How to Judge a Hi-Fi System
Hi-fi, even the best hi-fi, is not always a substitute for real music. It is, however, possible for the very best hi-fi equipment to bring music, and the enjoyment of music into your home.
In a time where information is at our fingertips (or a prompt away), it's easy to be inundated with the sheer volume, varying perspectives across reviews, and often complex terminology to decode which brands and products can bring the most musical enjoyment.
With all of these reference points, How can we answer this million dollar question - ‘how can you judge a hi-fi system?’ And how do we avoid a million dollar answer?
As we can have different preferences that influences if a hi-fi system sounds 'good', here are four universal ideas to use when assessing any system or component.
1) Can you sing along with the system?
This isn’t suggesting that you bring out a microphone and start singing aloud. Instead, following and trying to reproduce the pitch of the sounds coming from the hi-fi system.
This is described as ‘foot-tapping’; how easy it is for you to tap along with the music and respond to it. Your hi-fi system needs to enable you to sing along, respond to the music, evaluate the performance, and perceive the composer’s message.
To assess this, ask yourself questions of a musical nature while you listen, such as:
Do all the musicians seem to be playing together?
Can you hear all the instruments, all the time?
Can you pick out the bassline or any other musical part and follow it without difficulty?
Can you ‘sing’ along to the melody?
Are you responding to the music - for example, tapping in time?
A system that you can sing along to is key to selecting the right one for you.
2) Can you hear technical specifications?
“No human being on the planet can look at the technical specifications of a piece of audio equipment and even remotely guess at how the equipment will sound in use.”
A bold statement today. Many home audio buyers disregard certain products based on the specifications alone. What is the frequency range? How many watts does this amp output?
It is very easy to fall into the trap of comparing hi-fi gear through their specifications. There are uses, but it is nearly impossible to determine what the hi-fi component sounds like based on the specs alone.
The answer to this is a resounding no. You can’t hear technical specifications, but you can hear the music. Does it enable you to sing along, respond to it, and bring the ‘foot-tapping’ reaction? Specifications can be a guide, but not the final decision.
3) Can you compare to your internal reference?
Instead of using quantitative, technical criteria for judging hi-fi systems, make an accurate assessment using your own ‘internal reference system’. In other words, your ears and your brain.
The only way to assess anything is by comparing it against a reference. Our internal reference system is what we use to assess colour. ‘The sky is blue’ and ‘grass is green’ are examples of comparing colours against our internal colour references.
Similarly, when we tune a guitar, we do not directly compare the pitch of two strings. We reproduce in our minds the pitch of one string and compare the pitch of the next string with our internal reference system.
When you test drive a new car, or try on a tailored suit, you are comparing to your past experience and internal reference to understand if it feels right.
For music, you don’t need complex room measurements or charts and graphs, or a complex vocabulary of hi-fi terminology.
Simply using our internal reference system to assess hi-fi systems will tell us whether the relative pitches are harmonious and move in predictable, coherent steps. Making it sound like music, or whether it is just noise.
4) Can your hi-fi retailer support you?
This assessment of hi-fi equipment relies on your chosen hi-fi retailer and their demonstration abilities and facilities. Do they create a good environment that lets you listen to your music and your soon-to-be hi-fi gear?
Your hi-fi retailer should have an adept understanding of the parameters crucial to optimising a hi-fi system’s performance. This includes the impact of a wall of loudspeakers, wobbly stands, placement of hi-fi components and loudspeakers.
If your hi-fi retailer pays attention to detail in their demonstration rooms, they can consistently produce good results. Creating a place for you to assess a hi-fi component to what it should sound like and reproduce similar or better results when they set it up in your home.
Conclusion
When selecting a hi-fi system, it is important to use qualitative, musical criteria rather than a quantitative one. You cannot secure musical pleasure from a hi-fi system that is not the right match for you by doubling numbers on the technical specifications.
You do not have to spend a fortune to get a system which you can sing along with. Even a very modest system or piece of equipment can enable you to sing along with the music.
“If a system can reproduce the tune, then it will do everything else well as a matter of course. It will sound fast when the music is meant to be fast and relaxing when the music is intended to relax.”
This is a core belief that will stand the test of time. A surprisingly simple and most effective way to evaluate any hi-fi component.
Are you able to sing along to it? And will it bring musical pleasure into your home? If the answers are yes, this will secure you with hours and hours of enjoyment.
Thumbnail Photo by Gabriel Varaljay on Unsplash