How To Build YOUR Perfect HiFi Stereo System.

[@pupwizard3888]

Laughed out loud when he said "The aesthetics community kept vetoing suggestions". Any married man knows exactly what he is talking about.....

[@carminedesanto6746]

Yup …😂

[@larrysmac]

I never got vetoed. Instead, I had to guess the answer to the '$64,000 Question,' "What did I do to piss you off this time, Baaaaby?" -2 weeks later.

[@BillyDenton-nx3oy]

I missed it the first time I watched the video.. HILARIOUS... I'll be changing committees before I change my Hi-Fi !

[@angelaevans1636]

Baby Boomer here...Starting to listen and collect LPs again deciding on what Hi-Fi Stereo System to purchase. This is very helpful information....Thank you!

[@grantwilson9161]

To your point on so many wanting big watt amps/receivers. I recently picked up a 16 watt Yamaha CR-200 & ran it through a half dozen big & small speakers. I've been really impressed & it holds its own with many of my receivers with double or triple the watts.

[@psychrocklive]

Agreed. I’ve had a large range of receivers and I keep going back to the low powered ones. My NAD 7120 that makes just 20 WPC is one of my favorites period, it even powers the large advents well

[@SurnaturalM]

I have a 2220b from marantz and I don't feel like I need more power. I also have a separate set up with the smaller marantz 3200/140/112 and I never had to put it at ¼ of it's power. It's great to have smaller receiver because you can have more of them for less, and chose one of your liking. I liked my cr-200 too, but I ended up keeping the 2220b.

[@kennethdorn6393]

As someone who is asking oneself many of these same questions as I try to figure out what to buy that meets my needs within my budget, I can't thank you enough for this video. I've watched countless videos of yours, but this might have been the most valuable - thank you.

[@GeorgeFechter]

I have dove headfirst into the hi fi world. The major improvements that affect the sound quality for me 1 lossless audio 2 a sub 3 speakers 4 The receiver. I have watched almost all of your educational videos. You and a few others are responsible for my wonderful hobby. I look forward to purchasing a Sansui from your fine establishment. God bless Kevin

[@pedrofernandez8729]

For me it's clarity and detail, loudness not a requirement. Small room.

[@jonsays3762]

I got 3 way 8” KLH’s from the nineties on a lark from goodwill and I was amazed at what the did in comparison to $1200 5 1/4 Wharfedales and dual Cambridge subs. Good vid; here’s yer’ upthumb.

[@drmbgls1]

This was one of the best videos you've done! Great info for a novice or first timer into 2 channel audio.

[@ejcheck]

Sometimes no matter how hard you try plans go awry. - We have a vacation home. I was setting up a HT system and got some pro assistance. The room was a nightmare with a 20' slanted ceiling. We decided on a pair of ML Edge in-wall speakers for the mains (keeping the design coordinator in mind). They sounded great with music in the showroom. But they fell apart in the room for HT use. Because of the levels needed due to the ceiling I was getting CONE CRASH due to shallow drivers. These speakers are now R&L Effects. I rebuilt from scratch a pair of Klipsch Heresy speakers as the mains to get the sound into the room and the system now works fine. - Man Cave in a new retirement home. This had the potential to be a nightmare with open sides, plaster walls, and concrete floors. Rugs, couches, wall hangings did the trick and the concrete floor gave a fantastic base for a turntable. The sound is awesome. My only regret is that after decades of playing the upgrade game I can't think of anything that will need upgrading.

[@Stewart_PDX]

All excellent info. I'd enjoy seeing a video discussing more about a person's goals and some differences in equipment to consider or look for if you're someone who listens to window shattering heavy metal vs. someone who primarily listens to '80's popular music vs. somewho primarily listens to jazz. Thanks Kevin I enjoy your content.

[@mancavedecorations8158]

I trained audio salespeople for about 25 years. One of the hardest things to get them to understand was the importance of controlling the sale to prevent the equipment questions from eclipsing the goal questions. It's often like herding cats.

[@WillPower46]

I had $4000 NZD and this is how I built my dream system that my budget could afford. I went to the store and bought a pair of Wharfedale Lintons with a Denon DRA900 amp. There job done. Oh yes I almost forgot to mention I took about a month researching and defining what I was after before I did that.

