Hi-fi Discovery Questions & Shopping Tips

[robert_kc]

I recently had a friend express interest in acquiring a hi-fi / home theater system. They have little experience with hi-fi. Following are the discovery questions that I drafted. (I’ve also included some comments explaining why I think that a question is important, and in some cases I mention common pitfalls and controversies.) I believe that if the prospective buyer carried their answers to these questions into their local retail store (or used this as a guide for an on-line purchase, or a springboard for further discussion), it would save a lot of time for everyone involved, and lead to a better purchase decision. I think that a good list of discovery questions is important because I believe in “Sales 101”: The most important thing is to understand the customer’s needs.

I’ve also drafted a few shopping tips.

Please suggest additions or changes to the following discovery questions and shopping tips. It is NOT the intent of this thread to recommend specific equipment. And it is NOT the intent of this thread to rehash old debates such as analog vs. digital, tube vs. solid-state, etc. The purpose of this thread is to develop a good list of questions that will help discover the wants and needs of someone who is interested in hi-fi, but who has little relevant knowledge or experience.

Hi–Fi Discovery Questions

Budget

• Money: Some people can’t afford to spend any money, and are looking for discarded equipment, or donations from family or friends. For some people it’s all about the “thrill of the hunt” (i.e., when they “score” at a yard sale or the local thrift store). OTOH, some people spend more than $100,000 on their hi-fi system. Like many consumer products, there are dramatically diminishing returns beyond the price point associated with a high-value good-quality product. You have to decide how much money you are willing to spend.
• Time: How much time are you willing to invest in the process of defining your needs, researching products and services, shopping (possibly including driving to brick-and-mortal stores and auditioning systems), installing, fine-tuning, learning, maintaining, etc.
• If the prospective buyer’s budget is $150 and they want to spend no more than 30 minutes on the entire procurement process, then I’d suggest buying a sound-bar from their favorite retailer. For people willing to make a more significant investment, read on.

In your own words, what are your goals for a new hi-fi system?

Would a new hi-fi system be used for listening to music, and/or watching movies?

• In which rooms?
• Approximate room sizes? (If you double the length, width, and height of a room, then the room has 8 times the volume – which is more difficult to fill with sound.) Is the listening room part of a larger “open floor plan”?
• How much background noise is there in your listening room?

What is your relationship to music?

• What types of music do you listen to? (Classical music can have tremendous dynamic range. Pop music recordings often have little dynamic range – i.e, everything is at the same volume level so that everything can be heard in a noisy car, or on earbuds in a noisy environment.)
• Will you use the hi-fi system for background listening at a low level?
• Will you use the hi-fi system for serious listening (i.e., sitting down and intently listening) to music?
• How loud do you like to listen?
• Is your goal to reproduce the natural timbre of orchestral instruments at reasonable sound levels in an average size room? For a string quartet? For Mahler’s Symphony No. 2? Do you want to reproduce the lowest pedal notes of a pipe organ? Or, is your goal to put a “heavy metal” band in your living room playing at levels that might cause hearing damage? Achieve sound reproduction that is so natural sounding that you’re drawn into the music? Or “rattle the windows” while showing off your system to your friends?

Sources for recorded music:

