Never do THESE FIVE THINGS with your HiFi! #1 Can instantly IMPROVE your sound.

#audiophile #hifi #hifitips

Instagram: @stevehuffofficial

Today I talk about FIVE things you should NEVER do with HiFi! I've learned over the years about many things such as perfection, cables, speaker placement, room size and mid priced vs high priced gear. I lost money at times learning these simple common sense lessons. Hope you enjoy!

Steve

[alanhilton]

I've been into hi-fi for 42 years and I've found the quest for perfection is a total waste of time in fact slight fault's in the sound can sound better than an overly detailed and Analytical sound witch can get tiring overtime you know when you've found your sound because it'll make you smile and not just that you'll stay with those components and won't continually change out there's no perfection in the real world so just build a system that sounds fun and entertaining.

[LyuboA]

in short buy the gear you like in your budget and don't care what audiophiles or reviewers say don't go on the hype train cause this train Never stops

[AspectClip]

5. Never look for perfection.
4. Never assume that the more expensive audio pieces are going to be better than the less expensive ones.
3. Never buy prices cables without an audition as they may sound worse.
2. Never buy speakers that are too large for your room and vice versa.
1. Make sure you set up your speakers the right way (positioning).

[davidfromamerica]

Rule number one.
“Don’t let others rule your personal life”

[dondek]

I like that you emphasized speaker placement several times. Speaker placement and room dynamics are HUGE factors in any system.

[DismasM]

Great recommendations. A caveat: The wall behind your speakers is the front wall--it's in front of you. Dimension recommendations for speaker placement are silly unless you know the type of speaker, esp porting, you're dealing with. Speaker placement is hugely important and more complicated than described here. Audio Notes (for instance) are designed to be placed against the walls and in the corners. Rear ports vs front, no ports, etc.... It's not rocket surgery, and it's hugely important, but it's not a one-size-fits-all fix.

[lakesideaudio]

Thanks for this advice, some years ago I moved my speakers out of the corners and the difference in the sound was incredible. The bass become tight Speaker positioning is everything

[ptbfrch]

After being into audio for the better part of 36 years, I've finally come to a place where I'm largely happy to just collect more music. I still make small changes, but when I sit down and listen I am often just really happy with how the music comes to me. I've had more expensive systems, but this is the most satisfying I've ever had. Rega P3 (Neo PSU), AT-VM95SH cart, Schiit Mani, PS Audio Sprout 100, GR Research XLS Encore (with all the upgrades). I also use an Audiolab CDT6000 transport and the internal DAC of the Sprout. I like it so much I also go through all my existing records and re-discover them. It's a great place to be, finally. It took a bit of work to find the correct speaker positioning to get the best imaging the system is capable of, but it paid off a lot in terms of being able to hear the impact small changes have, since a lot of it lies in the imaging (and the lack of smearing thereof).

[a.c.ahuvia]

The first rule he mentioned is the most important. Really worth listening to. A friend of mine once said "audiophiles are never happy." I'm trying not to have that problem.

[DavidChatenay]

Re speaker positioning, it also depends on whether the speakers have back or front ports (or bottom firing ports!).
The distance from the back wall is less critical for front ported speakers, but you also lose some control on the bass.
It makes a bigger difference for back-ported speakers. Speakers often come with foam plugs you can use to tune the bass (but YMMV).
The toe angle and the distance between the speakers and the chair makes a difference. Experiment, try different placements and see which one you like most!

[rodster]

Some audiophiles endlessly chase upgrades because most of what they're buying just doesn't impact sound. Their impressions are based on perception and perceptions change.

[bayard]

My primary audio rule- Gear doesn't mean a thing until you sort out the acoustics in your listening space . Not an easy task (until you actually know how to accomplish it), but audio simply -can not- sound correct until it is done. It's physics, and no amount of fancy expensive gear can beat physics, not even $10, 000 speaker cables. Sub pro tip #1- Room modes, untreated, distort the sound throughout the entire hearable audio range, as in, a primary room mode in the low bass region effects sound all the way up through the audible range. So, solving the room mode and threating it is essential to audio success.

[stanislasflipo]

About big speakers in small rooms, it can work quite well if you use a DSP to tailor the bass response to your room. That way you will get an extended response and great dynamics without overloading the room.

[artyfhartie]

You can even buy quality vintage hi-fi like amps, reel to reel tapes, cassette decks, turntables, preamps, loudspeakers in charity stores, online, and thrift stores for peanuts. Like I do. With a little tender love and care, they sound like magic. And they have looks and personality built in the US, UK, Japan, South Korea, and Europe. Not built cheaply for local companies in China.

[rockrollhi-figuy]

Speaker cable guys crack me up. 50 bucks for a roll of 12awg speaker wire works fine.

[totalplonker]

The missus said to me "let me get this straight, you spend over £1, 000 on speaker cables because you can 'hear the difference' but you can't hear me calling you from the kitchen" 😁

[skinnyhastrup]

Speakercables only need to be >99% copper in superfine threads, and the right mm2 for the power it needs to transport in the given length.
Everything else is hocus-pocus to drain audiophile wallets. This is from my decades of experience in audio. You can thank me later.

[ampheat]

I have found over 30 years of listening and purchasing hi fi gear that speakers are what make the greatest sonic difference. If possible have an A/B comparison with same source before making a choice.

[tuborice]

I bought speaker cable from amazon not dear sounds fantastic. I've had dear speaker cable never heard the difference.

[randomtube]

For people who like boomy bass. Just add a subwoofer or two. Pull your full range out in your room and do the sub craw for your subwoofer. Simple as that lol