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Είναι πάνω από 10 χρόνια που μια ελληνική σελίδα για τον ήχο βρέθηκε να είναι μέσα στις 5-10 προτιμήσεις του Yahoo! (βλέπε http://web.archive.org/web/19970605145800/www.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Audio_Visual_Equipment/ )
Ηταν δική μου. Και το είχα ξεχάσει... και βρέθηκε ένας συντονιστής εδώ - ο Αντώνης - που με προσκάλεσε εδώ -χωρίς να το θέλει - να μου το θυμίσει, επίσης χωρίς να το θέλει.
Η σελίδα ή μέρη της ίσως να είναι ακόμα στο web archive ( http://web.archive.org/web/19970412020054/www.webads.gr/users/dimitris/hifi.htm ) αλλά δεν ξέρω για πόσο ακόμη...
Ετσι είπα να αντιγράψω κι εδώ το περιεχόμενό της στην περίπτωση που το web archive αποφασίσει να τις αφαιρέσει.
Τα κεφάλαια ήταν τα εξής:
HisStory
I started with hi-fi audio as a student in Manchester. One of my fellow flat mates - Joel Benford - was a guy who had left the City at 30 to study Engineering (!) and he had brought with him a ROKSAN turntable (with an SME IV tonearm and an AUDIO TECHNICA MC-5 cartridge), NAIM AUDIO Amps and NAIM SBL Speakers as well as a SONY walkman PRO as a "deck". In addition to the continuous bombardment by Joel at home (who by the way played great, for me, records), one of my lecturers in Analogue Design was Dr (Bob) Wilson, the man who (as a student) designed for QUAD the first high-end IC Amp back in the seventies. So I fell for it and I don't regret it. I started with the low end - a CREEK 4140 Amplifier, the LINN AXIS/AKITO/AT 5 turntable, LINN INDEX speakers and a DENON DRM 600 recorder.
A substantial amount of my resources continues to be invested (consumed?) in this 'consumer topic'. This explains why And or ADD or AD appear in the headers.
ADVantage - My hifi principles
Before proceeding any further, I would like to state that I am not one of these buffs who spend more time cleaning their records and cartridges than listening to music or those who are putting their CDs in freezers. The main advantage of my system is that I can listen to it for hours without giving me a headache even when I play the `Daydream Nation` (by Sonic Youth) whereas in most low-fi systems even Vivaldi can tire me soon. I guess it is similar to the difference between `good` and `bad` cars: With a `good` car you drive at 220 Km/h and it feels like driving with less than 100, whereas with a 'bad' car you drive at 100 and you think that you about to take-off!
ADvice - For absolute beginners
Out there, exists a plethora of "specialists" ready to advise you about what is good for you! Don't just listen to them. Listen to the equipment before you buy it. Although you may believe that the truth is simple and one, you may agree on that everybody perceives it differently. The ear is a unique device having different response characteristics for each one of us. You are only allowed to listen the advice of those who will actually live with the system. Take your favourite records with you and listen to a few, yourself.
You never know...you may discover that you are tone-deaf and therefore you may consider that spending lets say $5.000 for a source and a matching amount for the rest, makes no (audible) sense to you! If this is your case, you can buy on the basis of aesthetics and facilities. It is important to listen to tracks that you are familiar with. I recall that I bought my first CD player (ARCAM Alpha), after listening to a few, because the way that "Shine on you crazy diamond" sounded reminded me the sound that I had heard in a crappy deck on holidays as a teenager. It had "bass" whereas the most `cheap` CD players may have a `bright`and `polished` sound but they lack "bass". And if all the above doesn't convience you, allow me to quote Dr. Wilson: "The are no words to describe just sound; people describe the sound quality by associating it with the sense of taste or weight (sweet, heavy, light etc)."
If you still want to get some more (mis)information from others on hi-fi, please consider the following paragraphs:
AdVICE - For beginners - (aren't we all?)
Hi-Fi can be thought of as a precision measuring instrument. In an LP, for example, you try to measure (read) the grooves and then amplify the signal to a level that sufficiently excites the speakers in order to listen to it. So if the 'source' cannot pick-up the information accurately, the amplifier will amplify something else etc. Hi-fi is the system that reproduces well what the artist originally recorded. It is not a system that helps the user to alter the original recording (equalizers, tremble/bass/loudness knobs do not exist in hi-fi systems). Even the existence of these added facilities has an impact to the quality of the original recording. I understand that many have got used to intervene to the sound. But if you consider that music is Art then you may compare this behaviour to lets say attending a Theatrical Play or a Film and demanding to change it the way they like! It sounds rediculous and not just because it is technically impossible at the moment. My advice when budgeting for the purchase of a good system is to pay particular attention to the source(s). Remember, garbage in-garbage out. So your best piece has to be your source.
