Erukian

sputnik, that doesnt look to hard for a person to just build themselves. I'm sure you could save a lot of money, plus chose the wood which matches whatever wood you normally go with. -Joe

It looks like the past few day's ive been a pot-stirrer of sorts, after posting the "How to REALLY listen to music" in the 2-channel board, now this. But i'm wondering what you guys think of this. Link to PDF, try Right click > Save as on me -Joe EDIT: try Foxit PDF Reader if you don't want to install the bloated Adobe Reader. http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php Just extract and run, it'll associate itself with PDF's.

I've been thinking about this topic now and again. Taken from some of the comments i've read, it seems he's not telling readers that they don't know how to listen to their music because his way is the right way. The point seems to be, from what I gather, is he's just helping people understand the low-level information packed into recordings. Once you learn that this low-level information exists, and what the difference are plus being able to put the differences into words, you have the knowledge to not just hear the music like anyone, but to really listen to it. I believe there's a difference between hearing music and listening to music. Today's pop music is just for people to hear, something to bob your head to. But if you know how to listen for the information in the records you enjoy music entirely on a new level. The background info is not just noise, I believe it just enhances the realism -- and was included by the studio engineer and musician on purpose. I also feel that learning these terms, learning how to idenfity the low-level information allows you to take a well recorded peice of music, and do something that most people who just hear music can't do, peice together an image of the room, the instruments, how many singers are there, etc. Just like going to a concert then buying the record and listening to it, you keep imagining the concert while the recording is being played, a person with trained ears can do the opposite, put together a picture of the band/group before they've seen them live. I think i've made my point though, i'd like to know what people think about it. -Joe

I do appreciate what some of you guys are saying about music, particularly about how to enjoy it. But I haven't offered my two cents in this topic yet so it's about time I do, since I started the darn thing! Essentially, this is not a guide for the existing audiophile, instead, it's a tool for audio enthusiasts to learn how to appreciate the HARDWARE they play their music on. A lot of the points Zemo makes tell us that the hardware should just dissappear and the only thing you should be thinking about is the music. I don't believe he's doing anything wrong, and I certainly wouldn't call his article 'CRAP'. I found his explanations of the samples for the most part really accurate. Did he rip his details from the test CD? Maybe, but either way they do tell us quite a bit about the peice being played. Where it's being played and how the microphone is placed, etc, etc. I believe this can only help us to appreciate music in the long run. If I had no idea what to listen for in the depth of the image the speakers produce, then this guide is the right thing to give me a good example of just that. Now with the newly gained knowledge, I can listen to the rest of my recordings in a different way. Not in a judgmental way, going through each measure of music being played and tearing apart the recording, mixing, and skill of the musicians, but in a well recorded piece I can just simply, understand the complexities. I think it's all part of being an audiophile. Anybody can enjoy music and anyone can understand how amps and speakers work with a little bit of reading. But to train your ears to where they hear the details in any recording is just like a musician training his ears to be able to pick any instrument out of a hundred people in a orchestra and point to who is out of tune. Just because a good musician can pick apart his own playing as well as other's around him, doesn't at all mean he no longer truly enjoys music, I believe it's just a simple level of understanding that comes with the training. However you take to heart what this topic is about, I'm glad some of you appreciate it as much as I do. -Joe

