How To Build YOUR Perfect HiFi Stereo System.

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[pupwizard]

Laughed out loud when he said "The aesthetics community kept vetoing suggestions". Any married man knows exactly what he is talking

[mancavedecorations]

I trained audio salespeople for about 25 years. One of the hardest things to get them to understand was the importance of controlling the sale to prevent the equipment questions from eclipsing the goal questions. It's often like herding cats.

[grantwilson]

To your point on so many wanting big watt amps/receivers. I recently picked up a 16 watt Yamaha CR-200 & ran it through a half dozen big & small speakers. I've been really impressed & it holds its own with many of my receivers with double or triple the watts.

[jonsays]

I got 3 way 8” KLH’s from the nineties on a lark from goodwill and I was amazed at what the did in comparison to $1200 5 1/4 Wharfedales and dual Cambridge subs. Good vid; here’s yer’ upthumb.

[ChillToMusic]

The aesthetics committee aka "the wife" 😂

[Walker.greg]

My goal seems very fluid, I might say “mission creep”.
It also runs in proportion with that whole darn money thing.
Audio can be very attractive, it’s looks performance and comfort. A bit like the perfect car.
Well I better call it…
Cheers to all you vintage Audiophiles!!

[AUTISTICLYCAN]

I think you were spot on for all the factors you ask us to consider. I have 2 pairs of Pioneer HPM 100's and I love the sound they make. They are old and not pretty but the sound they make is off the chain. I brought my receiver first and I know that's the wrong way to do things but I WANTED THAT Pioneer SX-1980 receiver. It was like going elephant hunting a RINO would not do. I really felt sorry for the guy you met with the sparse rectangular room. I'm not good imagining sound in rooms and even I could see nothing in that room would sound good. I can't see spending $1, 500 to $3, 000 for a turntable. I love vinyl but not that much. I have 4 Pioneer RT-707 Reel to Reels that cost a fortune so I have my costly passions too.

[kennethdorn]

As someone who is asking oneself many of these same questions as I try to figure out what to buy that meets my needs within my budget, I can't thank you enough for this video. I've watched countless videos of yours, but this might have been the most valuable - thank you.

[harleyPDX]

All excellent info. I'd enjoy seeing a video discussing more about a person's goals and some differences in equipment to consider or look for if you're someone who listens to window shattering heavy metal vs. someone who primarily listens to '80's popular music vs. somewho primarily listens to jazz. Thanks Kevin I enjoy your content.

[pedrofernandez]

For me it's clarity and detail, loudness not a requirement. Small room.

[karaDee]

Great advice as always Kev!

Size of a room and what's in it, furniture, rugs, curtains, windows, ceiling shape and height, types of materials in the room. All make a HUGE difference in the sound of the system it could sound great in the store, but sound like s*** when they get it home.

[douggarber]

I sold retail Hi-Fi gear back in 1968. We knew then about the importance of the speakers, but very little about room characteristics and speaker placement.

[dtracyss]

Back in the 70s and early 80s the ONLY thing the Electronics sales person was interested in was what made them more money, and you can't blame them because there wasn't any way to track Customer Satisfaction!
There was one HiFi shop in all of Ft Wayne that would ask the kinds of questions that really mattered and it was a small 2 person Shop, they were awesome and the problem was they got put out of business by the big box Electronics stores.

One Last thing is your Budget, if you have a budget in mind, when you really go and start the Process add 30 percent!!! Also like he says on the Looks you best have the Wife on Board! Luckily my wife Loves all this HiFi Fun, and it really helps to talk to them like someone into the hobby and answer their questions about specs and how things work, The Fastest way to Stop Your New System from happening is to treat them like a "second class citizen"!!!

[dkbymdw]

I have dove headfirst into the hi fi world. The major improvements that affect the sound quality for me 1 lossless audio 2 a sub 3 speakers 4 The receiver. I have watched almost all of your educational videos. You and a few others are responsible for my wonderful hobby. I look forward to purchasing a Sansui from your fine establishment. God bless Kevin

[jeffbrooke]

Great video and excellent advice. With wattage I'd let people know what that sort of "power" it really represents and how little of it they will ever use or need. People tend to equate wattage with horsepower because they have been steeped in the influences of automotive marketing more than just about anything else in their consumer lives. And even then they don't understand what the unit of measure is that horsepower represents. And most people would be surprised at how little of both they actually use in 99% of their every day driving and hifi habits. Watts and HP are both expressions of consumer marketing that fit into the paradigm of getting more "scratch" from the customer means convincing the consumer that more is better and, of course, getting less is aways the inferior decision. However, maybe for food it is but for hifi it certainly isn't. After speaker choice I think people should wipe their misunderstandings of watts out of their heads and simply listen to amps for the type of sound reproduction that they like best. I always look forward to your programs and I will catch you on the next. Thanks!

[chrislj]

I've recently come to the conclusion that less power with more efficient speakers makes more sense, at least as long as the sound quality is there. I recently got a new pair of Zu DW6 speakers and hooked them up to my Yamaha A-S3200 int. amp along with my 30 year old Magnepan MG-1.5/QR speakers. I made the mistake of A/B switching from the Magnepans to the Zu speakers without lowering the volume and got one hell of a blast that really scared and ticked off my wife, lol. Going from 86 dB/4ohm to 95 dB/8ohm makes a vast difference, not only in loudness but also in power and heat output from the amp. So in essence companies like Zu and Klipsch are saving us from global warming and the extinction of all life on our planet. 😉

[mostirreverent]

I bought aDenon DP-57L Turntable
just for the buttons :). I paired it with an AudioTechnica VM540ML cartridge and love it

[drmbgls]

This was one of the best videos you've done! Great info for a novice or first timer into 2 channel audio.

[rancosteel]

I would like to see you do a dedicated segment on sealed or acoustic suspension speakers.

[shipsahoy]

Yes, those comments you made early on in the video about knowing what your needs are is extremely important. There’s a lot of overspending and underspending by people that just don’t get it. Also, on a sidenote, anybody thinking about vintage speakers should make sure that whatever they purchase has been taken care of and has been in a controlled environment for the course of its lifetime. Then you can get something pretty old that works very well ..speakers that weren’t stored properly or left in the garage or a moldy basement or whatever, those are the kind of speakers that you don’t want to concern yourself with, but well cared for speakers that may just need some new crossover capacitors are perfect candidates for a used purchase, as long as they were made with quality materials to begin with, no foam, or anything that degrades within a couple decades regardless of how well you take care of them.