Tweek Geek Speek

Tonight I received the following email...

2011-12-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Tonight I received the following email.

"I'm looking for an open-box/b-stock of the Burson HA-160 amp. Let me know if you have anything. Thanks - xxxxx"

This is not an unusual request. In fact I get several of them daily. As a dealer, I am slightly offended by this. But who is to blame?

I do not blame the customer for wanting a good deal. I do not blame them for expecting a 15 to 20% discount on their first (and probably only) transaction with a dealer who concedes their request. They came to expect it because it is happening regularly. So often that it has become the norm.

Why?

3 Quick System Setup Tweeks That Can Make a Huge Difference

2011-11-08T07:10:00.002-07:00

I liken setup at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest to one of those food challenges you see on television where you are given limited time and resources to create something great. At RMAF, You are given 24 hours (or less, depending on when you arrive) to unpack your gear, set it up, and get great sound. It is 80% hard work, and 20% luck. I have learned a few tricks when setting up shows that may seem small, but can make the difference between having beautiful music in your room, or nails on a blackboard.

Tip#1: Phase
I had a personal nightmare with this last year. We had set up our system and it sounded great the night before. The morning of the show, you guessed it, nails on a blackboard. I was panicked and totally bewildered. Nothing in the system changed, or at least so I thought. after an hour or so of troubleshooting, someone suggested reversing the phase of the speaker connections. It was then I realized what happened. The remote control on the Modwright 36.5 preamp had a phase switch which I had accidentally hit right before shutting the system down the night before. So I simply hit the switch again to restore the phase that was set the night before, and things improved significantly.

Tip#2: Lifting the ground on your digital source.Digital audio components are notorius for injecting noise into surrounding components. One way to reduce this is to lift the ground on your digital components. This can be done by adding a power cord that has no ground within it, or by adding a cheater plug to the end of the cord that connects to the power receptacle. We prefer the Synergistic Research Quantum Ground Lifter ($35). It is basically a cheater plug that has been treated with Synergistic's proprietary Quantum Tunnelling process. It sounds better than a stock cheater plug. Enough so to make the price worthwhile.

Tip#3: speaker placement. While the other 2 tips are important, I saved the most important for last. Nothing can make or break a system's performance like speaker placement can. At the 2011 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, we had some issues with the interaction between the room and the speakers that, where we first placed the speakers, really caused issues with the midbass. With the help of Philip of On a Higher Note, and Arien of Sonorus, we were able to minimize the interaction between the Vivid B1's and the large room we were exhibiting in. The main take away here is it will take two people to make the process work properly, and moving a loudspeaker an inch or two can make all of the difference. For more information, read the full article on speaker placement at TweekGeek.com

The Newly Redesigned Tweek Geek Site is Up!

2011-09-23T08:29:00.001-06:00

The newly redesigned TweekGeek.com web site has been running smoothly now for about 2 weeks. In addition to the new look, the site features a more streamlined navigation (fewer clicks to get to the products you want), one page checkout process, and a click to chat/email function (the blue banner in the upper right hand corner). Of additional benefit to you the customer is the free shipping for US destined orders. This is like getting an automatic 7 to 10% discount on your order. We are still offering our In-Home Audition Program for many of the items we carry, as well as a 30-day money back guarantee. It's Tweek Geek's way of helping out in these uncertain times, and also a way of saying "Thank you" for trusting us all of these years. Happy shopping!

Important Updates from Vivid Audio

2011-08-29T07:59:00.002-06:00

1. Vivid Audio Facebook page and forum - Vivid has created an informational and useful facebook page. I encourage you to visit it to get the latest information on new developments, ask questions, and view some gorgeous photos of Vivid loudspeakers.

2. G3 available in late ‘11 - Laurence Dickie and his engineering team are!finishing up the work on GIYA G3, which they hope to show at the Tokyo High End Show early in November. The G3 has evolved into a typical GIYA both in appearance and in acoustic performance, albeit from a slightly smaller platform than G2 and of course G1. The strong attributes of ultra low colouration, life like imaging and the fastest most accurate lf on the planet, are retained in G3. Pricing is estimated at 80% of G2.

3. New absorber tubes - To the right is a photo the new absorber tubes - for the high/mid frequency D50 driver on the left and for the high frequency D26 driver on the right. It looks as if the tubes have some new vibration damping material on them. There may be other differences as well, but that is the most visible change. I have an inquiry in to see if there will be an upgrade available to current owners.

4. Price increases slated for mid September - You may or may not be aware that Vivid Audio designs and manufactures all of their own drive units. Being able to design exactly what they require with little cost limitation has enabled Vivid Audio to achieve great successes in a very short time. A drawback of this policy is the cost of implementation. All Vivid Audio drivers incorporate motor assemblies that implement rare earth magnets. These magnets are sourced from various vendors in China. Recently the costs of these metals have risen exponentially. These escalations have resulted in a six fold increase in magnet prices effective July 2011. Fortunately, Vivid was able to secure a large quantity of these magnets in order to stave off price increases for as long as possible. Due to the demand however, it looks like that supply will run out in September. As a result, it looks as if a price increase of 8% or so is inevitable in the next month or so.

Eye Candy - From left to right, the Vivid K1, B1, and V1.5 loudspeakers.

The Consumer Electronics Business Model Is Failing, What Can High End Audio Learn From it?

2011-08-22T10:59:00.000-06:00

You read about it all of the time, another large consumer electronics retailer is going bankrupt. Just recently, HP announced it was getting out of the PC business. Why? Because the pricing "race to zero" has made it unprofitable for them to sell electronics. There has been an artificiality to the pricing of electronics over the past decade that is now coming home to roost with these giant retailers. They are realizing that they can make more money doing other things besides selling electronics, so in HP's case, they are abandoning the low profit venture for a higher profit one. In the case of large electronics retailers, they are trying to add higher profit services to their business models in order to bolster profits and stay in the black.

What can the high end audio industry learn from this?

Dealers, being the "low price leader" is not a good marketing strategy. You will continue to work longer hours for less money, and someone will always be willing to beat your price. What are you doing to differentiate yourself from your competitors? Why should people buy from you? Now tell that to your potential customers. Offer them something that creates loyalty to you, not their wallet. Stop answering the deluge of "What's your best price on..." emails. Those are not loyal customers.
Manufacturers. Its time to start developing quality dealers, supporting them AND monitoring them. I know its nice getting a fat opening order from a new dealer. But simply having a checkbook is not a good qualification for being a quality dealer. Too often, these "dealers" are the ones giving your product to an Audiogon "fence" 6 months after they buy it from you and destroying your brand with fire sale discounts.
Manufacturers/Distributors: Help your dealers with lead generation (yes that is partially your responsibility), generating product demand/buzz with reviews, product videos, a good web site and social media campaigns (not necessarily facebook). Also traditional marketing like co-op advertising, sponsoring get togethers at dealer locations and being creative about allowing the bundling of products at a savings rather than offering a straight cash discount to customers. If your dealers buy product for their showroom or to send out on audition, give them a significant discount from wholesale as an incentive, but make them sign a contract that keeps them from selling those items until the new models are out. MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) pricing is bullshit. There I said it. the MAP price instantly becomes the MSRP price to the consumer, and your dealer loses valuable margin.
Monitor your dealers by secret shopping them and setting up Google Alerts for your products. Have a clear pricing and sales policy IN WRITING that all dealers must read and sign. Do not sell any gear direct, unless you sell all of it direct, and in that case don't use a dealer network. Refer customers with no local dealer to the nearest dealer or use it as an incentive to reward good performing dealers. Don't sell the gear yourself.

I know some of my customers will read this blog, and may even get angry that I am talking about protecting profits and avoiding deep discounting to get the sale. I understand, but understand I am taking a long term view that will preserve this great hobby, as it stands now high end cannot survive (pricing is not the only factor there, but that's another blog altogether). This industry works on an infinitesimally smaller scale than the big box retailers, it costs more for high end audio retailers as a percentage of profits to run our businesses than large retailers who can purchase huge volumes of product. Besides, have you ever tried calling Best Buy and have the president of the company answer? With high end audio, you can get a level of personalized attention and service that is hard to get anywhere else. What is that worth to you?

The Advantages (and fun) of Near Field Listening

2011-04-22T09:50:00.009-06:00

I remember as a teenager, I would place my bookshelf speakers on the floor and lay down in between them to listen while reading. I was amazed at how differently they sounded than when placed on their stands. The bass seemed fuller, I heard a lot more detail, and the tone was more even.

Flash forward to today. I recently tried this experiment again with my current system. This time I sat in my listening chair, with a pair of Vivid B-1's equidistant from my seat and toed in more so than usual, and a JL Audio F113 directly behind my listening seat, blending very nicely with the Vivids. I was stunned at the dynamic slam, immediacy and depth I was hearing. This was fun!

The technical term for this type of setup is called near field listening. You can find several articles and diagrams on the subject by googling the phrase. Here are a few:

One from Cardas
One from a fan of the technique - Pretty well written, but lengthy. One of my favorites.