This is ALL quoted, I'll even put quotes for you to know where I stop typing and where Zemo of Fix-IT Forums (writer of this article) starts. " Learning to listen Music involves and impacts everyone in so many ways, that the way music is treated nowadays is truly sad. Music is a deep and powerful tool, and should be treated as such. Sadly, most people dont know how to use this tool, hence, this guide! This guide will take you through the basics of the audiophile lingo, and teach you how to really listen to the music, not just hear it. As a result, you will not only enjoy your music more, but while attending live concerts, your heightened attention to sound will give you an even greater appreciation for the music. Keep in mind that the recorded samples linked to here will push your equipment to its limits. This is not damaging, but dont get frustrated if you cant really hear a certain part of the sound.maybe its time to upgrade! High Resolution - Rebeca Pidgeon - Spanish Harlem This is a very special recording with all the elements of an audiophile classic. First, Rebeccas voice should just breath. It should sound like there is space in front, behind, and to the sides. On high resolution systems, her voice will be so real, you will feel like you could reach out and touch her. Pay special attention to the bass. It should sound robust and deep, but also very detailed. You should listen closely for the sound of the fingers on the strings, or the strings occasionally hitting the fretboard. Also listen closely to the shaker. Each shake should sound distinct and different from the one before it. It should also sound like its place back in the soundstage (the area the music sounds like it fills). If they sound too similar, listen a couple more times.if still no dice, the system isnt resolving this fine detail. The string sound should occupy the same acoustic space as the rest of the band. The more you listen to this, the more youll understand what high resolution is all about. I still find myself finding new little pieces of detail each time I listen! Depth - Sara K. - If I Could Sing Your Blues The term depth is tossed around a lot in audio circles, and its meaning can be rather ambiguous.not this time. The trumpet that opens this piece was placed 10 feet away from the microphone, and provides us with a true test of depth reproduction. Sara should sound close, but her voice fills the studio with reverberation.listen to see if you can gauge the size of the studio. The guitar is intimate with a full, warm tone. Keep in mind that most modern records have artificial depth, added via rackmount effects and the like. These cannot be used reliably to gauge this important aspect of sound reproduction. Also keep in mind some of the high resolution queslisted for the sound of Saras lips smacking, or the pick (or fingernails) on the strings of the guitar. Atmosphere - Leny Andrade - Maiden Voyage There is a warm, inviting soundstage in this recording.the stage should be expansive, yet lennys voice is quite immediate (sounds close) with a wide dynamic range (lots of loud/soft contrast). The bass is full and warm, with the drums seeming to fill the room, forming a very lush recording. Youll find this one very relaxing. Midrange Purity - Livingston Taylor - Grandma's Hands On this acappella track, Livingston is accompanied by 3 soulful backup singers, and its a remarkable example of midrange purity. Try this: Snap your fingerslisten carefully to the sound that each snap makes. While listening to this recording, pay close attention to those recorded finger snaps. They should have the same unique, flesh and bone quality. Livingstons voice should have a good sense of chest. This meaning that you can hear that his whole body is contributing to the sound. It rather sounds like a person is singing, not a floating head, as is found in most recordings. His voice should sound very real, and very human. See if you can hear how many backup singers he has Naturalness - Ana Caram - Correnteza The natural acoustics of the church where this was recorded provided a perfect setting for this music. This piece opens with a rainforest of percussive effects and bird sounds, wich should envelop you. Next, the cello fills the church, to the point you can identify where its placed. Anas voice should sound so real, you should almost feel her breath as she sings. There should be no sense of an electronic glareyou should not hear your gear at all, only the music. Transparency - The Fred Hersh Trio - Played Twice Piano, bass, and drums. This recording is remarkably clean and powerful. Pay close attention the transient attack (the very start of the notewhether it starts sharply and abrupt, or lagging and slow) of the piano. Remember that the piano is a percussive instrument. The hammer strikes the strings.that percussive quality should be evident. The bass should sound warm and full, but not boomy. Each note should sound distinct. The pluck of the bass is heard