What am I Listening With?
That's a great question and it has many answers. Let's look at two things: our ears and the sound equipment we use.
With our eyes we are immediately aware of the stereo quality of our vision. It is what allows us to see in three dimensions. Some of us, me included, can't take this for granted. My left eye is very weak so I don't see the left side of my nose. I don't see in three dimensions. Maybe that's why I like photographs so much -- that's the way I see! I recently went to a 3-D movie at the theatre and got some sense of it, though I suspect the way that most people would see it would be dramatically different.
The same is true with our ears. Some people have less hearing in one ear than the other, but since we aren't like bats and don't rely on echo location very much we don't think much about the aural stereo image that our ears can render. I've also noticed that ear lobes on people are shaped very differently. Have you ever cupped your ears when listening to something intently? The lobes are there to direct sound into our ear canals. So there is also a lot variability in our hearing to say nothing of the different patterns we experience during hearing loss.
The other part of the equation in listening to recorded music is our equipment and its set up. I used to sell cameras at a popular camera store chain when I was an undergrad. I learned there although equipment is important the skill of the user was even more important. With sound equipment how well the equipment is set up can make very great differences in the quality of the sound reproduction. Even very small differences will dictate whether we hear an effective stereo (3-D) image or not. If the stereo image is jumbled then we don't even necessarily clearly hear what instruments are being used or how many of them there are. A good stereo image, in other words, is what allows us to hear the musician(s) who are playing the music. I think that's an important step in accessing the poetry and evocative quality within music.
I should also say something about multi-channel sound systems, home theatres. In these configurations the stereo image of the sound is being made deliberately fuzzy in some way to increase the area over which a three-dimensional sound image may be heard, so everybody watching the movie gets a similar sound experience.
So much of North America seems to be built on "more" and "bigger". I sometimes wonder whether this is the way of life we are trying to preserve. In general it seems that people are spending significant amounts of money on their big screens, but the sound system does not get the same priority.
Even if you have a small stereo in your house, setting it up correctly can help the sound quite a bit. Let me list important factors:
Positioning of Speakers: Imagine that you are creating a triangle of equal length between the right channel the left channel and your ears. Once you have done this, experiment with angling the face of the speaker cabinets toward you. Depending on the design of the speakers and the characteristics of the room you are in, this can change things dramatically. You also need to get the speakers away from the wall. I would say a minimum of one foot. I have my speakers about 1 1/2 feet away, i.e., the back of the speaker cabinet to the wall. The speakers should also be at ear height if at all possible. The most common problem I have seen is that the speakers are not far enough apart. Use a ruler and measuring tape to make sure that the speakers in the same alignment from the wall. If the material covering the speaker can be removed and put back on again when needed to protect the cones, then it may be helpful to remove the fabric when listening.
Isolation of Equipment: When I bought sturdy speaker stands with pointed awl-like feet, I could not believe how much clearer the whole bass section of recordings became. It was the best $160 investment I ever made for my system. In principle, the same holds true for any component, but the reward is the greatest for speakers. To keep my pointy feet from damaging the floor I first used quarters and then I got some stone floor tiles to place under the speaker stands.
Source Material: You may know that MP3 files are compressed. That means that a computer program pretends it knows what to put in the blank spaces of the file when it plays it. There are different sampling rates. Generally, the higher the sampling rate, the less the computer has to pretend it knows. Of the widely used methods, Apple's Lossless, is the most CD-like in its quality, but the files are still pretty large. Other formats are now coming out that actually exceed CD quality. If you are listening to acoustic instruments (as opposed to electric or electronic instruments) or to the human voice recorded naturally (as opposed to the electronic manipulation of human voices common among popular music producers), then the quality of the source is more important.
Method of Amplification: Of all the components in a sound system upgrading the quality of the amplifier will have the greatest effect on the sound at the other end. It may also reveal to you the limitations of other parts of the system, including whatever player you are using or the speakers. Inexpensive amplifiers use a form of digital amplification. As with most technology, improvements are happening all the time, but suffice it to say, that any amplifier does distort in some way. A more significant investment will mean a design and components meant to minimize the distortion and to render evenly the different frequencies and volume of the source material.
