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An audiophile, from in the recording and playback of Music . OVERVIEW Audiophiles are people who seek to listen to music at a level of quality as close to the original live performance as possible. They use high-fidelity components to try and attain these goals. Most are music lovers who are passionate about high-quality music reproduction. Some hobbyists build their own equipment, especially loudspeakers, but this is less common now. Audiophile magazines include '' Hi-Fi News '', '' Hi-Fi Choice '', and '' Hi-Fi World '' in the United Kingdom and '' Stereophile '' and '' The Absolute Sound '' in the United States . Hobbyist audio societies also exist. ''Stereophile'''s website has a list of societies in the United States. {Link without Title} Audiophiles can purchase special recordings made with extra attention to sound quality; some companies specialize in re-issuing recordings for this purpose. Many audiophiles feel that Records sound better than Compact Disc s (CDs), and audiophile records are often remastered and pressed on extra-heavy virgin vinyl--180g or 200g. Audiophiles also collect recordings in the so-called high-resolution formats such as Super Audio CD or DVD-Audio . Audiophile values may be applied at all stages of music reproduction: the initial s. The hobbyist will usually have great interest in the gear used, and may travel to listen to equipment not available in his own city, and spend hours in making minor changes to his gear and comparing the results. In Asia, hi-fi ownership and upgrading is often a hobby in its own right, where the pursuit of sound fidelity seems to be almost completely disassociated from the love of music. These "audiophiles" are solely into the gear. The music is just considered incidental or a means of "testing" equipment. The Chinese refer to this hobby as 發燒 or "fever outbreak." On the other hand, many audiophiles have a true passion for music, and frequently attend live concerts. Audiophiles are more likely to listen to acoustic music, like jazz, classical or vocalists, where it is possible to compare the sound quality of the reproduction to the known sound quality of the original, than to electronic music such as Rock Music . AUDIO SYSTEM COMPONENTS An audio system typically consists of a number of components. These include one or more source components, one or more amplification components, and (for Stereo ), two or more Loudspeaker s. In addition, specialty cables or wires are used to link these components. There may also be a variety of accessories. These include equalizers, including digital equalizers, specialized equipment racks, speaker stands, Power Conditioner s, devices to reduce or control vibration, and peripheral devices such as record cleaners, anti-static devices, phonograph needle cleaners, and many others. The interaction between the loudspeakers and the room plays an important part in sound quality. Sound vibrations are reflected from walls, floor and ceiling, and are affected by the contents of the room. Room dimensions can create Standing Wave s. As a result, audiophiles sometimes design their listening rooms specifically for optimum audio reproduction. There are devices for room treatment that impact the sound quality. Soft materials, such as draperies and carpets, reflect high-frequency sound less than hard walls and floors. While mass-market electronics is almost always solid state, some audiophiles appreciate the sound of tubed gear and buy audiophile components that use a mix of tubes and solid-state electronics. In addition to its sound quality, much high-end gear is designed for aesthetic appeal as well. Many devices, however, although striking in appearance, do not have universal appeal. They are often large or must occupy specific locations in the listening room, which may be the living room. This leads to the issue humorously known among audiophiles as the spouse-acceptance factor. As with many hobbies, audiophiles use a certain amount of Jargon . This includes a variety of language describing the sound of a system. Examples include ''bright'' (excessive energy in the upper frequencies), ''dark'' (excessive midbass), or ''lean'' (insufficient midbass). Sound sources Audiophiles usually play music from Compact Disc s (CDs), Records , and Frequency-modulation Radio (FM). Since the early 1990s , CDs have become the most common source of high-quality music, obliterating the Mass Market for records. But because of Hobby ist record Collecting , the extensive back-catalogue of music on records not available on CDs, and the perceived better sound quality of records among some audiophiles, records remain popular among a minority of listeners. Debate is sharp in this area, with Analog proponents arguing that analog sound is warmer--has a bit of distortion which they find pleasant--and does not suffer from digital sound's alleged loss of information in the sampling process, while digital proponents decry analog formats as having a smaller dynamic range, greater deviations in frequency response, and greater Distortion , which lessens sound quality. Nevertheless, Turntable s, tonearms, and Magnetic Cartridge s are among the most exotic and lavish high-end audio products despite the difficulties of keeping records free from dust and the delicate set-up associated with turntables. The 44.1 kHz Sampling Rate of the CD format, in theory, restricts CD information losses to above the theoretical upper-frequency limit of Human Hearing --20 kHz, see Nyquist Limit . Some believe, however, that the brick-wall filter used by CD players to remove ultrasonic noise can create audible distortion. Newer formats such as DVD-Audio and Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD), with sampling rates of 96 kHz or higher, have been developed in an attempt to address this criticism. Despite the popularity of MP3 Digital-audio Players , some audiophiles criticize these devices because of their reliance on Lossy-data Compression . In MP3 encoding, musical information is lost in proportion to the degree of compression. Audiophiles who use a digital-audio player will often encode their music at higher bit rates to maintain sound quality at acceptable levels for casual listening. Many digital-audio players, however, can also accept uncompressed formats such as WAV ( PCM ), foregoing compression in order to retain quality. Some players, including iPods, also allow Lossless-data-compression algorithms, which can compress audio files without degrading their sound quality. Popular lossless formats include FLAC , WavPack , Monkey's Audio (APE), Apple Lossless , True Audio , Windows Media Audio 9 Lossless , and Shorten . Although many Digital-audio devices have integrated converters, there is a healthy demand for after-market Digital-to-analog Converter s. Amplifiers II, an early monoblock valve (vacuum tube) amplifier.]] Many audiophile systems separate the functions of the Preamplifier from that of the power amplifier. A preamplifier selects among several audio inputs, amplifies source-level signals (such as those from a turntable), and allows the listener to adjust the sound with volume and tone controls, switchable filters, etc. A power amplifier takes the "line-level" audio signal from the preamplifier and drives the Loudspeaker s; typically the only control on a power amplifier is a gain (level) control (or none at all). Some audiophiles use two monophonic power amplifiers in a 'monoblock' configuration rather than one stereophonic power amplifier. Some use no preamplifier, instead connecting a CD player with a variable output directly to a power amplifier. Some go even further and use multiple amplifiers per loudspeaker to drive the Woofer , Midrange , Tweeter , etc. The terms ''bi-amped'' and ''tri-amped'' are sometimes used to describe these systems. There are, however, those who advocate using integrated amplifiers that combine a preamplifier and power amplifier in one box, arguing the benefits of minimalism. Audiophile amplifiers are available based on solid-state ( Semiconductor ) technology, Vacuum-tube (valve) technology, or hybrid technology—semiconductors and vacuum tubes. Very low power Single-ended Triode tube amplifiers are often claimed to provide superb sound when paired with appropriately sensitive loudspeakers. On the other hand, there are others who use solid-state amplifiers rated at over 1,000 Watts RMS per channel. Some subjectivists believe that Tube Amplifiers , despite their much higher distortion, produce a more faithful and detailed reproduction in comparison to solid-state amplifiers. Objectivists respond that this is largely a matter of opinion and personal taste, not proper reproduction of sound. Tube amplifiers, however, are heavily used in music ''production'', primarily in guitar amplifiers because of their soft Clipping when overdriven, compared to solid-state circuitry. Loudspeakers Audiophile Loudspeaker s use a wide variety of technologies and range greatly in size and cost. Starting at prices well under $500 budget audiophile loudspeakers are often the beneficiaries of more advanced technologies developed for higher priced flagship designs. Exotic loudspeaker designs and flagship models are some of the most extreme audiophile components and it is possible to spend more than $100,000 USD on a pair of high-end loudspeakers. In contrast to the more exotic audiophile speakers, monitor speakers used by professional audio engineers are seldom priced at more than $5,000 per-pair. The cabinet the Loudspeaker is made from is referred to as the Enclosure . There is a wide variety of loudspeaker enclosure designs, including sealed, ported, transmission line, infinite baffle, horn loaded, and aperiodic. The drivers are the actual sound-producing elements, commonly referred to as Tweeter s, Midrange s, Woofer s, and Subwoofer s. Driver designs include dynamic, electrostatic, magneplanar, ribbon, planar, ionic, and servo-actuated. Drivers are made from various materials, including paper pulp, polypropaline, kevlar, aluminum, magnesium, berillium, and vapor-deposited diamond. The direction and intensity of the output of a loudspeaker, called dispersion or polar response, has a large effect on its sound. Various methods are employed to control the dispersion. These methods include monopolar, bipolar, dipolar, 360 degree, horn, waveguide, and line source. These terms refer to the configuration and arrangement of the various drivers in the enclosure. The positioning of loudspeakers in the room and of the optimum listening position (referred to as the "sweet spot") is of great importance in producing optimum sound. Loudspeaker output is influenced by interaction with room boundaries, particularly bass response, and high frequency transducers are directional, or "beaming." In addition, audiophiles care a great deal about accurate stereo representation of sound. A typical placement is for the loudspeakers and the listening position to form roughly an equilateral triangle, with the loudspeakers a few feet from the back wall. Accessories Audiophiles use a wide variety of accessories and fine-tuning techniques, known as "tweaks", to improve the sound of their systems. These tweaks include: filters to clean the electricity, equipment racks to isolate components from room vibrations, power cables, interconnect cables (e.g. between preamplifier and power amplifier), high