The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder and darker and the leaves are crunching underfoot. This can only mean one thing… Halloween is nearly upon us! This ghoulish holiday is celebrated in its various guises all over the world, and enables even the most light-hearted of us to get in touch with our dark side. And lets face it, being scared is fun, as long as there’s no real threat to our safety. Maybe it’s the adrenaline, maybe it’s catharsis, maybe it’s part of the human condition to be fascinated with the macabre. Whatever it is, it sure is fun. But did you ever wonder how it all began?
Halloween as it is today can be traced as far back as the ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain, well over 2,000 years ago. Samhain was an acknowledgement of the distinct line between the summer and winter i.e. life and death. This was traditionally a time when the spirits of the dead would walk the Earth, but they could be warded off with the lighting of bonfires. Dressing in costumes consisting of bones and animal skins was designed to confuse the spirits into believing they were within their own realm, as opposed to that of the living. In the Eighth Century November 1st was designated as All Saints Day – also called all Hallows Day, derived from the Middle English phrase Alholowmesse, a day for the celebration of the Saints of the Roman Catholic faith. When Christianity overtook paganism as the most practised religion in England and its surrounding areas, Samhain was celebrated the day before All Hallows Day and been. It became known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween when it gained popularity in America. But it was still celebrated in much the same way: giant bonfires, the wearing of costumes, merriment and revelry, the warding off of evil spirits and the welcoming of good ones.
Halloween today still carries the air of its ancient past. There are still bonfires and costumes and the supernatural, but nowadays it’s less about the spirits of the dead and more about a celebration of anything that scares us – be that spiders, skeletons, clowns or zombies! For some of us it’s the best time of the year. But how to celebrate? When you’ve taken the kids Trick-or-Treating, finished carving the pumpkins and you’re getting in the mood for that costume party you promised you’d attend… what will you do to get in that spooktacular mood? Well never fear, we have some ideas that are suitable for both the audiophile, the AV-aficionado and the ghastly ghoul that you are (… and we all are, deep down!), so here are the five best products to get yourself in the mood (and some bonus music too!)
Remember, all prices were correct at the time of publishing and may be subject to change.
Order any of the products below – all in stock and ready to be shipped – by 12pm on Thursday 30th of October to get them in time for Halloween on Friday!
1. Yamaha NX-50 Desktop Speakers – £49.90
Having Halloween on a budget? Look no further? The Yamaha NX-50s are a firm favourite of ours’ – and probably always will be! They boast a teeny-tiny footprint (great for sneaky placement in your DIY haunted house!) but an incredibly big sound, all owed to a unique cabinet design which prevents sound loss and a bass port in the front which helps push the deeper tones forward – eliminating the problems that speakers of this size usually cause. Perfect for your PC, TV, MP3 player and even your phone – the two mini jacks on the front panel means that you can hook up two devices at any one time – great for that Halloween party! The built-in amp means you can control the volume from the speaker itself and auto-standby allows for less button-pushing and more easy listening. There are five funky colours to chose from too! We think the purple and the gold would suit the Halloween palette nicely.
Why do we like them?
The sound easily surpasses every PC speaker we’ve tested them against – even much larger ones!
2. Yamaha YAS-201 Digital Sound Projector – £175
Perfect for getting the party started with both music or a nice horror film: the Yamaha YAS-201 is a soundbar which comes with its very own separate wireless (and active) subwoofer, for some super spooky bass. By taking the subwoofer out, there is more room for an even richer, even deeper bass. Like the other sound projectors in the range, the YAS-201 boasts virtual surround sound technology: AIR SURROUND XTREME – which makes you feel like you’re living every horrible second! ASX effectively bounces the sound around the room, creating the exact sound and atmosphere of a genuine surround sound system.
Why do we like it?
A excellent hi-end entry level soundbar and great for party music – or background horror soundtracks!
3. Yamaha YAS-152 Digital Sound Projector – £299
Sink yourself further than you have ever sunk into that spooky film or soundtrack with the YAS 152 – idea for bigger screens and those who want a long soundbar to stretch across the bottom. The YAS 152 is a projector which creates a virtual surround sound effect – throuroughly engaging and enticing. And depending on what you’re watching – thoroughly frightening!
