tommy@houxa.UUCP (T.WEIDNER) (02/18/85)
I am interested in purchasing a stereo system. My price
range is initially $600 for speakers and receiver. Even-
tually I would like to include a turntable, equalizer,
and CD in that order. I read in Consumer Reports that
the Sherwood's 2660CP 50 watt receiver is top rated in
my price range. The Boston Acoustic A70 or Genisis 10
are the top rated speakers.
Does anyone have any recommendations that they could
pass on to someone starting new, given the stated financial
restraints. I would appreciate any comments, in terms of
what factors I should be aware of in order to purchase
the most efficient receiver and speakers. Any experiences
with the above mentioned units or any other recommendations
would be greatly appreciated.
houxa!tommy
Tom Weidnerben@moncol.UUCP (Bennett Broder) (02/19/85)
>I am interested in purchasing a stereo system. My price >range is initially $600 for speakers and receiver. Even- >tually I would like to include a turntable, equalizer, >and CD in that order. I read in Consumer Reports that >the Sherwood's 2660CP 50 watt receiver is top rated in >my price range. The Boston Acoustic A70 or Genisis 10 >are the top rated speakers. >Does anyone have any recommendations that they could >pass on to someone starting new, given the stated financial >restraints. I would appreciate any comments, in terms of >what factors I should be aware of in order to purchase >the most efficient receiver and speakers. Any experiences >with the above mentioned units or any other recommendations >would be greatly appreciated. > > houxa!tommy > Tom Weidner My best advice would be to put your consumer reports aside, grab a representative sample of your albums, and head for the stereo stores. The selection of speakers is largely a matter of personal taste. The criteria that makes consumer reports so reliable for selecting television sets and toasters (frequency of repair, safety defects,etc.) do not apply to high fidelity speakers, and I have found that CU's reviewers are not entirely reliable when it comes to selecting speakers. I like to listen for 3 things in a speaker: 1) Imaging. Does the speaker present a lifelike soundstage, or does the sound seem to come from all around, or perhaps from a box. A high quality speaker can give you a feeling of image height and depth, as well as width. 2) Do the instruments appear distinct or do they blend together in a muddy blur. 3) Does the speaker reproduce all audible frequencies at the same level (flat frequency response), or does it give unnatural emphasis to certain frequencies. (Many speakers boost mid-bass and/or treble frequencies. Such speakers might sound better at first - but will become fatiguing during a long listening session) The trick is to take your time. Don't let the salesman push you into buying a speaker before you are ready. The time you invest will be well spent, and you will be much more likely to get a speaker that you will be satisfied with, than if you simply bought a model on the basis of a favorable review. Regarding selection of a reciever: Here you are less likely to go wrong. The difference in sound between one reciever and another is very small relative to the difference in sound from one speaker model to another. A model from any of the big manufacturers (Sony, Kenwood, Sherwood) is likely to be satisfactory, since they all perform pretty much the same. When your ear becomes educated enough to be able to tell the difference between one amplifier and another, you will want to trade up to separate components anyway. Hope this has been helpful. I have always found that shopping for new audio gear is half the fun. Ben Broder ..vax135!petsd!moncol!ben ..priceton!moncol!ben
herbie@watdcsu.UUCP (Herb Chong [DCS]) (02/20/85)
i second the suggestion and also want to add my 2 cents worth. find the
friend you know who owns the most expensive stereo system and drag them
along too. at least this way, you won't be intimidated as much and will
have a second opinion from someone you know and trust more than the sales
staff.
Herb Chong...
I'm user-friendly -- I don't byte, I nybble....
