HAA Brochure

Join our Alliance

The HAA™ is a professional training organization dedicated toward home acoustics. It's purpose is to promote the correct and most effective use of acoustical design and calibration techniques specifically for the home. The HAA™ brings together Manufacturers, Home Theater Professionals, and Consumers in the pursuit of excellence. It is a

Do you outclass your competition? You have the best installers, the brightest sales people, the most impressive showroom and a long client list to back up your reputation. Clearly, no potential customer with all the correct information would choose anyone else for their
new Home Theater project. That is, unless your competitor has a silver bullet that distinguishes their proposal from all others. Price? Any consumer that chooses strictly on price gets exactly what they paid for. No, in today's mature Home Theater market many folks are purchasing their second and even third system in an existing or new home. They've learned their lesson about discounters and are savvy about what's more important. Competence and technical expertise are the keys to differentiating your companies proposal from the others; adding value to components that in many cases can be purchased from several outlets. homeacoustics.net

Are you an expert?
Clearly, good sound begins with good components. But why did that last system sound so good in the showroom and yet perform so poorly in the clients home? Your clients, friends and even relatives look up to you as an audio expert; an "audio guru" if you will. The art and science of delivering top performance is what you do. Allow us to assist you. The HAA is an alliance of AV professionals who have placed sound quality as one of the pillars of their promise of
	performance to consumers. The industry is becoming more mature. While Home Theater is a new experience for many, we've found a growing secondary market. This new market consists of 2nd or 3rd time Home Theater buyers who are seeking a better result than the first go around. Visits to better sounding (and often cheaper) theaters at friends and neighbors homes were eye opening and somewhat humbling experiences for them. They ask, "Why doesn't my system sound that good?" They want to do better the second time and often call on a recognized expert to advise them on how to avoid mistakes or how to fix an existing system. Consider how often your staff is called upon to "fix somebody else's mistakes". Another disturbing trend is the number of new homes built without a home theater. This occurs despite the fact that the home owners had a system in a previous house. This must be reversed. The industry must improve. homeacoustics.net

Join our Alliance The HAA™ is a professional training organization dedicated toward home acoustics. It's purpose is to promote the correct and most effective use of acoustical design and calibration techniques specifically for the home. The HAA™ brings together Manufacturers, Home Theater Professionals, and Consumers in the pursuit of excellence. It is a
melting pot for ideas and techniques for achieving great sound through training. The HAA website www.homeacoustics.net has two functions. First, to act as a marketing tool promoting sound quality to consumers, and second, as a resource for our alliance members. Toward that end we list the names of certified calibrators across the country and provide referrals between consumers and dealers. HAA associate members have access to a further "member-only" site that contains professional resources such as acoustical software, reference materials, and a member only forum designed to allow professionals to assist each other without consumers in the mix. Cost is $49 per year per person as a service charge designed to support the website. Prospective members who attend the certification seminar are automatically given a 1 year subscription.

Certification The HAA two day Level I certification seminar is designed for experienced installers, sales people, and managers who already have a keen sense of sound quality. The training builds on the work experiences of the prospective calibrators or system designers and explains the hows and whys of the sonic effects most have experienced but never fully understood. Taught in conjunction with the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) two day seminar, the HAA is it's audio counterpart. While the training focuses on the science of calibration, it holds a second equally powerful lesson for
	attendees; the ability to discuss sound quality as an informed professional. We begin each session with a dual mandate for the students 1) make better sounding theater but also 2) teach your clients about the science of good sound. For sales people, managers and especially system designers this may be the HAA's most powerful function. Our industry is based upon the premise that an "educated" customer is our best customer. How else will they recognize the superiority or your craftsmanship and products unless they are taught right from wrong. The HAA was founded to promote sound quality. Toward this end our alliance teaches consumers about good theater design and assists AV Professionals in supporting these educated consumers. The cost of the seminar is $950 per student for two days (lunch is provided). Once certified, you will be included as an HAA calibrator in our Calibrator Listing. homeacoustics.net