[@andrewduthie9237]

@@WillPower46 Listened to Lintons powered by Advance Paris recently, the sound was perfect for me. The car salesman put me off. Were you happy with your retailer? I live just out of Tauranga.

[@AUTISTICLYCAN]

I think you were spot on for all the factors you ask us to consider. I have 2 pairs of Pioneer HPM 100's and I love the sound they make. They are old and not pretty but the sound they make is off the chain. I brought my receiver first and I know that's the wrong way to do things but I WANTED THAT Pioneer SX-1980 receiver. It was like going elephant hunting a RINO would not do. I really felt sorry for the guy you met with the sparse rectangular room. I'm not good imagining sound in rooms and even I could see nothing in that room would sound good. I can't see spending $1,500 to $3,000 for a turntable. I love vinyl but not that much. I have 4 Pioneer RT-707 Reel to Reels that cost a fortune so I have my costly passions too.

[@ethimself5064]

Back in 76/77 I bought a Pioneer system and the only Model I remember was the HPM 100's. They were great back then and great today if in good shape.

[@ethimself5064]

The RT-707, was that one of the black expensive models that came out about 77? There is something if find seducing about a large reel spinning at 3 1/2 inches/second. Never bought one though, a friend did and oh what a feeling

[@skylabsaudio]

You only live once! There are a lot worse things to spend your money on, IMO.

[@AUTISTICLYCAN]

@@ethimself5064 I have two silver RT-707's and 2 black Pioneer RT-707's. Yeah I agree there is something totally fascinating watching those reels spin. Kind of like watching those old computer storage reels spin in old 1960's James Bond flicks like Goldfinger!

[@careystuart]

Excellent video!! And very true, the listening room IS the fourth (or fifth) component!! Also the audio furniture or "racks" and speaker stands play a bit part!!

[@HoneyWindbutton]

I love your style and really appreciate your perspective. Could you do a video about tube amps?

[@BansheeFifteen]

Thank You Skylabs. I'm trying to figure out what I need and this video really puts it into perspective. Watched 2 times, I'm sure I'll re watch. TY

[@fujirama]

Your show is among the best. Thank you !

[@JoeAggimenti]

Hey, just discovered your videos today… your awesome man. Very humble and so easy to listen to. You could have been a teacher!! So looking forward to watching more of your videos!

[@mostirreverent]

I bought aDenon DP-57L Turntable just for the buttons :). I paired it with an AudioTechnica VM540ML cartridge and love it

[@marcstull4203]

As always, love your videos!

[@ZERO-CAPACITANCE]

Excellent work, keep going

[@jmfloyd23]

Excellent video Kevin! I learned some valuable pointers from a friend of mine many years ago who sold audio gear. He asked me things I didn’t think of when purchasing a system. I’ve given advice to friends who’ve asked me about putting a system together.

[@jeffbrooke4892]

Great video and excellent advice. With wattage I'd let people know what that sort of "power" it really represents and how little of it they will ever use or need. People tend to equate wattage with horsepower because they have been steeped in the influences of automotive marketing more than just about anything else in their consumer lives. And even then they don't understand what the unit of measure is that horsepower represents. And most people would be surprised at how little of both they actually use in 99% of their every day driving and hifi habits. Watts and HP are both expressions of consumer marketing that fit into the paradigm of getting more "scratch" from the customer means convincing the consumer that more is better and, of course, getting less is aways the inferior decision. However, maybe for food it is but for hifi it certainly isn't. After speaker choice I think people should wipe their misunderstandings of watts out of their heads and simply listen to amps for the type of sound reproduction that they like best. I always look forward to your programs and I will catch you on the next. Thanks!

[@namegoeshere2903]

Agreed. I do most of my listening at less than 1 watt, everything from classical to 80's rock. It takes 10x the wattage to double the volume level.

[@rancosteel]

I would like to see you do a dedicated segment on sealed or acoustic suspension speakers.

[@douggarber8731]

I sold retail Hi-Fi gear back in 1968. We knew then about the importance of the speakers, but very little about room characteristics and speaker placement.