Advantages of nearfield listening
Nearfield listening does offer some technical advantages. It greatly reduces many of the problems a room creates for the listening environment. Rooms are full of reflective surfaces, not to mention the shape can emphasize certain frequencies over others, shifting the tonal balance. These reflections and room nodes can make the sound muddy and blurred. Why? Because the reflected sound arrives at your ear at a different time than the directly radiated sound from the speaker. This timing error creates the muddy/blurriness. This is one reason why speaker frequency response measurements are taken from 1 meter away, even in an anechoic chamber. With nearfield listening, the sound that reaches your ears first and with the most magnitude is the directly radiated sound from the loudspeaker. You are minimizing the effect of all that sound bouncing off of the room's reflective surfaces, as well as reducing the effect of the room nodes ( room treatments still benefit nearfield setups, just not to the degree that far field setups benefit). Nearfield listening also reduces distortion simply from the fact you don't need to turn up the volume as high as you would if the speakers were trying to fill up the entire room. The speakers and amp aren't working as hard, giving you more headroom too.

Good news for those on a budget. A nearfield system can deliver more sonic bang for the buck, since you may not need the massive speakers and amplifier to achieve the desired sound in the nearfield as opposed to trying to fill a large space.

For headphone listeners, the nearfield system will sound familiar, only better. You get the same sense of immediacy and detail as you do with headphones, but you also get a center image and greater depth.

For those with limited space, a nearfield setup is ideal. If you have a small room, you can still get the speakers away from the walls and create a fantastic sound that sounds far bigger than the dimensions of the room itself.

What is needed
Speakers that are coherent at distances of around 5 feet or closer to your ears. Monitor speakers are the easiest choice, as are many 2-way floor standing loudspeakers. The 3-way design is a bit more challenging to achieve coherence at short distances ( the Vivids manage to work well). your ears will tell you if they work or not. Set your speakers up in the nearfield position, and move your head up higher, then lower. Was there a discernable change in tonality? If so, then you may try some others. A subwoofer may or may not be needed. I can tell you however that a good sub properly tuned can add a real live impact to the overall sound.

Be warned, the nearfield setup will be very revealing of your system. You may not like what you hear as a result. You may have spent a lot of time and money getting your system to sound the way you like it from your normal listening position. With the nearfield setup, you will be able to hear colorations added by components, and cables, you will be able to hear edginess and harshness that the room may have absorbed.

A nearfield system does have many technical advantages, it may or may not end up being your favorite way to listen. But I highly recommend giving it a try.

Musicians on Call - Bringing the Healing Power of Music to Those Who Need it Most

2011-03-24T07:03:00.006-06:00

Music does many things. It soothes the soul, It can stir memories of special times, and can be therapeutic to the mind and body. I feel very strongly about the therapeutic aspects of listening to music, that is why I want to bring to your attention a great organization that is using music to make a positive impact on people's lives.

Since 1999, Musicians On Call has brought live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities. It started when the founder, Kenli Mattus, performed a concert at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's rec room. The event was magical to the patients well enough to leave their hospital beds and attend.

But what happened next was even more magical. The nurses saw the reactions of the patients who could attend, and were saddened that not everyone was well enough to hear the wonderful music being played. It was clear to the nurses and Kenli that the patients who needed the music the most were too sick to leave their beds and join in. So in an inspired moment, Kenli brought the concert to them.

He went room to room, and played at the bedsides of those who had missed the concert. What happened in the rec room happened on an even deeper and more intimate level.

Hence the birth of Musicians On Call.

Today, Musicians On Call has a nationwide network of volunteer artists who deliver music in person to patients undergoing treatment or too sick to leave their beds.

"It is a program that inspires smiles and thank yous, sing-a-longs and tears. And beyond much-appreciated moments of entertainment, these one-on-one interactions between musician and patient have the powerful effect of resurrecting the emotions of joy and happiness that often fade away in healthcare facilities."

I hope all who read this can find a way to support Musicians On Call. Blog about it, volunteer, donate, whatever. It's a fantastic cause that I know we as music lovers can fully appreciate the value of.

Nuforce Ref 18; The Saga Continues

2010-12-22T08:34:00.002-07:00

Sorry for such a long wait between posts. One of the Ref 18's failed after a few days, and I had to send it in for repair. Mildly disappointing, but not unusual for a new product from Nuforce. The good thing is they are on top of it and fix issues very quickly these days.

It has been a crazy few months, with RMAF, hosting audio get togethers, and opening up a new outlet store for audiophiles, time has been a precious commodity.

Now its time to get ready for CES. Fortunately TweekGeek nor Audiophile Outlet Store is exhibiting, so there is a little more time for things like telling you about the Nuforce Ref 18.

I currently have had them in my system now for 48 hours running continuously, and they are improving. I love the low profile form factor and the fact that they generate no heat. My biggest concern with them in the beginning were the high frequencies, something about them was unsettling. Now things seem to have taken a turn for the better with time and a few tweaks. Let me just say Nuforce amps absolutely need quality AC. Do not think you are going to get away with plugging them straight into a wall, or a budget conditioner. You need something that filters and conditions the AC very well. AC Cables are important too, something that allows the gear to breathe, with instantaneous current delivery, but something that also possesses a warmer sonic signature, the same goes with speaker cables and interconnects. I prefer warmer sounding cables with the Nuforce. The Bybee AC products have always mated well with Nuforce gear. I am currently using the Bybee Power Purifier, and the Bybee Speaker Bullets. The combination is great with any system, but it takes the Nuforce products from competitive in their price range, to stellar. There is a special synergy that makes the Nuforce less electronic sounding, and more musical. They are not inexpensive, but worth every penny if you want to get the most out of the Ref 18's.

I also found the AudioPrism Ground Controls on the loudspeakers to be very beneficial. Again this is something that I have found to work on every speaker, but for whatever reason, they synergize particularly well with Nuforce gear.

What it comes down to is minimizing electronic noise. Switching amps are particularly prone to being noisy. The type of noise I am talking about is not necessarily audible hiss that you hear when you put your ear to a loudspeaker. In that regard these amps are stunningly quiet. The noise I am talking about seems to affect the way upper mids and highs are presented. There can be an "edge" to the sound that may at first appear to be enhanced transient response, but over time becomes fatiguing and is realized as being gritty or grainy. This is the Achilles heel of switching amps in my opinion.

The Ref 18's definitely have much less of a problem with this than the Ref 9V3, but they still benefit greatly from the Bybee AC conditioner, speaker bullets, and ground controls. What I hear when all of those are in place is what mid and high frequencies should sound like, effortless, natural, yet dynamic with excellent transients that don't make me want to turn down the volume after an hour.

In general, one needs to spend time with any component to really assess if it is a fit for one's system and preferences. Audiogon is littered with gear that had great reviews, was purchased site unseen because is was a "good deal", then quickly put back up for sale because the buyer had different preferences, it didn't synergize with their gear, or honestly their system sucked to begin with and they weren't addressing the problem. Is it really a bargain at that point?

So bottom line for today, the Nuforce amps need quality power conditioning, cabling that leans to the warm side, and the amps will also benefit from additional noise reducing devices placed near the end of the signal chain.

Next post, bass.

Nuforce Reference 18 Amplifiers - A journal of break in and sonics

2010-09-24T17:18:00.004-06:00

So the Nuforce Reference 18 mono block amplifiers arrived today, 9/24, in a massive 60 pound crate. Impressive, I thought. I opened the crates to find the two amps wrapped in velvet, and surrounded with a massive amount of form fitting foam. The nice thing about the crates is that they had latches and a locking hinge that held the lid open for you. Much better, and more reusable than screws. I would have liked to see some strapping across the crates in case the latches gave way somehow.

Being Friday, I wasn't really eager to tear apart my system, I was more eager for beer. But curiousity got the best of me and I disassembled my system, removing the Modwright KWA 150 that sat on its WellFloat platform (those platforms are awesome by the way). I had to scrounge up one more platform since I now had 2 amps to deal with. So the Wellfloat under the Bybee conditioner was replaced by a maple platform. There, both amps had nice places to sit and were ready to be connected.

Now, I prefer the sound of the Modwright KWA 150 to the Nuforce Ref 9 V3SE, so I am a little skeptical about the Ref 18. We shall see.

Finally, with the amps connected, I had to flip the power switches on the back, then sloooowly swipe a finger across the touchpanel on the front to power the amps on. I say it that way because the first few tries at swiping my finger were of the velocity used on my smartphone. In this case, that was much too fast.

Okay we got past that, and even though the Nuforce manual says not to critically listen to the Ref 18's for 75 hours, I had to hear the break in process, because customers will want to know.

Initially, the sound is damn good. I am surprised. It seems a little lighter on the bottom than the Modwright, and perhaps a tad cooler, but this is with 10 minutes on them. The point is, with the Ref 9 V3SE I would have run out of the room screaming by now, and I'm here. Listening. Not bad. Tone seems to be more analog sounding, less harsh than I expected, and soundstaging is very good. Right now, I would say my only negative finding is that the Modwright, with 1000 hours on it, is better at dynamic contrast. Mind you this is less than an hour into listening. Now where is my beer?

6 Great Computer Audio Resources

2010-09-21T08:08:00.007-06:00

Computer audio does not have to be scary. The benefits of storing all of your music a computer are, ease of access, portability, and yes in some cases better sound. The number of high resolution recordings is growing every day. The sheer amount of data on these recordings is greater than what can be stored on a CD, making the potential for better sound quality a reality. Even if the quality is "only" CD or (gulp) even less, storing music on your PC for the sheer portability of doing so allows the possibility of transporting your music to every room of your house without carrying stacks of CDs with you. Imagine, your entire music collection available to you on the patio, at the pool, in your bedroom, home office or garage. The benefits are huge, and the opportunities to enjoy your music outside of your listening room are here. Heck it might even provide an opportunity for you to share your passion in ways you never thought. We love our music, and the good it does for our soul, why not explore PC audio? You might find yourself enjoying music a lot more often....Now, on to my top resources.

