Essentials for getting yourself good music in the home

Sawyer, your time and effort sincerely appreciated.

Have always been in favor of pointing out the emperors new clothes.
Thank you.
And you used a description that I have often used - somehow I missed it here, so I am glad you did:).
I have often told my audiophile friends the story of the emperors new clothes as an indirect way of holding a mirror in front of them.
I was quite surprised that a few had never heard that fable before - it is not as widely known as I had thought it to be.
 
This thread is a must read for noobs (at least) :)
As to the noob part, it is often an advantage to be one. Empty cup is better than full cup. Easier to fill up, a full cup has to be emptied first. Another saying that isn't original.
 
Sawyer, I'm following you on this thread as there was no option on HFV.

--
helium
HiFi: Asus Xonar STX + Bottlehead Foreplay III + Sansui Au 317+ Magnepan Audio Nirvana
 
Re: 2 Channel amplifiers

The neatest description I have read for an amplifier is the one by the late Peter Walker, founder of Quad - straight wire with gain. This one admirably states that all an amplifier is supposed to do is amplify the strength of the signal, without either adding or taking away anything from it in any other respect.
When it comes to speakers, it is far from a solved problem. A speaker is also an electro mechanical device, with many different material usage possibilities, unlike solid state amplifiers. Designing speakers has many degrees of freedom for the designer, and the ability to voice the speaker in distinctively different ways. The amplifier problem on the other hand has been solved decades ago, as far as 2 channel solid state amplification is concerned.
Look at the definition again - it says that an amplifier is not supposed to have a sonic signature.
The position that is taken by people like me is often misunderstood/misquoted by audiophiles to say that we think that all amplifiers sound the same.
Whereas the position I support says that in a level matched blind AB test, it is not possible to distinguish between two amplifiers, both of which are operating within their design limits.
To explain this, let me turn to something called clipping.
Most people think that an amplifier pushes out power to speakers. This isn't the case. Speakers pull power from an amplifier, which, subject to the volume control setting, supplies it as demanded. Remember too that a speaker connected to an amp terminal is a closed loop - almost a short circuit, with the speaker coil in place. The resistance of the speaker/speaker coil is what is the speaker impedance and what stops it from being a true short circuit. But this resistance, about 8 ohms, is very small. And the power/current that the speakers draw from the amp depends on the frequency of the music that the speaker has to reproduce, with lower frequencies resulting in a higher power draw. In poorly designed speakers, this can also result in a dropping of the impedance to close to zero, in the 1-2 ohms region, compounding the power draw increase. When this happens, the speakers can demand more power than the amp can supply, leading to distortion in the signal wave form causing clipping to it, which is audible as distortion. This distortion is not necessarily unpleasant, sometimes it is this that gives the so called warmth to the music. Beyond a point, it can damage the speaker, which is why there is a greater risk of speaker damage from low powered amps, and not ones with higher power than even the speaker specs recommend. For higher powered amps as long as the volume control is used carefully, because it is the speakers that are in control of the power draw, they don't get damaged.
But coming back to clipping induced audible distortion - it may sound good, but it isn't hifi. High fidelity means that nothing is added or taken away from the characteristics of the recorded signal.
But when clipping isn't happening - that is to say when the amp is working within its designed limits - that is when the amp is not distinguishable for any other statement holds good, as long as sound levels are within 0.2 db of each other.
What then should decide the purchase of an amplifier?
My views:
1. Enough power to do the job, defined by the speaker needs, plus something more as a power reserve. For a very large majority of applications at home, 60-80 wpc is enough. Even 100wpc, solid state amplifier watts aren't very expensive now.
2. Features such as input/output sockets, USB sockets, etc., based on individual needs.
3. Availability of parts and after sales service
4. Brand reputation for reliability
5. Tone controls - another thing isn't hard to implement without, as some think it does, "corrupting" the signal chain. The ability to tweak bass and treble levels is invaluable in customising the sound of a speaker to the room acoustics/environment.
6. Integrated amps are as good as any. With solid state designs and properly implemented power supplies, the preamp separation to protect the delicate low voltage signal at the preamp stage from distortion causing effects isn't as important any more, where the power outputs are in the ranges mentioned above.
7. Footprint criteria
Sonic signature doesn't figure any where in this list.
Amplifiers from even the budget end of reputed makes such as Marantz, Rotel, NAD, Cambridge Audio to name just a few, meet many of these criteria quite easily. I am partial to Quad for long term use, but that is because their amps are built from non special parts and their UK service is legendary - even today one can ship a 40 year old amp to them and they will bring it to perfect working condition. But I have never had any problem with any of my solid state amps, ever. And I have bought some without having heard them first. Never a cause for regret, except when I realised it hadn't made a damn difference to what I was hearing!

