You are choosing audio systems. The first thing that you have to do when selecting a more extensive stereo system is to ask yourself what exactly do you want to achieve. Are you planning to move from one room to your present home to a more important place? Or are you planning to relocate and will have a larger listening room at your new residence.
Choosing audio systems
Do you want to have more power from your system? Or maybe you think that you want your course to have a better look? Then you will have greater enjoyment when you sit and listen to your music. Perhaps you are planning to add a DVD or a Blu-ray player to your system. And there are a few ways in which you can. And at the same time still, retain the HI-end quality of audio playback.
A more extensive system will give you more headroom, and this is essential for movie playback. But you must understand a CD ply back is not recorded and formatted the same way as a Blu-ray disc. And the sound will never be the same. First, you must decide what you want to do and why do you want it. Then go to the next step.
Cabling – Choosing audio systems
After you have determined why you want to upgrade, your next step is to check all your cabling is sufficient. If you have chosen wisely in your first system, then you will already have a suitable quality power cord. Also a good quality pair of interconnect cables and last but not least a good quality pair of loudspeakers cables.
You do not have to think about changing or upgrading cables as it is not necessary. The cables you have are sufficient to supply most of the amplifiers, CD players, Blu-ray players, turntables and loudspeakers. Choosing audio systems
Weakest link
When you are considering to move up to a more extensive system, you have to remember that everything has to work together. Each component is like a link in a chain. Your system will only be as good as the weakest link.
Many people do not understand and think if you buy a bigger, better amplifier, then everything will sound better, but this is not the case. When we are talking about an audio system, we introduce synergy.
Sometimes we can bend the rules just a little bit. And if we had chosen our components wisely when we built our first system, then we can upgrade our system sound for less than we think.
Volume
The amplifier we are using for our stereo playback is the first item to look at and is a simple operation to find an amp that will give you more power. We must look at how much control do you need.
The power output of an amplifier is rated differently between a Valve amplifier and a solid-state amplifier which confuses. If a person does not understand precisely how much power is vital, this can become a real problem.
Do you want to retain the type of amplifier you already have to say a Valve amplifier or do you want to change it over to a solid-state amplifier? Or maybe a hybrid amplifier? Do you want to leave the world of stereo and enter into the world of surround sound? They have different qualities, and you could be excited about one quality but could be disappointed with another as the formats are other?
Upgrade – Choosing audio systems
The first thing to decide upon is how much do you want to spend to get more power into your system. At this point, I need to remind you that you will pay more money but only get a small difference in the level of sound output that you hear. And, is due to how the sound is measured.
The change of an amplifier does much more than give you a power increase. It also provides more dynamics, transparency, better separation, bigger sound stage and a better tonal range. By changing a valve amplifier from say 10 watts to 18 watts, will give to a considerable difference in the sound heard. But by changing a solid-state amplifier from 10 watts to 25 watts then you will only hear a small increase.
Finish
If you have chosen your speakers correctly, it should not be necessary to change the speakers under normal circumstance. An amplifier giving another say 20 watts of power will not make much of a difference to the speakers you have. It is when you are doing a massive upgrade with your amplifier that you will need to upgrade your speakers.
If you want to upgrade your speakers because you want a different style or want a bit more bass or a larger room to fill, then a more giant cabinet is required. Usually, with a bigger enclosure, you will have a more significant driver giving you a much better response which is a perfect upgrade to have.
Thoughts
If you have decided that you want to change from a stereo amplifier to surround sound amplifier, you must understand. A surround amplifier has a much higher power output and operates differently. You are always able to select the stereo function on the amp and use it as a conventional stereo amplifier. But you must remember that it will have a different sound character than a stereo amplifier.
Movie playback and Digital playback are a different format and are of a very different quality. When you are changing over to a surround sound amplifier, you will need two or even three additional loudspeakers and also, additional cabling to suit the system.
Cost
If you have decided just to upgrade your amplifier and not change you should expect to pay 1200 to 1700 USD for the amp that will give a good improvement. If you are looking to upgrade your source machine, then you should expect to pay 1500 to 2000 USD for a tool that will give you a good increase in performance.
Finally, the speakers you should expect to pay 1500 to 2000 USD for an increase in performance. Unfortunately, the difference you hear is only about 15%. If you have decided to upgrade by switching over to a surround sound system then you will,l pay 1500 to 1800 USD for the amplifier, 1200 to 1500 for a Blu-ray player and 2500 USD for the loudspeakers.
Performance
Now you have a choice, and for the same money, you can get either a stereo system or a surround sound system. What about the performance is one better than the other and why? An excellent question, and it comes, down to your personal preference.
The sound from a conventional high-quality stereo system is warm, rich and ope,n with ample space and air and has a genuinely realistic and lifelike sound. The sound from a high-quality surround sound system is speedy and responsive with great detail and bass definition but tends to feel a bit on the cold side and lacks the warmth of the stereo system.
Many people have two systems, one for stereo and one for movie playback. But it is a personal choice and can be confusing as which way to go. Each method has good points to offer, and this, of, course, will lead to the next level in audio that is known as Hi-End. Choosing a more extensive stereo system is a bit more complicated than it first sounds!
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