Comparison Marshall Acton vs JBL On Air Wireless

The maximum number of audio channels that the audio system can reproduce through its own acoustics.

— 1.0. One channel of audio allows only monophonic sound — enough to hear the sound, but not providing a surround effect. The advantage of this option is compactness, because For normal operation, it is enough to equip the device with one speaker. The single-channel format is found mainly in inexpensive models, as well as in the most compact audio systems, where small size is more important than "fancy" sound.

— 2.0. Two channels is the minimum required to play stereo sound. This format already allows you to achieve a sense of spaciousness without requiring too many speakers and complicating the entire system. Therefore, he is very popular.

— 2.1. Modification of the 2.0 format described above, supplemented by a subwoofer — a specialized speaker for low frequencies. The use of a subwoofer improves sound quality by delivering rich bass sound.

— 2.2. A further extension of the 2.1 format described above, providing for the presence of two subwoofers — this improves the reliability of the transmission of low frequencies.

— 3.1. An extended version of the 2.1 standard, in which two classic stereo speakers are complemented not only by a subwoofer, but also by a thi...rd, centre speaker. This allows you to improve the sound quality — in particular, due to a richer surround sound.

Note that 2.0 models that do not have their own subwoofer may be equipped with a subwoofer output (see below).

The type of tuner installed in the audio system. In this case, the type refers solely to the way of setting; for digital broadcasting, see "Tuner bands".

— Analogue. Tuning to the desired frequency in such tuners is carried out mechanically, usually using a wheel and a scale with a slider. Analogue receivers are simpler and cheaper than digital ones, but they are less accurate — you can only approximately set the frequency with such control. This can make it difficult to tune in with numerous stations in a small frequency range (especially for FM broadcasts in large cities). In addition, these tuners "do not know how" to memorize stations. Therefore, analogue modules are used relatively rarely; they are mainly equipped with low-cost audio systems, as well as devices in the “retro” style, where a mechanical scale and a tuning knob are mandatory design elements.

— Digital. The direct tuning of the tuner in such models is performed by an electronic circuit; the user only sets the required frequency by giving commands to the electronics using buttons, a rotary wheel or other control element. Digital tuners are more advanced than analogue tuners, they are more accurate in tuning and can support various additional features — station memory (see below), automatic search, etc.

Radio bands accepted by the music centre tuner. To date, the most common support for such ranges:

— FM. Part of the ultra-short wave (VHF) band between 87.5 MHz and 108 MHz. It uses frequency modulation, which allows you to broadcast music in stereo with a fairly high sound quality, as well as transmit RDS signals (see RDS). At the moment, most music radio stations in the CIS broadcast in this range, as a result of which FM is supported in the vast majority of audio systems. The disadvantage of this option is the limited reception area — a maximum of several tens of kilometers from the transmitter — so FM broadcasts can usually be listened to within the same city and surrounding areas.

— AM (from the English amplitude modulation — amplitude modulation) — broadcasting using amplitude modulation. Usually this term means broadcasting on medium waves in the range of 520-1610 kHz; most consumer AM receivers are designed for these same frequencies. The reception range of AM stations can be hundreds of kilometers, but the sound quality is lower than on FM, so this format is broadcast mainly by “talk” and news radio stations.

— VHF. In this case, the sub-band 65.9-74 MHz is meant, using the so-called OIRT modulation. In this format, VHF broadcasting was originally conducted in the countries of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, but at the moment it is not very popular due to the development of FM. VHF is technically similar to FM (see above), the...main differences are the occupied frequency band and the inability to transmit RDS signals in VHF (see RDS).

— DAB+. DAB is an abbreviation for Digital Audio Broadcasting, i.e. "digital broadcasting"; and "+" means an improved version of this standard. Formally, DAB + is not only a range, but also a signal transmission format: unlike all the options described above, it, as the name implies, is digital. This gives a number of advantages over traditional transmitters — in particular, a greater range with less power and high quality of the broadcast sound. In addition, this sound is practically not subject to distortion: weak interference does not affect its quality, and when the transmitter power is critically reduced, the signal is not distorted, but disappears entirely. The latter, however, can be written down as disadvantages; but the really significant drawback of this option is perhaps its low prevalence (so far) in the CIS countries. Technically, such broadcasting can be carried out in any band above 30 MHz, but in fact several options are used (depending on the country) related to the VHF band. Note that DAB+ tuners are capable of receiving original DAB radio broadcasts, but not vice versa.

