the contemporary shopping lifestyle

Guest post by author Robert Wayne. This is Part 3 of Audio, the Quest for Individual Nirvana.

It is more important to find good synergistic match between your amplifier and speakers more so then any other two components. There needs to be a companionship between the two or you will never get good results and probably get very aggravated along the way. When creating a system, in particular when you’re putting things together for the first time, you must look at the big picture or you’ll be endlessly back pedaling. Like I said in the speaker article, you should have a very good idea of what you want before you start buying components, this is very true of both speakers and amplifier, you may not purchase them at the same time but you should know what your getting into, so you don’t box yourself into a corner.

Again, you have to answer some long range questions before you can safely move on. First of all you MUST know what your powering, pick speakers first, amp second; it is much harder to find a speaker you can live with then an amp you can live with. By this time you must know if you want multichannel or stereo. You also must have a broad outline of what you want for sources, cd player, dvd player, gaming system, turn table, etc… You also have to decide if you want an active pre-amp or do you want to explore other options. Before we jump into some of those specifics we’ll discuss the various types of amps, what type of speakers they work well with and what other options are out there.

There are two completely different types of amps and in then many different designs inside each type. There are tube amps, which use tubes instead of more modern semi-conductor devices in the input and output stage and Solid-State(SS) which replaces the tubes with more modern semi-conductor devices. Explaining the two and debating which is better is a never ending battle, so for sake of these articles we will keep the technicalities and opinions minimal, unless, of course, there is interest in having a more in depth discussion of tubes vs. SS. To complicate things there are many different tube and SS designs and more recently they have combined both and created what are known as hybrids, which use tubed input stage and SS output stage. There are a few generalities we will go over about each and break them into a few groups and briefly discuss the benefits and shortcomings associate with all of them.

Starting with SS, the common classes are: Class A, Class B, Class AB and Class D. Keeping things simple, class A is best described as conducting full output power at an idle and as you use them the power is sent to the speaker and using less electricity. Class A amplifiers are typically more linear and less complex then other types, but this comes at the expense of extreme inefficiency, which also equates to heat. Class B are not that common and the simple explanation of how they operate is they have at least two output devices running at half “power” which equals the same single output device running at full power, this creates less heat, and more power from less electricity. Class AB combines both, and switches as it most efficient, idling they don’t get near as warm as Class A and they will offer the first few watts in Class A with the bulk of the power being Class B. Class D is known as a switching amplifier and is more complex, but much more efficient, only recently have Class D entered the realm of Hi-Fi but as they refine them this seems to be the clear future for SS. They are smaller, lighter, more efficient, and more powerful then Class A, B or AB. As this technology develops they become significantly better, a few years ago Class D amps were laughed at, now they are becoming a major players in the amplification game. Class D are often referred to as “digital” amps and this is a misunderstanding, they are not digital, while they can use digital output signal control they can also use analog signal control. Typically the input modulation is digitally controlled, which is how this improper term has been cast on Class D. Many like Class A from a purist sense, they are simpler and thus a less corrupt path for the signal to travel, with Class B being more complex, Class AB taking it one step further with Class D being the most complex. Subsequently Class D will produce the most wattage from the least amount of electricity, followed by Class B and AB, in terms of absolute power output these two should be very similar in power consumption used to create the power, with Class A being the least efficient. Typically SS amps produce more power at lower impedance but are safe to operate in the 4 through 8 range, before you go higher or lower you should make sure the amp is stable enough to handle the load.

If your not confused yet, you will be soon! Tube amps are even more confusing, despite the older and simpler technology, it is an unknown world to most and thus very confusing at first glance. There are 3 main varieties of tube amps, Single ended triode(SET), Push-pull and output transformer less(OTL), these are general terms and there are other types that some would argue are their own category but for the sake of keeping it simple, we’ll lump everything in these categories. Tube amps differ from SS not just in sonic signature but in how they operate best, SET and OTL amps typically work better on 8 ohm and higher speakers, some are capable of powering speakers of lower impedance but these are the exception rather then the rule. Most SS amps double as the impedance is halved, tube amps will do nearly the opposite, producing more power with higher impedance, with in reason of course. Push-pull amplifiers are more flexible, in fact, many modern amps using this design are capable of powering 4 ohm speakers with aplomb, but check with the manufacturer before you assume anything. SET and OTL are the simpler and purer form of tube amps, but have limitations, in particular with SET’s they usually only produce very small amounts of power and thus require extremely efficient speakers. True OTL amplifiers work much better on higher impedance speakers, however there are hybrid OTL amplifiers that do have an output transformer, but not in the conventional sense, it buffers between the speaker and amplifier so the amp sees a safe impedance for the amp, working more passively then a conventional output transformer, some argue that these are not true OTL’s because there is a transformer in the output stage of the amp, regardless how it is implemented.