[@karaDee2363]

Great advice as always Kev! Size of a room and what's in it, furniture, rugs, curtains, windows, ceiling shape and height, types of materials in the room. All make a HUGE difference in the sound of the system it could sound great in the store, but sound like s*** when they get it home.

[@DrRock2009]

👍The room is the most important component. It isn’t rocket science to do some “room tuning” and it makes a *huge* difference.

[@NCislander]

Definitely a great one Kevin, Thank you. Damn I wish your shop was closer to me. Great place to visit for Christmas for sure.

[@blainemunro7520]

Kevin, I have a pair of magnepan mmgs running on a Cambridge 80 watt intergraded amp in my office, it sounds awesome

[@Kyrodan022]

Wished i discovered this video before I went ham on buying….6 weeks ago it began…picked up Technics sl-23, Yamaha Cr 420, and Advent Legacy 2’s…small room..all sorts of Music..love it to be crisp, with some bump..Rush, CCR, Floyd, Pearl Jam, etc..

[@Walker.greg369]

My goal seems very fluid , I might say “mission creep”. It also runs in proportion with that whole darn money thing. Audio can be very attractive, it’s looks performance and comfort. A bit like the perfect car. Well I better call it… Cheers to all you vintage Audiophiles!!

[@shipsahoy1793]

Yes, those comments you made early on in the video about knowing what your needs are is extremely important. There’s a lot of overspending and underspending by people that just don’t get it. Also, on a sidenote, anybody thinking about vintage speakers should make sure that whatever they purchase has been taken care of and has been in a controlled environment for the course of its lifetime. Then you can get something pretty old that works very well ..speakers that weren’t stored properly or left in the garage or a moldy basement or whatever, those are the kind of speakers that you don’t want to concern yourself with, but well cared for speakers that may just need some new crossover capacitors are perfect candidates for a used purchase, as long as they were made with quality materials to begin with, no foam, or anything that degrades within a couple decades regardless of how well you take care of them.

[@Random-kq4pz]

Good advice on making the speakers first choice over electronics.

[@GeneralLao]

It took me 5 years to build 2 systems and 2 listening rooms complete with treatment. Wasn't cheap, and I knew what I wanted to achieve.

[@beercanshooter7680]

Kevin, excellent video. I bought your record cleaning kit and it actually does a pretty good job. Also recently purchased thru u the WIIM streamer and Im very happy with it. Also purchased the turntable acoustic dampers from the guy you recommended and they are great. Looking forward to your next video

[@chrislj2890]

I've recently come to the conclusion that less power with more efficient speakers makes more sense, at least as long as the sound quality is there. I recently got a new pair of Zu DW6 speakers and hooked them up to my Yamaha A-S3200 int. amp along with my 30 year old Magnepan MG-1.5/QR speakers. I made the mistake of A/B switching from the Magnepans to the Zu speakers without lowering the volume and got one hell of a blast that really scared and ticked off my wife, lol. Going from 86 dB/4ohm to 95 dB/8ohm makes a vast difference, not only in loudness but also in power and heat output from the amp. So in essence companies like Zu and Klipsch are saving us from global warming and the extinction of all life on our planet. 😉

[@pervertedalchemist9944]

I am very mindful of the amplifier I choose for the Hi-Fi setup. That's the first thing I look for in my system.

[@paulinboston]

I am a sucker for VU meters, all those buttons and knobs. Having said that, speakers, speakers, speakers. There are a number of vintage speakers that sound great, Many of these speakers cost under $1000. Over a thousand dollars, I would buy a pair of more modern speakers.

[@MikeC-cm7pc]

I agree speakers are the most important I am actually waiting to find some local vintage rare technics speakers not an easy find

[@Sunrayman123]

View of the wall at 10:48 wOw! I wish I lived closer ...