• Going forward, when you invest in recorded music, what format(s) will you choose? One of the most important truths in hi-fi is: Garbage in / garbage out. Your hi-fi system will never sound good if you use low quality recordings (e.g., highly compressed digital downloads, and/or poorly made recordings). Are you interested in trying “high-resolution” audio formats such as 24bit/192kHz FLAC downloads, SACD, or Pure Audio Blu-ray? (CDs are capable of very good sound quality. Some people think “High-Res Audio” is a worthwhile improvement compared with CD, some don’t. FWIW, there is much debate about formats for downloaded recordings (and streaming audio) and their relative sound quality. Some people are satisfied with AAC256 VBR, some not. And some people prefer LPs.)
• What recorded music formats do you currently own in significant quantities that the system must play (e.g., LPs, CDs, downloaded files, etc)? If you currently have a large library of downloads, what format?
• Is portability important for some or all of your music - i.e., being able to play your recordings in your car, or on earbuds? (You might want High-Res Audio for all of your music. Or, you might want High-Res Audio when you engage in serious listening of classical music at home, and be satisfied with something like AAC256 when listening to pop music on-the-go.)
• Do you and/or guests want to be able to easily play music from an iPhone (or other smart-phone) via the hi-fi system?
• Do you need for the hi-fi system to connect directly to your PC via USB? Connect to a USB hard drive? Use DLNA networking to access stored digital music (e.g., Network Attached Storage) via your home wireless network?
• Are you willing to copy all of your recordings to a PC? (This could be very time consuming. Only you can decide if this effort is worthwhile. Don’t let someone tell you that CDs or LPs are obsolete, or that they must be copied onto a computer. High quality “universal players” are available that will play CDs, SACDs, Blu-ray video, Blu-ray audio, DVDs, plus any downloaded format. And turntables are enjoying a resurgence.)
• Broadcast radio?
  • AM?
  • FM?
  • HDFM?
• Internet radio (e.g., Spotify Premium, SiriusXM, and/or free internet stations)?

 

[robert_kc]

Hi–Fi Discovery Questions (continued)

Will you use speakers and/or headphones?

Convenience / control

• Is it important to you to be able to control the sound system from a smart-phone or tablet? Which parts of the system? (E.g., be able to control sound in multiple rooms from a smart-phone app.)
• Are you wed to Apple, Android, other?
• Do you want to create playlists for parties?

For movies:

• Do you specifically want surround sound (e.g., 5.1) vs. stereo (i.e., 2 channel)? Many modern movies feature surround sound. Relatively few music recordings feature surround sound. If you have a large room, and can accommodate all of the speakers, and love action movies, then surround sound might be for you. However, some rooms simply cannot accommodate 6 speakers (including speakers behind the listener). Moreover, in a small room where the main speakers are only 5 feet apart, a center channel speaker may have little value (compared with a large room where the main speakers are much farther apart). In a small room you might be better served by buying 2 relatively good quality main speakers (or 2 main speakers plus a subwoofer), vs. 6 relatively cheap speakers. Don’t be afraid to ignore the current fad and buy a 2 channel stereo system if that suits your needs.
• Do you want to “rattle pictures off the wall” with LFE (Low Frequency Effects in movies) – e.g., shake the room with the rumbling of a buffalo stampede, earthquake, or explosions?
• Do you specifically want to employ a subwoofer? (One of the potential benefits of a subwoofer is to off-load the main amp and speakers of low frequencies by employing a crossover in front of the power amp. With this configuration the main amp and speakers don’t have to do as much work (i.e., a less powerful amp is needed, you might be able to use smaller main speakers, and the main speakers are less likely to be overloaded and sound distorted). This configuration is different from a “double bass” configuration whereby bass is sent to both the main speakers and the subwoofer.)

Architecture / home decorating / aesthetics

• Do you want all equipment built-in or hidden (e.g., speakers, amps)?
• Can you conveniently run wires?
• Are you willing to have large floor-standing speakers?
  • In which rooms?
  • Traditional style? Contemporary? Wood veneer? Synthetic/fake veneer?
• Are you willing to install acoustical panels on walls and/or ceilings and/or corners? (Rugs might benefit a room that has “live” acoustics because of hard floors.) It depends on your priorities – some people put foam panels on the walls of their listening room, some people put paintings or photos on their walls.
• Equipment aesthetics are a personal choice. (Some guys put beat-up flat-black painted speakers in their “man cave”. Some people want traditional style speakers with only the finest furniture-grade veneers. Some people want contemporary style. Some people are OK with floor standing speakers – OTOH, some want speakers that are very small, or are hidden.)
• Have you seen particular equipment (e.g., turntable, amp, or speakers) that you think looks cool? (E.g., the glow of vacuum tubes in a darkened listening room, or “blue eyes” meters on an amp, or the look of a vintage “silver faced” receiver with numerous knobs and buttons.)