quality speaker cables and stands (and footers to isolate the speakers from the stands), as well as room treatments, to name but a few. Among the most controversial of these tweaks are expensive, high-end shielded audio cables used for electrical power, line-level, loudspeaker, and digital-signal connections. Room treatments typically consist of sound-absorbing materials placed strategically within a listening room to reduce the amplitude of early reflections. Room treatments can be expensive and difficult to optimize, but are considered by many to be the least tweaky of the many available tweaks because their effectiveness is easily measured and grounded in verifiable science. Some tweaks do work, and much of the fun of the hobby is to squeeze more performance out of an already excellent-sounding component. Headphones TESTING Many people involved in the development or use of audio gear have an engineering background and attempt to bring a scientific perspective to evaluating audio gear. They are concerned with measurements using test equipment and would ideally like to see Double-blind Testing used to compare competing products. On the other hand, some audiophiles believe that not all of the characteristics that produce excellence in sound reproduction are measured by the current tests. Audio reviewers in this camp also claim that double-blind testing does not provide the kind of relaxed extended-listening environment needed to evaluate an audio component; they typically listen to a component for several months before giving an opinion. The engineers have sometimes referred to such reviewers as ''golden ears'' or ''subjectivists.'' Objectivists, however, are often harshly dismissed by subjectivists as meter men—people who simply refuse to recognize what the subjectivists consider obvious. The debate is rather heated in certain quarters, and even the well-known skeptic James Randi chimed in on the issue. The audio world is aroused , James Randi Educational Foundation Difficulty of testing It is difficult, but very important, to match Sound Level s before comparing systems, as minute increases in loudness—more than 0.15 DB "Our Last Hip Boots Column," Peter Aczel, ''The Audio Critic,'' issue number 29, Summer/Fall 2003, page 5 (PDF page 6), accessed 2007-07-05. or 0.1 dB "The Amp/Speaker Interface: Are Your Loudspeakers Turning Your Amplifier into a Tone Control?" E. Brad Meyer, ''Stereo Review,'' June 1991, page 54, accessed 2007-07-05.—have been demonstrated to cause perceived improvements in sound quality. Similarly, results of component evaluation between various listeners or even the same listener under different circumstances cannot be easily replicated or standardized. Similarly, the acoustic behavior of the listening room—the interaction between loudspeakers and the Room's Acoustics —and the interaction between an electromechanical device (loudspeaker) and an electronic device (amplifier) are subjected to many more variables than between electronic components. Thus the "difference" in sound quality between amplifiers is actually the ability of an amplifier to interface well with loudspeakers or a lucky combination of loudspeaker, amplifier, and room that works well together The Amp/Speaker interface , Brad Meyer, Sound & Vision Magazine, Accessed 2007-05-11. The introduction of switching apparatus, with either metal connection (mechanical switches) or electronic processing (solid-state switches), may, some believe, obscure the differences between the two signal sources being tested. Nonetheless, this is often a point of heated discussion within the audiophile community, and examples are given in the sections below. The two opposing factions are called Objectivists , who are skeptical of the benefits achieved with exotic or fanciful equipment set-ups and ''' Subjectivists ''', who believe that hearing is believing and that the slightest changes can make gear sound different—even the same power amplifier or preamplifier when compared to itself. "Basic Issues of Equipment Reviewing and Critical Listening: Our Present Stance," Peter Aczel, ''The Audio Critic,'' issue number 16, page 31 (PDF page 25), accessed 2007-05-18. Objectivist Objectivists believe that audio components, accessories, and treatments must pass rigorously-conducted double-blind tests and meet specified performance requirements to meet the claims made by their adherents. Some audiophile-equipment designers and consumers are obsessed over seemingly irrelevant details. Many components, for instance, are able to reproduce frequencies higher than the limit of human hearing—20 KHz . 3 Some sources, such as FM radio, will not reproduce frequencies higher than 15 or 16 kHz. Several criticisms have been made against the subjectivist testers:
English audio equipment designer Peter Baxandall , who may be considered an objectivist, has written, "I ... confidently maintain that all first-class, competently designed amplifiers, tested under completely fair and carefully-controlled conditions, including the avoidance of overloading, sound absolutely indistinguishable on normal programme material no matter how refined the listening tests, or the listeners, may be; and that when an inferior amplifier is compared with a very good one and a subjective quality difference is genuinely and reliably established, it is always possible, by straightforward scientific investigation, to find a rational explanation for this difference." Baxandall also proposed a "cancellation test", which he claimed would prove his point.Baxandall, Peter J. ''Audible amplifier distortion is not a mystery''. Wireless World, November 1977, pp. 63. Subjectivists |
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