Tube amps require more hands on attention then SS, essentially all you have to do is let a SS warm up to proper operating temperature(which may literally take days) and it will perform optimally. On the other hand tube amps require more attention, and subsequently can be tuned with tube rolling. Tube Rolling is what it is called when you swap different manufactured tubes into the amp. Tubes also wear out, so it is an added expense, rare tubes can get very expensive, but can also completely change how the amp sounds. Typically tube amps will have input tubes(which are usually fairly small), output tubes(which usually are larger) and also sometimes come with driver tubes -which have little to no impact on the sound. Tubes also require what is known as biasing, some amplifiers come with what is known as auto-bias, which means they bias themselves, others require a more involved procedure. Biasing, is in simplest terms described as adjusting the voltage so it is with in the specified range of the manufacturer, this is required on every output tube. The principle is the same for all tube amps, however the procedure itself can vary greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer. So if tubes are an added expense, and requires significantly more maintenance you might be asking yourself why anyone uses them, good question. Tube amps sound very different from SS, they are more organic with a euphonic “glow” to the sound. This may sound ridiculous right now, but after you listen to several of both it will be easily discernible. And yet some audiophiles just like the hands on involvement tubes add to a system, it makes them feel more connected to the system. I’ve owned both and enjoy both immensely, but for very different reasons. There is no right or wrong answer, it depends what you want, what your powering and how involved you want to be in maintaining your system. In addition to the ease of operation of SS amplifiers, they are known for controlling the speaker and producing phenomenal bass, being low in distortion. They don’t have the organic tone tube amps do, some feel this tone is distortion and corrupts the music and others feel it brings them greater satisfaction. There is no way of knowing which you prefer with out listening for yourself. I will mention that due to the demands of home theater systems, most use SS amplifiers for the power and control, though some have successfully used tubes and swear by them.

In the last few years there have been more hybrid amps coming to the market, these bridge the gap between tubes and SS. They have a tube input stage with SS output stage, this give you the ability to roll tubes and tune the sound to your preference and the power, control and efficiency of SS. Typically, input tubes last much longer then output tubes, are cheaper and don’t require biasing. This is a much more flexible option for those who want some of the tube “magic” but don’t want to deal with the work tube amps require. The bulk of hybrid amps are integrated amps, which is an amplifier, with multiple inputs and a volume control - much like a receiver in the mid-fi world, however, these have no digital signal processing and are basically a two channel preamp and amplifier built into one. While many audiophile disregard integrated amps, they offer a tremendous value and are usually only marginally compromise sound quality compared to separates and often will save you thousands.

As you begin your quest for audio nirvana I am sure there will be specific questions about both types of amplifiers, I will try to frequent these articles to help guide you through the confusing audio maze. In the mean time be sure to check back in often as the next article comes your way, for the next article I will combine two components, sources and preamps - this should be less confusing then the speaker and amplifier articles.

Guest post by author Robert Wayne. This is Part 2 of Audio, the Quest for Individual Nirvana.

Speakers are the hardest part of the puzzle to get right, there are thousands of options and, in my experience, are the single most important piece of the audio system. You must make a number of important decisions at this time or it will cost you a lot of money over time and even more aggravation. Now is the time you have to be honest with yourself about what you want, what you can afford and ultimately what will fit best into your life.

