FAQ: rec.audio.* Intro 2/99 (part 1 of 13)

FAQ: rec.audio.* Intro 2/99 (part 1 of 13)

Archive-name: AudioFAQ/part1
Last-modified: 2003/3/4
Version: 2.16

1.0 Contents:

Part 1 Intro
1.0 Contents
2.0 Organization
3.0 Purpose
4.0 Omissions
5.0 Credits
6.0 Errors and Corrections
7.0 Disclaimer
8.0 Copyright Notice
Part 2 Systems
9.0 High Fidelity Systems
Part 3 Sources
10.0 CD Players, CDs, Turntables, and LPs
Part 4 Amplifiers
11.0 Amplifiers
Part 5 Speakers
12.0 Speakers
Part 6 Rooms
13.0 Listening Rooms and Houses
Part 7 Recording
14.0 Recording
Part 8 Wire
15.0 Wire
Part 9 Retail
16.0 Retail
Part 10 Mail Order
17.0 Mail Order
Part 11 Networking
18.0 Net Protocol
Part 12 The Press
19.0 The Press
Part 13 Misc
20.0 Miscellaneous

2.0 Organization:

This FAQ is divided into a preamble and a list of subjects. Each
subject is described by a list of questions and answers. Some
questions have no answers yet. That's life.

This FAQ is split into 13 individual postings. This FAQ also references
a frequent posting of sources for audio via Mail Order. That list is
maintained by nau@SSESCO,com (William R. Nau). Contact Mr. Nau directly
for information or corrections to that posting. The list is also
available via FTP in the /pub/Rec.Audio directory of ssesco,com
as file Mailorder.txt

Lines beginning with "|" are new since the last version of the FAQ.

3.0 Purpose:

The purpose of this FAQ is to address frequently-asked questions as a
whole, so that rec.audio.* volume can be reduced. Towards this end, we
assembled a list of common questions, and some general answers to these
questions. Audio is part science and part art, so some of the answers
are objectively correct, while others try to open-mindedly present both
sides of a subject.

| This FAQ is the official list of frequently asked questions and
| associated answers for the rec.audio.* newsgroups. It is the
| work of many knowledgeable and selfless people who contributed
| without any personal gain, only for the purpose of helping others.
| Readers of the newsgroup are encouraged to use this standard to
| judge other documents.

4.0 Omissions:

Many valuable things have been left out of the FAQ. In part this is
because there is just too much to say about audio. In part, this is
because the general reader doesn't need that much detail. Also, some
things were omitted because they are too controversial or inflammatory.

5.0 Credits:

This FAQ is the work of many people. Allow me to thank everyone who
helped now. Some of the contributors to this FAQ are listed below.
Others have made great contributions, and are no less appreciated.

andrew@research.att,com (Andrew Hume)
jj@research.att,com (jj)
Ken Kantor of NHT
neidorff@ti,com (Bob Neidorff)
Rick Oakley (no internet access)
DPierce@world.std,com (Richard d Pierce)
P.Smee@bristol.ac.uk (Paul Smee)
gabe@panix,com (Gabe M. Wiener)

6.0 Errors and Corrections:

If you have a correction to the FAQ, additional information, or a new
topic for the FAQ, please send e-mail to neidorff@ti,com describing
your thoughts in detail. Please include your e-mail address in your
submission, so that we can stay in touch. Every submission will be
considered for inclusion in the next release of the FAQ. This FAQ will
be reposted every month.

7.0 Disclaimer:

Everyone's human. Nothing is perfect. The people who wrote the
information here put varying amounts of research into their work.
To the best of my knowledge, no one made any contribution or comment
because of a vested interest.

Audio is a very lucrative and competitive industry, filled with honest
companies, aggressive marketing people, people who stretch the truth
very thin, excellent products, and lousy products. We tried hard to
screen the hype from valuable data. If we insulted, omitted, or
otherwise disturbed you, your company, your product, or something
you feel strongly about, please let me know.

The information here attempts to paraphrase a large portion of the
information exchanged in rec.audio newsgroup discussions. At times,
people will make recommendations or suggestions to others on some of
these newsgroups. Some of these statements are included here because
we have been asked to include statements of that sort. These
statements, and everything in this document are the opinions of various
people. Nothing here is intended as recommendation or suggestion.

Further, no matter how it is worded, nothing here should be taken as
fact. The authors take no responsibility for any use of this
information.

8.0 Copyright Notice:

The information contained here is collectively copyrighted by the
authors. The right to reproduce this is hereby given, provided it is
copied intact, with the text of sections 1 through 8, inclusive.
However, the authors explicitly prohibit selling this document, any
of its parts, or any document which contains parts of this document.

