Saturday, December 6, 2008

Equipment Matching of an Audio System


I have seen a lot friends, Hi Fi Audiophile peoples, colleagues spending their money on their equipement. There are many types of different approach in spending their money on their Hi Fi Equipment. What I know from friends is that they can spend HKD500,000.00 for a pair of floor stand loudspeaker and some of them spend HKD20,000.00 for the whole systems!


Can you tell the sound reproduction quality? Yes , no question about it!

However I have seen a lot of funny story about the phenomenon on their way for building their equipement! Some are good and some are bad!


Example 1

I have listened to one system which was outstanding in the music and tonal output, dynamic and overall sonic balance. The equipment is as simply as this:


A Marantz surround integrated amplifier with output of 100Wx2 (HKD5,000.00)

A Sony DVD player as the CD source (HKD4,000.00)

ATC10 Loudspeaker (HKD12,000.00)

Good home made loudspeaker cable (HKD5,000.00)

Good home made Power cable for the DVD player (HKD3,500.00)

The sound is graded Class A for the money he spent. The owner uses his ears to set-up and match!

The music was so powerful and you would not believe that is comign from ATC10 which has a tiny woofer with the size of an orange! There was punch! well balance and not digital noise!

The owner is a knowlegable open minded retired policeman, good friend of mine!



Example 2.

All branded equipment with namely:

USA loudspeaker 3 way loudspeaker with weight of 250Kgf a piece.

Monoblock USA Qxx Poweramplifer with 600W a channel, weight I guess is 100Kgf a piece

Phono Amp is Jeff Rowland, good stuff!

Preamp is some kind of unknown name to me that may be in the price tag of HKD250,000.00!

Interconnect is once the best Tara Lab the One ( HKD18,000.00) a piece, total may have 14 pieces!

Loudspeaker were connected to the Qxxl Power factories by some kind of of silver cable with the price of Gold!


The Cartridge is a simple piece of Japanese MC stuff!


The Sound is "BIG" as overall comment, a bit rough in treble, some digital hiss in the range of 10Khz! lack of detail in the mid range, do not mention "Sweetness"" bass is gone!


I did not feel that was bass from a 10"woofer! Unacceptable with such kind of 250gkf mammonth!

Graded as Class D!
Disappointing with such kind of sound performance with an investment of HKD2,000,000.00!

I think there is matching issue between the two mammoths to the loudspeaker, the Signal source is an issue, with an investment of 2 millions, I guess they have to use a better cartridge! All equipement is transistors, quite harsh in the treble and mid rinage, and tight in the bass. There may be wise to blend with an analogue tube phono amplfiifer...


Overall, too much Digital, too many transistors, too many fast components, plus a very "Hi Fi"Cartridge! So you can imagine what the sound would be! and Most of all, this is not just my comment, and some other people comment, anyway, as I always say Somebody's music, somebody's noise!


Well, This is fun to to find a way to the exit of a Hi Fi maize!

Wish that they can further improve the sytem and I have a better chance to enjoy in their houses!


Fever


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Fever,
我深信不同的音響器材組合起來會產生微妙的作用.有時候電腦程式都會"唔夾".你的例子證明最貴未必最好.
多年前購買鐳射唱盤時,本想購買Denon這個品牌,但用自携鐳射唱盤試機後發覺高音部分有點剌耳,終於買下Yamaha的一部唱盤.
要有幸聽到好音樂,必先有一雙好耳朵.我丈夫的同事耳朵因病受損,不靈光的耳朵是無法分辨音質的好與壞,對他來說"有聲就得啦"--真可惜!
Rebecca

HK Snob said...

Hi Rebecca,
You are right, expensive amplifier equipment does not necessary providing you good music, well balance and well matching combination is very important, of course experience in the tune up is also an art!

Wish you had found some good music in your system, Yamaha is not professional audio productm but theu produces Piano, So always Yamaha can have a musical performance. Denon is the most famous brand in japan, all Japan Radios are using Denon DL-103R or DL-103S MC cartridge since 1962!
So,I have Denon DL-103R, DL103GL and DL-103SA cartridge, they are rated as the best buy cartridge ever!

Fever

Anonymous said...

Hi Fever,
當年我買那個Yamaha唱盤時都感到意外,這個品牌不是生產樂器的嗎?那個唱盤是當年買的組合當中最快壞掉的一部. 我現在用的是幾年前買的Marantz唱盤,這個唱盤的價錢很使我驚喜,居然有二千多元的Marantz!
提到Yamaha鋼琴,我姑且談談買琴的經驗.由於香港天氣潮濕,買日本琴會比較適合.幾經查詢及親身試驗,YamahaU1"買唔落手",級數未能達到五級鋼琴以上之用,U3 高音部份好清脆,但低音唔夠實,價錢要五萬多元.Kawai同級數的鋼琴,高音部份木鎚聲比較大,不及Yamaha清脆,我個人比較喜歡Kawai低音部分的音質,價錢則比Yamaha便宜萬多元.終於我憑著個人感覺選擇了Kawai.有很多鋼琴老師及考試場地都用Kawai.
我的調音師傅說:有些有錢人,縱使家裡沒有人懂得彈琴,他們會喜歡買台Steinway三角琴回家當擺設,話夠"grand"!死未!
Rebecca

HK Snob said...

Hi Rebecca,
Piano can be a icon as music lover, though they may not know how to play and they may tell you Chopin is a Chinese musician of the Ching Dynasty!
For those people who did not have time to learn piano are focing their kids to learn, I have a friend of mine sending his kids to learn Piano and violin every other two days. Well, too much pressure for the young kids under such kind of parents!
Paul

HK Snob said...

Hi Rebecca,
Piano can be a icon as music lover, though they may not know how to play and they may tell you Chopin is a Chinese musician of the Ching Dynasty!
For those people who did not have time to learn piano are focing their kids to learn, I have a friend of mine sending his kids to learn Piano and violin every other two days. Well, too much pressure for the young kids under such kind of parents!
Paul