The first serious decision you have to make is multi-channel or stereo, there are many ways of configuring a multichannel system, 5.1, 7.1, phantom center channel or even 3.1. We won’t get into the break down of all the possible configurations of multichannel and how they can be implemented in this article, but will address the subject in much greater detail as this saga unfolds. If you decide to go multi-channel many stereo speakers are no longer options because there is no complimenting center or surrounds, of course you could run the same speakers in all 5(or 7) channels but that may get expensive and create other headaches. Typically, I’d recommend using center channel designed to work with the stereo speakers and a complimenting surround speaker from the same manufacturer and the same line of speakers. To pull of multichannel properly voice matched speakers are imperative, trying to combine mismatched brands of speakers in a multichannel system will never yield great results. Personally, I am a stereo guy, I don’t like noises coming from behind me, I’ve experienced excellent multichannel systems and can enjoy them, but at the end of the day I want to come home and enjoy a simple two channel system. One more quick note about this before we continue, there seems to be a stigma associated with stereo’s that you can’t have a home theater and that is not the case. You can very easily have a 2.1 system or even just a basic two channel system with display to view movies. Due to the simplicity of using fewer components, your budget will go much further and allow you to buy higher quality components. A Phantom setup, does not employ a center channel, just a front left and right speaker, by using higher quality speakers it allows better imaging and in many cases a very strong, pronounced center image, when done right it will leave you speechless.

Picking the right speaker for you also means picking the right speaker for your room. Room and speaker interaction can vary greatly, if you have a smaller room a large speaker typically won’t work well and vice versa. Even if a speaker auditions well in a fancy audio salon it may not perform to the same level in your home. There are tricks that audio shops use to make speakers perform better, room treatment that go in corners, side, front and back walls, there are simple tweaks that you can mimic at home for very little money, but again, this will be the subject of an article to come. A common thing they do is to have splayed walls, this technique, including the ceiling, does offer better sound, but in most homes simply is not an option. When auditioning, pay attention to the room your in, it may give you a false sense of what you’ll be capable of getting at home.

Let’s talk about specs for a while, of course there are the physical dimensions of the speaker, they should be available on the manufacturers website and you should be able to see just how big they are before you buy them. I would never recommend buying a speaker without listening to it first, not only do you get to hear its “voice” but you get to see the finish, the actual size, the quality of its fit and finish, etc. Next is the weight, while not the most important spec, it’s worth noting roughly what the speaker weighs, after all you will have to move it around from time to time, set it up and live with it. If your single and weigh 100 lbs., you probably shouldn’t buy a speaker that weighs 800 lbs. and plan on moving it much. Shipping and handling can become troublesome with large and heavy speakers, so think about that before purchasing. Weather it is resale or you moving, it is a problem you have to deal with eventually. Lets move on to more interesting specs and what they mean in your life.

Frequency response, it is important to understand the human ear can hear from 20Hz to 20,000Hz, 20 being the lowest bass and 20,000 being the highest treble. There are exception, some humans can hear a little lower then 20Hz and some can hear higher then 20,000, and very few have perfect hearing across the entire bandwidth, there may be(and probably are) peaks and valleys in your hearing, unknown to you. It is also important to note that around the age of 30 it is common for hearing to drop off -1 dB above 10k and continue to drop slightly for the rest of your life. This explains why we have different preferences and what sounds good to one may not sound good to another. With that said, be your own judge, don’t let someone else tell you how something should sound to you, listen for yourself and see what you think. Regular CD, known as “redbook CD” only produces 20-20kHz, however, other high-rez digital formats, including SACD and DVD-audio are capable of greater bandwidth and records(vinyl) are capable of nearly limitless bandwidth(though any extreme is probably distortion). Many listeners prefer a speaker capable of higher then 20kHz because they claim the cut off is not abrupt and it is “smoother.” Same holds true to below 20Hz, it can’t be heard by most, but it can be felt, in particular in movies, extreme low frequency information adds a lot to the experience. Getting a true audiophile grade speaker with greater bandwidth on both ends then 20 and 20kHz at ±1 dB is typically very expensive. Many like to employ powered subwoofers to augment the bass, this will add a lot of cost effective bass, but integration is always an issue. I’ve only heard one or two systems in my life where the powered sub was dialed in properly, and they were with megabuck systems that had true full range speakers to compliment them. In short, unless you plan to listen to a format that offers extended frequency response don’t worry about going higher then 20kHz, and buy the lowest bass that you can afford, in a package that you life. Like all aspects of audio there are exceptions to this, and we will cover them in articles to come.