--
Bob Neidorff; Texas Instruments | Internet: neidorff@ti,com
50 Phillippe Cote St | Voice : (US) 603-222-8541
Manchester, NH 03101 USA |

Note: Texas Instruments has openings for Analog and Mixed
Signal Design Engineers in Manchester, New Hampshire. If
interested, please send resume in confidence to address above.

FAQ: rec.audio.* Systems 2/99 (part 2 of 13)

Archive-name: AudioFAQ/part2
Last-modified: 2002/09/04
Version: 2.16

9.0 High Fidelity Systems
People frequently use the term "Stereo" to refer to a sound
reproduction system. To be more accurate, we will use the term
High Fidelity System to refer to a pile of equipment including
at least one source, at least one amplifier, and at least one
speaker. Common sources are turntables, CD players, tape
players, tuners, and receivers.

9.1 What is a receiver?
A receiver is a tuner, power amplifier, and preamp combined. A
common receiver has inputs for a turntable, a CD player, a tape
deck, and perhaps one or two other sources. It probably also
has selector switch(s), tone controls, and a volume control. A
receiver may have outputs for two speakers, or for more. Some
receivers do | not have phono preamps, a trend that may become
more common as vinyl loses popularity. Many receivers contain
surround sound processors.

9.2 What is a tuner?
A tuner is a radio reception device which can not drive
speakers. Sometimes, the radio in a tuner is higher quality
than the radio in a receiver. A tuner may or may not receive
the AM broadcast band, but 99.999% will receive the FM broadcast
band. Some also receive short wave bands, frequencies used
for long-distance rather than for local commercial broadcasts.

9.3 How should I go about selecting a system?
If you're looking to buy something, the first step is to figure
out what you can spend. If you're looking for a whole system,
this gets tricky, because you have to allocate amounts for the
different components. The most popular current rule-of-thumb
for a single source system (speakers, amp, 1 something-player)
is to divide the money about equally among the three parts. If
you want several players, you'll have to decide whether they are
all equally important, and so deserve the same amount of money;
or whether some are less important, in which case you can spend
less on them and put the savings elsewhere.

This rule isn't hard-and-fast. It's just meant as a starting
point so you don't have to listen to every possible combination
of equipment. If you are building around a CD player, you might
spend a bit less on the player and a bit more on the speakers.
If you are buying turntable (or something else which plays by
physical contact) on the other hand, it might be good idea to
put a bit extra into the player. The reason for this is that if
you skimp on the turntable, then when you come to buy a better
one you may find that your records have been worn out by the
cheap player. If you skimp on the speakers, on the other hand,
then when you can afford better speakers the music will still be
there on your records.

Another perspective says that you should spend the most you
can on your source, as the sound can never be better than
what you get off of the record/CD.

See also 12.1, 12.2, and 10.1 for information on what to listen
to and what to listen for when evaluating speakers, turntables,
CD players, tape recorders, and systems in general.

9.4 How can I improve the sound of my stereo?
The cheapest improvement you can make, and perhaps the most
effective, is to position your speakers carefully and correctly.
See 13.1, below. This will improve the frequency response
flatness, making it easier to hear every instrument and voice.
Setting speaker position correctly can also improve the
three-dimensional recreation of a stereo image.

9.5 Do I want a combo system or separate components?
Combo systems used to be cheap jokes; that's not always true
now. Some sound very nice; there are even some made by
"audiophile" companies, and they sound even nicer. They've got
lots of advantages. They take up less space. The controls tend
to be well-integrated, especially if they are remote-controlled.
Therefore, they are easy to operate; this can be a major plus if
some of the people who'll use it are afraid of, or not very good
at, technology. Also easy to set up, and don't leave millions
of wires dangling all over everywhere.

If you do go for a combo, get a brand name; either an audiophile
company, or a good "consumer electronics" company. Brand-X
combos are generally overpriced and unpleasant. If possible,
buy it where you can listen to it first, such as a "real" hi-fi
shop. Mid-range hi-fi shops sell combos, as a way of
introducing beginners to quality sound.

In most good combos, the speakers are the weak link. If you do
go for a combo, you can almost always improve the sound
drastically by buying a set of better speakers. Better speakers
start in the $100-$200 price range. Some of the best combos
come without speakers, forcing you to do this. A good combo
with replacement speakers will give you very pleasant music.

Sounds good, you say, so why do people bother with components?
Well, you can get better sound with a component system -- but
usually at the expense of convenience and size. A good
component system will normally require a mixture of boxes from
different makers to get the best results, so you've got to spend
more time listening to things. However, if you listen to your
music seriously, then the performance of a component system is
the reward for that extra work.