Benchmark Media Audio Wiki - You will find tons of information on how to set up a PC or Mac for computer audio. If you are new to PC audio, this is a great place to start.
HD Tracks - HD tracks is at the forefront of providing a downloadable, high resolution music. If you like classical, blues and jazz, you will be very happy. Rock? you might find a few gems like the Pixies or Interpol.
Pandora Streaming Radio - Let me warn you, Pandora is NOT about hi rez sound quality, its about discovery. You simply tell Pandora who your favorite artists are, and it will create a "radio station" around that (or those) artists, sprinkling in some new and/or similar artists that you may never have heard of. Prepare to listen for hours and discover some great music. One of the best things to happen on the internet besides TweekGeek ;) .
DBPowerAmp - It has a strange name, but this software application allows you to rip your CD collection to a hard disk, complete with artwork, all bit-perfect thanks to AccurateRip.
iTunes - You can actually download lossless music from iTunes as well. Explore better sound quality, and they have a pretty kick-ass software application for playback too. Not that it is the best sounding, but it probably has the best user interface.\
Foobar2000.org - for the more adventurous Windows user, Foobar 2000 offers some sonic advantages over many other playback applications. Playback of ultra high rez files being one
What are some of your favorite Computer audio resources? Tell us and you automatically enter for a chance to win an M2Tech hiFace USB to digital audio interface.

Tweaking the Mac for Better Audio Performance

2010-06-23T19:27:00.009-06:00

A good customer of mine who is quite savvy when it comes to Mac computers (something I am not) provided me with some great advice I thought I would share.

Mac Tweeks for better PC Audio Performance

The HiFace is NOT hot Swapable on the Mac! Always shut down the computer first before inserting or removing the device.
Use a mac laptop that has an aluminum shell or a Mac mini. The current macbook Pro and Mac mini are both fine to use. I highly suggest you dedicate the computer to your Audio System to use as a transport and do nothing else.
For your Mac Operating System, the Snow Leopard system is the best with Leopard coming in second. The Mac OS X does not use a Kernel mixer like windows XP.
Do NOT keep your music on the internal hard drive. All computers make noise and the mac mini makes the least amount of noise. Since you are using a Mac, get yourself a portable, Bus powered Firewire interface drive. I have tremendous success using an Oyen Digital enclosure with a Western Digital Blue Scorpio drive. I use the included, shielded 1394B cable.
FYI, the smaller 2.5 inch drives sound better than the 3.5 inch drives. Also, the 5400 RPM drives sound better than 7200 RPM drives. With this already stated, an external, aluminum enclosure (keeps the noise down) and a good drive like the WD Scorpio Blue, you are on your way. There is some difference of opinion on this matter. I think we all can agree that Solid State hard disks sound the best (if you can afford them). Some in the recording industry do say that the 7200 rmp drives sound better, and that is what is used in the industry as well
For macs, the fire wire interface will sound better than USB as it uses lower CPU usage!
For your front end application, do NOT use Itunes. That included app does not sound good, it is geared for Ipod usage. It has way too high of a CPU usage and it does not support many of the lossless codecs.
One of the best sounding front ends on the Mac is a application called Play. This freeware app works with Core Audio and sounds so superior. For paid apps, try Amarra, or Pure Music.
As always, use a Hi-Face and BNC is better. The Stereovox cables are supreme and you should consider them. allow them to Break In as they do require some time.
Since your computer is dedicated to running your stereo, do not run an Anti Virus client and do not surf the when when listening to music.
As Always, try these tweaks at your own risk, benign as they are. I am not responsible for you screwing up your computer.

New Hi Resolution DACs and Interfaces from M2Tech

2010-06-09T07:25:00.004-06:00

It's no secret that M2Tech has set the computer audio geek related crowd abuzz with the introduction of their hiFace USB to digital interface earlier this year. This $150 gadget that looks like a USB Pen drive can output a 24 bit 192 kHz stream to your DAC with only 2 picoseconds of jitter distortion. Which puts it in the top 2% of CD transport performance. When playing lossless FLAC files with a music streaming program Like Foobar, Jriver, or MediaMonkey, you have a powerful high dollar sounding transport and the convenience of having your entire music collection a click away. All for a fraction of the cost of a high end audio CD transport. Smart phones like the iPhone and Droid are also offering applications that will make your phone act as a remote control for your music streaming software, upping the convenience factor another notch. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to get started, but some computer knowledge (or the help of a tech savvy colleague) is necessary.

M2Tech is now upping the anty with three new products soon to be released.

The first product is the Evo. This is basically a hot-rodded hiFace. One major difference is that the Evo has an input for an external power supply, and is no longer chained to the PC's noisy power. There is also an input for a master clock, 1 RCA, 1 BNC, and 1 AES/EBU output that is adjustable for consumer or pro audio output via an internal jumper. There is also a Toslink out and a direct I2S output with a 3.3 volt interface. All of the outputs except the I2S are transformer decoupled to avoid ground loop noise.

The next new product is the Young DAC. The Young DAC supports up to 32 bit 384 kHz formats via its USB input. It also sports S/PDIF RCA, BNC, Toslink and AES/EBU Inputs, and for outputs, you have a pair of RCA's. The power supply is an external 9 to 24 volt DC. This DAC is not only ready for the bleeding edge 24/192 files that are available, but will be able to handle future higher resolution formats as well.

M2Tech's Vaughan Reference DAC adds a built-in digital volume control to the 32/384 DAC section plus the following:

Input sampling frequencies (kHz): 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8, 384
Resolution: up to 32 bits (USB), up to 24 bits (other inputs)
Inputs: USB (B-type female), S/PDIF (2 x RCA and 2 x 75 Ohms BNC, dual AES for 384kHz), AES/EBU (2 x XLR dual AES for 384kHz), Toslink (2 x for dual AES), ST (2 x for dual AES), straight I2S, external master clock
Outputs: single-ended on RCA and balanced XLR, plus a headphone ouput on 6.35mm jack socket
Power supply: 115-230VAC, optional high current lythium battery with battery changer available
Controls and display: standby and select buttons, encoder, dual large matrix display to show locked frequency and selected input.
The Vaughan features 8 D/A IC's (4 per channel in mono mode). A digital dithered volume control will allow for using the Vaughan as a preamplifier. The headphone output is made with a discrete components amplifier.
Brushed aluminum case and grilled front panel
Dimensions: 440 x 80 x 440 mm.

NYT Publishes a Great Article on Sound Quality

2010-05-10T09:14:00.002-06:00

The article, entitled "In a Mobile Age, Sound Quality Steps Back" hits on many of the issues we as music lovers and audiophiles have been complaining about for years. Portability and convenience trumping sound quality, the music industry's role in the "loudness wars", and the fact that nearly every other aspect of media has improved except sound quality.

Is better sound quality in music's future? Is it finally time for a renaissance in hi-fi? Share your thoughts...

Stereophile Article from 1983 offers many relevant insights

2010-04-09T08:13:00.003-06:00

A terrific article from the Stereophile archives made it to the web site's front page recently. J.Gordon Holt explains why smaller manufacturers of audio equipment for the most part make superior performing gear. What really struck me as interesting however was this quote that referred to "mail order" audio dealers.

Such stores are the ideal buying sources for serious audiophiles who don't happen to live near a nest of high-end dealers. In fact, mail-ordering components will often result in greater satisfaction with your purchases than buying them from a local store, because you have the opportunity to live with a component before making a decision to buy.

Substitute the word "internet dealer" with "mail order" and you can pretty much get the same meaning for today. If only everyone would see it that way.

The sad truth however is that today many manufacturers shun any business they consider an "internet dealer" out of fear that their brand will be destroyed by deep discounts that (in their mind) every "internet dealer" offers. Never mind the fact that 90% of "brick and mortar" dealers have web sites with contact information listed, and the fact that it is just as easy for a customer to call the "brick and mortar" as it is the "internet dealer". In fact it happens quite a lot. Nobody buys expensive audio gear online without talking to someone representing that business offering the gear first. Nobody.

In fact, one of the most offensive, egregious deep discounters in audio is a brick and mortar shop that does not have an e-commerce enabled web site. They have a standard site that allows buyers to contact them via email or phone. They openly solicit dealers to sell their excess inventory to them with the promise to protect the offending dealer from scrutiny by the manufacturer. Yep, most manufacturers would classify this dealer as brick and mortar with a web site, and that would be just dandy.

The criteria for selecting a dealer for your product should be the integrity of the people you are doing business with, not whether or not they pay a lease on retail space. /rant.

Power Cables: An Informal Comparison

2010-03-24T19:49:00.001-06:00

I just thought I would throw up a comparison of some AC cables I have been listening to recently. Clean power and quality AC cables can make or break an audio system. Cables are not the last six feet of wire coming from your AC outlet, rather I believe they are the first six feet of wire your audio equipment sees, and therefore are critically important to the overall performance of your audio system.