[@Lfunk1983]

My goal is to feel like a kid again when I put the needle on the vinyl. Warm vintage. Punchy speakers. Late 70s & Early to mid eighties funk. My first buy was a Marantz 2265b freshly capped and serviced. Technics 1200GR. B&W concept 90s and Bose Interaudio 4000 floor speakers (refurbiing now) Maybe some Advent Larges soon 😂 addicted to audio …

[@thomashood3748]

Love your channel

[@dtracy03ss]

Back in the 70s and early 80s the ONLY thing the Electronics sales person was interested in was what made them more money, and you can't blame them because there wasn't any way to track Customer Satisfaction! There was one HiFi shop in all of Ft Wayne that would ask the kinds of questions that really mattered and it was a small 2 person Shop, they were awesome and the problem was they got put out of business by the big box Electronics stores. One Last thing is your Budget, if you have a budget in mind , when you really go and start the Process add 30 percent!!! Also like he says on the Looks you best have the Wife on Board! Luckily my wife Loves all this HiFi Fun, and it really helps to talk to them like someone into the hobby and answer their questions about specs and how things work, The Fastest way to Stop Your New System from happening is to treat them like a "second class citizen"!!!

[@chuckcribbs3398]

Love this channel!

[@skylabsaudio]

Thank you!

[@davidbartochowski7832]

Great video and practical info as usual

[@joemartin6439]

Kevin , my rig is sinergy to me , my room is great : Casta B Horn Speaker, Audio Space AS-i3 integrated tube amp, BlueSound Vault 2 York Phono Stage , Thorens TD 160 , Jelco TS -550S tunearm Grace, Astatic, cartridge very to me

[@ortopediadeportiva]

Great video, congrats!

[@ChillToMusic87]

The aesthetics committee aka "the wife" 😂

[@VINTAGEO]

Great advice! I couldn't help noticing the gear in the background, AU-2000 and TU-990? I also have those among some other great Sansuis! What speakers are you running? JBL L-112s here and swap with Yamaha NS-1000s from time to time. Cheers!

[@stighenningjohansen]

Speakers is all. Speakers that works and bring back that Woodstock wibe, easy as that

[@ripjones5294]

Excellent !! Speakers are the most important -- what kind of music, pretty much dictated the direction, followed by "how much" ? Then we went forward from there.

[@scottprice8994]

It is surprising that the guy with a big empty room with hard surfaces could not figure out on his own that it was a problem for getting good sound. It seems they were worried more about looks than sound quality, though. Rug, furniture, and some soft materials on the walls would make a huge difference for improved sound quality.

[@bpalpha]

I saw your ad for a record weight. Is there any chance a record weight might reduce a turntable's overall speed due to its weight? Should I use an app or strobe to check turntable rotation speed when adding a record weight?

[@j.patrickmoore9137]

Actually, it's possible that the record weight may make the turntable take a bit longer (miniscule) to get up to speed, but once it's at speed, it will work to keep that speed constant. The terms are "wow and flutter." Wow is a longer period speed change, and flutter is a shorter period speed change. More mass makes the change of speed less possible (back to Newton's laws of motion: an object in motion will stay in motion unless it's acted upon by an outside force. More mass means that any force in the turntable system that produces wow or flutter becomes more negligible.

[@chadsteinacker7948]

Thanks Kevin!

[@kevinyoungM14EBR]

I have a quiet small-ish windowless bed room / listening room, 11.5' x 14.5,' the walls and ceiling are clad with 3/4" sheet-rock with fiberglass insulation backing. My modest stereo - Marantz 2238B, Technics CD and turntable and Klipsch RP-160M speakers sounds just fine to my ears as is, and I haven't needed to use more than 30% of the available volume. EDIT: After watching your powered subwoofer video, I will probably add a sub - a 6.5" should be enough. The only source of exterior noise is the cheap hollow 36" door... can you recommend some sort of cat-proof sound insulation that I can hang on or apply to the door?

[@johndrx165]

Now you tell me! LOL Good info.

[@ripmatek]

Hi, what kind of speakers would you recommend for rock/hiphop and the occasional jazz listener?

[@donalmahon]

Excellent advice. Do you think The WiiM pro plus would be a worthwhile upgrade from the Wiim Mini, and is the difference in sound quality noticeable? My system is a Yamaha CR840, Technics SL1200 and Mission 780SE speakers. Thank you.

