August 26, 2001
I have recently upgraded my system (amp and
speakers), and it now consists of a Marantz 63SE CD player, Cairn Aria NF integrated amp,
and Triangle Titus XS speakers. While the sound is clean and the soundstage good, I find
the sound to be too "exciting." I suspect that it is the characteristic of the
CD player in my system. Can you advise what might be the cause and what can be done to
smoothen the sound?
Alvin
Excitement is what the Cairn/Triangle
combination is all about. If you have read my Titus XS review, you'll see that's exactly
how I described the speakers. The Cairn integrated amp only emphasizes that
characteristic, and I would have thought you assembled the system to get that particular
sound.
If you want a more laid-back presentation,
you might investigate cables that de-emphasize sharp leading edges and transients and are
voiced for a warmer sound. Cardas comes to mind.
August 25, 2001
My Yamaha M-50 amp died for the second time,
and I am fed up, so that I am going to go higher end. Because I am on a budget, I have to
be spend wisely, so my question is this: Are my JBL 4312s good enough to keep while I
purchase an integrated amp, or should I give up on them and start from scratch. I
purchased the system in Japan in 1985 while serving in the Navy.
Michael Alvarez
"Good enough to keep" is always
a loaded question. We all listen for different things, have different standards and find
things important to a different extent. I'd say rebuild your system in stages, as your
budget allows and your ears dictate. A different amp might will make your speakers sing in
a way you haven't heard them before. If so, hold on to them. If not, listen to the new
setup until you can afford to upgrade the speakers.
August 24, 2001
I want to know about the quality of
Bang & Olufsen.
Andre Coll
That's a wide-open question and impossible to answer.
However, I have a hunch that what you want to know has to do with appearance versus sound
quality. I used to sell B&O because the owner of the store I worked at sold it for
decades. He was a big believer. Like many, I too had preconceived notions about it --
"all looks, no quality." However, I listened to their equipment and compared it
to competitors and found the electronics to be excellent. However, I found B&O
speakers to be the weaker part. They were good, but outperformed by other makers for less
money.
August 24, 2001
I enjoyed your article on amplifier
power (your articles are always interesting). I have a question regarding a statement
you make in the article which I copied below:
"In addition, most popular music recordings compress
their dynamic range electronically to keep the differences between the quietest and
loudest passages to a minimum."
I always thought that CDs were known to have a wider
dynamic range than vinyl or cassette tape. Is that true?
Thanks
Rick
What I was referring to is that CDs have the
potential for wider dynamic range (and with the new digital formats of SACD and DVD-A the
dynamic range potential is even higher). Whether this is exploited during the recording
and mastering process is another story. Many recordings have their dynamics compressed,
some say so they can be played back over a wider variety of systems like those in cars,
portable disc players, etc. However, some recordings, notably from audiophile labels, are
made with wider dynamic range that do exploit the medium. When you listen to them portions
may seem uncharacteristically quiet (tempting you to turn the volume up), but then other
portions will be exceedingly loud.
August 23, 2001
I am on the cusp of a speaker-buying decision,
and wondered if you could either give some of the highlights of the Axiom M22Ti review, or
tell me when it is going to be online.
Thank you very much,
Tom Carter
The review is planned for November 1. I
continue to be amazed at the interest in this Axiom model and how it will stack up against
the M3Ti. Truth be told, I'm very curious myself. Thus far, the M22Ti speakers are still
in the box awaiting their turn.
August 23, 2001
I am interested in buying a compact system for
a small dorm room. I am thinking about getting a pair of bookshelf speakers and a
receiver, which I can connect to my portable CD player. My budget is only about $400, and
unfortunately, I am quite a discerning classical violinist. I listen to a lot of
orchestral and string music. For violin music I always look for a warm,
"rosin"-full sound that is not too bright:
Here are some components I have come across:
- Receivers: Onkyo TX8211/Sony STR-DE135
- Speakers: NHT SuperOne/Wharfedale Emerald 91/Cambridge
Soundworks Model 16
Do you have any suggestions for me, or anybody
with a similar tight budget?
Thank you!
Stewart
My personal experience with these products
you mention is limited. However, I know that even given your budget constraint it is
indeed possible to get good sound. Today there are many speakers in the under-$200 price
bracket that are quite good and I think you should start looking there to balance your
budget. For example, in GoodSound! we will be reviewing the $189 Paradigm Atom
shortly. As for an amplifier, you will likely want to forego something with too many
features and high power (that costs money). Go for something simple and concentrate solely
on the sound. Since you are a discerning listener I highly advise that you listen to any
speaker and amplifier combination together before you purchase anything.
August 22, 2001
Like many of your readers, I'm anxious to read
your forthcoming review of the Axiom MT22i loudspeakers and EP125 subwoofer. Any chance
for a "mini review" or a comparison against the MT3i and EP175? For me, I think
this similarly priced combination of MT3i and EP175 will have a higher Wife Acceptance
Factor, be comparable for music and possibly better for home theater. Also, it seems the
EP175 might be a better comparison against the VTF-2.
I'm currently planning to temporarily retire a
12-year-old Adcom and Vandersteen stereo setup in favor of Marantz 7200, four MT3i, VC-100
and EP175 combo. Any advice?
Thanks,
Lee
PS: GoodSound! is great. I wish I'd
found it sooner!
