June 29, 2000

A revolutionary sound system at Ogden's Egyptian Theatre is making audiences --no matter where they sit-- believe they're right next to the performers.

In fact, the industry says this new technology is to sound what color was to television. Here's the story from Science Specialist Ed Yeates.

It doesn't matter whether you're backstage listening to Darryl Archibald perform or out in the theater on the back row - it sounds the same.

RAY KIMBER, KIMBER KABLE INC., "THE SPEAKERS TEND TO DISAPPEAR AS SPEAKERS. YOU ARE SUBSTANTIALLY LESS AWARE YOU ARE LISTENING TO SPEAKERS AND THE ILLUSION IS THAT YOU ARE LISTENING TO LIVE SOUND."

The clean sound is not coming from a simple change made inside the speakers. Ray Kimber and his engineers remove the conventional circuit board and replace it with this new system called DiAural.

ED YEATES, SCIENCE SPECIALIST: "IN THIS CASE, RAY AND I ARE MOVING TO THE BACKSIDE OF THE THEATER IN WHICH THE AUDIENCE UNDER A CONVENTIONAL SYSTEM WOULD NOT HEAR ACCURATE SOUND."

But you can hear a big difference.

"IT SOUNDS LIKE SHE IS STANDING IN THE CENTER OF THE STAGE AND THE CHOIR IS NOW AROUND HER."

When instruments and voices perform at the same time - even the best microphones distort sounds - - so it sometimes sounds flat.

In conventional speakers - the flattened sound stays, producing distortion. Audiences also sometimes hear sibilant noises like hissing or spitting.

But speakers with the conversion board mirror the image - turning it around like it should sound from the original source.

"WE HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO THIS SYSTEM WITH NO SUBWOOFERS, NO EQUALIZERS, NO COMPRESSORS, NO LIMITERS AND NO SIGNAL PROCESSING OF ANY KIND."

The new systems has been donated for use in this production of Lost in Yonkers with stage design by Anne Mundell and lighting by James Craig.

The small speaker conversion can also work the same magic on a typical home theater system. Ed Yeates, Eyewitness News, Ogden.