Use & Enjoy Your A/V Gear : Hi-Fi 2.0

Searching for SACDs

Ralph — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:02:00 GMT

"So what's the deal with SACDs?" a friend asked recently. "I'm looking for a new disc player, but I never see SACDs in the stores. Should I even bother getting an SACD player?" He had a lot of questions, and I answered them...(read more)

Gizmodo's Great MP3 Bitrate Test

Ralph — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:50:00 GMT

Some conclusions from Gizmodo's Great MP3 Bitrate Tes t caught our attention, particularly as it affirms what we've been saying with Hi-Fi 2.0 . In the test, Gizmodo, the Gadget Blog , provided three selections encoded at eight different bitrates...(read more)

Hi-Fi 2.0 and the Gizmodo audiophile

Ralph — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:17:00 GMT

A recent post to Gizmodo, the Gadget Blog articulated part of what we're striving for with Hi-Fi 2.0 . In " Why We Need Audiophiles " associate editor John Mahoney chronicles his visit to equipment and music reviewer Michael Fremer . Mahoney writes about...(read more)

Adding Great Sound to your TV, Tip#3 - Pre-matched surround sound systems

Ralph — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:29:00 GMT

Intuitively, it makes sense: if you want to be fully immersed in sound, you should be surrounded by speakers. That's the concept at modern movie theaters, and it's an ideal way to experience movies with your home theater system. But for many of us, having...(read more)

Adding Great Sound to your TV, Tip#2 - Easy 3-Speaker Systems

Ralph — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:16:00 GMT

You may be enjoying outstanding picture quality from your new high-definition TV — but chances are you're sensing something's lacking in the sound. And your instincts are good. Most speakers built into flat-panel TVs do an adequate job, but can't really...(read more)

The paradox of flat-panel TVs: High-def picture, lo-def sound

Amanda — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:37:00 GMT

I've come to expect a lot from my electronics. They have to be smarter, thinner, more powerful. They should provide a fun gaming experience AND help me find a good recipe for dinner. And maybe they should shine my shoes while they're at it. Most of the...(read more)

Adding Great Sound to your TV, Tip#1 - The Sound Bar

Ralph — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:21:00 GMT

If you've recently bought a high-definition TV, you're probably enjoying an amazing picture — but odds are its speakers aren't doing full justice to that gorgeous image on the screen. Fortunately, there's a number of solutions to get the sound quality...(read more)

Better car audio, Tip #12: Select a lower level of compression for your music files

Jim R — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:38:00 GMT

Yes, you can store more music files on your iPod ® or other MP3 player with more compression, and they'll sound OK when you're listening through earbuds. But you lose some high- and low-frequency information when you compress your music, along with some...(read more)

Better home audio, Tip #15: Upgrade to high-performance speakers

Ralph — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:54:00 GMT

The last tip in our series seems intuitive: to improve the sound of your system, improve the part that actually makes the sound. That is, the speakers. But keep in mind that the speakers are just a part of your audio/video system -- a link in the chain...(read more)

Better home audio, Tip #14: Use an outboard DAC

Ralph — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:29:00 GMT

A common misconception is that there's no difference between an inexpensive and a top-of-the line CD player. After all, they're both just reading digital code off of a disc, and since it's binary, it's either there or it isn't, right? Well, partially...(read more)

Better home audio, Tip #13: Use high-quality source components.

Ralph — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:55:00 GMT

The best place to deal with any problem is at the source. While you can tweak your home audio system to optimize the sound it produces, the quality of the source signal can determine how successful your efforts will be. Tip #13: Use high-quality source...(read more)

Video: Speaker Placement for Great Sound

Crutchfield Video — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:29:00 GMT

Owning a surround sound system with five speakers and a subwoofer is great -- but if they're set up properly, you won't get the immersing home theater experience you might be expecting. In Crutchfield's "Speaker Placement for Great Sound" video, Tara...(read more)

Better car audio, Tip #8: Don't max out your tone controls

Jim R — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:11:00 GMT

Boosting your factory radio's tone controls up to 11 might make your system sound better sitting in your driveway, but it just creates distortion when you turn it up on the highway. A heavy low-frequency boost, in particular, will put a big strain on...(read more)

Better home audio, Tip #12: Use a power conditioner

Ralph — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:46:00 GMT

By its very nature, high-performance audio gear can be affected by things that don't significantly impact basic audio systems. Just as a high-resolution image reveals flaws not apparent in a a low-res version, so too advanced audio components are more...(read more)

Better car audio, Tip #7: Set your amp gains properly

Jim R — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:56:00 GMT

Most people think the gain control on their new amplifier is a volume control. But it actually adjusts the amount of input signal coming into the amplifier. Crank it up too high, and you'll hear some nasty distortion. Here's the general idea when setting...(read more)