Components are harder to set up and operate. However, as noted,
you can get better sound. You also get more flexibility. If,
for example, you decide you want a better CD player, you just
replace the CD player. With a combo system, you've got to
replace the whole system. If your component tape deck breaks,
you can remove it from the system and take it in for repair or
replacement. With a combo, the whole system has to go in for
repair or be replaced.

When you want to add some new recording medium to your system
(laserdisc, VCR, DAT, DCC, MD, ...), if you've got components
you just go buy the appropriate box. Many combo systems do not
have places (or many places) to attach extra bits, so again you
could be looking at replacing the whole thing. With a component
system, you can add a turntable; most modern combos can't cope
with turntables any more. Do you have a record collection?

If you're really not sure, components are the safer bet; if
you're going to make a mistake, that's probably the better way
to be wrong. But, if you're sure that a combo would be best
for your needs, it can be a totally reasonable choice.

Now, some people may be tempted by one-maker 'component sets',
particularly the modern, miniature ones. They tend to be
equivalent to combos. Most use non-standard connections, rather
than the normal twin phono plug, so that it's likely you can't
swap or add components anyway. Even where they use standard
interconnects, they may rely on non-standard interconnections
for control purposes. In a few cases, they also rely on sharing
power, with a power supply in only one of the boxes and the rest
taking low-voltage connections from that. And, no one maker
makes the best everything. By default, assume that they will
have the same disadvantages (and most of the same advantages) as
combos. If it's important for it to work with "standard"
components from other makers, be sure to ask before you buy.

One-maker 'component sets' are also often of lower quality than
true individual components. Component sets are designed for
convenience and appearance, rather than sound quality.

And, if you're in doubt, go for separate components.

9.6 How can I get better FM radio reception?
A. Use a (better) antenna. (See 9.7 and 9.8 below)
B. Use a (more) directional antenna. (See 9.7 and 9.8 below)
C. Aim your directional antenna. Rhombics are ungainly to move,
but Yagis and dipoles are small enough to point right at
the station. With the dipole, to tune in a station to
the East, run the antenna North-South. With a Yagi,
point the individual elements North-South with the
smallest element on the East end.

9.7 How good are these compact FM antennas?
For receiving, small is ugly. The bigger the antenna (all else
equal) the better. Of course, all else is never equal, but
these fancy, expensive mini antennas tend to be awful. Some
compensate for their small receiving structure with a small
antenna signal amplifier. However, the quality of that
amplifier is often no better than the quality of the amplifier
in your tuner or receiver, so the antenna just gives you a
stronger signal, complete with stronger noise.

All of that said, some compact FM antennas can work better than
a simple dipole in some situations. Some have an internal
amplifier, which helps with weak signals if the input stage in
your receiver is poor. Some are directional. Some aren't. If
possible, be sure that whatever you buy can be returned for a
refund if it doesn't work out well for you.

9.8 What makes the best FM radio antenna?
Although there is no "best" antenna for everyone, one of the
most directional is the "rhombic". Being very directional, this
antenna can select one weak station out of many strong ones, or
one group of stations originating from a general direction.
In addition, very directional antennas are good at reducing
multipath interference, a problem which is more severe in
cities with tall buildings.

This antenna is very long, and made up of four pieces of wire
with feedline at one end for antenna connections and a resistor
at the other for termination. Rhombics for FM broadcast band
use are at least 15 feet (4.5 meters) long, but can be made
fairly narrow, less than 3 feet (1 meter) wide. A more narrow
antenna will be more directional. A longer antenna will give a
stronger signal.

Another very directional antenna is the "yagi", which looks just
like a common TV antenna. You can even use a common TV antenna
as a very good FM antenna. The FM and TV bands are very close
together. It has the advantages of being cheap, directional,
and easy to rotate.

One of the simplest and easiest to make antennas is the folded
dipole, made from 300 ohm twin lead. It is approx. 58" long.
This antenna is surprisingly good for receiving signals in a
moderately strong signal area. Folded dipoles come with many
tuners and receivers as a standard accessory. They are also
available for approximately $2 at audio and department stores.

Whatever antenna you have, you can often get it to work better
for specific stations by moving it. In the case of the folded
dipole, sometimes it works better vertically, and other times it
works best horizontally. Sometimes, you can get that one
elusive station to come in perfectly if you bend the two ends of
it at funny angles. Don't be afraid to experiment. One
warning. As atmospheric conditions change, the best antenna
placement may also change.