My gear:

Modwright KWA 150 Power amplifier

Modwright 36.5 preamp with 6H30 DR Tubes

Slim Devices Transporter with 6H30 DR Equipped tube output stage (and lots of other goodies)

Bybee AC conditioner

Vivid Audio B-1 Loudspeakers

Kaplan H.E. - The Kaplan H.E. Retails for $479. Tonally I would say it leans to the warm side, but it is very agreeable with solid state and digital gear. It seems to eliminate glare, and the highs are oh so slightly laid back. The presentation is relaxed, and you are able to listen to music for long periods of time without the fatiguing effects of brighter cords, which impress one initially, but then end up hurting your ears after long periods of listening. Initially, the H.E. sounds rolled off, but keep listening. What you will soon realize is many other cords have grainy or exxagerated highs, which many listeners mistake for "air".

Compared to similar cords, the Kaplan excels in tonal balance, and long term listenability. A great value

Kaplan G.S. - The G.S. improves upon the H.E. mostly in the midrange and bass. The warm tonal balance and long term listenability are there in spades, but all of the sudden there is much more transparency in the midrange. The increased low level detail resolution adds to soundstage width and depth. I love the GS with copper termination, and so does my Modwright gear. There is just such a rightness to the sound, like a live performance. The GS is not a cable that immediately grabs you. Its only when you start listening at length do you realize just how great this cable is, and how much longer you have been able to listen to your system without getting tired. If your system is on the cool side, or you just love great midrange, this is a terrifict cable.

Silent Source Music Reference - The Music Reference from Silent source has received much critical acclaim, and it deserves it. It is super transparent and dynamic with extension at both extremes. In my opinion, it works best with tube gear, or when blended with a Kaplan G.S. The warmth of the kaplan with its transparency blends very well with the speed, transparency, and yes a little bit of coolness from the Silent Source. The soundstage and low level resolution of this cable is excellent. If you love a wide and deep stage, this is a good cable for you.

Wireworld Gold Electra - The Wireworld Gold Electra falls in the dead neutral category tonally. This cable is quiet, balanced and very easy on the ears. Top to bottom, the balance and dynamics are spot on. I use this cable on my Bybee Power Conditioner, it seems to synergize very well with it. The soundstage is slightly smaller than the Music Reference and G.S., image placement is superb, and bass performance and dynamics are outstanding. This is another one of those cords that allows you to relax and enjoy the music for hours on end.

Acoustic Revive Power Reference In all fairness, this cable was not completely broken in when I first auditioned it, I will report back later if any major changes in tonality or other performance factors have changed. this cord lies somewhere between the Kaplan GS and the Silent source. It does well on solid state or tube gear. Tonally, it is slightly more forward in the upper frequencies than the Kaplan, and has an amazing relaxed musicality to it. This would also be a great cable to blend with the others, providing a little more extension in the treble, and placing the midrange a little more forward in the stage than the Kaplan, but not as much as the Silent source.

As a general rule, the source component will reveal the most differences between AC cables, but in my case, the KWA 150 was also able to resolve subtle differences in tonality and performance as well.

Before you run out and buy new AC cords

Before you go spending your hard earned money on power cables, I would recommend investing in a dedicated circuit for your system, then a good power conditioner. Good, clean AC is the foundation of your system. The AC signal that feeds your components is turned into music by them. If your AC is dirty, noisy and has distortion in it, that all gets passed through your audio equipment, and rides along with the musical signal that is played through your loudspeakers. Garbage in, Garbage out.

Happy Listening!

Vivid Audio: Functional Art Makes Beautiful Music

2010-01-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

My first encounter with Vivid Audio Loudspeakers was at the 2008 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. Philip O' Hanlon of On a Higher Note borrowed a set of B-1's to me from October through January. That 4 months really allowed me to get to know the performance of the Vivid, and little did I know that experience would stick with me for nearly a year. I was very impressed with the speakers to say the least, but with the economy in a shambles I was hesitant to jump in with both feet and become a dealer. Still for the next 8 months, every loudspeaker that entered my showroom I was mentally comparing to the Vivids. Nothing quite measured up in terms of musicality, and long term listenability. As one customer put it after a long audition of the B1's, "everything else sounds like cones in a box". This was after auditioning Wilson Sophia's, and Revel's Ultima Salon 2. Indeed, after falling in love with the sound of the Vivid's other dynamic loudspeakers definitely had a boxy quality you could pick out immediately.

Flash forward to today. With the economy turning around somewhat, and many of my customers looking for speakers that weren't of the giant wooden box genre, the Vivids have made their way back into the TweekGeek showroom.

The Speakers

Vivid Audio's products are designed with a no-compromise engineering approach. I know it sounds cliche, but it is entirely true. Laurence Dickie has rethought everything about the loudspeaker, down to the finest detail. As a result, nearly everything that goes into a Vivid Audio loudspeaker is built using custom components made entirely in-house. With aesthetics as striking as the sound quality is pure, Vivid Audio strives for aural and visual perfection throughout their product range.

Vivid Audio loudspeakers deliver a 360 degree acoustic performance while remaining sonically invisible. The soundstage they exude is extraordinarily wide, deep and holographic, but never exaggerated. Instrumental timbres are strikingly realistic, dynamic and delicate when they need to be. They are perhaps the most transparent, resolving yet unfatiguing loudspeakers on the market today. They refine sonic reproduction to a new level which encourages the listener to want more, rather than tire and need a break.

The fit and finish are exquisite. With a sculpturesque shape that is rock solid, they sound every bit as good as they look. The surface quality of Vivid Audio loudspeaker cabinets is like that of a fine automobile finish, with a deep lustre and shine which can only be achieved through painstaking hand-finishing. Choose one of the standard colours to match the majority of listening environments, or contact us to order a custom pair of speakers in a color of your choice.

Vivid Audio's Pedigree

Vivid Audio's roots can be traced back to B&W. Robert Trunz, a partial owner of B&W, and Laurence Dickie, the designer of the original Nautilus series loudspeakers. Robert and Laurence ended up joining forces to work together on Vivid Audio Loudspeakers in South Africa.

When Laurence joined Vivid, they used a Nautilus to voice the original active B-1 Loudspeaker so that could compare & contrast against the Nautilus. What was immediately apparent was that the new Vivid drivers that he had recently designed were substantially less coloured than those he had used in the Nautilus.

Laurence set out much of his agenda as when he did that original Nautilus, and a number of the basic principles used then may be seen again here in the B1. For example, he believes in creating pistonic drive units -i.e. drive units that are able to operate in a substantially linear manner throughout their intended operational bandwidth, with mechanical breakup modes kept more than two octaves beyond the cross-over roll off frequency.

The Drivers

There are no standard parts to be found in any Vivid Audio loudspeakers. Every component is made to their own exacting specification. Most of the innovation is hidden away, quietly delivering a listening experience not soon to be forgotten. To this end Vivid B1's (the same goes for the other models as well) incorporate anodized aluminium alloy diaphragm drivers throughout, in a ‘three-and-a-half-way’ configuration, with tightly defined, fourth-order crossover filtering, so that each driver is restricted to its appropriate operating band. Laurence continues: "The two identical 7" bass/mid drivers with 5" alloy cones are mounted back-to-back here. They're mechanically coupled so that reaction forces cancel out, and the one facing backwards just provides additional bass - it's fed via a first-order roll-off operating above 100Hz. These drive units have a very open and unobstructive frame, so there are no cavity resonances. The short-coil/long-gap motor section has some unusual features too, building on the work I've done with pro audio drivers to improve cooling and reliability and avoid power compression .

Vivid also uses special radial magnets, with the field running from inside-to-outside rather than between the flat surfaces of the ring. This helps focus the magnetic field and reduces stray flux, so that additional shielding isn't needed. The air beneath the central dome (within the voice coil) is ventilated through the motor, and the tendency for this to create a Helmholtz resonator is avoided by using a heavily perforated former for the 2" voice coil."

"Besides mechanically coupling the two cone drivers to cancel out reaction forces, they also use O-rings to decouple them from the enclosure above 50KHz, to avoid exciting any panel modes. The enclosure itself is moulded from a polyester resin loaded with carbon fibres, and its curved shape has acoustic benefits inside and out.

The 7" bass drivers are loaded by twin reflex points, situated on the front and the rear (so you can look right through), again to balance out reaction forces."

"The front-facing bass/mid driver hands over to a 2" dome midrange driver at 900Hz, primary in order to ensure that even and wide dispersion is achieved throughout the critical presence band.

We actually use the same cylindrical magnet elements for this driver as we use in the bass/mid drivers, which makes life a little simpler. Inside the enclosure, a tapering tube transmission line is fitted behind this mid dome to absorb rearward radiation without creating reflections. An internal tapering tube is also used behind the 1" alloy dome tweeter, and here we've used finite element analysis to the magnetic flux. With careful magnet shaping we've managed to achieve an extremely high flux of 2.4 Tesla."

UK HiFi writer Paul Messenger queried the need for such high magnetic power (most hi-fi tweeters settling for around 1.6 Tesla), and Laurence pointed to two advantages:

"The poles will always stay saturated, which reduces the effect of the steel while the high efficiency also improves headroom and hence reduces power compression. And the use of a large padding resistor also improves the stability and consistency of the effective driver load on the crossover network with different power levels", he explained.

Vivid's Aluminium Tweeter versus Diamond Tweeter

While the Vivid D26 tweeter (42 kHz break-up) is outperformed in the extreme high frequency response compared to other manufacture's Diamond tweeter (typically 60 kHz break-up); incidentally both tweeters perform well beyond human hearing. The Diamond tweeter is physically, considerably heavier than the aluminum D26, due to the thicker layers of diamond deposits that need to be laid down to achieve structural rigidity than the aluminum D26 The Vivid D26 is 7 dB more efficient than the diamond tweeter. Please review Vivid's Super Flux Magnet Technology employed in the D26 tweeters.