Impedance is probably the most misunderstood aspect of a speaker. Most know it is a measure of resistance, measured in ohms, but what does that mean in your life? Potentially a lot, mass produced speakers over the last 30 years have an impedance measuring from around 1.3-24 ohms, while that is not a huge range, in the world of ohms and home audio they are light years apart. Most modern speakers are in the 3.5-8 ohm range which is much easier to manage. The impedance of a speaker has nothing to do with it’s sound, even the most experienced listener cannot discern a 4 ohm speaker from an 8 ohm speaker by listening. Impedance is important when it comes to matching an amplifier with a speaker, as a general rule solid state amps produce more power at lower ohm ratings, though going too low can be extremely dangerous and tube amps operate better at higher ohms, again not going to an extreme. Most main stream amps and speakers will operate safely in the 4 to 8 range. So don’t base your speaker purchase exclusively on its impedance, that has more to do with amplifier matching to your speaker. There will be an article about amplifiers in the next few weeks and we will touch on this in more detail then. In the mean time don’t get too hung up on this as a spec, it’s much harder to find a speaker that will make you happy then an amp that will work well with it.

Recommended power is usually a broad range of power the manufacturer recommends to power the speaker safely, it is typically measured in watts. However, watts are not all comparable, current, measured in amps needs to be taken into consideration. Also if the amp is class A or class AB or any of the newer circuit designs that are become popular, like ICE or class D. Use this as a broad outline, but don’t base the purchase on this spec, there are very few speakers that present an impossible situation, and this has little to do with it, it is usually a tough combination of impedance and sensitivity that creates the problem.

Sensitivity is how efficient the speaker is, it is usually, again there are exceptions to the rule, measured in dB at 1 watt/ 1 meter using 2.83 volts. Some speakers have different dispersion and are measured at 2,3 or even 4 meters or using higher voltage which makes the speaker seem more efficient then it really is. Most speakers range from the low 80’s to the mid-low 100’s, with the bulk of speakers falling somewhere in the middle. Sensitivity as a whole, much like impedance will have no impact on the sound, per se. Though to achieve high efficiency there are some common designs used that will give a distinct sonic signature; more recently there have been some developments that many manufacturers utilize and have been able to make high 90’s to low 100 decibel efficient speakers. While you shouldn’t base your decision solely on efficiency, it is important to pay attention to because, the impedance and the sensitivity will dictate what type of amplifier will work best and how much power is required.

Due to the length of this article, there will be a series of speaker articles breaking down the 4 major types of speakers, for now I will just mention them quickly. There are conventional dynamic/cone speakers, they use woofers and tweeters and are the most common type of speaker, they come in many configurations, from line arrays(with lots and lot’s of drivers) to simpler two way speakers(just two separate drivers) and many things in between. Moving on, there are planner magnetic/ribbon speakers, these are much less common and very unusual to someone who has never seen them, they are typically tall, wide panels that are fairly thin, some are full planner, while others, usually the more expensive models, use a ribbon tweeter. The most common example of this type of speaker come from a company called Magnepan. A cousin to planner magnetic speakers are what are known as Electrostatic speakers, most often simply called electrostats. These vary greatly from all other speakers in that they have a transformer and need to be plugged into the wall, in addition to having speaker wire connected to them from an amplifier. These range in size greatly from smaller electrostats from Quad, to gigantic speakers from Sound Lab, the most common electrostat manufacturer is Martin Logan. They vary greatly in size, shape, appearance and price. The last unique type of speaker are horns, while not a completely unique technology like the other’s they are unique enough to have their own category. Most are hybrids, they use horn tweeters/mids and dynamic/cone drivers for bass. A horn in itself is a conventional speaker(in simple terms) that uses a horn to increase the overall efficiency of the driving element. I think the most classic example of this is from a company called Avantgarde, though a more common example would be from Klipsch. The reason I feel that horns deserve their own category is that they are clearly unique in appearance and due to their efficiency present a very unique situation when it comes to powering them.

Creating a rewarding audio system is a complex task, and is not something to be rushed into, I realized as I was writing this article that it is difficult to sum up the aspects of even one component in a single article. Before you start purchasing, wait for a few more in this series, or if you have an specific question please post them below. Our next installment will focus on amplifiers, the synergy between the speakers and the amplifier is absolutely crucial and having an understanding of amplifiers will help make your speaker decision much easier.

