My last post until i buy the components

Philip Kukura Bronze Member Username: Thinker311 Post Number: 46 Registered: Feb-05	Posted on Sunday, February 20, 2005 - 12:16 GMT This is the last anyone is going to hear from me in a long while. Sure, I'll always be reading, but not posing anytime soon. So, id like to take the time right now to thank Frank Abela, J.Vigne, and Tevo for all their insight. You guys have definetly sent me on a better path towards my goal. However.... This would not be me talking if i didnt project at least one more idea on here.So.....Here is how i think at this point.... "Perhaps" the best way to pick out a system is to start with what u intend to listen to most of the time. Classical music, rock music, or just movies with lost of explosions. Then u need to pick out your speakers based on the type of sounds you want. Don't base everything on watts, dB, or any other spec. Instead look at a speaker for what it is. It is a non - electrical piece of technology. So, base it on the physical characteristics. After all, why would you pick out a speaker based on its max watts when speakers dont do watts. Just pick them based on the sounds they were designed to handle. If you want to listen to softer music, get a speaker with the right frequencies and mid-range quality. Or, if u want to listen to rock music, get a speaker with a bigger diameter woofer . Then go out and listen to each of the speakers you have in mind. Then buy the ones you want based on your preferences and price. My personal situation involves me listening at a 10 foot distance. So now, i would need to decide how loud i would want to hear sounds at that distance. So, i would need to pay attention to the speaker's speks a little more closely. Like look at the speaker's sensetivity, then do some calculations to find how much wattage power id need from my reciver to play at that distance. After i do all that, i would then have an idea of what type of reciever id need. And i would no longer have to pick one reciever over another based soley on its specs, but rather the quality of its build, company reputation, and other such things. And of course id listen to it first. Maybey i have a better head now, maybey im still way over my head. But at least im having fun with this. Thanks again, Phil
Gavin R. Cumm Bronze Member Username: Gavincumm Post Number: 80 Registered: Feb-05	Posted on Sunday, February 20, 2005 - 16:22 GMT agreed and well said!
J. Vigne Unregistered guest	Posted on Sunday, February 20, 2005 - 17:40 GMT When I first began selling audio in 1975 I was instructed to first take the client into the speaker demonstration room. Speakers were, at that time, considered the most important portion of the system and certainly they were/are the most easily compared product in an audio system. You'll find more difference in the apparent sound (notice I didn't say sound quality) of two speaker companies than you will easily notice in the sound of two amplifiers. After the speakers were chosen, it was on to the receiver and then the turntable. Throwing in the cartridge we purchased in bulk for $7 closed the deal. Then a man named Ivor and his company, Linn Sondek, came to the US and nothing would be the same. At least not until Home Theater hit the market. Not overnight, but slowly, the shift was to choosing the speakers last. There is no room in this thread for the logic of this, but it is a choice some listener's make based on experience. Here's my advice, Philip. The only number that should be important to you is how much money you have to spend. Understanding what you're buying is a step in the right direction, but thinking any number is more important than the next may lead you easily in the wrong direction. In my world, knowing what you want to hear is the most important portion of purchasing a system. (Personally, my focus is at first on the midrange.) I was always suprised by the number of clients who never heard live music or seldom heard music that wasn't amplified. To me, that was akin to choosing a car when you don't know how to drive. If you go into the shop with a clear idea of what you want the system to do, you will immediately eliminate many products. Not that the task will be any less daunting, but you'll have done away with some of the chaff in the bin. If I were in your sneakers, I would listen to lots of live music of your choice. Count my money. Find the best dealer in your area. The rest will take care of itself. Good luck. P.S. If you find the shop you want to deal with, but the salesperson seems to be pushing you toward a decision, don't give up on the shop. Explain once again your desires. If need be, ask for another salesperson.
Timn8ter Silver Member Username: Timn8ter Seattle, WA USA Post Number: 161 Registered: Dec-03	Posted on Monday, February 21, 2005 - 16:01 GMT The Linn "tune test" is a real eye opener.
Timn8ter Silver Member Username: Timn8ter Seattle, WA USA Post Number: 162 Registered: Dec-03	Posted on Monday, February 21, 2005 - 16:05 GMT Linn calls it "Tune Dem". http://www.linn.co.uk/buy_linn/HowToJudgeAHiFiSystem.pdf
Frank Abela Silver Member Username: Frank_abela Berkshire UK Post Number: 374 Registered: Sep-04	Posted on Monday, February 21, 2005 - 16:38 GMT Phillip, Transducers make very obvious changes to a system's effectiveness, so they are the obvious place to start the trek. However, as mentioned in other threads, it is the combination that counts. Ivor started the whole ball rolling of the source being all-important, the idea being that any garbage fed into the system by a sub-standard source, would simply get amplified by the amplifier and then shown off in all its glory by your expensive speakers. Of course, Ivor was selling one thing only - a record deck! So you could say it suited his needs to say what he said. And yet, there's truth in what he said since the tune dem, or the source first dem shows very clearly that poor sources are responsible for a great many problems further down the line. That said, one needs to bear in mind that if the speakers are no good, then there's not much point to a wonderful signal arriving at the speakers if they can't transduce the signal properly! So there's a balance to be struck between all the components. This is why Jan points out that the most sensible thing for you to do is to get a good idea of budget. The only other thing you have to work with is your music and/or DVDs. You know these reasonably well and they can act as your benchmark when you are listening to stuff. Tell your dealer about your budget and let him select combinations of equipment for you. When he's done that, try your music/DVDs on his combination. If it's not to your satisfaction, say so. Get him to change/play with the combination. If it still doesn't work, or the sound quality is way lower than you want, you may have to raise your budget. It's a question of expectation vs performance. But you can't expect to be able to select suitable combinations for yourself at this stage since the way the individual items affect each other is not really within your wherewithal yet. Oh and have fun, otherwise it'll just become a chore! Regards, Frank.

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