In real life, the D26 is padded down to 89 dB in the B1, K1 and 91 dB in the Giya, so the tweeter's 7dB of extra headroom gives us far less power compression for the same SPL and as a result of the higher efficiency, the Vivid D26 is just ticking over compared to the others. Meanwhile the Diamond tweeter is run at or near its maximum output, so at high SPL or high transients, the diamond tweeter will perform in a non-linear fashion and sound harsh & fatiguing.

The Products

Besides the remarkable sonics, the speakers are drop dead gorgeous - truly functional art. The fit & finish is superb.

Vivid Audio has a wide range of speakers to suit all sizes of rooms and while perfection is not inexpensive, the smaller speakers are quite affordable.

Standing over 1.3m high the K1 is the largest of the Vivid Audio range to feature the trademark ovoid form. With its four C125 aluminium diaphragm reaction-cancelling decoupled bass drivers the K1 is capable of filling very large rooms with spectacularly articulate bass. A 3½-way configuration includes the D50 mid range to cover the all-important mid frequencies to which the ear is so sensitive.

Featuring an almost identical philosophy and driver complement as the K1, the Vivid Audio B1 differs only in the number of bass units, having just two mounted fore and aft in a reaction-cancelling decoupled configuration. The same seamless union of the C125 bass with the D50 mid and D26 high frequency units delivers a smooth listening experience across a wide listening window with ample level medium to semi large rooms.

For those not requiring the level delivered by multiple C125s the Vivid Audio V1.5 family are two-way loudspeakers that achieve a respectable level into small and medium sized rooms. Being two-way designs the V1.5 exploits the benefits of a contoured baffle to preserve time alignment of the drivers as well as improve efficiency and directivity of the D26 tweeter. Pair the V series with a high quality subwoofer and you can extend the low frequency range and output of the system considerably.

Ideally suited to boundary placement, the V1 series are the smallest in the Vivid Audio range. Like the V1.5, they are two-way designs using a single bass/mid driver and tweeter mounted in a sculpted cabinet. Being designed for boundary placement the V1 exploits the natural low frequency reinforcement that results to permit a reduction in the enclosure volume to just 16 litres. A selection of three mounting systems make this a versatile design equally suited to the surround channels of a home theatre installation or to a near field computer music system.

Call 888-998-9335 or email us to discuss auditioning a Vivid Audio Loudspeaker

Audio Manufacturers: The internet is not the enemy, bad retailers are.

2009-12-07T10:43:00.004-07:00

Let me present you with a scenario:

Audio store A receives a phone call from a potential buyer. The Buyer was doing some online research on an amplifier, and ran across the store's web site. Since the Buyer had no local dealer, the salesperson took the order, and everyone was happy.

Scenario 2:

Audio store B receives a phone call from a potential buyer. The Buyer was doing some online research on an amplifier, and ran across the store's web site. Since the Buyer had no local dealer, the salesperson took the order, and everyone was happy.

What is the difference between these two scenarios?

The difference was audio store B had a web site that was "eCommerce enabled", and the other had a web site that was not. Both dealers had showrooms, both played by the rules, both made sales.

In 2009, there are still audio equipment manufacturers that won't even consider offering a dealership to a retailer who's web site happens to allow online purchases. Even if the online purchase option can be removed from the manufacturer's product pages. The very word eCommerce has them putting their fingers in their ears and screaming "la la la la, I can't hear you..."

It is an irrational, illogical fear. Manufacturers Read this: The internet is not the enemy, bad dealers are.

It is your job as a manufacturer to set forth rules, territories and guidelines. Things like no advertised discounting, no "buy it now" buttons, no ebay stores, etc. if that is how you want to represent your brand. Any good dealer, eCommerce enabled or not, will respect your rules.

Once again the audio industry handicaps itself, keeping tech savvy internet users from discovering their product. Limiting themselves to a shrinking market of aging audiophiles, wondering why revenues are shrinking, and blaming everything but themselves. Lame.

/rant

The PC will revive high end audio

2009-11-21T06:55:00.007-07:00

The progression of PC based audio is destined to rekindle the public's interest in good sound, and revive the audio industry. Digital audio is maturing, we are discovering why it wasn't "perfect sound forever", and are quickly closing the gap in sonic performance between digital and analog (vinyl, reel to reel, etc.). As it stands right now, the PC as a high end audio source is in its infancy. We are only beginning to realize it's potential. But in the near future this appliance will revive the public's interest in high fidelity music reproduction. Here's why.

Point 1
As bandwidth (internet download and upload speed) becomes more plentiful, faster, and cheaper; as storage (hard disk space) becomes more compact and less expensive, the MP3 will die off as it will no longer be necessary to compress music files at all. In the near future, an iPod that holds 2 Terabytes worth of music will not be uncommon, negating the need for compression. Downloading the uncompressed .wav files will be a breeze as well, with Ultra-high bandwidth rates.

Companies like Apple will have a strong motivation to improve upon their designs to keep sales going. This will not be difficult or require serious innovation, you won't need more apps or games, just offer better sound and video.

Point 2
Like the 70's and 80's when everyone had a hi-fi system in their home, today everyone has a PC in their home. The PC replaced the hi-fi system in the late 90's as a major source of family entertainment. It will still remain as such, but will now be able to stream high quality music files throughout the home. With the emergence of products like the M2Tech hiFace USB to Digital audio interface, the problems of USB based audio have been addressed, and the benefit of high resolution digital music is being realized only now.

Uncompressed (16 bit 44 kHz sampling rate) and high resolution digital music files (24 bit 96 or 192 kHz sampling rate) will be as common as MP3 downloads are today, and with that higher fidelity music will once again be the mainstream. For many, it will be like hearing hi-fi for the first time, and with that, the re-emergence of high quality music reproduction electronics will take place.

Think of it, the younger generation will experience what we experienced in hearing high quality sound for the first time. Some will care less, some will acknowledge the improvement and move on. But there will be a handful of tech savvy youth that will be moved enough by the experience that they will want it for themselves. Just as we did.

Can you dig it?

Mulder Audio Snuffers: The Truth IS Out There.

2009-11-06T17:09:00.002-07:00

So here I am, all of my power conditioners on loan, and a new pair of Nuforce V3 amps just in, and in severe need of break in. I actually couldn't listen to them. Mind you they were brand new, with lots of new capacitors, and NO power conditioning. It was awful. I inserted them into the system, plugged my Logitech Duet directly into the amps with the Nuforce Focused Field interconnects and speaker cables, and let 'er rip overnight while I left the room. The next day Gary Mulder of Mulder Audio comes over to talk to me about his new company and products. I should include a bit of history about Gary here. Gary worked for Ayre Acoustics for 11 years. He also worked at Avalon for several years as well. He has a good set of ears, and actually assisted in designing the Ayre power conditioner. He now has designed his own line of power conditioning and filtering devices that are spinoff's of what he learned at Ayre, as well as his own original designs.

He arrives the next day, and we go into the showroom. He hands me a small box which contained 3 of his Snuffers. I had seen similar devices before from other rather popular manufacturers and looked upon them with extreme skepticism. He proceeded to tell me that they needed to be plugged into empty AC receptacles surrounding my system. I plugged one into an outlet that was upstream from where my system was plugged in, one downstream, and one directly into the power conditioner that all of my components were plugged into.

I sat down in my listening chair, and listened. I knew immediately because the new amps actually sounded, okay. These were unlistenable before the Snuffers were plugged in. I was impressed. But this has also happened before. Initially one is impressed with a product, but then after living with it a few days, the ugly flaws in the product become more apparent. Not so with the Snuffers. I now have 150 hours on the amps and the Snuffers and can say with confidence that the Snuffers add a richness, warmth, 3 diminsionality to the sound that just sounds like music. They don't have any drawbacks that I can hear, and what I really like is that they are passively conditioning the power without limiting current delivery to your components. This is something you normally have to spend thousands of dollars for. The price of the Snuffers? $99 for 3. Highly recommended.

More to come on the Nuforce V3 amps, the Nuforce Focused Field interconnects and loudspeaker cables...

Customers Vs. Retailers: Commentary on a Stereophile Letter

2009-10-21T18:09:00.012-06:00

While reading the November 2009 issue of Stereophile, I came across a letter titled "Customers vs. Retailers" in the letters section. It stated the following:

"The behavior that I am referring to is what I call the consumer version of bait and switch. A guy visits a legitimate retailer (or retailers), gets hours of demonstrations, borrows trunkfulls of gear, gleans bookfulls of information, and, when he's made his decision, goes online and buys the item, used or at a significant discount, from and online seller who doesn't provide the types of service that he has stolen from the local store(s)."

First of all, this does exist, and I do agree with the writer of the above statement in part. There are unscrupulous customers, just like there are unscrupulous business people. When the two get together, nobody wins in the long term.

What I take issue to is:

Inferring that anyone who is a high end audio retailer that sells product online "illegitimate". That is an ignorant statement, and that is putting it nicely.
Assuming that customers don't take up my time, borrow trunk-fulls of gear, take all of my advice, then don't go somewhere else or buy used. It happens to me too, and it sucks. Shame on you as a customer if you have done this. It's wrong.

Let me educate the brick and mortar dealer. I spent several years, and thousands of hours building my business just as you. My overhead is slightly lower than yours, am I supposed to feel bad because 1) I wasn't wealthy enough to open a store and stock it will millions of dollars worth of inventory? 2) because I know how to build a web site and market my business? I don't apologize for either. It's a different way of doing business that is not going away. It serves a much needed niche, and can be done with integrity.