Your skills / interests / preferences

• How tech-savvy are you (e.g., PCs, smart-phones, hi-fi)?
• Are you interested in hi-fi as a hobby? If so, what specifically are you interested in (e.g., LPs, tube amps, ‘70s era “monster receivers”, high tech digital audio, etc)?
• Any interest in vintage equipment? What era?
• Do you have any interest in vacuum tube technology?
• Do you want a low-maintenance system, or are you interested in “tinkering around” some? (Systems involving vacuum tubes may require replacement of some tubes every few years – or not. Systems involving complicated hi-tech software might require you to act as systems integrator, and may require periodic updates and associated trouble-shooting – or not.)
• Are you interested in DIY (e.g., building your own speakers based on on-line plans, or building an amplifier from a kit, or restoring old gear)?
• How important is the following statement to you: “Mine is bigger (or louder) than yours.”
• Would you describe yourself as a “minimalist” (aka “purist”) who wants the minimal amount of digital processing of the music that you listen to? Or, do you want your new hi-fi system to provide the latest digital-signal-processor (DSP) “enhancement” of the music (e.g., simulating reverb in a variety of venues)?
• Do you want a system with components that can be upgraded over time (vs. all-in-one-box system)?
• Have you ever heard a good quality hi-fi system? What did you like and dislike about the systems that you’ve heard? (Examples: Perhaps you like “warm, rich” sound – or not. You don’t like overly “bright" high frequencies – or you do. You don’t like “boomy” bass – or “the more bass the better”. You like a system that delivers “dynamic impact” – or you don’t want to be assaulted by your hi-fi. You like a system that gets the sweet sound of a violin right … etc.)

Procurement:

• When you spend a significant amount of money on a durable product, do you prefer to buy an “investment quality” item that will likely appreciate in value (and might become an heirloom), or are you OK with “throw away” technology? (Analogy: If you wanted to spend $1,000 on a wrist watch, would you rather buy a used collectible mechanical watch that can be repaired and will likely increase in value, or buy the latest designer quartz watch that will likely decrease in value and might not be repairable 20+ years from now?)
• Do you prefer mail-order, or shopping at a local store that has experienced staff (and possibly professionally certified consultants), and offers a liberal return policy. (If you’re lucky you live near a hi-fi retailer that offers in-home trials.)
• Are you willing to pay for professional services (e.g., room design if building new, design of acoustic treatments, system design, integration, installation and optimization)?
• Do you prefer to buy Made-in-USA products whenever practicable? (There are still good quality speakers and amplifiers made in the USA.)

 

[robert_kc]

Hi–Fi Shopping Advice

In addition to the discovery questions listed above, I offer the following shopping tips, and advice about how to avoid common pitfalls when buying hi-fi gear:

