Hows and Whys of Baffle Walls

In some ways, sound waves are like light waves. They radiate into space, reflect off objects, and lose energy upon contact with absorptive surfaces, walls, and with distance from their source. Sound waves can be more challenging to control, primarily because we can’t see them.  Low frequencies are especially difficult because their long wavelengths (up … Read More

Four Myths that Cause Bad Sound

In 1992, Syn-Aud-Con co-founder and audio industry legend Don Davis wrote an article (which later became a book) titled, “If Bad Sound Were Fatal, Audio Would Be the Leading Cause of Death.” While it hasn’t killed me yet, I’ve certainly been hurt more than once in public spaces, where it was evident that proper attention … Read More

QSC’s Reference Monitor System: The Sum of the Whole

One of the hallmarks of QSC products is the concept of the total system design.  Simply put, a system of a prescribed set of components that were designed to work together will always outperform a disparate set of components.  This is the idea behind QSC’s “SystemSynergy,” any QSC powered loudspeaker, and any system configuration recommendation … Read More

Free Loading

Take advantage of free acoustical power: always place subwoofers on the floor behind the screen – NOT on a platform with the screen loudspeakers. Floor-positioned subwoofers take advantage of “half-space” loading, which increases radiated power by about 3 dB, WITHOUT adding any extra amplifier power. Even better: place the subwoofers on the floor AND push … Read More

Looks Can Be Deceiving

It may look like any old VGA video connector, but it’s not. DCA and ISA Series amplifiers and DCP, DCM, and DXP processors use a special QSC connection interface called DataPort, which enables DSP crossovers, speaker-specific EQ, and monitoring and control of amplifier and loudspeaker functions on a single cable. Although many off-the-shelf VGA cables … Read More

No Tilt Required

The mid-high frequency section of most 3- and 4-way QSC screen channel loudspeakers has a pre-set downward tilt. When it is properly elevated to approximately 5/8 image height behind the screen and aimed to the last row in a typical stadium-style cinema, there is no need for additional downward tilt. This allows you to minimize … Read More

What does “Axisymmetric” really mean?

All QSC SR Series surround loudspeakers feature Axisymmetric coverage.  That means that sound is distributed evenly on all axes within the loudspeaker’s defined coverage angle. Unlike many conventional loudspeakers, there is no vertical and horizontal coverage pattern, so aiming is made much simpler.  Up/down tilt and side-to-side “pan” aiming is all that is needed to … Read More