I do have a showroom. It is a dedicated room built in the basement of my home. It's not your multimillion dollar, five year lease building in the middle of downtown, but it works. for the most part, I rely on going to my prospect's home, allowing them to audition the gear they are interested in within their own system and listening environment. I think it works better, they do to. They appreciate the non-sales approach, and they can make a more informed decision. It pays off by getting the sale (most of the time) and making a friend that likes music as much as I do.

I as a web retailer am able to support customers who live in areas where their are no high end audio stores, or the brands that they are looking for aren't represented. I send them gear, communicate for hours on the phone, and via email. I give them all the support they ask for, and more. How can you, the local store 300 miles away, support them any differently? You can't.

I represent the brands I carry with the highest integrity. I play by the same rules that they set forth for everyone, brick & motar store AND online retailer. If you are getting undercut by an online retailer, if they aren't adhering to the guidelines for marketing and sales set forth by the manufacturer or distributor, you have every reason to report them and have their dealership revoked. If they are allowed to do this, and the manufacturer doesn't care, find another product line, or have a serious discussion about policy with them.

Manufacturers, take heed. Do not broad-brush all internet retailers as low-ballers and charlatans. Some of us can help you a great deal by offering your product to geographic locations that have no representation. We can do it with integrity, and uphold the brand name you have worked so hard to build. You are missing out in a big way by the "no internet dealers" policy. Trust me, your competition is kicking your ass in those locations, and you won't be competitive (or relevant) for too much longer.

I, like you, get cut out by consumers buying used gear. Often after spending time emailing and talking on the phone advising them. That is the world we live in, and actually I think in the long term it will help high end audio by making the entry level even more affordable. As a business owner you need to select brands that don't have a high turnover of current models on the used market. You need brands that are actively involved in monitoring the internet for rogue dealers. You need brands that innovate and consistently offer new product, and improvements to existing product.

Not to mention you need to cultivate relationships with your good customers. Not everyone who buys from you will be a good customer, but you will find enough of them over time.

Example: I was approached by a manufacturer that has a very well established brand. The problem was that they haven't come out with anything new for at least 3 years. Guess what? Their product was all over Audiogon for sale as used. Why in the world would anyone by their product new when they could get the same thing for less than half the price used? Can you blame a potential customer for buying used at that point? I can't. I also can't carry the manufacturer's product because I know I won't be able to sell it (manufacturers take note please).

You and I are more alike than we are different. We both love music, we both love the reaction of a client who has found what he is looking for in an audio product. We love making friends of our customers.

We both have the same enemy, inscrutable dealers who sell on heavy discounts, damaging brand names and hurting the industry as a whole. The solution is not in blaming customers or each other. The solution lies in manufacturers enforcing their selling and marketing policies, selecting dealers who will represent them with integrity, and making product that isn't flooding the used market. We as dealers need to police activities online, keeping each other honest, and customers need to respect our time and knowledge. If they are seeking a used product, or new at a deep discount, not to waste our time acting like they are interested in buying new product from us.

How to Supercharge a Bybee Quantum Purifier

2009-09-14T17:54:00.010-06:00

Bybee Quantum Purifiers have been a mainstay at TweekGeek since it's inception. Jack Bybee has established himself as the consummate tweak meister with these little devices that have performed sonic miracles on hundreds if not thousands of audio systems worldwide. They have evolved over the years, and are available in a DIY series of Purifiers that one can use for AC, speakers and line level, as well as a full line of adapters, and finally one of the best power conditioners on the market today.

I am about to walks you through how to "tweak" the large Bybee Quantum Purifier to enhance its performance. This applies to the large copper Purifiers as well as the large gold Purifiers.

What you will need:

3/4" copper tubing. You can buy pre cut couplers, or if you want to cut a more exact length, just buy a length of tubing and cut to size.
Stillpoints 1" ERS Tape. This tape absorbs and diffuses RFI. Many people use it inside components as well.
Bybee Purifiers (of course)

How to assemble the Bybee Supercharger:

Begin by determining what length of tape you will need to wrap around the Bybee purifier in order for it to fit fairly snugly inside the 3/4" copper tube. Oddly enough you will not be removing the backing on the ERS tape. Why? Because ERS is more effective with a dialectric between each layer. It would actually be less effective if you took the backing off and stuck the layers together.
You will need 2 identical lengths for each Bybee. It takes 2, 1 inch pieces of ERS tape wrapped side by side to cover the entire length of the Bybee.
Once the Bybee is wrapped, insert it into the copper tube.
You can wrap the outside of the copper tube with an additional layer of ERS tape.
cover the tube with shrink tubing, or electrical tape so there are no extra conductive surfaces, and you have a supercharged Bybee Quantum Purifier!

The end result is you have an even more transparent sound than with a stock Bybee. When you use the Gold Bybee for the SuperCharging, you approach the level of the super expensive, Super Effect purifiers. The kind used in the Super Effect Speaker Bullets that retail for $4200, and are not available to the DIY market.

Enjoy!

TweekGeek.com T-Shirts Now Available Through Zazzle.com

2009-09-04T08:31:00.004-06:00

This T-shirt is sure to get you noticed.

On the back it reads:

TweekGeek.com
Funny name. Serious audio.

I had such a great reaction from it at last year's Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, I decided to make them publicly available. I really don't make any profit, I just think its a fun t-shirt. I hope you do too.

How Do You Listen?

2009-09-03T06:51:00.006-06:00

I'm Curious. What does listening to music do for you? How do you listen to it?

Is it mainly for background "filler"? Something to occupy your ears while you focus on something else.

Is it therapy? Do you make it a point to shut out all distractions, sit, and just listen?

Or are you someone who, every once in awhile, a song triggers something inside of you, causing you to connect to it on a deeper level? A "goosebump" moment perhaps..

How do you listen? Tell us.

Music as Therapy? Yes!

2009-06-24T20:26:00.002-06:00

A recent New York Times article discusses how music can be used like medicine. I don't know about you, but music has always served a therapeutic benefit to me. I suppose we audiophiles simply want a better "fix" than the average person, so we go to great lengths to acquire a system that will bring us that feeling we so desire.

I think the American public for the most part has forgotten, or has never experienced, the thrill, goosebumps, or relaxation good sounding music can bring. If there isn't video accompanying the sound, they aren't interested in just sitting, and only listening. Music is now something you listen to while doing something else. Background noise to fill the void.

I have hope that music therapy will catch on, and it may be a convergence of this, cheaper bandwidth and data storage that could possibly create an audiophile renaissance in the near future. If only the music industry would stop compressing the life out of recordings. Stay tuned...

This doesn't happen very often

2009-06-04T17:57:00.002-06:00

I just wrote this email to Jim Wang of Harmonic Technology after putting his new Reference 9 SE speaker cables in my system.

Hi Jim,

I just received my 10 foot pair of Pro 9 Reference
SE's and put them in my system in place of some fairly expensive ($6k)
cables. I was expecting there to be lower performance in your cable, but
right out of the box I would say your cables at almost 1/4 the price, are nearly
their equals. And they havent' even broken in yet!

Bravo Jim, this is one incredible speaker
cable.

Regards,

Mike
TweekGeek.com

Folks, Regardless of what others try to convince you of, whether they are just cheap, have an agenda other than enjoying music, have crappy gear, or hearing that isn't able to detect differences (through hearing loss, or untrained ears), there is a level of difference associated with cables. You usually get what you pay for provided you do your homework.

But this cable really does offer more than what I am used to hearing at this price point. Quite a bit more actually.

I am going to say that Harmonic Technlogy Pro 9 Reference SE has set a new performance benchmark for speaker cables at the$1500 price point.

Good times, Bad times

2009-05-24T09:06:00.003-06:00

Yes I know its a Led Zeppelin song title, but I feel it is appropriate for today's post. The economy has wreaked havoc on high end audio. Sales are down everywhere. Heck I've gotten a day job as many of you know. I hate the fact that I am less available, but it is necessary in order to get through these tough times.

There has actually been a silver lining to these economic dark clouds. One that I think will have long term positive effects on the industry as a whole. Manufacturers and distributors who were hesitant to embrace internet retailers are now taking a second look, and even taking that leap towards offering their products online.

Of note, JPS labs recently contacted TweekGeek and has embraced us as a new dealer. Tweek Geek also recently Signed on with Laufer Teknik, and will be representing all of their products online soon. Products like Volent Loudspeakers, Behold Electronics and the Nova Physics Memory Player. And last (for now) we have also brought in the Stereophile Recommended Audio Elegance audio racks.

Of course, Tweek Geek does do business locally in the Denver, Colorado area too. But we do have the unique advantage of a powerful web site that serves the world, and others are taking notice.
Do you have any recommendations?

We are especially interested in bringing in a good turntable, one or two phono preamps, and DACs to complete our product offerings. Please contact us if you have any recommendations, or if you are a manufacturer of one of the above items and would like to discuss having Tweek Geek represent your line.

My Worst Audio Purchase Ever

2009-03-01T09:46:00.001-07:00

I remember it clearly. I was in 9th grade and itching for a new pair of speakers to replace my old Jensen 2-way (yes they made home speakers). The old Jensen two ways weren't cutting it. I went to Midwest Audio in Kearney Nebraska knowing I was going to walk out of there with a pair of new speakers. I was also there because I heard they would give anyone a line of credit. At 15, I didn't exactly have a stellar FICA store, so this was a great opportunity to buy something I couldn't afford. I had a decent job and could make payments, so I went nuts.