Why do we like it?
It’s a no nonsense soundbar which knows its audience. If you have a big TV (for those big horror films… all the better to eat you with!) then this is a very good bet.
4. Yamaha SRT-1000 Soundbase – £499
If you want the sound to come from deep down below – quite fitting for Halloween really – then Yamaha’s first ever soundbase definitely deserves your consideration when it comes to both streaming and home cinema. Their years of extensive experience of producing award winning and world class soundbars and projectors shines through once again. It features the same advanced sound projection technology, lovingly dubbed Intellibeam, that features on its hi-end soundbars. Intellibeam creates fully adjustable beams of sound which reflect off the walls of your chosen room. These beams can be altered at the touch of a remote controller (or app – yes, there’s an app for this. Useful as you’ll already have your smartphone handy). It can achieve a 5:1 sound that is indistinguishable from an actual surround sound system and it’s the only ‘base that can do that too.
Why do we like it?
It looks like an ordinary TV stand – so be sure to freak out your guests with just how big and scary a sound it can make!
5.Yamaha YSP-2500 Digital Sound Projector – £799
And now, our very own Price of Darkness: the Yamaha YSP-2500. Widely regarded as one of the finest soundbars money can buy. It isn’t cheap, but it’s worth the purchase for both your home-cinema and your streaming needs, especially on a night as important (for sound) as Halloween! And of course AptX is included. Encased in solid aluminium with a 162W total power output. It boasts three HDMI outputs, a coaxial, an optical and an analogue, making it a very effective hub. Yes, there’s an app for that. It has every feature you can think of and yet is very easy to set up and operate. Worth it? Oh yes.
Why do we like it?
The ultimate soundbar for the ultimate Halloween. Scare the pants off your guests (and yourself) with the absolute best in class.
… and now for some music!
We may sell plenty of LPs, but it would be a shame to give you lots of recommendations for the best soundbars and bases for your spooky evening, only to slam on the brakes and throw a load of completely incompatible LPs at you after that. So, while we do have a lovely selection of LPs, you can find all of this awesome and frankly frightening music on Spotify https://www.spotify.com/uk/, which you can stream from your brand new soundbar as soon as it’s set up. Some of it you would expect… some of it you wouldn’t.
1. Michael Jackson – Thriller
Okay, we do have this in LP form too (of course we do, it’s a classic!) but it’s also ready for you to stream in its entirety on Spotify too. Is there anything more fitting for Halloween than Thriller? It’s practically a worldwide Halloween tradition.
2. Evil Scarecrow – Hell Dog
You almost certainly haven’t heard of Evil Scarecrow (yet) but once you do, you’ll never forget them! Bizarre shock rock designed to be both spooky and cheeky, these guys are already very well known on the metal circuit for embracing everything that’s good about the genre – the fun and the theatricality, and some excellent riffs and hooks. Broaden your palette and have some fun.
3. Alice Cooper – Welcome To My Nightmare
Is Halloween complete without the King of Shock Rock? Alice is still reigns supreme, with live shows full of horror and gore that will shock (and rock) you to the core. Any one of his albums would be fitting – but Welcome To My Nightmare has that little bit of extra old school hammer horror bite.
4. Ozzy Osbourne – Scream
The undisputed Prince of Darkness is a household name – and for good reason! This man was a part of a movement which changed the face of music forever, and he’s shown no signs of slowing down. Scream is one of his most recent offerings and it’s regarded as one of his best so throw your horns and sing along!
5. Lordi – The Arockalypse
Believe it or not, you’ve heard of Lordi. These guys made the World gasp in unison when they acscended the stage at Eurovision in 2006 – and impressed so much that they won! They still remain as one of the most popular winners of all time, and they have stayed true to form, with their incredible monstrous costumes and catchy hard rock tunes!
So that’s it from us. For now! Remember to have a fun (and safe!) Halloween, whatever you do.
… just don’t do it alone.