[@PSB-900]

I have a Yamaha CR2020 Receiver (recently rebuilt/recapped), a Yamaha CD-805 CD changer (cleaned and rebuilt) plus a Denon DP37F turntable w/ Signet TK7E cartridge, DBX 3BX Series III dynamic range expander w/ impact restoration and a DBX 120 subharmonic synthesizer. I'm the original owner of all these components. Now I need a set of speakers! The room is ~11'x13' (spare bedroom) w/8' ceilings and carpeted. I'm looking at Wharfedale Linton's, PSB Passif 50's and Vandersteen model 1Ci+. I know, they're all extremely different in sound but with the DBX sound processors, maybe the Wharfedale's would work to my advantage since they're a 3-way speaker. Buying a vintage pair of speakers through eBay can be risky without being able to audition them first. What say you everyone?

[@ChuckTaylor1966]

I paired my CR-2020 with Klipsch Forte 2’s. Tried JBL’s, Dynaco’s, Yamaha’s, and Infinity’sbut nothing beats the Fortes.

[@joemartin6439]

In college had Sansu 5,000 amp Sansui 2550 peramp Dual 721 tunetable

[@alm5693]

My opinion is that it's better to spend a bit more on the amplification when setting up a system. The most likely part of the triad that you're going to feel like updating is the speakers, either for sound or for size. It's a drag to realize that you're upgraded speakers are seriously underperforming due to a now-inadequate amp. I'm currently at a 1:1 cost ratio on my speakers and integrated amp. (I'll note that the upgrade speakers were recently purchased at 45% off retail and that the cost of the IA has increased $300 since I bought it pre-pandemic. My listening environment is a condo with a decent but non-tactical balance of reflective and absorbent surfaces).

[@JonPaul]

I can't disagree with the 1:1 because there's so many variables. But as a person who casually restores and then sells\give away these units, I've found speakers are by far the biggest variable to a good sound quality, regardless of the amp used. Here's the dill pickle - Since switching to a nice set of efficient demo speakers for units to sell, I now have to tell everyone that what they are buying is not going to sound the same when they get it home. I had too many people (well only several, but enough) come back and say "it sounds awful at home". So it's best for me to inform them upfront, if they don't have similar speakers oom at home, the unit will certainly sound different at home. There's no doubt in my mind, speakers are 10x the SQ factor of the amp.

[@CraigHollabaugh]

The first rule is key. Take the music you know well. I take my now almost 40 yr old CDs of Brothers in Arms, Violator and the Nightfly. It shows you're a serious buyer. Plus the sales people love it because they're tired of Cassandra Wilson and Diana Krall. What would you take? Thanks Skylabs.

[@skylabsaudio]

It really is a must. Agree on your choices as well.

[@louisperlman8030]

Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler solo are permanently part of my regular rotation. Try Iron Hand and Ticket to Heaven from On Every Street as demo tracks. Iron Hand has amazing bass, whilst Ticket gives you everything but the kitchen sink. On a good system, there should be a wall to wall and floor to ceiling soundstage.

[@davidpetersen7091]

Very good discussion. Mr.Pete----------> aging hippie

[@ethimself5064]

Another one here😂😂

[@danyal2]

Could you go more into depth of what speakers complement which music genres?

[@pcallah3442]

A "stereo store"? Do those actually exist anywhere anymore?

[@spacemissing]

Like # 495. Another good one, Kevin. The advice given here is based in sensibiiity and reality, as it should be,

[@gaineyjohnson6628]

Is there a ratio for wattage to room size? A harman kardon 330c filled a 30 x 20 room with no problems and the Marantz 2216b seems comfortable in a 15 x 24 with a vaulted 16 foot ceiling. How big of a room requires 100 or more watts? I know there are alot of variables besides room size but that is what I think of first. Or is it all relative? I have not heard it meaningfully explained.

[@j.patrickmoore9137]

A lot of it depends on the room acoustics. First, each dimension of the room (length, width and height) has its own resonant frequency, based on the particular size of that dimension. Then, you have the reflectivity of the surfaces. A room with lots of windows, bare walls, minimal or no carpet and minimal furnishings will be very reflective, to the point that even conversations are difficult to listen to. The more you add things to the walls, floor, and furniture, the less sound is reflected. More reflective rooms need less power to achieve a particular sound level, rooms that absorb more sound need more power to achieve the same sound level. But, there's more to it as well. The closer the dimensions of length, width and depth are to each other, the closer the resonant frequencies are to each other, and that can really mess with the acoustics of the room. I have a relative who bought a house with a room that was square, so two of the dimensions were the same (width and length were both 10 feet) and conversations in that room were terrible. My wife and I have shopped for houses a couple of times and I have flat-out rejected some without visiting them because of square or nearly square rooms.