I think I know what you mean!
Coming to the media, I can't think of a more difficult job than as a reviewer. Imagine finding new ways to write, every month, for every new piece of kit that comes along, including this year's iteration of a component that you went ballistic over in a review written just 12-24 months ago. Inventing new ways, new words and new metaphors all the time. I couldn't do this for more than a year or two - one equipment cycle - before my imagination and vocabulary ran out. Doesn't matter which magazine - from certain respected American ones to the eye candy oriented monthly issue of a well known one from the UK. Levels of subtlety may vary, but the underlying challenge would remain the same.
And all of this with the influence that advertisers always have on the content - it would be naive to exclude that, although the extent of this may vary from one magazine to the next.
In my view, these reviews and magazines are useless. Particularly since things such as specs are now easily available on the net. Not only are they not essential to getting good sound at home - their one purpose seem to me to be to leave you in a permanent state of dissatisfaction with what you have.
Hifi media isn't the only one with these issues. Photography is another, as is automobiles. Or almost any other specialist hobby magazine. But one thing makes Hifi unique, afaik. One uses a camera to take pictures. One drives a car to get from one place to another, even as a hobby. The pursuit of the hobby involves a continuous interaction with the relevant equipment and the interface as well as the to and from communication with it which is an important part of use and improvements in this can usually elevate hobby outcomes - or at least have the potential to. Not so with hifi - 99% of the time the equipment has to just sit there, doing the job. Might even be out of sight, from a functional perspective. Not very different from a washing machine or a microwave oven really. And all that matter in these are things like: does it do the job reliably, what is the capacity, and how much power does it consume. And what does it cost.
I guess it is male of the species thing - no female can be bothered with a equivalent pursuit of home appliances - hence no magazine called What Microwave or What Washing Machine:). Which is probably how they see audio equipment too, and can't be bothered about it enough to become audiophiles.
For more on the above subjects, see:
http://www.hifivision.com/amplifiers/52267-determinants-amplifier-performance.html
 
Signing off - my last post on HFV

I have just noticed that the above thread that I had started has been closed, without any notice to me assigning any reasons.
There is therefore no reason for me to continue here either.
I have met some very knowledgeable people here, from whom I have learned quite a lot. Much appreciated.
Good luck to the community.
 
Re: Signing off - my last post on HFV

I have just noticed that the above thread that I had started has been closed, without any notice to me assigning any reasons.
There is therefore no reason for me to continue here either.
I have met some very knowledgeable people here, from whom I have learned quite a lot. Much appreciated.
Good luck to the community.

Hi Sawyer,

I didn't seen any closed signs in that thread. Its still open to reply.:)
 
Re: Signing off - my last post on HFV

Hi Sawyer,

I didn't seen any closed signs in that thread. Its still open to reply.:)
So it is. It has been reopened, possibly the closing was an accident:).
As I said, I have learnt a lot from some knowledgeable people here. I can continue my journey in perhaps a less effective way by restricting myself to the PM route. There are pros/cons to this, but on balance, in this forum this is a better approach for me to take.
 
Re: Signing off - my last post on HFV

So it is. It has been reopened, possibly the closing was an accident:).
As I said, I have learnt a lot from some knowledgeable people here. I can continue my journey in perhaps a less effective way by restricting myself to the PM route. There are pros/cons to this, but on balance, in this forum this is a better approach for me to take.

Thank you!!!!
:clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping::yahoo::yahoo::yahoo:
 
Re: Signing off - my last post on HFV

Thank you!!!!
:clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping::yahoo::yahoo::yahoo:

Is your thanks to Sawyer returning or him continuing discussion via PM's? I am confused. ;)
 
Well, I for one don't think that PM is the route to take. If everyone PM'ed how would I ever never know if my speakers are currently fat or thin !!! :p
 
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Re: Signing off - my last post on HFV

So it is. It has been reopened, possibly the closing was an accident:).
As I said, I have learnt a lot from some knowledgeable people here. I can continue my journey in perhaps a less effective way by restricting myself to the PM route. There are pros/cons to this, but on balance, in this forum this is a better approach for me to take.

It's a very imperfect world. Requesting Sawyer to continue posting despite that :)
 
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