An excellent reference book on antennas is printed by the
American Radio Relay League (ARRL). It is called The ARRL
Antenna Book. Currently in its 17th edition, it is a 736
page large, illustrated paperback which includes a disk
of MS-DOS software. It costs $30 plus s/h. It has fairly
complete antenna theory, practical information such as
charts, drawings, comparisons, and tips on construction
and adjustment. ISBN 0-87259-473-4. The ARRL is founded
and chartered as a non-profit organization to better
amateur radio, and antennas are a vital part of amateur radio.
American Radio Relay League
225 Main Street
Newington CT 06111 USA
203-666-1541

Also useful:
Practical Antenna Handbook by Joseph J. Carr
Tab Books #3270/McGraw Hill - ISBN 0-8306-3270-3

9.9 What about power line conditioners?
Each home and each outlet has slightly different power line
impedance and power line noise. Each amplifier is affected by
power line impedance and power line noise differently. Power
line conditioners try to reduce this line noise. Some also
change the power line impedance in a way which is supposed to be
better. We will leave it to your ears to decide if these
devices help the sound of your system enough to justify their
expense.

9.10 How can I reduce vibration sensitivity?
Some complain that heavy foot falls will cause skipping or more
subtle sonic problems with CD players or turntables. If you
have these problems, there are a few different things which you
can try to reduce the problem. One is to add weight to the rack
which holds the equipment. Heavier things move slower. If you
can get the motion slow enough, it won't cause sonic or tracking
problems.

Another solution is to add rubber or elastomer (Sorbothane)
cushions under the CD player or turntable. This might make it
better, but might also make it worse. Experiment.

A third solution is to increase the coupling between the rack
and the floor using spikes, which concentrate the weight on
a very small area. Another way to increase the coupling between
the rack and the floor is to use a plastic adhesive like HoldIt,
sold under the UHU trade name in office supply stores.

9.11 What equipment can I buy that is 100% made in the USA?
There are many lines of equipment that are carefully hand
crafted in the USA. Unfortunately, these systems are usually
the high-end ones. Some US companies also make gear in the
far east. When in doubt, ask. Some US audio manufacturers are:
Adcom (some made in Japan) http :// www .adcom,com
Audio by Van Alstine
Audio Research http :// www .audioresearch,com
B & K http :// www .bkcomp,com
California Audio Labs (CAL) http :// www .calaudio,com /
Carver (some made in Japan)
Jeff Rowland http :// www .jeffrowland,com
Krell http :// www .pcnet,com /~krell
Mark Levinson http :// www .madrigal,com /MLHP5.htm
McCormack
McIntosh http :// www .mcintoshlabs,com
Proceed http :// http :// www .madrigal,com /PROHP2.htm
PS Audio http :// www .psaudio,com
Spectral http :// www .spectralinc,com
Sumo (Power amps, preamps, CD transports, D/As)
Wadia http :// www .wadia,com /index.html

9.11.1 Any information on equipment made in other countries?
Thanks to Stephane Tsacas, we know:

Australia:
Krix Loudspeakers http :// www .krix,com .au
Metaxas http :// www .metaxas,com

Canada:
| Bryston http :// www .bryston.ca
Coincident http :// www .coincidentspeaker,com
Energy Speakers http :// www .energy-speakers,com
Newform http :// www .barint.on.ca/newform
Paradigm http :// www .paradigm.ca
Psb Speakers http :// www .psbspeakers,com
Sonic Frontiers http :// www .sonicfrontiers,com
Waveform http :// www .waveform.ca

Czech Republic:
KR Enterprise http :// www .kr-enterprise,com

Denmark:
Bang & Olufsen http :// www .bang-olufsen,com
Bow Technologies http :// www .bowtechnologies,com
Bruel & Kjaer http :// www .bkhome,com
SEK Acoustics http :// www .adpointer,net /sekacoustics

France:
Audax http :// www .audax,com
Audio Aero http :// www .audioaero,com
Audioreference http :// www .audioreference,com
Cabasse http :// www .cabasse,com
Confluence http :// www .a-t,fr /confluence
J-M Reynaud http :// www .charente-fr,com /jm-reynaud
Kora http :// www .kora,net /index.html
JM Lab http :// www .focal.tm,fr
Triangle http :// www .triangle-fr,com
Verdier
YBA http :// www .phlox-electronique,fr

Germany:
Lehmann audio http :// www .lehmannaudio.de
Steinmusic http :// www .steinmusic.de

Italy:
Audio Analog http :// www .hi-fi-forum,com /audio_analogue.htm
Pathos http :// www .hi-fi-forum,com /pathos.htm

Korea:
Pulsus http :// www .pulsustech,com

Netherlands:
Final http :// www .hi-fi-forum,com /final.htm
Philips http :// www .philips,com

New Zealand:
Perreaux http :// www .perr