ADapt - Fine tuning a system -a coarse guide
Both the room geometry and composition (floor, curtains, furniture etc) have enormous impact to the sound. So when installing your system at home you may find that it doesn't quite sound like the system you chose at your Hi-Fi retailer. Since you won`t have the knobs to alter the sound you may attempt the following modifications: <Br>
Make sure that your speakers are grounded well to the floor, by using a base of high rigidity (similarly your turntable to the ground or wall). The best interface between the speaker-base and base-floor are spikes. Please bear in mind that these gadgets are, generally, the most profitable (net profit as percentage of their retail price) for the retailers and you are better-off buying the stands recommended by the speaker manufacturer - or the stands employed during the audition (the good retailer will change those with the speakers).
The positioning of the speakers does influence the tone of the sound. A rule of thumb is that by placing the back of the speakers closer to the wall the `bass` is highlighted, but placement of the speakers near the corners should be avoided. If the problems persist seek the opinion of an expert (retailer/specialist press journalist). At this stage you can be sure that your expert will give you the best possible advice he can.
mAD? - Inter-connecting pitfalls
ately there is a lot of talk about cables and interconnects and I have to admit that these petit discussions are as relevant to Hi-Fi as lets say the 'Save the Whale'
movements to a starving Ethiopian (or to a homeless citizen). Don't go for expensive cables and interconnects unless you want to impress somebody else for everything but your sense (or you couldn`t find a more expensive/better source)! QED make some decent component interconnects and, if you can spend some money, go for silver interconnects and cables for all components except for the speakers. For the speakers you can use affordable, good quality, copper cables. Speaker cables of large crossectional diameter usually offer better performance at low frequencies, whereas solid cables of small crossection perform better at the high end of the audible spectrum. I use the directional and affordable Naim 5 cables by Naim Audio which are made of copper and have large crossection.
As far as (inter)connections are concerned, make sure that your units are supplied by different sockets or that the multiple socket that you use is of good quality (it matters greatly for the different units to use different ways-paths to the electrical `ground`) and that all your connections are tight. Finally, bear in mind that the 50/60 Hz frequency (mains) will slowly, but surely, `loosen` the screws in the plugs so check them out at `regular` intervals.
Ηταν δική μου. Και το είχα ξεχάσει... και βρέθηκε ένας συντονιστής εδώ - ο Αντώνης - που με προσκάλεσε εδώ -χωρίς να το θέλει - να μου το θυμίσει, επίσης χωρίς να το θέλει.
Η σελίδα ή μέρη της ίσως να είναι ακόμα στο web archive ( http://web.archive.org/web/19970412020054/www.webads.gr/users/dimitris/hifi.htm ) αλλά δεν ξέρω για πόσο ακόμη...
Ετσι είπα να αντιγράψω κι εδώ το περιεχόμενό της στην περίπτωση που το web archive αποφασίσει να τις αφαιρέσει.
Τα κεφάλαια ήταν τα εξής:
HisStory
I started with hi-fi audio as a student in Manchester. One of my fellow flat mates - Joel Benford - was a guy who had left the City at 30 to study Engineering (!) and he had brought with him a ROKSAN turntable (with an SME IV tonearm and an AUDIO TECHNICA MC-5 cartridge), NAIM AUDIO Amps and NAIM SBL Speakers as well as a SONY walkman PRO as a "deck". In addition to the continuous bombardment by Joel at home (who by the way played great, for me, records), one of my lecturers in Analogue Design was Dr (Bob) Wilson, the man who (as a student) designed for QUAD the first high-end IC Amp back in the seventies. So I fell for it and I don't regret it. I started with the low end - a CREEK 4140 Amplifier, the LINN AXIS/AKITO/AT 5 turntable, LINN INDEX speakers and a DENON DRM 600 recorder.
A substantial amount of my resources continues to be invested (consumed?) in this 'consumer topic'. This explains why And or ADD or AD appear in the headers.
ADVantage - My hifi principles
Before proceeding any further, I would like to state that I am not one of these buffs who spend more time cleaning their records and cartridges than listening to music or those who are putting their CDs in freezers. The main advantage of my system is that I can listen to it for hours without giving me a headache even when I play the `Daydream Nation` (by Sonic Youth) whereas in most low-fi systems even Vivaldi can tire me soon. I guess it is similar to the difference between `good` and `bad` cars: With a `good` car you drive at 220 Km/h and it feels like driving with less than 100, whereas with a 'bad' car you drive at 100 and you think that you about to take-off!
