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Catching fleas scientifically
In any audio system, no matter how carefully it is compiled, one component will certainly be weaker than all the others. This is how the world works, and rare exceptions only confirm this rule. Even in music centers from the same manufacturer, an amplifier that is pleasant in all respects can be combined with an unimportant CD player, or, more often, with absolutely “deaf” acoustic systems. What can we say about complexes assembled according to the principle "with the world on a string"! But by identifying and replacing the most vulnerable link in the path, i.e. by tweaking, you can significantly improve the sound. Looking for someone to blame However, this is often not as easy as it seems at first glance. The fact is that each component of the system, the source of the signal, the speaker amplifier, and even the interconnects and speaker cables, all of them, to one degree or another, affect the overall character of the sound. To select separately the voice of, say, an amplifier or a CD player in this choir and evaluate its contribution to the overall result is a very, very non-trivial task. The most common method for determining the weakest element in terms of sound quality in an audio complex is to sequentially replace all components with similar but obviously higher levels. It is assumed that if after replacing one of them the sound does not noticeably improve, then someone else is to blame. Well, if suddenly your system literally “opens up” and a voice cuts through it, then the device being replaced is the very desired link. The question arises how to choose the most "musical" candidates in approximately the same price category, because you can simply change the components for more expensive and deaf ones? Most audiophiles in this situation are guided by test winners who have received recommendations from experts in various audio magazines. It would seem that the described method is very logical, and the experimental technique is the only correct one, since the evaluation of the sound of the components of the path, both old and newly connected, is carried out precisely in your system and in the very room where you will listen to it. However, with all the outward harmony and logic, such a bottleneck search algorithm, in our opinion, is not ideal, since it has a number of drawbacks. Firstly, even Hi-Fi components with high technical characteristics and excellent results in audio publishing tests sound differently in different complexes. Therefore, there is no certainty that the "order bearers" will also show their best side in your path. And vice versa - a device rejected by experts can pleasantly surprise you with its sound. So the orientation on the number of stars and "golden ears" when choosing a standard may not always turn out to be correct. Secondly, in some cases, a slight improvement in the overall picture can be achieved not by removing the weakest element, but due to mutual compensation of their shortcomings. For example, the sluggish sound of a CD player can indeed be revived somewhat by a "bright" amplifier and ringing speakers. A similar effect can also be achieved by selecting interconnects and speaker cables that give the sound an appropriate color. If you follow this path, then there is a danger of falling into a vicious circle of correcting the "crooked" sound of one device with an even more "crooked" sound of another, and it is unlikely that you will be able to get a neutral and properly tonally balanced sound in the future. After all, the true cause of all troubles (in our example, the CD player) will never be found. And therefore - will not be eliminated. And even if you finally suspect any link and try to replace it with another, it will be too late. The fact is that the sound of any "correct" component in a complex selected in this way will always have a pronounced color, and almost certainly it will be mistakenly rejected. Thirdly, such a sequential enumeration is very laborious, requires a lot of time, and for its implementation it is necessary to have access to a solid warehouse of equipment. In extreme cases, you can borrow it for an evening or two from friends or from a familiar dealer (almost ideal!). But keep in mind that new, "cold" audio equipment always plays differently than warmed up for several days. Therefore, in the store it is better to listen to samples that are constantly working on the trading floor - but this is still a last resort, since the system is not the same as yours, and the room is completely different. In addition, the tactics of constant buying and selling will lead to unreasonably high costs not only of time, but also of money. And what is most sad, in this case, a positive result is by no means guaranteed. So who is to blame and what to do? To blame, in our opinion, the very principle of random enumeration of components And what to do? Three steps to good sound Let's try to deal with your complex using the method of directed search for a weak link developed by the authors of the article. It is based on many years of experience in conducting examinations of audio equipment of various levels of complexity and allows you to separately evaluate the impact of each device on the overall sound quality, and as a result, determine the most non-musical of them. And the best part is that the method is very easy to implement and does not require any significant financial costs. For testing, it is necessary and sufficient to have a high-quality CD (best of all - a test one, for example, Reference Recording or AudioQuest) and headphones (hereinafter referred to as GT) with a neutral sound, preferably not cheaper than $100. We prefer Sennheizer products as the most analytical and unbiased, but of course you can use others with the right tonal balance, high resolution and good dynamics. As will become clear in the future, it is these features of HT that are most important for conducting a test using this method. Now that the necessary material base has been prepared, we can begin to study the sound path. To facilitate the process, we restrict ourselves to the minimum configuration of a single-block CD player + integrated amplifier + acoustic systems. Ready? Started! Step one. Let's explore the "signal source - amplifier" link. To do this, we install a test CD in the player and achieve the same volume level in the GT at its output and when they are connected to the amplifier. In this case, all correction (timbre, loudness, etc.) in the amplifier, of course, should be turned off. Turning the GT jack from the amplifier to the CD player one by one, we compare the sound. If the player at the same time sounds noticeably better than the amplifier, then the quality level of the latter is lower than that of the source. Therefore, it makes sense first of all to find a better amplifier. If the difference is imperceptible, this may mean that either the source and amplifier match, or the class of the second is much higher. To test the second hypothesis, you will need to listen to some other player of a obviously higher level in your system. If your amplifier plays much better with it, the verdict is simple - "seat" to the output. Well, if it doesn’t sound even with it, then both the amplifier and the source need to be replaced. Step two. We evaluate the quality of the link amplifier - speakers. To do this, we alternately listen to the path through the acoustic systems and GT connected to the amplifier output. Of course, the sound will be completely different, and it is impossible to compare it, but frequency response deviations in different areas, lack of transparency, mumbling