HAA Level I Two Day Seminar Content (sponsored by Sencore) The HAA two day Level I certification seminar agenda includes: Lecture discussions, demonstrations and labs: Introduction >>>What is sound quality? >>>Teaching your clients >>>Cinema sound standards >>>Response distortion overview >>>Amplifier power requirements >>>Ambient noise; who'd of thought... >>>Entertainment centers >>>Speaker stands >>>Spikes versus rubber feet >>>Tonal distortions >>>Soundstage explained >>>Home Theater Engineering? >>>Our Customers are listening Acoustics Overview >>>Desired acoustical results >>>Sound Theory >>>Understanding wavelength and phase >>>Frequency versus directivity Acoustical Instrumentation >>>Human hearing >>>Designing instruments that measure like we hear >>>Sound Pressure Level (SPL) measurement; A or C? >>>SPL meter demonstration >>>Why Octaves >>>Measuring sound quality; Real Time Analysis (RTA) >>>RTA demonstration >>>Discussion of target curves Low Frequency Response (below 500Hz) >>>Phase, Phase, Phase >>>Acoustical path difference >>>Comb filtering explained finally! >>>Speaker Boundary Interference Response (SBIR) >>>Speaker placement strategies; path difference, comb filtering, SBIR >>>Room modes like you have never had them explained >>>Room mode demonstration >>>Common sense room dimensions and ratios; bed of nails analogy... ouch! >>>Bonello Criteria >>>Dimensional Analysis Excel spreadsheet lab (laptops welcome) >>>Are room modes good or bad? (hint: yes) >>>Modedemo (listener/speaker placement) Excel spreadsheet lab (laptops welcome) >>>Multiple subs; 2, 4, more? >>>Bass treatment; bass traps, helmholtz resonators, diaphragmatic absorbers >>>Simplify your calibration of bass; bass management, bi amplification Reverberationnnnnn (above 500 Hz) >>>Sound Intensity >>>Direct sound versus reverberant field >>>Haas Precedence Effect >>>Echo grams;Energy Time Analysis >>>Energy Time Graph demonstration >>>Near field versus far field listening; Critical distance >>>Balancing direct sound versus reverberant sound >>>Reflection perception; image shifting, timbre distortion, spaciousness >>>Early reflections; acoustical treatment and home furnishings >>>Mirror points >>>Absorption Coefficients >>>Diffusion >>>Speaker placement strategies; toe-in, vertical angle, directivity >>>Initial Time Delay Gap (ITDG) >>>RT60 and Sabine's equation; usefulness in a small room? >>>Flutter (slap) echoes explained >>>How not to measure reverberation in a small room >>>Preserving reverberant envelopment Crafting a soundstage >>>Speaker placement standards >>>Matching LCR's ? >>>Direct sound importance >>>Soundstage versus surround field; filling in the gaps >>>Surround speakers; monopole, bi pole, dipole >>>Speaker placement strategies; speaker to speaker panning, soundstage perspective Ambient noise and its importance >>>Ambient noise measurement; Noise criteria >>>Transmission Loss (TL) and Standard Transmission Class (STC) >>>Sound Isolation; never say sound proofing >>>What is the best wall design; resilient channel, staggered stud, floating? >>>Other factors; projectors, vents, doors, windows, etc. >>>Review of Desired Acoustical Results; Discuss each relating acoustical factors Acoustical Calibration; analyze first >>>Calibration Processes >>>Acoustics Design Review (ADR); Home Theater Consultation Service >>>ADR Checklist >>>System Analysis and Measurement (SAM); Documenting problems, devising solutions >>>SAM step by step procedure; Analysis and Calibration Report Lab >>>Reference Level Explained >>>Critical listening discussion >>>RTA lab; near field, 1/3 octave, high resolution, subwoofer level, response measurements >>>Spatial averaging discussion; multiple microphones >>>ETG demonstration >>>Basic Calibration; Simple and very effective >>>Advanced Calibration Plan (ACP); Your proposal to solve larger problems. >>>Resonance sweeps >>>Tweaking >>>Calibration results; adding value, adding revenue Selling Acoustics >>>Industries Dirty Little Secret Seminar Schedule Link: (we will be in a location near you this year) Go to the HAA Calibrator Support Site [AVProfessionals Only] and click "Schedule/Register"
Seminar Self Test: Download our self test as a primer to the class. HAA Level I Seminar Self Test Link
What our members say "I thought the course was an excellent introduction in small room acoustics. With the basis of knowledge provided, combined with real-world experience I will be able to separate myself from others in the industry and provide my customers with world-class service... I think this course material is a must for anyone in our industry that strives to offer customers the performance they deserve when purchasing quality audio components." Steve Whitehurst, Design/Installation Specialist, Home Theater Store, Houston TX "I thought the class was tremendous. I believe that your not serious about this business if you don't go through proper training and have proper equipment to set-up these systems for your customers. It is just a necessity!" Chris Boyer, President, Whole House Audio & Video Inc., Aiken SC "It's a helluva lot of info in a short time, but it will weed out the Pros from the Posers... [Gerry is] a true Audio Guru and a cool dude" Travis Young, Partner/Installer, H2Audio, Chattanooga TN "I think that Gerry did an excellent job at the training. I learned more than I thought I would. The only thing I would like to see is more emphasis on the HAA seminar. I went for the ISF and stayed for the HAA... ...Since then, I have done nothing but tell colleagues about the seminar. I hope that more people can have the experience I did. I would just like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn from such a knowledgeable person. Good luck at making this Group a great success." Brian Barry, Head Sales and Installer, Barry Electronics, Lima, OH "I thought the seminar was excellent. Gerry Lemay conducted it in a way that was informative and enjoyable. I look forward to any future courses for a level 2 certification." Kevin Meyer, Audio Visual Technical Specialist, London Drugs, Calgary Alberta
Press Articles and Ads (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) Widescreen Review (Feb 2002) CE Pro (Oct 2001) Dealerscope (Oct 2002) Home Theater Builder (Feb 2003) Calibration ad (Dec 2002) courtesy of Gulf Coast Audio/Video Company (requires mp3 player) Widescreen Review ad (running all of 2003) sponsored by Sencore
HAA membership (to learn more click [Join HAA]) There are three ways to participate as an HAA member: Associate membership Certified Calibrator Membership (first year free with seminar attendance) Dealer Membership		$ 49.00 per year $ 49.00 per year $ 199.00 per year
Go to homeacoustics.net to register or you can sign up through your Sencore Electronics Sales Engineer. 43 Metcalf Drive, Belleville IL 62223, lemay@homeacoustics.net, (618) 398-3311, Fax (618) 398-4411 Director Gerry Lemay ©2003 Quest Convergence Systems Inc.