Quality of Connections: This is one of the easiest things to do to improve your sound system. With good quality connections you are trying to preserve what one component has produced so that the next can take full advantage of it. With the coming of HDMI connections have become both easier and better in quality. Even with this new technology, something that is a little over-engineered is better than something that is under-engineered. With traditional stereos you may be using what are termed RCA plugs. Quality makes a big difference with these. The speaker cable is also very important even with inexpensive speakers. If you change nothing else in an inexpensive system, try changing the speaker cable to something that is of better quality.
Quality of Equalization, Tone & Manipulation of Signal: Home theatre receivers have all kinds of circuits to manipulate the signal. They can take a two-channel stereo signal and turn it into 5.1 or even 7.1 channels of sound. They can provide those channels equalized in different ways to make you feel you are in a concert hall or a movie theatre. The quality of these circuits has a significant impact on the clarity of sound and whether the signal sounds natural any more. Rooms also have to be pretty large to properly make a 5.1 or 7.1 setup work, to say nothing of the cost of six or eight speakers rather than two. That's why I prefer a good stereo setup. I have only two speakers in a relatively small room, but they are clear, accurate and the amplification is able to provide good bass. With a good stereo image I don't really need a centre channel. I do miss hearing the sound of helicopters coming in from behind me, but I find that a small sacrifice for the much more dynamic sound I get without any tone manipulation at all.
Quality of Components: A player, an amplifier and speakers are at the heart of a sound system. Each is important. If you have never invested in a better system, I would recommend visiting a specialized retailer. The big box stores simply don't have the expertise. Specialty stores are often staffed by people who are musicians. They have trained ears. Figure out your budget and buy within it allowing for good speaker cable, stands, and component connections. Spending $1,000 to $1,500 on a good stereo, you may be surprised at how it compares to a similarly priced home theatre system, where speaker and component quality will not be the same. When buying a flat screen TV you may also have been told of the advantages of a rather expensive power bar. It was good advice, both for the protection of the equipment and for the quality of the sound and picture. If you are connecting a receiver or amplifier to this power bar, look to see if it has a "high current" circuit. This is meant for those components and it supplies large amounts of power rapidly on-demand making the amplifier "breathe" much better. If the bar has filters it will also help to render cleaner sound and picture results.
What is next? There are big changes in players coming. Computers can already be hooked up to equipment. It will be normal to access your music files either from your computer or from a computer component with a hard drive connected to your sound system. There are also many good speakers available that can be mounted in-wall or in-ceiling. This makes it possible to hide the sound equipment from sight and still enjoy the music.
As with the spiritual life, I think that simple is often better. Making good use of what we have is both sensible and not very expensive. The goal of all this technical talk is not the equipment but our connection to the musician who is pouring themselves out for us. Enjoy listening!
With our eyes we are immediately aware of the stereo quality of our vision. It is what allows us to see in three dimensions. Some of us, me included, can't take this for granted. My left eye is very weak so I don't see the left side of my nose. I don't see in three dimensions. Maybe that's why I like photographs so much -- that's the way I see! I recently went to a 3-D movie at the theatre and got some sense of it, though I suspect the way that most people would see it would be dramatically different.
The same is true with our ears. Some people have less hearing in one ear than the other, but since we aren't like bats and don't rely on echo location very much we don't think much about the aural stereo image that our ears can render. I've also noticed that ear lobes on people are shaped very differently. Have you ever cupped your ears when listening to something intently? The lobes are there to direct sound into our ear canals. So there is also a lot variability in our hearing to say nothing of the different patterns we experience during hearing loss.
The other part of the equation in listening to recorded music is our equipment and its set up. I used to sell cameras at a popular camera store chain when I was an undergrad. I learned there although equipment is important the skill of the user was even more important. With sound equipment how well the equipment is set up can make very great differences in the quality of the sound reproduction. Even very small differences will dictate whether we hear an effective stereo (3-D) image or not. If the stereo image is jumbled then we don't even necessarily clearly hear what instruments are being used or how many of them there are. A good stereo image, in other words, is what allows us to hear the musician(s) who are playing the music. I think that's an important step in accessing the poetry and evocative quality within music.
I should also say something about multi-channel sound systems, home theatres. In these configurations the stereo image of the sound is being made deliberately fuzzy in some way to increase the area over which a three-dimensional sound image may be heard, so everybody watching the movie gets a similar sound experience.So much of North America seems to be built on "more" and "bigger". I sometimes wonder whether this is the way of life we are trying to preserve. In general it seems that people are spending significant amounts of money on their big screens, but the sound system does not get the same priority.
