Okay @digitalviper
Since you asked so politely, I’m going to try my best to answer your question. I can’t promise that what I’m about to type will even be a sufficient answer. Please don’t be angry if my answer is unsatisfactory. To calm your nerves, I’m going to try and provide a bit of extra information that may be useful to you. Once again, in life there are no guarantees! We can only do our best and expect others to notice.
i need someone to help explain how to make a less expensive system sound better, truthfully. with no lies at all.
on the surface i can smell some liars already. I am asking for honesty as the best policy, and nothing else.
do i make myself CLEAR??
- viper
The cost of audio gear is based on a number of things. The cost of parts, paying electrical engineers / designers, executives, shareholders, etc. Once a reputable brand goes "corporate" meaning it is no longer owned by its founder(s), rather a large conglomerate, quality and overall value goes down like hell. Cost alone is less important than the quality and reliability of the internal parts that are used to build audio gear you buy. Look around for audio gear that was not built to a cost."
For example, look inside an amplifier - what brand of capacitors are they using? A handful or 2 to 4 large filter capactiors with rock-solid build quality may last a bit longer than a power stage with a school of less costly capacitors on mainboard power stage. Lousy capacitors can be cut in half with a pair of scissors; while the best among them are totally solid, resulting only in a dent. I DO NOT suggest trying this.
Be careful around all audio equipment you get to see; and have a reliable person supervising you at all times.
While it is true that electrolyte in capacitors degrade over time/extended use, cleaning the tops of them to ensure no dust build up and short listening sessions with low impedance speakers or a headphone out can help. Sometimes, replacing capacitors is absolutely necessary. This is most often when relays fail, new fuses of the same type/rating don’t work, and/or if the amplifier is consantly going in to protection mode and refusing to power on, or stay powered on.
Everything matters! The lengths and quality of soldering of cable inside an amplifier, CD player, etc. the shortness of the signal path, things like a quasi Class A output stage, circuit design, cables between components etc. including but not limited to cable length and conductor (silver is superior to copper; unless you use PCOCC copper then you might not hear much of a difference) since that is very pure copper with a continuous cast process (was invented in Japan). The specifications that really matter start with frequency response, but are more complex than baseline measurements (sites like ASR) and those will tell you a lot more about sound quality than SINAD, which is an outdated metric. Tons of negative feedback in a circuit, OP amps, and other design shortcuts can result in extremely low levels of THD - this is largely unimportant for sound quality, since you won’t be able to hear those levels vs something like 0.0.2 % etc. anyway.
The crossovers in speakers are all of different grades. In a perfect world, we would have crossover frequencies all set at optimal levels with the highest quality parts. Speakers in particular are marked up in price heavily - meaning the cost to produce a pair of speakers: what the company charges the distributor is not nearly as costly as you might think! Speakers and cables are marked up quite a bit...as are imported audio gear from rare brands overseas (brands like Goldmund, PMC, ATC, and top Japanese brands).
Different midrange cone materials, tweeter implementations, and how robust a woofer is to its own vibration is absolutely important! Properly deposited beryllium or graphene drivers can produce great results! Woofers that appear to be moving back and forth and rattling are inferior and will result in a complete disaster for figuring out the texural resolve and bass styles used in your favourite music. Tight bass should actually sound like dense, compressed air. Rather cold. Tonal qualities for speakers are all over the place...Speakers you find at department stores with unrealistic power handling specs are not telling you the full story. They will clip and sound terrible.
Some vintage speakers (especially those from Japan) are known to have a very sweet midrange (for female vocals) and often take the edge away from otherwise sharp passages at higher frequencies and upper-midrange frequencies that should have been tuned down properly by someone in the post-production process.
Always listen first and take written / mental notes when you experience new audio gear. Find what meets your needs, rather than what is popular. Avoid pushy dealers who suggest "will you be making a purchase today? and give you a cold stare if not. Dealers who are unsuccessful typically charge slightly above what others are charging for the same product! Always do recursive searches with an image search software to find the same product offered for less, or at least a reasonable cost.
Back to listening first - Some people have better hearing than others. It’s hereditary.Visit an audiologist to get your hearing tested to ensure that your hearing is actually at a good level, so as to be fully capable of enjoying a good audio system. There is good news - even if you lost some hearing in high frequencies, most of what makes music an emotional and captivating experience is in the midrange...vocals instrumentals etc.
To figure out if you possess special talents, you should visit the Eugenics Record Office in Cold Spring Harbor, New York. If they’re too busy, invest in some books written by Charles Davenport. You can buy them on amazon.com. Go back and check your family history. Who knows...you may have a relative who was a musician, hence why you are an audiophile?!!
The science of Eugenics would serve you well; even Physiognomy is great to discern (truthfully, with no lies at all) if you and your Wife are meant to be together. It can also help with spotting lying salespeople; simply by looking for key facial features. For example, I once made a citiziens arrest (some hoodlum grabbed an elderly woman’s purse) ran after the guy and held him on the ground until the cops arrived.
Back to Physiognomy, he had exactly the facial features that were associated with the criminals, lying etc.
I would be curious to know how all this works out for you. Feel free to send me a message. You’re a good guy I think...You just need a large measure of external guidance and support. - from a Charles Darwin quote..one of my faves.
Have a great day! and be well.
