5 Reasons Your HiFi SUCKS!

#HiFi #Audiophile
00:00 Start
00:54 #5 Your amplifier isn’t a great match for your speakers!
03:40 #4 Your speakers arent as good as you thought!
07:48 #3 Your subwoofer or bass is out of control!
09:26 #2 You aren't investing in Acoustic Treatment!
11:43 #1 You slammed your speakers against the wall!

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5 Reasons Your HiFi SUCKS

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[laurelhardy]

Yes, #1 is the most important, bring those speakers 2 or 3 feet out in the room and you'll be shocked how much better your system will sound, and there's a good chance that your wife will leave you, so it's a win-win, thanks for the video.

[colinwilby]

I started my Audiophile journey about two years ago. My room is not perfect being more open on one side and I have to use the shorter side. First I purchased a pair of Revel Concerto M16’s and a good AV amp, using old speakers for surrounds. It sounded pretty good to me for music and watching TV. I added one sub and a M25 Center and the surround improved, but the music needed more. I then saw your LOTS video and learnt how to setup the subs and the sound improved a lot, thank you Ron. I then purchased an Atoll AM 100se amp a Topping D70S MQA dac and A90 using it partly as a preamp to try to improve the music side. There was a marked improvement for both surround and music. I now had a great soundstage, good center image and separation, However, the problem I had was mainly bass was not quite to right, with or without the subs. So I put in bass traps in the corners and things improved, but there was still too much vibration. I then added some diffusion panels absorption panels and wow was I happy, but there was still some vibrations, So I added some good (thicker) ceiling pyramids panels and boy I was shocked, the improvement was marked. I then added a iFi Stream replacing my computer as a source, as much for convenience as anything and this took me back, it really made a difference. Lastly, I took all the equipment including the subs and center channel out of an old style cabinet, leaving only the stereo and AV amps in a much more open rack. Then mounted the subs on a heavy but isolated plinth. Bingo, I was in heaven. For me the music now is sublime, the bass is so much better and vibrations gone for music and much less for AV. Even the surround improved to a level I never dreamed of.

I am sorry about the ramble, but my point is I learnt a lot as I went along and probably got things done in the wrong order. I think I got my equipment choices ok, however, the biggest difference were using LOTS, keeping the speakers away from the wall and experimenting with room treatment. So I wholeheartedly agree with your advice, this newbie now has a setup gives him a lot of pleasure. Music I have loved for years has taken on new dimension and I have a passion for discovering more. Keep up the good work and for others like me, listen to the advice here, it will pay dividends and save you cash in the long run.

[drdiesel]

Reason #0.5 - Your music was mastered by a half deaf Grandpa that spent 30 years in the Army with no ear protection. #BringBackDynamicRange

[vinylrules]

Very refreshing to hear some great no nonsense information. I always say the room is the most component of an audio system. And as you pointed out, most people have no clue how much they are missing by having the speakers pushed up against the wall and no room treatment what so ever. I understand if it is also your living space, but I see a lot of photos on the internet where it is just a listening room.

[RonRivet]

Hi Ron, I too am a Ron and a hifi enthusiast and have been for 46 yrs since I was 13 yrs old in 1976. Thanks for posting! Very informative and fun to watch.

[markdallmann]

You are just right! Room treatment and the position of your loudspeakers are gonna improve the sound much more than a new DAC or preamplifier. 50cm more forward or backward of your hearing position is a huge change. The toe-in of the speaker influence the soundstage and definition of what your hearing more than any component in your gear! Take your money and invest in your listening room.

[quikspecvd]

I always take in consideration the room and environment restrictions when asked for speaker recommendations. Does your room have enough space to pull the speakers 2-3 feet out from the wall? No? Maybe consider front ported speakers. Room size? Edit: You totally covered this on #1. My bad.

[genkifd]

Ron - mate i cant agree with you more - took me 3 months to have my speakers in my small dedicated room sounding right and im still getting wall treatments to make it even better. i just giggle to the youtube reviewers that have no idea about speaker placement and treatment. when they do speaker/equipment reviews im listening for entertainment, not for information. Keep up the good work

[odwatchguy]

Ron great video with lots of helpful information. I'm glad there are so many opportunities besides throwing money at the problems. Thank you.

[DrGIzmoBRad]

Ron, Your advice is spot on. The three you mentioned that resonate with me are: 1) Room treatment !
2) Internal parts quality (I follow Danny's advice to the letter over at GR Research), and
3) Bring the speakers into the room to minimize room effects.

Two Additional Tips:
a) Choose amplifier power / speaker SPL based on the size of the room - Larger rooms usually need more power or more efficient speakers or both.
b) When upgrading power amplification, have an open mind regardless of topology (tube, solid state, hybrid, etc.) - Case in point: I chose a Class D integrated amp that converts all inputs (2 Toslink, 1 USB, 1 RIAA phono, and 1 analog line-in) to 24bit/192KHz digital streams prior to Class D BTL amplification - not because exotic components were used (most are COTS), but because of the designer's expertise and design philosophy conveyed by a trusted reviewer.
Again, many thanks for this well timed video :)

[llkmiz]

Ron was on fire! (Especially played at 2x speed). Great tips but one overlooked but important investment that improves the sound of your system >> a nice bottle of wine. Enjoy!

[buffalbilious]

#2 is so neglected so often. I've been to plenty of audio meetups in various peoples' places, and I've heard relatively affordable systems sound quite good because of the well-treated rooms they're in, but perhaps more often I've heard rather expensive systems sound mediocre (I suspect) because of the untreated spaces they're in. Getting some decent treatment in my space was one of the few upgrades I can say legitimately earned the "night and day improvement" cliche, and it was only a few hundred bucks (to be fair, my room is on the small side of medium).

[MrDoc]

I've listened to high quality speakers from 1977 to 1997 without a sub, so I won't need to redo that test. However, I would agree that most people play their subs too loud. You shouldn't be able to point at the sub and say that's where the bass is coming from. The bass should sound like it is coming from the speakers.
Thank you for the fine video. I always learn something.

[JohnScheppler]

Great information Ron and I'm sure everyone can use this to improve their listening experience.
Now I'm off to the store to pick out carpeting for my ceiling, lol.

[skipglobal]

Great video, Ron. When I saw the title, I said to myself, "This is going to be a pile of radical nonsense." But all of these recommendations are spot on. The only one I haven't done, or should I say can't do, is #2: Acoustical Room Treatments. It's really not possible in my room because of a giant model railroad that runs around the outside of it. I would love to move my gear into a dedicated room, but my wife already thinks that I'm out of my mind...and of course she's correct. LOL

[darrelgustafson]

I like using a sub, thing is when I do you can't tell.
I worked in nightclubs for years but I don't want to live in one.
I use a sub to reinforce the bottom end, not shake the windows.
Usually the only way I can tell the sub is working is when I turn it off. When it's off, there's something missing, not much, just that subtle difference that makes all the difference.

[johannasaninocencio]

My system is a really odd smorgasbord system. A JVC AX-R551 amp from 1989, a set of Klipsch Quattro speakers from the late 80’s set about a foot away from the wall and somewhat angled for reflection, a 1978 Sanyo TP1010 turntable and a Mac mini computer attached. They play really nicely together.

[ttownscott]

The challenge is room treatment could possibly have more push back from the spouse than any of the other audio components.

[WXSTANG]

It is too bad we don't have audio visual stores anymore. I use to love going in and listening and watching the latest gear. Many people these days will never get the experience of hearing the fidelity differences between all the different types of high end gear.

[doodahdavesrecords]

Awesome topic love your videos thanks!