quite clearly. The drums are setback behind the drums and the bass, and define the acoustics of the studio. This meaning that you should really get a feel for the size and wall coverings used in the studio, based on the drums sound. The cymbals sound very airy and delicate. If your system is capable, this recording will make the hardware seem to disappear, and only the music will remain. Presence - McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson - Ask Me Now Concentrate on Joes dazzeling sax work. This was recorded in a large studio, where joe was facing the back wall, 15 feet away. He is 3 feet from the mic. The sound should seem as though its coming from just right of center.not from any specific speaker, but from thin air. Listen to the detail in this recording.his breath, the mechanical sound of the keys, and most important, that warm tone. Also listen carefully to the reflection of the sound off of the back wall. The more discrete the sound of that reflection, the more detail the system is capable of. Ask yourself as you listen, how much do I believe that a man is standing between those two speakers? Visceral Impact - Monty Alexander - Sweet Georgia Brown This is a truly exciting piece. Listen carefully.youll hear two drummers (jazz and rock), and two basses (acoustic and electric). On high res systems, the different acoustic settings of each drum kit should be rather obvious. This track features some stunning dynamics, so play it loud! Rhythm and Pace - Johnny Frigo - I Love Paris 77 year old Johnny Frigo is having a grand old time, as well as his whole band. This energy and excitement is easily conveyed in the music. Rhythm and Pace refers to a systems ability to translate energy and excitement in the music. This is that foot tapping, wanna get up and shake my groove thing sound. If youre not physically responding to this track, check your pulse. In fact, with all high energy music, take note of your physical reactions. If youre not reacting, its time to upgrade. Focus - The Connecticut Early Music Festival Ensemble - Vivaldi, Flute Concerto in D Focus refers the outline of an instrument within a soundstage. You should be able to pick each instrument apart from the others, and listen to only one at a time. This recording has an extraordinary sense of focus. The flute used in this track is a mid-19th century bonwood, and it envokes a delicate beauty. Each note should sound distinct, and not at all blurred. Each instrument posses this quality. As with video, the sharper the image of each instrument within the sound, the better the focus. Holographic Imaging - Westmister Choir - Britten, Festival Te Deum This recording of a choir is recorded in St. Marys Cathedral.a truly marvelous place, acoustically speaking. Even on two speaker systems the sound should seem very 3 dimensional. There was only one microphone used for this recording, and it was perched atop a microphone boom, 35 feet in the air. The choir was in a high loft, above the pews. This means the mic was positioned in free space, with no reflecting surfaces nearby. You should be able to close your eyes and see the choir before you, and sense a large cathedral, 60 feet wide, 225 feet long, and 90 feet tall. Some systems will even resolve a sense of highth in this recording. The organ should sound very ambient, simply filling the cathedral with sound. That hissing noise you hear is not tape noise.its the sound of the valves from the organ. Transients - Solisti New York - Stravinsky, The Royal March Simply quick dynamic changes in the level of the music. These quick, dynamic shifts in the music generally provides quite a challenge for speakers and amplifiers. This track offers some incredible transients. The speaker drivers mass must therefore be able to start and stop with incredible precision. The grip and speed that the amplifier has over the sound will give a good indication of the quality of your hardware. The drums should sound very tight, which is one of the best tests for speaker and amplifier control. Bass Resonance - Chesky Jazz - Best of Chesky Jazz A solo standup bass in the middle of large studio. The bass is 3 feet from the mic. You should hear a strong transient pluck, followed by the resonance of the body of the instrument. This is a test of accuracy for woofers. Some woofers, when pushed to their limits will make non musical sounds. This Track is a good test of speaker design. Dynamics - Chesky Jazz - Best of Chesky Jazz Loud and soft.need I say more? Careful.this track gets loud. Did you notice the drummer putting both sticks in one hand at the end of the track? As with most new skills, listening takes time to hone and perfect.....practice makes perfect! NOTE: I apologize, but it's darn hard to upload music on a bad 56k line... links to the tracks will be added as they are uploaded. -Z " I hope you enjoyed this, I sure did! Here's the original link, just to give credit where it's due. http://www.fix-it.org/thread418.html -Joe