• Start by selecting speakers - they affect the sound the most, and are probably the largest and most visible hi-fi component that you must accommodate in your home. (Unless you will use headphones.) Then select an amp (or receiver) that is compatible with the speakers (or headphones) and your choice of source (e.g., CDs, SACD, Blu-ray, LPs, digital downloads, etc).
• If possible, audition equipment using your favorite recordings (in your preferred recording format), and intersperse your equipment auditioning sessions with attendance at live performances of music (particularly if you enjoy music that involves instruments that have a “natural” sound, such as classical music). (If you let a hi-fi sales person select music, they will likely select music that is easy to reproduce on a hi-fi system – i.e., sounds good on any system, or sounds good on the system they are proposing. An example is a folk singer with an acoustic guitar vs. a full scale symphony orchestra.) What matters is how the system sounds with your choice of music. If auditioning speakers is impracticable, ask people (perhaps on a discussion forum) who listen to similar music for their recommendation, and buy from a seller who has a liberal return policy. (There can be a benefit associated with buying vintage collectible gear that has an established resale value – i.e., if you don’t like the component you can sell it and recoup your money.)
• Beware of a hi-fi system that sounds “exciting” in the showroom. A system with accentuated treble and/or bass might grab your attention for a few minutes, but cause “listener fatigue” during long term listening. If while auditioning equipment you find yourself “drawn into the music” and you forget about time – and you forget about the process of auditioning equipment – if you’re spellbound by the music - that’s a good sign.
• Understand which system specifications are meaningful, and which aren’t:
  • Do the speakers put out enough sound energy to fill your room at a sound level that you find satisfying – and sound effortless in doing so? (A few manufacturers specify maximum continuous sound pressure level output, but most don’t.)
  • The sensitivity rating of the speakers is an important specification. This defines how much amplifier power is required to produce a given amount of sound output from the speaker. The sensitivity rating is specified on a logarithmic scale - a relatively inefficient speaker may require 32x (or even 64x) the power to produce the same volume of sound compared with a high efficiency speaker. (A difference of 3 dB equates to 2x power.)
  • The impedance rating of the speakers must be supported by the amp. (E.g., 4 ohm vs. 8 ohm.) Any significant dips (e.g., at low frequency) in impedance might affect the performance of the amp.
  • A speaker’s power handling specification has little meaning, other than perhaps to specify when the manufacturer will void the warranty (e.g., someone gets drunk at a loud party and “cranks up” a high power amp and fries a speaker). (OTOH, note that a solid state amp that doesn’t employ clipping protection circuitry and that has too little power might damage speakers if someone “cranks it up”, because of the type of distortion it puts out while “clipping” – i.e., being pushed beyond its maximum output.)
  • It is important to understand that a few published specifications like frequency response and THD do not define the sound quality of an amplifier.
  • System synergy: Choose speakers and amp together.
    • Ideally you should listen to the amp and speakers together, listening to your favorite recordings, in a room similar to your listening room.
    • All other things being equal, if you choose a solid state amp it generally must have a higher power output rating than if you choose a tube amp, due to differing “clipping” characteristics (i.e., how does the amp behave when it is driven past its limit). High efficiency speakers (e.g., Klipschorn) might produce satisfying volume levels in an average room with a 5 wpc tube amp. OTOH if you are using low efficiency speakers with a solid state amp that doesn’t employ clipping protection circuitry, and you have a large room, and you listen loud, you might want > 200 wpc.
    • Beyond what is required to get the job done, an amp with a higher power rating won’t necessarily sound better.
    • Speakers affect sound quality more than any other component, but amplifiers sound different, and some amps pair better with certain speakers. (E.g., single-ended tube amps can be finicky about speakers.) Of course, garbage-in/garbage-out – i.e., low quality recordings will never sound good.
  • Connectivity: the source components and amplifier must have compatible connectors. (Don’t let someone tell you that “everything made today uses HMDI – and analog RCA connectors are obsolete”. While many manufacturers have reduced their cost-of-goods by eliminating digital/analog converters (DACs) from their Blu-ray players, there are still Blu-ray/CD/SACD players with high quality built-in DACs and “old fashion” analog RCA (red/white) outputs – and therefore you do NOT necessarily have to buy an audio/video (AV) receiver vs. a traditional stereo amp or receiver. You can connect your HDTV to a Blu-ray/CD/SACD player via HMDI, and connect your hi-fi to the Blu-ray/CD/SACD player via analog RCA connectors (assuming you buy a Blu-ray player equipped with analog RCA output connections). OTOH, if you want to buy an AV receiver and connect everything via HDMI – that’s an option.)
    
• Only you can decide which audio add-ons and “upgrades” are worth your money, which aren’t (i.e., low-value high-markup up-sell items), and which are outright shams targeted at “audiophools”. (For example, you have to decide if you are willing to spend your money on expensive interconnect cables and/or power cords. Would you “upgrade” the electrical wiring in your house in your quest for better sound from your hi-fi system?) Don’t be hornswoggled by snake oil salesmen - beware of people trying to sell jars of “magic pebbles” or “magic pyramids” that you place in the corner of your listening room ostensibly to improve the sound quality of your hi-fi system. OTOH, just because some manufacturers have made ridiculous claims about some products doesn’t mean that all “audiophile grade” products are shams. Some sales people are honest and professional, some … not so much …
• Last, but not least - only one opinion matters regarding sound quality: yours. Hi-fi equipment is like every other creation of mankind – imperfect – and most listening rooms are acoustically imperfect. And different people have differing sensitivities to various aspects of sound, and the debate about what different people hear in reproduced music will never be settled. Pick the system that sounds best to you, and if you must make compromises then choose the trade-offs that suit you best.

 

[biscuithead]

I respect your Audio-OCD-neurosis/psychosis! Well done! ... I skipped the second post an went to the third...

 

[darkblue94]

Wow. You can take a break now.