Part 2 is now posted:  Does it come with the amp?

Guest post by author Robert Wayne

There is an old Latin saying, “musica delenit bestiam feram” we know this common saying better as “music soothes the savage beast.” Very few would deny this claim, and if, in fact, music can sooth the savage beast imagine what it can do for you. In the information age music is coursing through the veins of society with more intensity then nearly any period in human history, music is more readily available and more convenient then ever before. Compound that by social networking sites like myspace and facebook allowing unknown bands to promote themselves and feed their music to millions who would otherwise never heard of them or their music. While we’re on the subject of social networking sites, an interest in music is a recurring theme on virtually everyones profile. I think it’s safe to say that music plays an important part in all our lives, I’ve only met one person in my life who claimed he truly didn’t like music, though I found him happily bouncing around to a song on more then one occasion. Music can pump you up before or during a sporting event, it can calm you on a hectic day, it can add an extra dimension to a romantic encounter and it can comfort you when your heartbroken. The question I have for you, is are you getting enough enjoyment from your music? Yes, we all claim to love music and have favorite bands and performers, so why not take your enjoyment to the next level? Through out this article, and the series that are to follow, I will lay the foundation for you to take your enjoyment to another level and find your listening Nirvana.

I have been branded with the title as an Audiophile, one that I don’t particularly care for but I won’t deny it. More accurately I would label myself as a Musicphile, I love music and quality reproduction of the music only heightens my satisfaction. Many audiophiles lose track of this, they become so obsessed with the equipment and the journey that the forget why they are doing it and instead of creating a way to improve the quality of their musical satisfaction they create a shrine to their stereo equipment. I’m not saying they are wrong, but perhaps a little misguided, they have lost sight of what brought them down this path. I would encourage all of you to remember the music, the reason you build a nice stereo is to enjoy music. That is not to say that the journey can’t be fun or that the equipment has to be boring, in fact I feel that both can add to the whole experience, just don’t let them eclipse your goal.

Before you jump into auditioning equipment and deciding what will suit your requirements best you should know a few basic lessons. As an audiophile I wish someone sat me down 12 years ago, the time I first had an interest in audio, and shared this with me. It would have saved me a lot of money, and I would have been happier along the way. The first thing you must know, there is no right or wrong when it comes to selecting components or tweaks, what satisfies one listener may not satisfy another. No system is purchased all at one time, it develops over time and changes as your needs, wants and desires do. There is no shame in having a system under construction for years and years, chipping away as you are comfortable. Spending more does not always mean you are getting more, generally in life “you get what you pay for” but in audio that may not be true. The law of diminishing returns kicks in quickly in audio, as my mentor once told me the difference between good and great is not that big and costs around $100k. For those not familiar with the law of diminishing returns it is best described as a production system with fixed and variable inputs, beyond some point, each additional unit of variable input yields less and less additional output; in other words that last little bit costs exponentially more then everything leading up to that level. Most importantly, you have to be honest with yourself, while to many that is a foolish thing to have to say, many audiophiles can easily be swayed by pushy sales people and curt reviewers, remember you have to please yourself and no one else, do what makes you happiest.

In articles to come I’m going to break down a system into it’s core pieces in an effort to help you find what will fit best in your life, from cables, to sources, to TV’s, processors, amps and speakers. In the mean time I will leave you with some options and let them digest completely before you jump to any conclusions. Think about what your dream system would consist of, are you a two channel person or do you want the multi-channel/theater experience? Do you want a TV of some sort in the system? Large speakers or smaller speakers? What sources do you want, CD player, record player, tuner, music server, gaming systems? Before you just start purchasing components it’s best of have an idea of where you want to go, so you can have a game plan, even if only a mental one, of what order of purchasing would best suit you and to prevent any missteps. At first glance the realm of hi-fi can be overwhelming, don’t let it scare you, after you answer a few basic questions you can weed out over half the products without a second thought. After a few more details you can narrow it down to a small handful of serious options. Think about what you want a system to do and over the course of the next few weeks, as these articles continue to develop, you should have a much better idea of how to make it happen.

Part 2 is now posted:  Speakers, the Beginning of the Voyage