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Buying Audio Equipment Primer It has been our unhappy task at times to assist customers in improving a poorly performing audio system. If you are not an experienced audiophile, JoLida would like to suggest a few guidelines in selecting the right audio equipment for your home. 1. Before you go to the store analyze what you need. Do you want the system to play music, movies or both? What room is the system going into and what are the physical constraints? Determine who will be listening and under what circumstances? What is your budget going to be? In essense, you need to have an idea of how you are going to be using the system. 2. Look and compare. Statistics report the average man, woman or child in the US listens to a minimum of 20 hours of audio and audio/video a week. Over a ten year period, that adds up to a minimum of 10,000 hours per person or 40,000 hours for a family of four. To give a reference point, a calendar year is made up of 8,700 hours. The average person will expend over a ten year period, $6,000 for cable TV or DSS and $2,400 for a connection to the internet. Given these factors, it is prudent to chose your system carefully. Go to the mass merchants to see what they have, but I would also suggest going to the speciality audio stores as well. 3. Trust your Ears. The human ear is a unique instrument that is able to discern minute sound factors. Most individuals have the ability to distinguish whether a person is happy, sad or angry through sound. Can you perceive this type of nuance in music or audio/video demonstrations? Is this a system you can listen to for hours without fatiguing your ears? Ask yourself, is the sound smooth and clear? Does it sound natural or is it muffled? In the better systems, you will not be able to tell if the sound is coming from the speakers. 4. Be careful of the myths and the sound bytes. Myths, such as, 100 watts is the right power for an amplifier or that Total Harmonic Distortion is the most important specification, or that rumble in the speaker is highly desirable are not really relevant. These types of specifications are not guarantees of good sound. Beware of the extravagant claims such as the bass is a rendition of Krackatow erupting. You might end up with a system that makes everything sound like a volcano. Be wary of the sound bytes such as "this is an all digital system." No one hears in digital, we all hear in analog (sound waves). 5. Develop Some Testing Criteria. This is setting standards by which you will judge the equipment you demonstrate. Use CD music that you are familiar with. One test criteria that I always use is playing the system at low, medium and high volume levels. Although seemingly simplistic, this is a key issue for the average individual (try playing music loud at midnight on a Wednesday night). If the system is clear at low volume levels, rich and textured at mid-levels and dynamic and smooth at loud levels, you may be looking at the system for you. 6. Obsolescence. The latest technology or the greatest features will not necessarily be the standard for the future. Obsolescence can be tempered with a system that has high quality sound. In other words, if it has a high performance sound, it will still have high performance sound five years from now.  |
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