The sales person showed me to the shag carpeted listening room (God I wish I had a photo of it, wood paneling and shag carpet. Awesome!) He proceeded to play music through the latest and greatest from Sony. A two way loudspeaker with solid real walnut veneered cabinets, and shiny aluminum SQUARE drivers! He played 1 track (from the movie "flashdance", ugh.) that made the speakers sound great, and I bought them.

I got them home and, it was one disappointment after another. First, no highs, then crappy bass. How come they didn't sound like this at the store? What an idiot! I hated that Flashdance song, but yet it made the speakers sound incredible to my ears. I was now in hock for nearly a thousand dollars, had crappy speakers, and was in a total funk about it. My girlfriend at the time had noticed my depression, and took that opportunity to break up with me and start dating one of my best friends. Nice. Ahh, high school memories. I could have been bitter, but I chose to take a life lesson out of it all.

So what did I take away from this experience?

1. Don't let the retailer control the demo music if you can help it. Bring your own music. Hopefully you don't have crappy recordings that will make everything sound crappy.

2. Before making any major purchase, sleep on it. Take a day or two to decide if the purchase is really necessary.

3. Ask the dealer about return policies. Any dealer worth his salt will accommodate you with a 7 to 30 day return policy.

4. Shop around. Resolve not to buy the first thing you see.

I hope this helps someone. Do you have a "Worst audio purchase ever" story you'd like to share? Let me know.

AudiophileMusic.net now live

2009-02-21T12:28:00.003-07:00

High quality audiophile music is a passion of mine, and it has long been a dream of mine to offer downloadable, audiophile music.

Well, with the current state of DRM, and the difficulties in getting record labels to agree to the site selling their music in a high quality downloadable format, it still remains a dream. But now a dream with a web site. AudiophileMusic.net

I have actually gotten one record label to agree, B:There records in Switzerland. They are run by Sven Boenicke of Boenicke audio, who makes some pretty nice sounding loudspeakers too.

I would also encourage artists who care about how music sounds to them to contribute. If you are an independent artist with no label, but with well recorded music, I would be interested in hearing from you too.

So far I have only links to audiophile record labels whose music I would love to carry. I also have shameless plugs for Tweek Geek audio gear on there as well. It makes the search engines happy.

I would love to have music lovers submit articles on what music means to them, and how good music reproduction helps them enjoy music. I want AudiophileMusic.net to be more than a place that sells music, I want it to inform, enlighten and stir curiosity in music enthusiasts who may not be audiophiles.

Any thoughts?

2009-01-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

A Newbie's Guide to Good Audio

What qualities distinguish a good audio system?

We've all heard it before. One walks into a room with a nice audio system set up in it, and someone always says. “Wow! I’ll bet that can play loud!” This, or something like it, is typical of a newcomer’s reaction to an audiophile’s hi fi system.

Why a system’s loudness capability should be the only measure of excellence isn’t difficult to understand. People install expensive hi fi systems in their cars. Some of the larger audio systems seem capable of shaking the host vehicle apart. The pavement trembles when one passes by. A nightclub’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. Any more, the average boom box can break a lease, and TV ads featuring hard-pumping woofer cones say it all. "Loud is good" in most beginner's judgments.

Upon actually sitting down and listening to an audiophile sound system, the newcomer will likely say “Wow!” again, followed this time by “It sounds so clear!”

So what is it that makes a high end sound system high end?

Its about the components, but its also about becoming a better listener. This is what separates the audiophile or enthusiast from the casual listener who is merely interested in having cool gadgets. Below are a few terms used by audio enthusiasts that I think are important to distinguishing high end audio from "low-fi but loud" audio.

Accurate timbre and tone - The musical instruments and vocalists sound like they should. A trumpet sounds like a trumpet, etc. Taken to its extreme, the equipment and system seem to disappear, leaving only the music. It can take an audiophile years to achieve this level of performance in their system.

Low distortion - The signal coming into the components is unchanged (ideally) as it passes through. The real world ideal is that the signal is imperceptibly changed as it passes through each component. We haven't made a 0% distortion component yet, but the industry has reached levels approaching 0. It is said that the human ear can only detect levels near 10% distortion.

Low noise floor - Silence is a big part of accurate music reproduction. The quieter the background, the more subtle details that add realism to the music are allowed to emerge.

Soundstage - Soundstage is created by the output of the loudspeakers. It is basically an illusion created by the speakers being fed slightly different signals to fool our ears into perceiving a sense of space that is different from the actual space the audio system occupies. A good soundstage allows the listener to perceive the size and space of the performance venue in which the recording was made. In lower performance systems the soundstage is often limited to the space between the loudspeakers. From that space sound may extend forward from the speakers, but usually not too far behind the speakers.

Ideally, in a high end audio system, the soundstage will radiate from each loudspeaker in a spherical pattern. In recordings with large soundstages, that illusion of a large recording space will be recreated. It will extend beyond the speakers in all directions. In extreme cases if the system is really well designed and the room is properly treated, the soundstage can envelop the listener and appear to extend beyond the listening room walls themself. Immersing the lisener in the venue in which the musical event was recorded. One will not be able to "connect" the sound emanating from the speakers to what they are hearing. This is the situation where listeners will often say the speakers "disappeared".

Imaging - Imaging is a sub set of the soundstage. Imaging is the appropriate placement of instruments and vocals within the soundstage of the recording. This takes some training on the part of the listener to identify, and comes with time.

Dynamics - Dynamics are the differences between the softest and the loudest musical elements. When listening to a live event, even a non amplified performance will have a wide dynamic range between the loudest and softest elements of the music. This is what gives music "punch" and excitement in many cases. A system that portrays dynamics well will sound live on a good recording, and will reproduce those dynamic passages without distortion.

The recording itself is very important when it comes to conveying the sense of dynamics. Unfortunately most of the popular music today has had most of the dynamic aspects removed by being electronically "compressed" during the mixing process by the recording engineer. They do this so that 1) lesser systems do not distort the sound during loud playback, and 2) so one can hear most of the musical elements in a noisy environment, such as a car traveling on a road.

Below are links to excellent illustrations of the results of these recording techniques.

The loudness war video

Wikipedia's information on the Loudness War

The Death of High Fidelity - Rolling Stone

Transparency - When all of the above come together, you achieve a level of transparency. The Stereophile Glossary defines transparency as "1) A quality of sound reproduction that gives the impression of listening through the system to the original sounds, rather than to a pair of loudspeakers. 2) Freedom from veiling, texturing, or any other quality which tends to obscure the signal. A quality of crystalline clarity."

..."The casual audiophile hears reproduced sound as a whole, and judges its quality according to whether it sounds "good." Many reviewers never reach that stage of perception because---convinced by their measurements that all competing products sound "essentially the same"---they never make the effort to listen critically to reproduced sound. The reason a subjective reviewer hears more than the "objective" reviewer is not that his auditory equipment is superior. It's because he has accepted the premise that identical measurements do not necessarily ensure identical sound, and has trained himself to hear the differences when they exist..." - Stereophile Audio Glossary introduction

Those are some of the basic terms we as audiophiles use to describe the sound we are hearing when we listen to a high end audio system. I am sure there can be even more clarification of terms, and additions of others. I invite everyone to chime in an express what they feel is important for the new audio enthusiast to learn/know.

CES '09

2009-01-09T09:31:00.009-07:00

Well, its the new year. One resolution I had made was to start posting on my blog again, and there is better subject matter to begin with than the Consumer Electronics Show.

Vegas buzzes with all manner of geekiness during this week devoted to our fascination with electronic gadgetry. My particular fetish is (obviously) for high quality, high performance audio gadgetry.

The main event for audio was held at the Venetian. There is also a smaller show (The Home Entertainment Expo) held at a terribly out of the way location. I really felt sorry for the exhibitors here. I don't think they had any traffic. Fortunately I was staying at the Alexis park, so it was convenient for me to drop by. Traveller's tip: Unless you were raised on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, I doubt anyone would ever enjoy their stay at the Alexis park hotel in Vegas. Situated right next to Mcarran airport, one is subjected to ceaseless aircraft takeoff noise. The experience could only be matched by attempting to sleep on the flight deck of the USS Enterprise during the invasion of Baghdad. /rant.

My "customer" experience

I went to the show not as an exhibitor but as an attendee, bouncing from room to room discovering some new gear, and meeting some new people. For three days I felt like a retail customer, and each exhibit I visited was a high end audio store.

Some exhibits I was greeted with a smile, a handshake and felt welcome as I looked over the gear, the literature, and of course listened. Genuinely good experiences created by industry professionals who loved audio and audiophiles.

Other rooms, well, you know the stereotypical high end store where you walk in and are immediately confronted with a "you're not worthy" attitude, or ignored altogether? Yeah those people still exist, and they were well represented. My interest in their products quickly waned. What a shame, waste of time and money for them.

On to the show: Day 1, the Venetian

The following is a run-down of the rooms I found sonically interesting, followed by the gadgets that I found interesting as well.

The good sounding rooms

Hansen Audio/Kubala Sosna cables - Good sound and good people. The Hansen speakers with Kubala cables sounded very open and natural. There was good image depth and width and dynamics were impressive.