ADvice - For absolute beginners
Out there, exists a plethora of "specialists" ready to advise you about what is good for you! Don't just listen to them. Listen to the equipment before you buy it. Although you may believe that the truth is simple and one, you may agree on that everybody perceives it differently. The ear is a unique device having different response characteristics for each one of us. You are only allowed to listen the advice of those who will actually live with the system. Take your favourite records with you and listen to a few, yourself.
You never know...you may discover that you are tone-deaf and therefore you may consider that spending lets say $5.000 for a source and a matching amount for the rest, makes no (audible) sense to you! If this is your case, you can buy on the basis of aesthetics and facilities. It is important to listen to tracks that you are familiar with. I recall that I bought my first CD player (ARCAM Alpha), after listening to a few, because the way that "Shine on you crazy diamond" sounded reminded me the sound that I had heard in a crappy deck on holidays as a teenager. It had "bass" whereas the most `cheap` CD players may have a `bright`and `polished` sound but they lack "bass". And if all the above doesn't convience you, allow me to quote Dr. Wilson: "The are no words to describe just sound; people describe the sound quality by associating it with the sense of taste or weight (sweet, heavy, light etc)."
If you still want to get some more (mis)information from others on hi-fi, please consider the following paragraphs:
AdVICE - For beginners - (aren't we all?)
Hi-Fi can be thought of as a precision measuring instrument. In an LP, for example, you try to measure (read) the grooves and then amplify the signal to a level that sufficiently excites the speakers in order to listen to it. So if the 'source' cannot pick-up the information accurately, the amplifier will amplify something else etc. Hi-fi is the system that reproduces well what the artist originally recorded. It is not a system that helps the user to alter the original recording (equalizers, tremble/bass/loudness knobs do not exist in hi-fi systems). Even the existence of these added facilities has an impact to the quality of the original recording. I understand that many have got used to intervene to the sound. But if you consider that music is Art then you may compare this behaviour to lets say attending a Theatrical Play or a Film and demanding to change it the way they like! It sounds rediculous and not just because it is technically impossible at the moment. My advice when budgeting for the purchase of a good system is to pay particular attention to the source(s). Remember, garbage in-garbage out. So your best piece has to be your source.
ADapt - Fine tuning a system -a coarse guide
Both the room geometry and composition (floor, curtains, furniture etc) have enormous impact to the sound. So when installing your system at home you may find that it doesn't quite sound like the system you chose at your Hi-Fi retailer. Since you won`t have the knobs to alter the sound you may attempt the following modifications: <Br>
Make sure that your speakers are grounded well to the floor, by using a base of high rigidity (similarly your turntable to the ground or wall). The best interface between the speaker-base and base-floor are spikes. Please bear in mind that these gadgets are, generally, the most profitable (net profit as percentage of their retail price) for the retailers and you are better-off buying the stands recommended by the speaker manufacturer - or the stands employed during the audition (the good retailer will change those with the speakers).
The positioning of the speakers does influence the tone of the sound. A rule of thumb is that by placing the back of the speakers closer to the wall the `bass` is highlighted, but placement of the speakers near the corners should be avoided. If the problems persist seek the opinion of an expert (retailer/specialist press journalist). At this stage you can be sure that your expert will give you the best possible advice he can.
mAD? - Inter-connecting pitfalls
ately there is a lot of talk about cables and interconnects and I have to admit that these petit discussions are as relevant to Hi-Fi as lets say the 'Save the Whale'
movements to a starving Ethiopian (or to a homeless citizen). Don't go for expensive cables and interconnects unless you want to impress somebody else for everything but your sense (or you couldn`t find a more expensive/better source)! QED make some decent component interconnects and, if you can spend some money, go for silver interconnects and cables for all components except for the speakers. For the speakers you can use affordable, good quality, copper cables. Speaker cables of large crossectional diameter usually offer better performance at low frequencies, whereas solid cables of small crossection perform better at the high end of the audible spectrum. I use the directional and affordable Naim 5 cables by Naim Audio which are made of copper and have large crossection.
As far as (inter)connections are concerned, make sure that your units are supplied by different sockets or that the multiple socket that you use is of good quality (it matters greatly for the different units to use different ways-paths to the electrical `ground`) and that all your connections are tight. Finally, bear in mind that the 50/60 Hz frequency (mains) will slowly, but surely, `loosen` the screws in the plugs so check them out at `regular` intervals.