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NETNORTH, BITNET, EARN: herbie@watdcs, herbie@watdcsusmb@ulysses.UUCP (Steven Bellovin) (02/20/85)
I agree with moncol!ben that one shouldn't worry too much about receiver choice. At least in that price range (and probably in most higher price ranges as well....), amplifier quality is about the same, and quite good. FM behavior varies more; still, what you're really paying for are features and power. Decide what features you need/want, and don't worry too much about moderate differences in power -- you have to double the power output of an amp to make a significant difference. For speakers, I agree with the recommendation -- listen for yourself -- but not the comments on Consumer Reports. When they rate speakers, they tell you (a) closely-ranked units are of very comparable quality; (b) even with units ranked significantly lower, taste is very importnat; (c) they're measuring overall deviation from ideal -- but different speakers diverge from 'flat' in different ways, which affects the way they sound. Bring with you some favorite records (in good condition -- buy a new copy if necessary), ones that you know by heart, and listen closely. Compare only two pair of speakers at a time; after you eliminate one, compare it with the next. Insist that the output levels be matched -- it's well-known that imperceptible differences in volume will significantly affect one's perception of quality (the louder speaker sounds "better"). You may want to listen to the best speakers in the store as well, for reference purposes. To compare speakers from different stores, arrange for a home trial -- most stores will allow you to do this if you give them a post-dated check or credit card receipt for the full price. Apart from anything else, your listening environ- ment makes a tremendous difference in the way the speakers will sound. (I realize that this is problematic if you don't have some receiver at home already.) Finally, one comment -- after taking up all this time of assorted sales people at assorted stores, consider the ethical implications before buying the identical speaker from a discount house. --Steve Bellovin
winkg@vice.UUCP (Wink Gross) (02/25/85)
> speakers. I like to listen for 3 things in a speaker: > > 1) Imaging. Does the speaker present a lifelike soundstage, or does > the sound seem to come from all around, or perhaps from a box. > A high quality speaker can give you a feeling of image height > and depth, as well as width. > etc. > Ben Broder > ..vax135!petsd!moncol!ben > ..priceton!moncol!ben "image height"? Would someone please explain how stereo with only two channels could convey any spatial information on an axis perpendicular to the line between the speakers? Wink Gross Tektronix
herbie@watdcsu.UUCP (Herb Chong [DCS]) (03/03/85)
In article <86@vice.UUCP> winkg@vice.UUCP (Wink Gross) writes: >"image height"? Would someone please explain how stereo with only >two channels could convey any spatial information on an axis perpendicular >to the line between the speakers? > > Wink Gross > Tektronix the height that can be heard is produced by psychoacoustics at work and has little, it any correlation, with the actual vertical placement of the instruments. it seems that when pure tones are heard, certain frequencies seem to come from specific directions no matter where the actual sound source is. speakers with vertical imaging do this to some extent. also, speakers are not ideal point sources with the tweeter and bass drivers separated. phase differences between different parts of the spectrum of the played instruments emulate to some extent what happens when these instruments are played close to reflecting surfaces of different sound absorption properties. since there are no such surfaces in the right places, the eyes force the brain to do other things to come up with something resembling reality. you end up getting the illusion of vertical placement. only good recordings with well recorded ambience and extremely low distortion will provide this effect, and excellent equipment is required to reproduce it. simpler microphone techniques tend to show this better. Audio, a year or so ago, had a very good article on psychoacoustics. more importantly, they have citations at the end of their articles so that you can do more research. i'm sorry, but i don't have the issue number or date. Herb Chong... I'm user-friendly -- I don't byte, I nybble.... UUCP: {decvax|utzoo|ihnp4|allegra|clyde}!watmath!water!watdcsu!herbie CSNET: herbie%watdcsu@waterloo.csnet ARPA: herbie%watdcsu%waterloo.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa NETNORTH, BITNET, EARN: herbie@watdcs, herbie@watdcsu
don@oakhill.UUCP (Don Weiss) (03/08/85)
[] I don't know how many of you have noticed this, but over the years on my most recent sets of speakers (i.e., ESS AMT-1's and Ohm Walsh 4's) I distinctly perceive lower frequencies coming from a plane close to the floor, and higher ones from a plane further off the floor. In fact, sometimes the apparent plane of origination is above the level of the radiating centers of the speakers. I think I saw a reference to this effect some years ago in one of the hifi magazines. Don Weiss