My inbox is again flooded with requests from newbies who are convinced that this hobby is the real deal in entertainment; thus, they are seriously interested in getting quickly started. I have long thought of coming out with a beginners’ guide to home stereo system, but it’s just not possible because it would take more than one column to detail the steps needed in building an ideal system. We may not be able to address the interest of other readers.
What you’re about to read in this AudioFile edition, however, are some tips to get yourself started. We can just correspond via email to further discuss the finer details on how to get the best results. Note that the tips here are exclusively for home stereo systems. Setting up a home theater system is a separate story.
Budget
This is the most important consideration in any decision you are about to make. How far will your budget go? I’m tempted to say that it doesn’t take much to build a home stereo system, but I might be blamed later if it doesn’t turn out that way. Some enthusiasts that I know of, nonetheless, were able to build a relatively decent system on a very tight budget. I guess the key here is knowledge of the hobby. An informed music lover always gets the right equipment combination without draining his life savings. If married, it may be good to consult the wife or the whole family for that matter. There might be some important purchases that need to be prioritized. If single and living independently from parents and siblings, blessed are you for you have to account only to yourself. If living with parents, chances are your project will be confined to your own room; hopefully, you’re not sharing it with a sibling.
Room
The size and make-up of your room ultimately determine the size of your system. In my humble opinion, room acoustics accoount for 60 percent of your system’s sound quality. Does your room have sliding glass doors or windows? If it has, then some treatment must be done to tame it for optimum music playback. To some degree, these reflective surfaces help, but only if some portions are to be treated to lessen wayward frequencies bouncing off in all directions. Also, keep in mind that a smaller room can accommodate only a small system. You cannot expect humongous speakers and amplifiers to sing well in a tight environment. Music is basically air movements. Your system must be able to breathe well to perform well. But if you’re extremely passionate about music, and have the money to spend and a dedicated space to put your system in, then the sky is the limit to achieve your idea of the best in sound entertainment.
Speakers
Transducers or loudspeakers are the cornerstone of any system. Everything starts with them, and is built around them. When shopping for a good pair, ask the dealers for their sensitivity rating. Sensitive speakers are easier to drive. It takes less power to make them sing. On the other hand, although speakers with a low-sensitivity rating require more power, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are poor singers. It really depends on how you’d match them up with the proper amplifiers. A 95 dB plus rating is considered sensitive. Any rating below that is considered low-sensitive. Some argue that a 90 dB rating is sensitive enough, but I’d take the higher value anytime because some manufacturers jack up their speakers’ rating by three to four dB. Another factor to look into is the speakers’ frequency response. Ideally, it is better to have a full bandwidth for total music enjoyment. Science has established that the audible frequency range for humans is between 20 hertz and 20 kilohertz. But some speakers, even the floorstanders, only have limited bandwidth of, say, 20 hertz to 40 kilohertz. Some audiophiles remedy this by adding a pair of sub-woofers for added lows. Depending on your room size, you can either choose the compact bookshelves or the floor-standing speakers.
Amplifiers
Once you’ve chosen the right speakers then you can now think about what amplifiers to pair them with. Now we know that high sensitive speakers require less power. If you’ve chosen that type of speakers, then you would only need an amplifier with at least five watts of power. Some purists drive their sensitive speakers with only one to three watts of power. The opposite happens when you go for low-sensitive speakers. Again, depending on your room size, an amp with at least 50 watts of power is needed to drive this type of speaker system. Your taste dictates whether to use tube or solid state amps. Audio magazines and audio forums in the internet can help you make an informed decision on which route to go.
Pre-Amplifiers
Choose the most neutral-sounding pre-amp. Ideally, the best system doesn’t have to have any pre-amp at all. Straight-wire connection between your music source and the amp is the best configuration one can ever have, but this is no longer possible because of the many music sources a modern-day system has. With a preamp, it is possible to hook up turntables, CD players or even iPods to the music chain. The challenge is for you to make all these components work as a team. A system singing to your heart’s delight: now that’s entertainment!
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For comments or questions, please e-mail me at audioglow@yahoo.com or at vphl@hotmail.com. You can also visit www.wiredstate.com or http://bikini-bottom.proboards80.com or you can tweet audiofiler at www.twitter.com for quick answers to your audio concerns.