First Hi-Fi audio demonstration…

This week I had opportunity to get my first true high fidelity audio demonstration, courtesy of one of the salesmen at Audio Visions South.

While the demonstration only lasted a little longer than a half hour, the experience definitely got me excited about what is possible with high quality audio components, while at the same time making me realize that I have an enormous journey ahead of me before I can claim to be “knowledgeable” about high fidelity audio.

The salesman that gave me the demonstration, Clarke, began by giving me a little insight into the verbiage used when describing the sound that emanates from an audio system.

Apparently, three of the most important elements of an audio system are its frequency response, dynamic contrast and imaging.

The system’s frequency response has to do with the effectiveness and coordination of the three levels of sound produced by the system — the high range, mid range and bass. In a system that has good frequency response, the highs and mids will remain crisp and clear and will not be drowned out by the bass.

The dynamic contrast of a system concerns its ability to produce music that can change from a high range to low range, and vice versa, in a smooth, musical manner. A system with good dynamic contrast has the ability to produce a wide range of sounds, while maintaining a smooth musicality when transitioning from lows to the highs and back again.

Finally, a system’s imaging is its ability to create an audio “image” of where the instruments are producing music from across the “sound stage.” To help me understand this factor, Clarke said that to judge a system’s imaging abilities, one should envision the band playing live in front of you. Do the vocals sound like they are coming from straight ahead like they would be at a live show? Do the drums sound like they are being played from the rear of the stage? In a perfect example of imaging, the listener should be able to pinpoint where the instruments are being played during the performance.

After explaining those concepts to me, Clarke continued with the demonstration, which he said was going to be a “simple A-to-B comparison” — one of the most common methods of testing out separate components in an audio system. In an A-to-B comparison, the listener is exposed to the same piece of music with all the components of the system kept exactly the same except for the components you are attempting to compare.

For my demonstration, Clarke selected a piece of music by the artist Ryan Adams, which he played on a system consisting of a Linn CD player, a Peachtree Decco integrated amplifier and a set of Klipsch RF-62 loudspeakers. The A-to-B comparison was going to be between two sets of interconnect cables going from a Linn CD player to the Decco.

I have to admit, I had previously been skeptical of the amount of difference the simple changing of cables could make in an audio system. Wow, was I wrong. After four listening sessions — two with each set of cables — it was instantly apparent that one set of cables was noticeably superior to the other.

Using my newfound vocabulary terms, I was able to put into words the differences I heard — at least enough to get my point across that is.

After listening to the short 30 second piece of music on the first set of cables, and then replacing them with the “B” set, I noticed that differences in the system’s frequency response and dynamic contrast became apparent. The music didn’t sound bad when using the “A” set of cables, but when comparing the two, I noticed that the “A” cables made the bass sound more “washed out” and that the acoustic guitar present in the track was noticeable less crisp than when using the “B” cables. Even more noticeable was the difference in the system’s dynamic contrast. After listening to both sets of cables, the range of the vocals in the music seemed noticeable “squished” when using the “A” cables. The “B” cables seemed to allow the music to express higher highs and lower lows, while the vocal performance seemed to have an added spark using the “B” cables.

While my first hi-fi demonstration consisted of only a few 30-second comparisons, I think it’s pretty obvious that I took a lot from it. Never again will I question the ability of such simple components as cables to affect the musical performance of an audio system.

And, while Ryan Adams’ performance is definitely a quality piece of music, maybe next time I’ll get a demonstration using some Beatles or Rolling Stones tracks. That’ll get the blood flowing I’m sure…

A new beginning…

Hello everyone.

My name is Eric and I’m starting this blog to document my experiences as I begin my journey into the world of high fidelity audio and visual entertainment.

I recently graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of South Florida, where I spent the last two years of my life working as Associate Editor for the University newspaper. While working for the exclusively student-run Oracle had its advantages — never having to leave campus, always having a reasonable excuse for being late to class, ect. — it also meant that as soon as I walked across the stage in my cap and gown, I was effectively “disqualified” from my job. As such, the hangover from my graduation party had barely passed before reality set in and I realized that, wow, I have to get a “real” job.

As a print reporter by trade, I began my job search at the local newspapers in my area. However, economic woes — even prior to the events that transpired in September of 2008 — had very recently forced many publications to lay off large numbers of workers. Thus, the only work I would be able to find would be as a part-time correspondent — meaning few hours, no benefits and only a small chance of upward mobility in an increasing shrinking industry. Keeping all this in mind, I expanded my search to include professions in other industries I thought might interest me. When a South Tampa-based consumer electronics sales and integration company named Audio Visions South offered me a job, I jumped at the opportunity to get my foot in the door with a company that would, at the very least, provide me with “some awesome stuff to listen to and look at.”

Like most people, I have always enjoyed listening to music, but I have never been what you would consider an “audiophile.” Sure, I knew MP3 files were compressed, lower quality versions of the original audio track and that certain types of speaker cables were considered superior to others but, honestly, I didn’t think any of that mattered much. I mean, music is music right? As obvious at it might seem, it wasn’t until I was exposed to the world of high fidelity audio that I realized how much having the proper equipment and setup could change your entire musical experience.

Now that I’ve been given a glimpse of this world, I can safely say that I see what I’ve been missing. This doesn’t mean that I have thrown away my iPod and now refuse to listen to anything that isn’t deemed “hi-fi” because, lets face it, when you need some good tunes to work out to or some background music while you clean up the house, the convenience and capacity of the modern MP3 player fits the bill perfectly. However, I have learned that if you choose to create a system that will allow you to truly listen to your music — something I have realized I had rarely done before — it can evoke the kind of visceral experience that makes one realize why the combination of sounds known as music has captivated humanity for thousands of years.

So, with this blog, I’m inviting you to join me in my quest to become the “absolute audiophile”. An inherently impossible goal I know, but, as the old Chinese proverb so aptly puts it, “the journey is the reward.”

I will make every attempt to update this blog as often as possible, with postings ranging from personal musings regarding emerging products and technologies to in-depth reviews and comparisons of products that I have the opportunity to test out first-hand.

I would greatly appreciate any thoughts, comments and even criticisms offered by you. The primary goal of this blog is to create a community of individuals that, like myself, find the audio/visual industry intriguing, exciting and worthy of discussion.

Thank you for reading and check back again soon!