Tuner support for Radio Data System technology. This technology is used mainly in the FM band; it allows, in addition to the sound signal, to transmit additional textual information by radio — for example, the names of broadcast compositions, announcements, advertising messages, etc. For RDS-enabled audio systems, this information is shown on the display.

The total sound power provided by the audio system at maximum volume, in other words, the total power of all the speakers provided by the device (including the subwoofer).

The higher the power, the louder the system will sound and the larger the area it can cover. On the other hand, high power significantly affects the price, dimensions, weight and power consumption of the device. In addition, when evaluating and comparing according to this indicator, it is worth considering some nuances. Firstly, some manufacturers go to the trick and give in the characteristics not the average, but the peak sound power; such numbers can be quite impressive, but they have very little to do with real loudness. So if it seems to you that the claimed power is too high, it's ok to clarify what exactly is meant in this case. Secondly, when comparing, it is worth considering the presence of a subwoofer — it plays an auxiliary role, but it can account for more than half of the total system power. Because of this, for equal total power, a device with a subwoofer may be quieter than a model without a subwoofer: for example, a 2.0 40W system will have 20W per main channel, while a 2.1 40W model may have 20W per subwoofer, and only 10 watts for the main speakers.

Nominal sound power (see "System power") on each of the main channels of the audio system. This indicator is most often indicated in models with a subwoofer (see "Number of channels"); knowing it, you can estimate the power distribution between the main speakers and the subwoofer.

The subwoofer power rating is a bass driver used in 2.1 and 3.1 systems (see "Number of Channels"). For rated power in general, see "System Power"; and in the case of a subwoofer, this indicator allows you to evaluate the volume and richness of the bass produced by the audio system, as well as the ratio between the power of the main channels and the “subwoofer”).

The number of distinct frequency ranges (bands) into which sound is divided when played through the acoustics of an audio system. For each such band, a separate speaker is provided, and sometimes several.

The simplest option provides 1 lane; it is very popular in modern audio systems, because. requires a minimum number of speakers, and the sound quality can be quite good. More advanced options provide 2-3 bands (low and high frequencies, or bass, treble and medium), and in high-end models, the number of bands can be up to five. Note that, in addition to integers, models are also produced with a fractional number of stripes — for example, 2.5 or 3.5. This marking indicates the presence in the design of a speaker responsible for two bands at once: for example, model 2.5 has separate speakers for bass and treble plus a combined bass + midrange (similar in design to bass, but also loaded with mid frequencies).

Anyway, the abundance of bands, usually, indicates a high class of acoustics: the more separate frequency ranges, the narrower the specialization of each speaker, the more accurately it is able to reproduce its part of the signal, and the more complex the system is.

The total frequency range reproduced by the acoustics of an audio system. Measured from the lower threshold of the lowest frequency speaker to the upper threshold of the highest frequency: for example, in a 2.1 system with main speakers at 100 – 22000 Hz and a subwoofer at 20 – 150 Hz, the total value will be 20 – 22000 Hz.

In general, the wider the frequency range, the fuller the reproduced sound will be, the less low and high frequencies will be lost due to insufficient acoustic capabilities. On the other hand, do not forget that the actual sound quality also depends on a number of other parameters — primarily the frequency response. In addition, human audible frequencies range from 16 Hz to 22 kHz; deviations from these values are very small, and the upper limit also decreases with age. Therefore, from a practical point of view, it does not make sense to provide too large a frequency range; and impressive performances like 10 – 50000 Hz, found in top-class models, are usually more of a kind of "side effect" of high-quality speakers (and at the same time — a marketing ploy) than a really significant moment.