LEISURELY LISTENING

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 41, 5 April 1940, Page 55

LEISURELY LISTENING

How To Make It More Entertaining

(By a contributor to "The Times of India’)

HEN you go to a theatre you expect a comfortable seat, silence and a darkened auditorium, realising that the absence of either will spoil your enjoyment of the entertainment provided. The body must be relaxed and the brain allowed to concentrate upon the stage. A wireless set provides entertainment but the measure of this entertainment depends almost entirely on the surroundings. In many homes you will come across a wireless set stuck up against a wall, a man with a newspaper lounging in a.chair and a couple of women carrying on an animated conversation. Why do they not switch off the set and save current? Listening-in ought to be a one-man job. No one would think of going to a cinema without first finding out what film was showing. It takes only a few moments to glance through the programmes and to pick out those that appear to be attractive. It might, be argued that one ought to dress for the occasion, a boiled shirt and tails for opera, a sports coat and flannel trousers and the smell of orange peel for pantomime. There is undoubtedly something in the advice proffered by the BBC when broadcasting a thriller, that one should turn down the lights.

Some Suggestions Here are a few suggestions that will, I believe, make your listening-in more entertaining. First of all you must have quiet, and second, comfort. An easy chair aids enjoyment and the room ought to

be at a comfortable temperature, I would rather not listen than be freezing or roasting. Third, good reception and reproduction, You cannot control the elements but you can ensure the best possible results, Reproduction depends upon the set, its position in the room and the adjustment of the controls. Usually the set is against the outside wall because the down lead has to be brought in through a skylight or window. Now, it does no harm to extend an aerial ten feet or more, despite the instructions in the book, so put the set where it is going to be most useful and cut the aerial to suit. Some owners like the set to be in one place at one time and in another later on, rolling up any spare aerial lead-in like a coil. Such a coil is a shortwave choke and must reduce results, so if you want to extend your aerial use a plug and socket arrangement with an additional length of wire. Volume and Tone With most sets reproduction is more pleasant if the ear is not in a direct

line with. the axis of the speaker. Reproduction along the axis is liable to shrill and if you attempt to overcome this by adjusting the tone control you may make the music too muffled for those sitting to one side. Generally you need to adjust both volume and tone to suit each item, an argument in favour of having the set close to hand. For speech the first essential is clarity and this cannot be achieved with the high notes missing, Turn down the volume and turn up the tone is a good working rule for speech, Music is different. There are some who | like mellowness, quite happy if a violin sounds like a flute, and there are some too who appreciate the volume of a full orchestra in a small room. The Best Place The best place for comfortable listening+in is in bed. When one is not too sick it is surprising how a wireless’ set helps to pass the time and to take the mind off pain and depressing thoughts. This is specially true when reading is impossible. Sufferers from insomnia might also adopt this plan, provided they take care not to wake others. Hospitals have long provided headphones for patients, so the suggestion has the weight of medical approval behind it. Finally I suggest that you do switch off occasionally. You will appreciate. radio all the more, °