I was told on my subwoofer forum and by various people I chat with on head-fi that subwoofers tend to not use high-grade components internally and that it's always cleaner to just avoid using high level inputs instead, that I should just run the speaker wire directly from the main amp to the speakers. Also that and it's a long (20 feet or so per channel) string of speaker wire going from Amp>sub>speakers. Those reasons are pretty much why I became interested in disconnecting my speakers from teh sub and hooking them straight to my main amp. -Joe

Really? I don't really see how. The sub is mono, but it has a high level inputs (for speaker wire) and speaker outputs. I'm not using the single RCA to connect it to the sub. Is it because i'm giving it wattage (from my main amp) but not outputting it to the speakers through the other set of binding posts on the sub? Now i'm curious what a sub actually does with the power it gets from the amp after it's pulled the signal out of it when there's no place to output it to, does it just ground it? -Joe

Their both neutral amps. The HK has a plesant sound, but to me. The Teac has a MUCH more realistic sound if you will. What's the better deal? I believe the Teac is, but then again it's my opinion. I owned a vintage HK solid state and then I'll use this word, upgraded to the Teac. Their both great, the Teac can be had for $99 minimum, most of the time you can get the HK 430 cheaper than that. the HK was the "bang for the buck - deal of the year" amp for a few years until people started trying out modded sonic impacts and teac's (basically tripath amps that are built using decent parts). Keep in mind if you get the Teac, it's a good idea to get a preamp or if your using a computer, have volume keys on your keyboard, reaching around and adjusting the gain one channel at a time isnt the funnest thing in the world. Either way, but if i had a choice, it's the Teac which gives you lots of room for modding potential in case you want to get into that later down the road. Oh, and it gives you just a little flavor of the best of Tubes and SS gear, but it definately has it's own texture.. people knock it for the soundstaging, but modding it with good parts will completely destroy those statements. -Joe

I don't know if a lot of you peeps were around for when Fusion cables were big (I wasnt), but before Monster took over most of Radioshack's speaker wire/interconnect sections, Radioshack had a interconnect called the Fusion for a short while. Many audiophiles on other sites say that they prefer the RS Fusion cables to other higher brands (~$300 interconnects), and that these cables compete directly with DIY cables. The cables look much different than the Radioshack Goldseries that were used to, but their being called the same thing. Their essentially being silently faded back in in a FEW stores. In the tacoma/seattle area there's only 3 ratshacks that have it so far, out of maybe 10-12 stores (yes, i checked that many to find the 3' Fusion RCA interconnect, probably spent as much on the cable $12 as i did on gas, heh). The cables have a flow direction arrow telling you which way to plug in the interconnect, they have this because they have a RF/EMI "ferrite bead" filter on it (sounds like a gimmick to me!). But i thought, what the hell, might as well replace my ~1985 RCA's i got from my dad's old stereo. These are not my pictures btw, i found them on the head-fi forum. So far to me, the cables sound "different". More musical? Maybe.. It most likely placebo, but this is pretty strong placebo, it feels like it somehow shifted my soundstage. Sort of like a camera out of focus being more in focus now, but once again, i'm not discounting my brain "wanting" to hear a difference because i swear i can hear more forward mids and upper bass and the soundstage is just wider... Either way their freaking heavy cables, very well built, i highly recommend them. Good luck in finding them -Joe

The bi-wire solution seems to work out nicely. I just twisted the stranded monster cable together, jammed part of it in the binding post and screwed it down tight Are there any negatives with connecting two speaker wires to one terminal? Would there, for example, with 16GA wire i have, be too much resistance? I don't want the amplifier to look like a current source where the freq response of the speaker rises and falls on the impediance curve. I guess this seems like worked out without me having to spend a penny, nice! Time to get my money back from ratshack. -Joe

Imagine tons of thin wire carrying power that runs hundreds of feet, then imagine monster cable running at the last 6 feet of the power. Do you *honestly* believe that a higher end power cable will fix all the interference and fluxuations in power before it? Just follow ohms law, your senses, and don't believe the marketting hype on power cords. The only real way to clean up power is to use an SLA battery to power your amps. At least that's what i've read. -Joe

Yeah, I turned my whole system into a mono one, looks like i'll have to buy something like this to actually get it done. http://www.edcorusa.com/sound/matchers/s2m.htm I REALLY dont want to invest that much money just to free my speakers from having to go through the subwoofer to get subwoofer output. What's the cheapest option that I have? I'm half tempted to use my old amp and biamp it. buy a couple 1/4" male Y-split to two RCA-Female's then have them split to go to two different amps, one to my sub, one to my mains, but i dont want to have to run another amp, i like keeping everything short/simple and clean and power friendly. Is the above method cleaner than using a resistor? or how about biwiring instead of biamping from my main amp to the sub's high level inputs and my speakers? is that a bad idea? -Joe