[@j.patrickmoore9137]

In your room, the 15 foot width and 16 foot height will have very close resonant frequencies. If you have carpet, then it might not even be noticeable, but will require more power to fill the room with sound. Part of the question of how much power is enough, is how loud you want to play your music. The efficiency of the speakers plays into that as well. A speaker that is ported or has a passive radiator will generally be more efficient than an acoustic suspension speaker.

[@mikemc330]

Good stuff.

[@xavebolt6564]

Hi from France, thanks for all your advice and great videos. Need a little help, on that video you talked about speakers that are good for metal, hard rock etc... may you give me some references, will try to find out if I may have one of them in my country. Best regards. Xavier.

[@rdtaylor8585]

Awesome video,great channel.I just purchased a NEC AUA 7000e,i never heard you ever talk about this brand,is this not common,looks heavy duty.Can you just elabrate when you get a chance,Thanks ART

[@mpri9709]

True Words, i really enjoy your Channel. Perhaps you can give me an advice. Im searching for the perfect Vintage amp for my JBL 4425 to get a warm Rock Music Sound. Greetinx from Germany. Martin

[@johnvincent4048]

I've been trying to bulid my perfect system since 1988. Oh, will it ever end! 😫🤣

[@rays9719]

Kevin, I am trying to put together a great sounding system. I like to listen to all genre's of music, and I really really mean that. These are the sets of speakers that I currently own. Heresy II Heresy IV Pioneer HPM 100 Boze 601's Series II SVS Ultra Towers And a set of Boze 901's that I will add to any set I go with for fill. So how do I figure out which set to go with? I still don't understand what tells me the correct set to go with. Which set would you go with?

[@kyleroussel]

Very solid advice! When it comes to selecting an amp, figuring out what sources you want to connect is a big deal. I'm looking for a vintage receiver that can accommodate a turntable, CD player, and a streamer. The phono input has an obvious mate, but most amps seemingly have just one Aux input....I can either put the streamer or the CD player, but not both? What's the deal with Tape inputs? Are they useful in this project? Are they really just aux inputs by a different name?

[@hoytis]

Correct. Everything BUT the Phono input is line level, so feel free to use AUX, Tuner or Tape inputs for anything like streamers or CD players.

[@j.patrickmoore9137]

Another option is that you can get another piece of equipment (preamp or receiver) for extra inputs, and then use its tape output into either a line level input or a tape input on your main system.

[@kyleroussel]

@@j.patrickmoore9137 Never even considered that! Thanks!

[@BattleofTrenton]

If I gave you the dimensions of my room music taste and goal could you recommend me a amp and speaker set up

[@Bingbing611]

I found a perfect pair of Allison 5 speakers My 101 year old neighbor bought them new in the 70’s and never used them

[@AirDOGGe]

One general buyer's rule I recall from the 70s/80s was that the cost of your speakers should constitute 50% of the cost of the whole system, with the receiver/turntable/tapedeck/etc. making up the other 50%. Good speakers were not cheap even then. If you bought a $1000 receiver then expect to double/triple that budget when you shop for your speakers. Great receiver + budget speakers is a waste of money.

[@phildirt3]

So i bought a system from pacific stereo in 1976 for a grand. The guy was my best friend and i went home to set it up and realized he forgot the speaker wire so i went back and hour later found the guy. He acted like he s never even seen me before and now i was bothering him. 47 years later i still remember what that a hole looked like

[@davidfromamerica1871]

The perfect stereo system. Plug it in and hit play..😀

[@billsmith5166]

Those people at 1:22 are really something. Was that at a party of yours?

[@sanolivo6867]

Is all good, But I Personally I prefer a Vacuum Tube amplifier; I'm getting a Galion TS120ES it just sound amazing.

[@robertsuszek2327]

Thank you!