Magico - I went to both rooms at the show, and preferred the lesser V2 speakers (in the less than ideal hotel venue). Again good holographic imaging and staging. Very good vocals and mids, but just a teeny bit hot on the treble, probably around 10k. Strings and "air" appeared a wee bit exaggerated. I would love to hear these with some different cables.

Vivid Audio/Luxman - Really nice sound achieved from these unique speakers and from the "old school" looking Class A 30 wpc integrated with wood chassis. Luxman continues to impress me with the amazing build quality and silky smooth sound. The Vivid Audio loudspeakers are simply amazing. So much technology implemented from these South African made loudspeakers. Really too much to cover hear, but know this. These speakers do not sound like cones in a box. They are dynamic, holographic, super clean at any volume level, and really cool looking. With their B&W Nautilus heritage, and several new twists of their own, expect to hear a lot about this speaker company in 2009.

Synergistic/ Wilson Audio/ Burmeister electronics - Very, very good sound here. I thought the Vivid speakers with the Synergistic cables at RMAF sounded better, but nonetheless the system sparkled with the usual holographic, uncompressed sound that Synergistic cables deliver when coupled with great electronics. Oh, and yes the Synergistic ART system was in place and worked wonderfully. Helping to create the "wrap around" sound that it is known for.

Modwright/ Machina Dynamica - Terrific sound from the modestly priced Modwright 36.5 preamp, KWA150 power amp, and modded Slim Devices Transporter. Many times during the show people asked Dan if the new amp was Tubes or solid state. That is a sure sign of a successful solid state amp design. I can't wait to get mine in the showroom.

Nuforce - The Nuforce room was showing off their new music server. I was very impressed. BYOM - Bring Your Own Monitor however. They were using a touch screen panel (Casey said he purchased it on Ebay for around $150) that, when used with the iPhone type interface was extremely user friendly and cool. Sound seemed very good, but the room was bustling with noise. MSRP is expected to be around $2500, availability in March. So long Sooloos.

Quantum - Nordost purchased Quantum a year or so ago. They took the old Quantum design and have improved it greatly. I was impressed at the top to bottom improvents that were rendered immediately when the unit was in the system. Soundstage width and depth improved, bass was less boxy and boomy. I remember straining to hear improvements with the old Quantum boxes, but with the improved Quantums, the difference was obvious and immediate. Very nice.

Day 2: Alexis Park

Good things were happening at the Alexis Park exhibits despite dismal attendance and noisy jet flyovers. I had a lot of fun hear, since I was able to actually talk to people manning the exhibits. Below is a Synopsis.

Harbeth/Luxman/Synergistic - Wow. This room had it all, great sound that just made you relax and smile. But man those Harbeth speakers are fugly big boxes! Absolutely zero Wife Acceptance Factor. But the sound, very musical, relaxing and holographic. Definitely for the Man-cave only. The Luxman Class A Integrated synergized extremely well here. There seems to be a trend here, every system with Synergistic cabling is super holographic, spacious and tonally neutral. One is simply able to relax and enjoy the music. I am really becoming intrigued by the Luxman gear as well. Super solid build quality, kind of a retro look, and buttery smooth sound.

Reference 3A/EMM labs/Chang Lightspeed conditioning - Another great listening experience at the Alexis Park. Super friendly folks running the Chang/Reference 3A room. I was blown away by the sound of the Reference Episode, then to the Dulcet. The main secret is the midbass driver. They call it "direct coupled", meaning that there is no crossover used on it. All drivers use minimal crossover components, for instance the tweeters have a single Mundorf Silver/oil cap on them. In the higher end models, Murata supertweeters and Bybee Quantum Purifiers are used. The end result is incredible. The Episodes had super huge soundstage width and depth. Electrostatic speed, harmonic layering, and a relaxed organic warmth with no real colorations. The Dulcets simply stunned me. So many mini monitors have a limited musical capability, a boxy sound from trying to go too low, or sound strained and compressed due to their limited size. The Dulcets had none of that. They threw a huge stage, were uncolored in the bass regions, yet produced amazingly deep bass, and just made you want to listen. These beat my Be-718s and cost $1000 less! As a result Tweek Geek is becoming a dealer for these incredible loudspeakers.

Laufer Teknik room

Laufer was showing Boenicke audio loudspeakers, with their usuall Behold electronics and the vaunted Memory Player, also the latest AC conditioner and cables from Bybee Wire. The Boenicke speaker was very nice. It had two full range drivers, one on the front baffle along with a ribbon tweeter from Serbia, and one firing upward for additional ambiance. The cabinet was two solid blocks of wood that were CNC milled then glued together. The sound was very open, fast and natural. I spent a lot of time here enjoying the music. Sven Boenicke was also there to provide information on his design. He also makes some very special audiophile recordings that will be available soon on AudiophileMusic.com. Sven is indeed a music lover and a creative genius. A nice guy too!

More pics

Some extremely cool looking acoustic treatments in the Modwright room. Several prints to choose from, all high quality reprints of the creator's original artwork. Beautiful, and about time someone did this.

The Vivid Audio Giya loudspeakers paired with Luxman gear and Nordost Odin cabling was spectacular. We were treated to 15 ips tapes taken direct from the master tapes one evening, what a memorable time. The cables alone were nearly worth the price of my home.

More Giyas.

Philip O'Hanlon, Bjorn from Nordost, and Joe Reynolds of Nordost. Nice folks.

Going down the rabbit hole...Fringe Tweaks.

2008-02-12T10:55:00.000-07:00

I love making new discoveries, especially when they are unexpected. The last few weeks have been full of such discoveries. Case in point; my friend Wayne of The Bolder Cable Company dropped by with a new tweak. It was a clamp fashioned out of Ebony wood. It was designed to fit around AC connectors, like the ones on either end of an AC cord. Now I had been exposed to similar wooden tweaks before in the form of wood pucks, cones etc. and was always underwhelmed at their sonic results. These were the types of products for the fringe tweaker. I don't deny their effect, I just wondered within myself if the end result was worth the expense. To me they were not.

As we settled into the listening room, I decided to put on some well recorded jazz (Ray Brown, Count Basie Street XRCD) and "warm our ears up" to the system sans clamps first. Wayne and I listened for about 20 minutes, then I got up to place the first clamp. I placed it on the IEC connector feeding my modified Slim Devices Transport. I was watching Wayne's look as I was tightening the clamp around the IEC with my screwdriver. His gaze was focused, but then I saw his eyes widen just a bit. He said "you sit down while I put the other clamp on". So he and I switched places, with him now adding the second clamp to the other end of the same cord feeding the AC to the Transport. As I sat down, I thought the saxophone had a more fluid, flowing, analog sound to it. But since I hadn't been sitting there long I chalked it up to imagination. Then Wayne started placing the clamp on the plug end of the AC cord. I couldn't believe it, as Wayne was tightening the clamp, the sound was improving. Was I going nuts? I thought I was. But sure enough, extended listening both with and without the clamps confirmed what I thought I was hearing. Bottom line, I quickly became a dealer for Acme Audio.

Acme Audio offers more than just clamps, they offer affordable tweaks like Cryo treated, silver plated AC receptacles, silver plated cryo treated IEC inlets for DIY, and other tweaks that are reasonably priced. I have tried most all of his products at one time or another, and was always impressed at the bang they offered for the buck.

Deeper down the Rabbit Hole

Going deeper down the rabbit hole, I had been getting some calls from some very trusted ears regarding Acoustic Revive products. I had long been considering bringing this line in, since it fits so well with the company name, but was hesitant because of the very fringe nature of the products, and the expense. Acoustic Revive is a Japanese company. Japan, probably more than any other country, has embraced audio tweaks as an artistic form of system improvement. They bring a very unusual methodology to ridding a system of sonic gremlins, one that leaves us here in the states often times scratching our heads, or rolling on the floor in laughter.

But, with positive reviews rolling out, and positive comments from my trusted ears, I could no longer ignore the possibility that Acoustic Revive was on to something. So I called Joe Cohen of the Lotus Group, and placed an order. I ordered the Power Reference AC cord, RD-3 Disc demagnetizer (the previous version was re-branded by Furutech), the RR-77 ULF pulse generator, RTP-2 Ultimate power box, QR-8 Quartz resonators, FCS-8 Noise filters, and the DSIX powered digital cable. I figured that would be a good start.

For the next few blog entries, I will be reporting each one of these Acoustic Revive products. Please check back frequently. If any readers has experience with these tweaks, feel free to add your comments as well.

Tell us about your first time...

2008-01-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ah, the first time we heard music reproduced on a hifi system. Magical it was. I remember it like it was yesterday. My older brother brought home his first stereo. A Kenwood receiver, Sony Turntable, and Kenwood loudspeakers. Those brands are pretty much crap now, but "back in the day" they were a very decent start to a budding audiophile's first system. I sat and watched with interest while he patched the turntable into the receiver, hooked the speakers up with what looked like lamp cord, and fired the system up for the first time. I believe it was an album from Heart (that should date me). The song was "Barracuda". I was blown away. I had never heard music sound so real. Of course my only prior reference was the Panasonic all in one system with the obscenely named "Thruster" loudspeakers. But to my credit, the Thrusters were a single driver loudspeaker with no crossover!

I would sit for hours (unbelievable for a 9 year old) listening to his music. Eventually I learned to run his system through watching him, and play what I wanted when he was gone. That was the source of more than a few sibling brawls. Good times. Simpler times.

If you feel so inclined, write a paragraph or two about your first time hearing hifi.