nUForCE
A
Beginner's
Guide
to
Good
Audio
What qualities distinguish agood audio system?
Let's start with amisconception. "Wow! I'll bet that can play loud!" This,
or
something like
it,
is
typical
of
the newcomer's reaction to an audiophile's setup, particularly if the
speakers are large.
Why asystem's loudness capability should
be
the measure of excellence isn't difficult to
understand. People install often quite costly sound systems
in
their cars. Some
of
the
larger specimens seem capable
of
shaking their host vehicle apart. The pavement
trembles when one passes by. Aclub's sound system is
in
the same league: ear-splitting,
gut-wrenching, floor-buckling output. With the exception
of
classical music, which is rarely
ever amplified, the same
is
true for most live concerts. Domestically, the average boom
box can break alease. TV ads featuring hard-pumping woofer cones say it all.
On actually sitting down and listening to our hypothetical audiophile's sound system, the
newcomer will likely say "Wow!" again, followed this time by "It's so clear!"
Clarity. The term takes
in
ahost
of
qualities. As strange as this may seem, one
of
clarity's principal components
is
silence. Asilent audio system -
an
audio system that
contributes little to no noise
of
its own -reveals the music all the more clearly at
listening levels from soft to loud.
Resolution
likewise contributes to clarity. Imagine two mounds
of
sand
in
bright sunlight.
One mound
is
mixed with mud. It's difficult to see its individual grains. The other mound
is
free of mud. You have no trouble seeing its tiny, glittering bits. And so it
is
with high-
quality audio. The music shines through. Nothing muddies the sonic image. You hear the
texture
of
asinger's voice almost as if she's
in
trte room. Instrumental timbres allow you
to distinguish the purposeful grunge
of
the rockers' gUitars. Violas differ from violins,
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