We have clear review procedures in place
that ask us to not comment on products under review until we publish the full reviews. On
occasion, I've let readers know that something under review "looks promising,"
but that's about as far as I can go. I haven't compared the two Axiom models yet -- other
things are in the pipeline first. As for the EP-175, it's not coming to me. I agree that
it might make for a more even-keeled comparison with the VTF-2, but we simply asked Axiom
to send the sub they'd recommend to go with either the M3Ti or M22Ti. They decided on the
EP125. Here's what I can say. In my capacity as columnist for our sister publication SoundStage!,
I write about expensive equipment. That includes speakers. Whenever I return from an
expensive speaker back to the M3Ti, I continue to be amazed at how good it is. I could
live with it without regrets if my expensive personal system went up in smoke. Take that
for what it's worth.
August 21, 2001
First, I want to say that I am not a true
audiophile in comparison to those on your "Ask Me" section. I do not possess a
high-end system, but I do thoroughly enjoy music and an occasional DVD. Besides mid-income
family budget constraints, I have to plan a date with my home-theater system when both the
wife and little one are away. As you may guess, the dynamic sound from an action movie or
the loud musical passages from a CD are sent throughout my house and to anyone's ears
within it, making a daily musical ritual virtually impossible.
In those times that I do enjoy my system, I've
found that my 13-year-old Technics three-way speakers with 12" woofers are lacking in
replicating the lower frequencies of some movies and music. While not ready to spend the
money to buy a pair of Boston Acoustic floorstanders to match the rears, I am
contemplating buying a very value-oriented subwoofer to take advantage of the LFE signals
coming from my Kenwood VR-509. I am currently looking at the Sony SA-WM40 and Yamaha
YST-SW90. Please reply with any opinion on these or any subwoofer models that are in the
$200-$250 range.
J.P. Ignacio
In your budget range, subwoofers tend to
use 6.5" or 8" woofers. This makes them essentially add-on woofers for micro
speakers or bookshelf monitors that by themselves only reach to somewhere between 60Hz and
100Hz. By extending their reach to around 40Hz, such outboard woofers fill out the sound
of such speakers nicely. However, calling them subwoofers is a bit misleading. They still
lack the bottom octave of truly low bass. Reproducing this properly costs more. If a $250
budget sub claims to deliver 30Hz bass extension, chances are its bass isn't well
controlled or precise. You may be better off waiting until you can replace your Technics
speakers with a newer model.
As for other subwoofer brands, the
Canadian companies (Axiom, Energy, Mirage, Paradigm) all make good models. However, to get
something that begins to reach into subwoofer-like bass territory, you probably have to
budget $350 to $400.
August 20, 2001
Having recently moved and set up my system in
a room vastly different from the one where it used to reside, I find that it no longer
sounds as good as it once did. It doesn't sound bad, but the change is very apparent. The
system now sounds more reticent, almost lifeless, and the soundstage has shrunk.
It goes without saying that the problems have
to do with the placement of the speakers and the system's interaction with the new room,
and while the obvious question is, "What can I do to make it better?," instead
of listing all the differences (carpeted vs. hardwood floors, new furniture I didn't have
before, different size and shape of the room, etc.) and asking you to guess the culprit,
may I request that you consider running an article on speaker setup and placement, perhaps
in the "How To" section? I think this would be of tremendous help to many
readers.
In keeping with the pragmatic nature of GoodSound!,
it would be extremely helpful to consider the realities of speaker placement in a
"mainstream" domestic environment. For example, while having them about a third
of the way into the room, as many reviewers tend to end up placing their speakers, would
no doubt make them sound superior, it is simply not an option for many listeners. Ideas on
minimizing the negative effects of such compromises would be invaluable.
Tony
This is an excellent request and duly
noted. Until we can follow up, you might like to visit fellow writer Wes Phillips' version
of "Ask Me" on www.onhifi.com.
He has gone into details on speaker setup options already. This might be a good place to
start right away. Simply scroll through his posts until you hit upon this subject.
August 19, 2001
A recent posting in the "Ask Me"
section of GoodSound! indicated that people were able to purchase the Hsu
Research VTF-2 subwoofer for $399. Since that is $100 lower than Hsu's direct price and
$80 lower than the lowest price I've ever seen, I am very curious to know who is offering
that price. I'd like to take advantage of it.
Scott
It is not advertised yet, but you can get
the special price at AV123.com. Their telephone number is (877) 543-7500. The sale is on
for roughly two more weeks.
August 17, 2001
I read your website frequently. It's very
good, and I continue to learn a lot by visiting. Thank you.
I live in Argentina. We don't have audio
publications like this. The only way to learn is buying foreign magazines or finding
Internet sites. Last week I saw on the Monitor Audio site a subwoofer specification:
"variable Q: 0.5 - 2." What does this mean?
Renato Boccazzi
P.S: Can you include a technical section on
your website? You can answer questions like: How does a CD laser work? What's
digital-to-analog conversion?
Q stands for "quality factor"
and describes a woofer's self-resonant behavior in a cabinet. Each loudspeaker driver in
free air "rings" at a particular frequency. Once inside a box, this frequency
can be altered according to how the box is tuned. A high Q value means that the driver
rings over a narrow frequency band but resonates intensely within that section. A low Q
value means that the ringing is spread out over a wider frequency band and thus less
intense at any of those frequencies. A Q value of 1 is considered the center. Values below
1 are called "overdamped," while values above 1 "underdamped." A
perfectly damped woofer will have a Q of 0.5. This means its response is very accurate and
tight. It "stops on a dime." A higher Q means more resonance. This can give a
warmer, fuller but less accurate sound. A variable Q thus allows you to tailor the
subwoofer's response to your personal liking.
Have you checked out our "How To" and "Glossary" sections? There you'll
find a growing body of technical articles and definitions of terms. You can also (and this
goes for all our readers) ask specific questions like you did today. We can then reformat
the answers and add them to the glossary to build it up as a more and more complete and
useful resource for everyone.
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