Soundbar
Encyclopedia
A soundbar or sound bar is a special loudspeaker enclosure
which creates a reasonable stereo
or surround sound
effect from a single cabinet. They are much wider than they are tall, partly for acoustical
reasons, but also so that they can be mounted above or below a display device
e.g. above a computer monitor or under a television
or home theater
screen.
since ~2001.
Polk Audio
had a pre-existing method of widening a stereo image by cancelling crosstalk from the left speaker to the right ear and vice-versa. They expanded this to give a surround effect from one cabinet which they call a SurroundBar around 2005. The tag-line was "Five channels. One speaker. Zero clutter."
Philips
worked on similar technology, called Ambisound which spawned from an earlier technology 'SonoWave' in 2007. The latter had the sound bar split into two units, with a phased array of three full-range drivers in each.
Yamaha
's YSP-1 Digital Sound Projector won the prestigious Best Of Show award at the January 2005 Consumer Electronics Show
. As well as large Left and Right drivers, it had a phased array
of ~ 40 small Centre drivers.
These would be configured automatically by running a setup program with included test microphone
to control sound reflected from the walls of the room.
is an open system which could use a Stereo dipole
in one enclosure.
Some manufacturers have gone much further into phased array
technology.
Loudspeaker enclosure
A loudspeaker enclosure is a purpose-engineered cabinet in which speaker drivers and associated electronic hardware, such as crossover circuits and amplifiers, are mounted...
which creates a reasonable stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
or surround sound
Surround sound
Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
effect from a single cabinet. They are much wider than they are tall, partly for acoustical
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
reasons, but also so that they can be mounted above or below a display device
Display device
A display device is an output device for presentation of information in visual or tactile form...
e.g. above a computer monitor or under a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
or home theater
Home theater
A home theater or home theatre is a theater built in a home, designed to mimic commercial theater performance and feeling, more commonly known as a home cinema...
screen.
History
Early passive versions simply integrated Left, Centre and Right speakers into one enclosure, sometimes called an LCR soundbar. These could be custom-made by e.g. Leon SpeakersLeon Speakers
Leon Speakers is a North American company producing a variety of custom wall-mounted and in-wall speakers, as well as conventional subwoofers. Founded in May 1997 by Jeff Gordon and Noah Kaplan , the two entrepreneurs shared a passion for music and sought to combine the aesthetics of design with...
since ~2001.
Polk Audio
Polk Audio
Polk Audio is a manufacturer of audio products best known for their home and automobile speakers. The company also produces a wide range of other audio products such as amplifiers and FM tuners. The company is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland and in 2006, was acquired by Directed...
had a pre-existing method of widening a stereo image by cancelling crosstalk from the left speaker to the right ear and vice-versa. They expanded this to give a surround effect from one cabinet which they call a SurroundBar around 2005. The tag-line was "Five channels. One speaker. Zero clutter."
Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
worked on similar technology, called Ambisound which spawned from an earlier technology 'SonoWave' in 2007. The latter had the sound bar split into two units, with a phased array of three full-range drivers in each.
Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
's YSP-1 Digital Sound Projector won the prestigious Best Of Show award at the January 2005 Consumer Electronics Show
Consumer Electronics Show
The International Consumer Electronics Show is a major technology-related trade show held each January in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Not open to the public, the Consumer Electronics Association-sponsored show typically hosts previews of products and new...
. As well as large Left and Right drivers, it had a phased array
Phased array
In wave theory, a phased array is an array of antennas in which the relative phases of the respective signals feeding the antennas are varied in such a way that the effective radiation pattern of the array is reinforced in a desired direction and suppressed in undesired directions.An antenna array...
of ~ 40 small Centre drivers.
These would be configured automatically by running a setup program with included test microphone
Microphone
A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
to control sound reflected from the walls of the room.
Technology
Each company has its own proprietary technology, but AmbiophonicsAmbiophonics
Ambiophonics is a method in the public domain that employs digital signal processing and two loudspeakers directly in front of the listener in order to improve reproduction of stereophonic and 5.1 surround sound for music, movies, and games in home theaters, gaming PCs, workstations, or studio...
is an open system which could use a Stereo dipole
Stereo dipole
A Stereo dipole is a sound source in an Ambiophonic system, made by two closely spaced loudspeakers that ideally span 10-30 degrees. Thanks to the cross-talk cancellation method, a stereo dipole can render an acoustic stereo image nearly 180° wide or 360° ....
in one enclosure.
Some manufacturers have gone much further into phased array
Phased array
In wave theory, a phased array is an array of antennas in which the relative phases of the respective signals feeding the antennas are varied in such a way that the effective radiation pattern of the array is reinforced in a desired direction and suppressed in undesired directions.An antenna array...
technology.