[@kevinrempel4059]

I have three seperate stereos side by side for the different genres I enjoy. It's the only way.

[@davidfireman3114]

Hello, can someone please answer a question i have about my tuning wheel?

[@mrnegitoro]

Where can I get a Vertigo shirt?

[@carminedesanto6746]

The first thing I do with friends and those who ask my opinion…. Sit down ..have a coffee ☕️ or something..and ask “So..what do you like as far as music , where’s it going ,are you invested in one particular format ?” Also , esthetics..unless you like living in a lab …you may want to consider your other 1/2 ..and be proud if it…

[@passqualecaiazza7728]

Either one of my three stereo's pleases me. I just love being able to play my over 1800 records and not change the cartridges. I own so many different kinds of music. Like I said all are great, but different manufactures sound better on different set ups. One of my categories of music is classical. A lot of the albums are just great. Then I was in the 50cent section and found 20 different albums sealed. I had to try. They were recorded lo. Hard to get the real feel of the music. With 10 tables to choose I play them on the Duals with the Shure M91ED. They now sound outstanding.

[@ethimself5064]

6:54 - In general, not necessarily the JBL shown - would not 2 smaller woofers sound better? Again in general. Seems like the 15 inchers shown could have some trouble with the deep base, let's say under 35 Hz or down to about 25 Hz at volume. I always wondered about this.

[@j.patrickmoore9137]

Generally, a larger cone will give you better sound at the lower frequencies. It's simple physics. There are speakers that use multiple smaller speakers (the Bose 911 is an obvious example) but they also incorporate an equalizer to boost the low frequency signal to flatten the low frequency response. The alternative is either a ported spezker or a passive radiator (my Polk Audio speakers use passive radiators to achieve the low frequency balance). Part of all of the low frequency balance is the engineering of the inside of the speaker cabinet as well. I just looked up Polk's premier speaker, the SDA-SRS. 15 inch passive radiator with frequency response 30 Hz to 20kHz, -3db. That's pretty flat. But it has response down to 12 Hz. And, let's compare that with the car audio systems that go "boom boom" and are so annoying. If you listen carefully, you begin to realize that they are effectively a bass drum, no real differentiation of the frequency of low bass sound. If you want proof of that, a couple of songs to play through them would be Crosby, Stills and Nash, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," and Blood, Sweat and Tears, "You Make Me So Very Happy." Both have a lot of varied low bass notes.

[@ethimself5064]

@@j.patrickmoore9137 Back in the day I had ESS AMT 3b monitors towers, shipping weight was 103 lbs each. They had 2 12 inch woofers - 1 active and one passive. Cracked windows at volume. I get you after some thought. 👍

[@j.patrickmoore9137]

@@ethimself5064 a guy down the hall in college had AMT-1's in his dorm room. He cranked up some music and made my ears ring...

[@ethimself5064]

@@j.patrickmoore9137 AMT 1b's - pyramid shaped? Almost bought those but decided on deeper bass. Mine also had a knob at rear that rolled the Heil Air Motion Transformer either up or down by 18db/octave which helped. Were they pyramid shaped?

[@j.patrickmoore9137]

@@ethimself5064 yes

[@RobinMarples]

Habits Can change and will change ...that IS why WE buy a first or a New system. Just as a car.

[@debbieverret4033]

I planned all those years ago. I saved my work, birthday, xmas, and odd jobs money. My very first system was a 15W Akai receiver, a pair of EPI speakers and a sankyo cassette deck. I couldn't afford a turntable at that time, but later added a Marantz 6100 series turntable. This all fit nicely into my bedroom. Most of the time I listened through my synenhiser headphones, I graduated to other equipment later in my life and I'm still listening to music through my Marantz 2226 B receiver, Marantz cassette deck, and a Fluance R41 turntable and 40 year old Klipsch floor speakers

[@WeeWeeJumbo]

i love stories like yours! hard work, planning and saving, durable results. heck yeah Debbie, thanks for sharing with us

[@scottlowell493]

You have to know what speaker sound you are after. Generally, there are two major camps. 1). Those that prefer the image forward/detailed. and 2. Those that prefer the soft and laid back. Soft and laid back type speakers are often lower efficiency and need more power than the image forward types. You need to learn what sound makes you happy with speakers before you do anything else. Low power and low efficiency are a bad match. Just like grainy budget stuff won't sound good on detailed and forward systems. It's also a bad idea to buy huge tower speakers for a small room. play the music YOU like. ironically, you'll find that a lot of high end speakers won't handle or sound good with fast EDM or metal. So have a SOUND in mind, not just budget. Don't let anyone steer you away from the sound YOU like by trying to lord their own taste over yours. remember: If a dealer doesn't sell a certain brand, they will refer to it as inferior to what they sell.

