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The Fantasy of Films, Moods of Music

Are you someone who loves the excitement of big-screen movies? The feeling of being engrossed in a story and surrounded by its sound is a delight to movie lovers and today's home entertainment systems bring all the drama and action right into our own homes.

Let's face it, most feature films were not made for viewing on a 24-inch television screen. Films such as Star Wars, Out of Africa and Lord of the Rings do not offer the same amount of viewing pleasure without crisp surround sound and a screen large enough to make you feel part the action. Each year a ludicrous amount of money is invested in the film industry, not only to afford big-name stars, but also to allow the use of state-of-the-art technology for audio-visual excellence.

Nowadays you can buy a good quality home theatre package at very affordable prices. Manufacturers like Sony and Aiwa offer reliable audio-visual equipment for between THB20, 000 to 60, 000. However, if you actually want to feel the vibrations of a roaring sea or the stamp of a T-Rex with perfect picture quality, it is going to cost you. High-end audio-visual components are not cheap, but if perfection is what you seek, then it is money well spent. I spoke with Khun Pornsil Junchuvanichkul (Lek), proprietor of Nam Sang Hi-Fi to gain some insight into the top-end audio-visual market.

"I am in contact with direct suppliers all the time,' Khun Lek announced as he produced a huge file of glossy catalogues. He explained that the most innovative producers of home entertainment components, currently, are B&W, Bose, Fujitsu and the original music makers, Yamaha.

With decades of experience making outstanding musical instruments, Yamaha knows how music should sound. The company's most advanced line of home theatre components are sold separately, or as an ensemble that combines a digital receiver or Cinema Station with various speaker models. With ingenious Cinema DSP technology, the Yamaha systems project three separate sound fields around the theatre to replicate the same degree of realism and impact that the directors and sound engineers intended.

B&W invented the world's first 'cabinetless' speaker. The Nautilus 800 Series of sleek, space-age looking loudspeakers, is designed with an external tweeter and mid-range drive unit. The theory is that cabinets have a tendency to create interfering resonance and diffraction. The external drive units are enclosed in a mineral-filled resin capsule and the minimal intrusion caused by this cover is carried through a tube to the back of the speaker and off to infinity. B&W claim to have 're-modelled the audio landscape' and Khun Lek agrees that the company's loudspeakers are among the best in the world. "They are big and beautiful. You can feel the vibration through crystal-clear sound. However, you need a large space. "

For smaller entertainment areas, Khun Lek suggests a Bose audio system. Bose replaces room-filling cabinets with Jewel Cube speakers that are not much bigger than a computer mouse. These relatively tiny speakers can be mounted on the wall and deliver a purity and volume of sound that is astonishing for such a small component. The Bose Lifestyle System's Music Centre comes with a chic 6-CD changer and an unobtrusive bass module that can easily be hidden in a corner. The centre can be installed to provide music in up to four areas of the house, making it possible to hear the same music throughout the house or different selections for each area. The entire system can be configured from a hand-held remote-control unit. Imagine being able to relax to Mozart in the bedroom while the kids watch a DVD downstairs.

Music lovers will surely be satisfied with the clarity of audio output by Bose or B&W speakers, but a high tech home theatre requires exceptional visual aides as well. The Fujitsu Plasmavision is, in Khun Lek's opinion, the best display monitor money can buy. Using an advanced luminance control system, the plasma display achieves remarkably high brightness and contrast to reproduce clear, sharp images without any flickers. The screen is extremely thin; 3. 3inches and can be mounted on the desktop, the wall or even on the ceiling.

Nam Sang Hi-Fi stocks only top-end audio-visual components and the showroom, located on Rasada Rd. in Phuket Town, is a good place to visit if you are considering purchasing a home theatre or music system. Khun Lek will demonstrate the sound and vision qualities of all the latest technology and boasts that he can offer honest appraisals of each manufacturers' claims about their products, as he receives no commission or kick-backs from the sale of any particular model or brand of equipment.

If something takes your interest, Nam Sang can provide a comprehensive service of supplying, installing and maintaining your new superior home entertainment system. Khun Lek conducts house calls to survey the acoustic qualities and specific requirements of each home theatre. His quotations will feature lists of components so that you can choose those best suited to your performance standards and budgetary allowances.

"Now, more people are paying top dollar to build beautiful houses and these same people also want top end home theatres. "Khun Lek described, adding that, "the systems not only need to sound good, but they must look good too. "The modern, attractive designs of recent audiovisual inventions seem to have taken care of that problem. The fierce competition among the market leaders has resulted in a marriage between elegance and highly sophisticated technology. Perhaps this is evidence that in this emulous business, necessity is indeed the Mother of invention.

Nam Sang Hi-Fi, 69-71 Rasada Rd, Muang Phuket,
Tel: 66(0)76 219406, Fax:66(0)76 220127

Tropical Living: August 2002, Volume 2 Issue 4

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