Installer Stories: Shawn Byrne, Sound Advice
“Your room is the most important component you own. With Audyssey, people can get a really nice-sounding room without doing anything drastic or expensive.” — Shawn Byrne
Shawn Byrne, Sound Advice
Since 2006, Sound Advice has been serving the Midwest and Plains states with the latest home theater equipment and design. Founder, and climatologist, Shawn Byrne brings scientific knowledge and experience to the table. His deep knowledge of audio physics ensures his many loyal customers enjoy the best sonic experiences even in the most challenging environments.
Shawn tells his story:
How did you get started in home theater industry?
I was working at a TV store in Madison in 1990 and I was passionate about sound. It was there that I first heard Dolby Surround and Pro-Logic, which were revolutionary at the time. I knew that these technologies sounded good, but I didn’t know why: the science behind sound was mysterious to me. Earning my B.S. in Atmospheric Science was a turning point and helped me better understand sound. With that confidence, I began installing home theaters on the side, a hobby which turned into an installation and design business in 2006.
How has that scientific background contributed to your audio knowledge?
Customers ask, “What does meteorology have to do with acoustics?” The answer is, “Everything.” Climate science is about the movement of waves through different media: how waves reflect and refract in low-pressure systems, storms, clouds and the atmosphere. So my work teaches me about the dynamics, density and movement of sound. The only difference between sound engineering and meteorology is scale—the basic principles are the same. Many technicians lack my background. Sure, they may know what sounds good, but not why. I don’t just think something sounds better; I know why it sounds better.
How have Audyssey technologies helped your business?
Before Audyssey, I did parametric equalization by hand. The results are dramatic, but it’s a major investment of time and money. MultEQ Pro earns me loyal customers by saving me the time and frustration of parametric equalization and phase alignment. The graphs also give customers real, tangible proof the sound calibration has made a difference.
Describe your experience with MultEQ Pro.
I installed a Denon 3808CI in 2007. People say that Audyssey can make rooms feel like bubbles of pure sound: the calibrated area is just so enveloping, rich and right. Well, that’s exactly how the room and the system sounded after calibrating the 3808. When I heard those dramatic improvements, I knew I needed MultEQ Pro in my own system. My Onkyo PR-SC885P (2007) brought everything into alignment—dramatically improving my system. When customers learn I use Audyssey at home, they want it because they trust me.
Are there any particularly difficult rooms you’ve calibrated?
One of my clients had a terrible room. It had a living room with virtually every bad acoustical feature of an environment: high ceilings, wood floors and openings to other rooms in the house—not a good spot for surround sound. Before using MultEQ Pro to calibrate his Onkyo PR-SC886P (2009), the bass boomed and the sound was spotty and inconsistent. After, the sonic experience was much closer to that bubble of sound: accurate, aligned, enveloping and rich. My client was very pleased with the result.
Any other thoughts on room acoustics and calibration?
Your room is the most important component you own. Typically, remedying acoustical problems involves a big budget and major changes. But with Audyssey, people can get a really nice-sounding room without doing anything drastic or expensive. It’s a minor investment to calibrate Audyssey products, but that calibration yields such a huge benefit—greater even than speakers.
Audyssey has raised more awareness about acoustics than any other company today. As a scientist who understands the impact that architecture and space have on sound, I appreciate that. So much of our audio experience these days is degraded, not because of poor speakers but because of bad acoustical environments. Audyssey can really help solve these problems and improve our experiences of music and movies.