Hi, i'd like to bypass using the high-level inputs on my sub for my stereo system. My source has two 1/4" female mono connectors for each channel. Right now I have 1/4">RCA adaptors, then i have a two RCA cables going to my amp. Then the speaker wire from the amp to the sub then out to the speakers. What components do I have to buy at ratshack to get the effect I'm after? I can buy two of these. http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=274-880 one for each channel. Then i'll have 4 RCA outputs, two for the amp, then two that I have to combine into a mono signal for the subwoofer's RCA input. Is there anything i've overlooked? Cause I really can't find a stereo > mono adapter anywhere to get both channels to combine to mono for the sub. If i run a test signal only one channel puts out bass when i move the balance between left and right using this. http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=274-881 I'm guessing that the part i just listed is for going one way not the other. Are there any adapters that do this? Any help is appreciated, -Joe

Right, the AV-710 isnt THAT much worse than the 0404. And a modded AV-710 really fly's as well, but so does a modded 0404/1212m with all BlackGate caps. The AV-710 is a great choice if you plan to just use it for stereo playback, but make sure you have it set up so your outputting to the wolfson dac like what tofu said. If your going to be playing games, watching movies, listening to music but NOT recording anything (except maybe a microphone for games) then the AV-710 is WHAT YOU SHOULD BUY, it has a very rich sound stock, the 0404 is better, but is it worth 4x the cost? it's up to you. If i had a choice and if I were in the buyer's shoes today. I'd save $75, buy the AV-710 and put the money into the Teac. -Joe

While I do love PC's as a source if you get a high quality sound card. There's plenty of advantages of being able to make playlists of some 5000+ songs in my library, and just jump around to anything in less than a split second. I owned the Logitech Z-680's. I just CANT compliment a logitech sub. It's a freaking one note wonder. It simply destroy's any trace of clean bass in a system. It's good for rap music though when the bass is just pretty much one note. Besides that, the logitech system is okay. Nothing in the PC world sound's as good as the Creative Gigaworks or the Klipsch Promedia Ultra 5.1's, for bass as well as mids/highs. Just ask the ear about PC sound systems, he bought like 20 of em just to compare them. -Joe

Dangit! I live in tacoma too! Sucks being poor in college... -Joe

very nice choice with the e-mu, i have the 0404 + teac al700p + rb-25's (not too different from your system). There's only three amps I can recommend under 200. That's the Teac for 99, the sonic impact which lacks bass unless you mod the input DC capacitors (then the bass below 80hz comes back up big time). You can buy that here http://si5.com/frontEnd/cm_productDetail.jsp?productID=18 but i'm sure there's cheaper places online. Keep in mind with the Sonic Impact you have to have money put aside for the AC Adpator. And the good old HK 430 on ebay, can't go wrong with this one. Either way, if you can get your hands on a tripath chip, the 0404 and some klipsch speakers, your in for one of the most detail-revealing systems around. if you REALLY cant stretch out for the $99 teac and get the sonic impact, you are going to lose bass, i highly recommend you mod it or find someone who can if you decide to go the cheaper route. Even if you dont mod the Sonic Impact, i can help you set up a couple shelf equalizers in your EMU patchmix that'll bring the bass right up to level but if your using batteries to power it, the extra bass output will drain em faster. Good luck! -Joe

Click Me!!! You can email one of the redwine guys and ask how much it is to send in your teac and have JUST the battery mods, in case you don't want/care about all the other stuff or just want to save money. The clari-t amp is freaking nice too though built with 100% high end parts... but the teac's big shoebox size lets you stick in two SLA batteries for unequaled clean power. So not only does your amp become portable, but it'll have the cleanest power. and one thing i've noticed with these digital amps, that clean power and a clean input from a source means a lot to how natural the amps sound. -Joe