and other shortcomings of the speakers with such listening will be more obvious. Let's assume that the sound of the GT is drastically different from the speakers. This means that either the latter do not match with this amplifier model, or they do not match the entire audio system and should be replaced. However, a possible reason for the unsatisfactory sound of the speakers may be their unfortunate location in the listening room or the wrong choice of speaker cable. For the primary diagnosis of the "bottleneck", it is useful to remember that the suboptimal arrangement of the speakers in the room primarily affects the quality and quantity of low frequencies and can lead to mumbling at the resonance frequencies of the room (usually they are located in the range of 150 - 250 Hz). The inconsistency of the speakers with the amplifier (poor damping) most often manifests itself in the blurriness and boominess of the sound at the speaker's own resonance frequency (30 - 60 Hz). A non-optimally selected speaker cable, in addition to distorting the dynamics, "colors" the sound of the speakers at medium and high frequencies. If any permutations of the speakers and replacement of the cable (more on this below) do not help, then you should probably think about purchasing new speakers. In the event that you are firmly confident in your speakers and amplifier, there is only one thing left - to perform acoustic processing of the room. The last recommendation deserves a separate detailed consideration in a special article. In the meantime, let us briefly note that in most cases a noticeable positive effect can be achieved if a thick carpet is hung on the opposite wall from the speakers, and the floor is covered with fleecy material or carpet. Heavy window curtains made of dense fabric will also not interfere. All these measures will significantly reduce the level of reflections and standing waves, which are often the cause of sound degradation. However, let's return to the first step of our test. A correct interpretation of his results can provide a lot of additional useful information about the amplifier and CD player. For example, if in Direct mode (which bypasses the pre-amp circuits) the sound of the amplifier improves significantly, then its "bottleneck" is the input circuits, and the "terminator" has nothing to do with it. Well, if connecting the source directly to the power amplifier does not help, then it is better to part with such an amplifier. Many people prefer to listen to music in Direct mode, and in this case they have one less problem. For those who like to adjust the tone to their liking, we advise you to purchase a separate high-end preamplifier. This usually costs less than buying a new complete amplifier. By the way, the desire to unscrew the tone controls to the stop should already alert, since the "correct" audio system has a completely smooth balanced sound even when they are turned off. As far as the CD player is concerned, with the GT it is easy to hear the difference, for example, in its sound through the variable and non-adjustable analog signal outputs. Level control in the player from the remote control is undoubtedly convenient if there is no such possibility in the amplifier, but there is one "but" usually the sound on the adjustable output of the CD player is worse than on the fixed one. This is explained simply in budget models with digital volume control at low levels, the least significant bits of the signal are lost, and sound degradation is significant. In turntables with a motorized drive, the answer is not so obvious, since the potentiometer is an ordinary analog element and should not seem to affect the sound, however, in the GT, the difference is heard quite clearly. In many models, the cause is a long flat connecting cable, which is a copper deposition on a thin celluloid tape. After it, nothing will save the sound, neither the Burr Brown opamps in the output amplifier, nor the gold-plated connectors. So it's better not to risk it and use a fixed output. Go ahead. As you know, connecting cables also have a noticeable effect on the sound of the system as a whole. Let us show how, using our method, to estimate their contribution with the help of GT. Step three. Using GT when selecting cables in an audio system allows you to notice less significant changes in sound than when listening through speakers. To facilitate the testing procedure, we recommend connecting the outputs of the right and left channels of the CD player with two different cables. Then, when playing a CD with a high-quality mono recording, and even better - with. so-called. "pink noise" (for example, test, "CAV", No. 3 for 1998) compares the sound of the channels. If the interconnects are of the same class, we will hear an even spectrum with the same tonal balance between the channels. If one of them differs significantly from the other, even an inexperienced listener will notice either a less "transparent" sound of one of the channels, or its additional coloring. Testing speaker cables is as follows. Most modern amplifiers have two pairs of switched output terminals, A and B. Connect equal lengths of two different speaker cables to each of them. Their other ends should be paralleled at the AC output terminals. Now, using the amplifier load switch, you can alternately connect the speakers to the amplifier either through one cable or through the other. At the same time, the "sound handwriting" of each of them is manifested very clearly. In conclusion, a few more simple but useful tips. Before starting the examination using the method described above, it is advisable to "calibrate" your ears first by listening to a test disc through your GT on a known high-quality CD player. This can be done, for example, in a High End salon, since sellers, as a rule, do not refuse potential buyers in such a request. Even better, if you can also listen to the CD there through the highest quality GTs available in the store. At the same time, you will be able to objectively (in the sense - subjectively) assess the level of your "reference" ones, with the help of which you will later explore your audio path. If your system also has a cassette or MD deck, then they can be evaluated using the same method. To do this, it is desirable to have a test compact cassette (or minidisc) with a recording of an audio program of exemplary quality. It is best to record a test cassette on magnetic tape type IV (metal) using a $500-700 deck. Of course, the source must be appropriate (a CD player not cheaper than $500 or a vinyl turntable). The subsequent testing procedure does not differ from that described above. Along with the indisputable advantages, ease and convenience of assessing the sound quality, the proposed method cannot be considered absolutely perfect, as it has a number of limitations and disadvantages. First, as we have already said, there is a noticeable difference in the nature of the spatial characteristics of the stereo signal in the GT and through the AU. Therefore, it is not always possible to correctly assess the reliability of the transfer of the depth of the sound stage, the localization of sources, etc. Secondly, sometimes the sound output from Phones CD players is worse than from a linear one. This is due to the fact that in some models (even of a very high class) cheap microcircuits are used in telephone amplifiers. This circumstance can somewhat complicate the examination. However, if the CD player sounds great through the GT, you can be absolutely sure that the sound from the line-out will be of excellent quality. Literature Salon AUDIO VIDEO №3 1999
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