[@koolhub6137]

IT depends on your listening tastes w well, for me I love Jazz and Classical music. The reason being these type of music are not bass heavy, but have a upper and middle octave music range. 50 watts or 25 watts. would be in my opinion great, because this type of music is more softer, and the upper and mid ranges would be great. Book self type speakers, rated at 75 watts per channel; would be great, Cerwin Vegas, or Polk Audio, and Sony and others would be great. And if you wanted more bottom end, a power sub woofer would do. Heavy mental, or Hip Hop, and most R+B, and Pop music have more of heavy bass in it, so that would required, more Amp power, and 3/ way speakers, again Cerwin Vegas, would be great because their are bass reflex ported speakers, and very efficient 5 watts minimum powered.

[@rassbabbo3285]

Aww, I thought he said "Definitely gonna be a Funyun"

[@jamesrichard9722]

Speakers are the"voice" of your system

[@ethimself5064]

I bet there is good loot to be made in tuning such a room. I just moved a couch over on a 45 degree angle once with instant - oh oh. Moved it back and sweet it was again.

[@skylabsaudio]

Amazing what small changes can make to sound. Explore the room! :)

[@ethimself5064]

Yes, oh yes@@skylabsaudio

[@k.givens788]

The aesthetics committee 🤣🤣🤣!!!

[@jeffgrayson7639]

We know who that was.

[@wibli]

Esthetic committee A.K.A. the wife LOL

[@damirhlobik6488]

the old school said 50% speakers, 50% source and amplifier, the speaker determines the final sound, but without a good source and amplifier that will optimally connect the source and speakers, there is no good sound, and we didn't even mention the cables (interconnects and speaker cables). Isolation of sources from vibrations is also important, other things like power cables, current filters, cable elevators and similar nonsense are just marketing tricks. Tweaks are nonsense, do you think that the engineers who designed the equipment you bought are so stupid that they didn't consider all the circumstances?

[@wwoolworth]

I bought good speakers but you have to have the wattage to drive them.

[@ssippishark]

Those "aesthetic committees" can be a b----!

[@ethimself5064]

11:51 - back in the mid 60's a single was $1.00, let me do an inflation check on that - oh my is now $9.02. Yep dirt cheap these days

[@dandinhofer9240]

What am I looking for??? Here's what. MAXIMUM INVOLVEMENT ENJOYMENT. What kind of music? All kinds. What volume level? Whatever strikes my fancy at the moment? How many watts? As many as is necessary so I don't feel wanting or suffering speaker distortion. What size room? Today my chamber may be small, but tomorrow may be larger so let's cover all bases. How much should I spend? That's not a consideration the seller or vendor needs to to worry about. I'll make that determination exclusively with my financial advisor. How should I buy my gear from? Anyone that's not abrasive, arrogant, smug, presumptuous, condescending, shorton time/temper or had an agenda steered towards the hard sell. When should I buy? When I'm good and ready, AND hint: definitely not on your timetable, or when the storefronts mortgage is due. "I'm not happy with you as a customer wasting my time". Too bad, do sad, close the shop and sell insurance policies instead.....

[@Pootycat8359]

In the late 1970s, I was shopping for speakers. I auditioned a pair of ESS speakers, and they sounded like crap. The harshness was unbearable. I ended up getting some Pioneers. Later on, I learned that the ESS speakers, with their Heil tweeters, had been reproducing, in excruciating detail, the TIM distortion of that 70s era solid-state amp. Ironically, my system, at the time, consisted of a Dynaco ST-70 PA & PAS pre-amp, both, tube type. Those ESSs would have sounded fantastic with my system.