Grado SR-60's are STILL the best bang for your buck in the headphone world. http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/all-headphones/grado-sr-60.php If you can spring for maybe 50 more bucks after shipping, get this baby, smooth as butter with bass that will shame any speaker. http://www.audiocubes.com/product/Audio-Technica_ATH-A500_Art_Headphone.html -Joe

I still get awe-struck how in so many reviews of Tripath-amps people classify them after their re-built or built using high end audio parts that they are in the same "vein" as some of the best SS and Tube gear >$5000. but keep in mind a few posts above when Putzys puts in his sig. "Bruno Putzeys. Chief Engineer, Phillips Laboratories." that after that point it's Bryston talking and putting their own spin on the technology trying to downplay what Putzeys stated. Basically, from what I understand, if I ignore the bryston spin, that Class D amps will eventually take over the sub $3-5000 market, and anybody who's willing to spend more than that will still be able to choose between Tube/SS/Class D gear because some people love the chesty/sweet mids of high end tube gear, some like the punch you in the gut bass of high end SS and I can't see that going away for a while. But he does have a point that Class D will take over the consumer markets, I believe this is the case because A) It's a hell of a lot cheaper to manuf. (more volume) They can now spend $150 for parts per amp and turn around and sell it for $2-3000. (more profit) C) The biggest points. Size and power consumption. (less energy) D) And finally, audiophile sound without you emptying your wallet. (bang for the buck) Either way, like I said a few months ago, Digital is here to stay. It bests Class A/AB in enough areas to warrant it's dominance in the next few years, like what MP3's are doing w/ CD's, and what CD's did with vynil, it's just progression, except this time, the sound quality might not suffer but get better for most consumers. -Joe

the HK-430 or any Harman Kardon x30 like is fan-freaking-tastic on klipsch speakers. Their all really really good sounding, grab one on ebay. 430 730 930, their all good and i think most everybody agree's, their an awesome budget amp for any klipsch speaker. -Joe

Here do this. Unhook all the sources TO the amplifier. So you just have Amp>speakerwire>rb-35's. Then listen for the hiss from the tweeter. If you hear it, it's a very noisy amp. I'd suggest getting one with a low floor noise level. on the other hand, if you dont hear it, then hook back up your source, if it's hissing then it's your source. More than likely it's the amp though. Again, there's not much you can do about that, besides get a better amp. Also you said when the bass hits the static/hissing gets louder, that pretty much confirms it's the amp because bass draw's more out of the amp's power supply. If you want a hi-fi and cheap solution, get this baby. http://www.needledoctor.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.1/it.A/id.2206/.f it's NOT NOT NOT a cable issue, cable's dont cause "hiss" amplifiers and bad sources do. Klipsch speakers are known for revealing detail, and one thing they will reveal are your amplifier's and source's qualities. -Joe

it's not a bad idea to download NCH Tone Generator, drag your laptop/computer into the music room and hook up your PC and then generate some tones. At least you'll be able to do any frequency you want, with white/pink noise, sine waves, square waves, etc etc. -Joe

Darn you for posting the links! I just went through a sleepless night just to read pretty much every PDF on the HK site. I'll make up for ths sleep when i'm old I guess, What i'm about to say is from what I've concluded, i'm by far no audio engineer, so feel free to correct me. While I try not to take all new information as gospel when I read it, their testing in the 2nd paper of the series rotating the speakers is REALLY interesting. but i think somewhat inaccurate for horn designs that sort of beam out a nice sweet spot. Horns would also completely change how sound bounces around a room. If i put my head above the speaker while it's playing, the tweeter is SO much quieter than say a ribbon or common dome tweeter. Also If you sit in the middle of the room. All you really need is good dampening behind you with horns because their so much more directional (this is especially the case if you want to prevent the highs from sounding tinny) From my experiences though, and going back to the topic, to get a 20-40Hz waveforms to 'express' in my 12x13x8 room, i have to set up about 4 parametric equalizers fighting and working with room modes to get a nice flat response. -Joe

I've left mine on all the time since I got it. It's pretty efficient w/ power sitting doing nothing, plus i've heard somewhere that leaving SS gear on all the time gives it a better sound because none of the parts inside have to "warm up". -Joe