whats this piece of stereo equipment?

Question

when your stereo is playing music is shows bars going up and down. i think their for the different frequency's like when a symbol splash's one of the bars will shoot up. what is this piece of equipment and what are the benefits of having one.

Answer 1

That is an audio spectrum analysis display. You are right that each bar represents a frequency range, with the far-left bars indicating low frequencies, and the right side bars indicating high frequencies. The height of the bar at any instant indicates the volume level of the frequency range represented by that bar.

I'm not sure what the value of having one of these in an ordinary stereo, since you really can't do anything about the information it provides. In professional recording, the analyzer is used to make sure that no frequency exceeds maximum recording level. A single lever meter ("VU meter") will indicate overall record level, but sometimes a certain frequency will overload and that may not indicate on a single VU meter display.

Answer 2

Mostly it's just bells and whistles, but it might be useful if your stereo has a graphic equalizer. If you've never seen one, this is a device that allows you to adjust the gain on your stereo for each frequency band (usually the equalizer offers 8 or 10 bands for each of the left and right channels). Users set the equalizer to reproduce the music the way they like to hear it, and to adjust for the room acoustics. So, if you like your rock with a boomy bass, you increase the gain in the low frequency bands. If you really like to hear those cymbals ring, you increase the gain in the high range.

If you have a spectrum display on your stereo, you can see the frequency content of the music, and know which frequency bands to "punch up" and which to "mute down". However, most people adjust their eqs based on their ears and their preferences, not on the music's actual spectrum, so the display is really just there because the manufacturer thought it would look cool.

Answer 3

You are talking about a spectrum analyser. It shows the volume of different frequency bands in real time.

If you are feeling frisky, you can tune your system using the spectrum analyser, a high-quality microphone, and an equalizer. Simply hook up the microphone to the SA, run pink noise through your system, and adjust the equalizer until all the bands on the SA are at the same level. Now you have a sound system that is tuned flat (ie, the sound system and room combination sound more like recording studio monitors).

If you are just a regular guy with no interest in spending hours tuning your sound system, the spectrum analyzer is pretty much just eye candy.

Answer 4

Cool yeah my mothers and dads have a Technics Stereo from the early eighty's nevertheless completely wonderful. A Commodore sixty 4. A Slide Projector(previous college) some Christmas lighting fixtures from the 50's or 60's nevertheless working.

Answer 5

Sounds like it's an equalizer. Basically it's used for changing the way your system sounds. You can use it it to either boost or reduce the treble (high notes) or boost or reduce the bass (low notes. It can also boost or reduce vocals or dialog in a CD or DVD.
Professionals or audiophiles use an equalizer to fine tune their sound system to the way they think their system should sound and is pleasing to their ears.
It can help deaden a particular live room , (lots of bare walls, and floors), or liven a dead room (lots of carpeting and sound absorption materials).