Sound quality is improving even as speakers and mikes get smaller

Scientists have been applying the laws of physics in remarkable ways to bring us not only ever more complicated gadgetry in smaller packages but also an increasingly improved audio experience. But combining the two is more difficult than it appears.

To produce sound, one must vibrate the air. The larger the surface area of the vibration, the louder - and some would argue, better - the sound. This is why big speakers, which have magnet-driven paper cones at their heart, are a standard sight at concert venues.

But as gadgets became smaller, speakers had to get smaller as well. No gadget reflects the challenges faced by audio engineers better than the television set. Engineers have been able to create thinner and thinner TVs, moving from cathode ray tubes to plasma-driven flat panel displays. The first generation of flat panels were much thinner than the tube TVs, and in less than a decade, displays have become even more so. Yet because of the space constraint, the audio quality of most current-generation TVs is not all that different from those of a decade ago.

It was the same story with laptops and mobile phones. Headphones and microphones got smaller and smaller, to the point that today many people wear small in-ear earpieces. But the quality of the sound did not at first noticeably improve.

The changes have been extraordinary. My music collection of some 200-odd cassette tapes as a teenager would not fill up even a one-inch square iPod Nano. Vast libraries of music now fit into a device that can slide comfortably into your pocket.

Not surprisingly, digital sound was initially derided by audiophiles as not being good enough. You still find people who swear by the quality of sound produced by a long-playing record player. But you cannot carry a record player everywhere you go, while the iPod you can.

However, the problem seems to have been surmounted. There have been major improvements. Thanks to the miniaturisation of speakers, many luxury hotels in India and indeed globally now provide an iPod dock. Since most music is recorded digitally in highly advanced studios, the argument about which is superior, analogue or digital, is dying.

As with many other consumer products, it is not so much the hardware but the software that makes all the difference. Consider the technology created by UK's Dolby Laboratories, which can make even fairly ordinary recordings sound very good during playback. It does not matter if you have only a small mobile phone with a tiny little speaker, the sound quality can surprise you. Huge, floor-standing speakers that were once the pride of place of home entertainment systems, have been replaced by small speakers in enclosures dubbed 'jewel boxes'.

Advanced software on players, coupled with small microphones can constantly modify and adapt the sound produced. Some of the most advanced players have sensors which can sense where people are sitting in a room and modify the sound in such a way that it is 'perfect' for them. The sad part, however, is that advanced software is also taking some of the fun out of music. Auto-tune systems can make almost anyone sound good.

Technology might have made listening to music a lot better, but too much technology is not always a good thing.