Even if you have a small stereo in your house, setting it up correctly can help the sound quite a bit. Let me list important factors:
- Positioning of the speakers,
- Isolation of equipment,
- Source material, i.e., CD, MP3 etc.
- Method of amplification,
- Quality of connections,
- Quality of equalization, tone controls or other manipulation of signal, i.e., THX etc.
- Quality of components.
Positioning of Speakers: Imagine that you are creating a triangle of equal length between the right channel the left channel and your ears. Once you have done this, experiment with angling the face of the speaker cabinets toward you. Depending on the design of the speakers and the characteristics of the room you are in, this can change things dramatically. You also need to get the speakers away from the wall. I would say a minimum of one foot. I have my speakers about 1 1/2 feet away, i.e., the back of the speaker cabinet to the wall. The speakers should also be at ear height if at all possible. The most common problem I have seen is that the speakers are not far enough apart. Use a ruler and measuring tape to make sure that the speakers in the same alignment from the wall. If the material covering the speaker can be removed and put back on again when needed to protect the cones, then it may be helpful to remove the fabric when listening.Isolation of Equipment: When I bought sturdy speaker stands with pointed awl-like feet, I could not believe how much clearer the whole bass section of recordings became. It was the best $160 investment I ever made for my system. In principle, the same holds true for any component, but the reward is the greatest for speakers. To keep my pointy feet from damaging the floor I first used quarters and then I got some stone floor tiles to place under the speaker stands.
Source Material: You may know that MP3 files are compressed. That means that a computer program pretends it knows what to put in the blank spaces of the file when it plays it. There are different sampling rates. Generally, the higher the sampling rate, the less the computer has to pretend it knows. Of the widely used methods, Apple's Lossless, is the most CD-like in its quality, but the files are still pretty large. Other formats are now coming out that actually exceed CD quality. If you are listening to acoustic instruments (as opposed to electric or electronic instruments) or to the human voice recorded naturally (as opposed to the electronic manipulation of human voices common among popular music producers), then the quality of the source is more important.
Method of Amplification: Of all the components in a sound system upgrading the quality of the amplifier will have the greatest effect on the sound at the other end. It may also reveal to you the limitations of other parts of the system, including whatever player you are using or the speakers. Inexpensive amplifiers use a form of digital amplification. As with most technology, improvements are happening all the time, but suffice it to say, that any amplifier does distort in some way. A more significant investment will mean a design and components meant to minimize the distortion and to render evenly the different frequencies and volume of the source material.Quality of Connections: This is one of the easiest things to do to improve your sound system. With good quality connections you are trying to preserve what one component has produced so that the next can take full advantage of it. With the coming of HDMI connections have become both easier and better in quality. Even with this new technology, something that is a little over-engineered is better than something that is under-engineered. With traditional stereos you may be using what are termed RCA plugs. Quality makes a big difference with these. The speaker cable is also very important even with inexpensive speakers. If you change nothing else in an inexpensive system, try changing the speaker cable to something that is of better quality.
Quality of Equalization, Tone & Manipulation of Signal: Home theatre receivers have all kinds of circuits to manipulate the signal. They can take a two-channel stereo signal and turn it into 5.1 or even 7.1 channels of sound. They can provide those channels equalized in different ways to make you feel you are in a concert hall or a movie theatre. The quality of these circuits has a significant impact on the clarity of sound and whether the signal sounds natural any more. Rooms also have to be pretty large to properly make a 5.1 or 7.1 setup work, to say nothing of the cost of six or eight speakers rather than two. That's why I prefer a good stereo setup. I have only two speakers in a relatively small room, but they are clear, accurate and the amplification is able to provide good bass. With a good stereo image I don't really need a centre channel. I do miss hearing the sound of helicopters coming in from behind me, but I find that a small sacrifice for the much more dynamic sound I get without any tone manipulation at all.
What is next? There are big changes in players coming. Computers can already be hooked up to equipment. It will be normal to access your music files either from your computer or from a computer component with a hard drive connected to your sound system. There are also many good speakers available that can be mounted in-wall or in-ceiling. This makes it possible to hide the sound equipment from sight and still enjoy the music.
As with the spiritual life, I think that simple is often better. Making good use of what we have is both sensible and not very expensive. The goal of all this technical talk is not the equipment but our connection to the musician who is pouring themselves out for us. Enjoy listening!
