bullet and removed the head] Anyway, I am very pleased, improved the sound of that basswood bass drum immensely, I am gonna try one on my good kit for sure. If it can do that for basswood, can’t wait to see what it does for Maple.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
Sounds good, stupid design
By Jeff Robinson
I’m in the middle of pre-production for a band and had heard about this item. A drummer I know had used one of these and it’s been on my list for the past year. I finally picked one up at Guitar Center. In the studio, I’ve had the experience of duct-taping around the lip of the hole in the front of a bass drum and noticed the improved tone through creating a more substantial hole for the air to exit the drum. This affected the tone of the drum in going from flabby, to tight. The choice in the studio for a drummer has always been- with out without hole in resonant head on kick. So I took this to rehearsal and opened the pack. The directions seem pretty straight-forward. When seeing how you have to roll back the rubber flange before inserting this thing into the hole on the resonant head, I immediately thought, “Why isn’t this a two-piece unit?” The back sleeve should snap onto the front flange for easy application. The company provides a reinforcement ring that is cut to a larger diameter than the kickport. The concept is that you place the adhesive side of the reinforcement ring onto the resonant head around the hole. Slit the head in 3 places up to the reinforcement and then force the kickport in to that hole. The struggle is pretty incredible. Without the reinforcement ring, you’d easily tear the head. The problem is, with the reinforcement ring, you are committed to only use this kickport on THAT head alone. Change the head, and you have to buy a new kickport- unless Kickport expects that they can sell you additional reinforcement rings. Only one comes in the pack and when it’s used, you’re done. Making the kickport a two-piece unit would make it reusable on ANY resonant you desired to.

See all 3 customer reviews…