TIPS ABOUT HIFI... Article by Slimer... ******************************************* * * * TIPS AND HINTS ABOUT HI-FI * * * ******************************************* Welcome to the HI-FI section of our magazine. In this section I will talk about tips and hints like: what's the best way to place your speakers and more of that stuff. If the word HI-FI is on a component( amplifier, cassettedeck ect. )it doesn't mean that it is a good product !! Every manufacturer may use the word HI-FI on his product( even Yoko ) ! I will review some components in another article because in this section there are only hints and tips ! This first time the tips will be about loudspeakers and I will give a view points that maybe are useful to ya !! Lets go.......... If you are going to buy loudspeakers there are a lot of things you must know first. 1 ** Loudspeakers are a very important part of your sound system !! There are many people who buy an amplifier of 700 pounds and then buy some cheap speakers for 100 pounds or so !! Then they really expect to get an excellent sound from their expensive amplifier( whha ha ha ha dumbo) ! 2 ** If ya don't hear any difference between a MB Quart 3200 S and a set Supertech cupboard boxes, buy the cupboard boxes and save yourself a lot of money. 3 ** If ya buy loudspeakers listen for yourself and don't buy something because somebody says they were good speakers. Every human has his own ears and likes different kind of sounds and loudspeakers. Always remember this: try to buy speakers who have a neutral sound, this will be better because music is neutral too !! So, don't buy speakers who give you a headache after 5 min. listening ! 4 ** Always ask yourself, for what purpose I will use my speakers. If you are listing to acid( hi Ecto 1 ) the whole day then buy yourself not to expensive loudspeakers. All acid, rapp, hip hop, house freaks are music barbarians and don't know shit about good audio components ! 5 ** Buy your stuff at a good HI-FI shop and don't expect to get good advise from a shop who also sells refridgerators and microwave ovens. 6 ** Have at least 200 pounds available for some nice speakers. Don't expect to get good speakers at a lesser price, otherwise you wind up with some Jamos or Bose( nooo way) !! 7 ** Warning ! Warning ! Do not, I repeat do not buy Bose speakers !!! If ya do, your an asshole who is a victim of their very good marketing section ! Just listen to the Bose Acoustimass 2( around 450 pounds I think) and a couple of Missionspeakers ( from around 250 pounds ), then you know what I mean !! 8 ** Always check if the speakers are build in a good "Box" ! Just knock on them to test if the wood is thick enough, this is to avoid vibrations ! This is very important otherwise you get nasty sounds who don't belong to the orginal music ! 9 ** Always test your loudspeaker on your own amplifier coz' every amplifier has his own specific sound ! This way you will get a good picture of the sound you get ! Ask your HI-FI salesman if you may borrow the loudspeakers to test them at home ! A nice thing which seems so important to many people are watts !!! Good God how many are there on this earth who say: my amplifier is 200 watts and they are better then your 25 watt amplifier !! Okay....you said the same ???(wha ha ha ha ha ) ! Remember this it's better to have 25 watts of so-called clean watts then 200 watts dirty watts !! If you read the specifications of your amplifier then you can read the total harmonic distortion( my amplifier has a distortion of 0.08 % by 20 hz-20,000 hz, 8 ohms - 1 khz, 8 ohm) ! This means that if I have maximum sound of my amplifier it only will have 0.08 % harmonic distortion( you can not hear it) !! But if you have a amplifier that has a distortion of 1 % or more than you can hear it. So, I rather have a 20 watt amplifier without distortion then a 200 watt amplifier with a distortion you can hear !!!! By the way, 100 watt is only 2 times louder then 10 watt..... 10 ** If you use normal loudspeakerwire and the distance is longer then 5 metres, buy a thicker kind of wire. If you have enough money left use megacable( Oxygen Free Cable), this cable comes in different prices and quality ! The cable to your speakers must be the same length for either the left and the right speaker( for a good stereo sound ) !! 11 ** Place your speakers away from corners otherwise the bass will reflect in the corner and come disorted back in your room( esp. bassreflex speakers with a bassport at the back) !! Always place your speakers at a flat and solid underground ! Use so called spikes under the speakers to avoid powerloss of bass trough your floor ! You will get a very good low experience without any bumms and boems ! Your neighbours will be very pleased too !! 12 ** If you buy speakers you can choose between 8, 4, 2 ohms speakers Most speakers are 8 ohm ! Speakers that are 4 or 2 ohm cost more than 8 ohm speakers but your amplifier will give more watts to a 2 ohm speaker then a 8 ohm one ! Just an example : my amplifier gives me 35 watts at 8 ohm but will give me 52 watt at 4 ohm !! The total harmonic distortion will be measured at 8 ohms ! 13 ** Your speakers must stand free, so no stuff standing in front of them !! Place them a couple of metres from each-other( this is depending on the size of your room). Place them on the same line( not one in a corner and another one on the wall). Try to get them on the same highth as your ears are( a little higher then your couch or where you may sit on) ! If you don't understand all of this, just ask your HI-FI specialist he should know how to place them. By the way, if you turn the speakers a little to the center where you sit it will create a deeper sound(detail) and a smaller listening area ! If you place the speakers straight forward you will get a bigger listening area but you loose some details in the music ! 14 ** Now I will mention a couple types, who are in the HI-FI class. BNS( my favourite speakers from Holland( esp. E 14, E 34, ) Mission( very cool too and they build their speakers upsidedown) MB Quart( very expensive but very cool( esp. 3200 S) Bowers & Wilkins( The Black Matrix 3 serie 2) Magnat( German sound for people who like it ) Warfdale( HHHMMMM I wasnt impressed by there demonstration ) Celestion( very big quality difference between the different kind of loudspeakers) Well I said enough, it was hard to translate this stuff to english but I hope you understand most of it( Yeah, if Ecto 1 wasn't there !! ( bugger off you little s..t !!)). Have fun and I will see ya in another article !!! If you have questions or remarks please write to me on the contact address !!