High-Fidelity Audio -- A Complete Guide
Introduction
1 What is High-End Audio
2 Getting Started—Defining Your System
3 How to Choose an Audio System:
- Defining Your Needs
- Setting Your Budget
- The Complete vs. the Incremental Purchase
- Value vs. Luxury Components
- Allocating Your Budget to Specific Components
- Upgrading a Single Component
- How to Read Magazine Reviews
- System Matching
- Do’s and Don’ts of Selecting Components
- Your Relationship with the Retailer
- Used Equipment
- Product Upgrades
4 How to Become a Better Listener:
- Listening vs. Measurement
- Introduction to Critical Listening
- Audiophile Values
- Pitfalls of Becoming a Critical Listener
- Sonic Descriptions and their Meanings
- Tonal Balance
- Overall Perspective
- The Treble
- The Midrange
- The Bass
- Soundstaging
- Dynamics
- Detail
- Musicality
5 Digital Source Components:
- Compact Disc
- High-End CD Playback: Dedicated CD Players and Separate Transports
and Processors
- High-Definition Compatible Digital (HDCD)
- Digital Connections
- High-Resolution Digital Audio: SACD and DVD-Audio
- SACD
- DVD-Audio
- DualDisc
- Universal Disc Players
- Multichannel Output on High-Resolution Players
- Bass Management in SACD and DVD-A Players
- The Future of High-Resolution Digital Audio
- Music Servers
- Computer-Based Digital Audio and File Formats
- How to Choose a Digital Source
- What to Listen For
6 Turntables, Tonearms, and Cartridges:
- The Turntable
- The Base and Plinth
- Sprung and Unsprung Turntables
- The Platter and Bearing Assembly
- Platter Mats and Record Clamps
- The Drive System
- The Tonearm
- The Phono Cartridge
- Moving-Magnet and Moving-Coil Cartridges
- The S and Cantilever
- How to Choose an LP Playback System
- What to Listen For
7 Preamplifiers:
- Types of Preamplifiers
- How to Choose a Preamplifier
- Tubes vs. Transistors
- Balanced and unbalanced connections
- Audio/Video Controllers
- Multichannel Preamplifiers
- Phono Preamplifiers
- RIAA Equalization
- Phono-Stage Gain
- Cartridge Loading
- What to Listen For
8 Power and Integrated Amplifiers:
- A Survey of Amplifier Types
- Mono-block, Stereo, Three-Channel and Multichannel
- Amplifiers
- Integrated Amplifiers
- Tubed Power Amplifiers
- Single-Ended Triode Amplifier
- Single-Ended Solid-State Amplifier
- Class-D (“Switching”) Amplifiers
- How to Choose a Power Amplifier
- Output-Power Spec Read the Fine Print
- Why Two “100W” Amplifiers Can Have Different Output Powers
- Other Power-Amplifier Considerations
- Balanced Inputs
- Bridging
- What to Listen For
9 Loudspeakers:
- How to Choose a Loudspeaker
- Other Guidelines in Choosing Loudspeakers
- Finding the Right Loudspeaker—Before You Buy
- What to Listen For
- Loudspeakers for Home Theater
- Loudspeaker Types and How They Work
- The Dynamic Driver
- The Planar-Magnetic Transducer
- The Electrostatic Driver
- The Dipolar Radiation Patterns of Ribbons and Electrostatics
- Horn Loudspeakers
- Loudspeaker Enclosures
- Enclosure Shapes
- Air-Suspension and Bass-Reflex Enclosures
- Passive Radiators
- Powered and Servo-Driven Woofers
- Crossovers
- Digital Loudspeakers
- Subwoofers
10 Audio for Home Theater and Multichannel
Music:
- Overview—Surround Sound
- Should You Choose a 5.1-Channel or a 7.1-Channel System
- Overview—Audio/Video Receivers, Controllers, and Amplifiers
- Overview—Home-Theater Loudspeakers
- A/V Receivers
- How to Choose a Receiver
- Inputs, Outputs, and Source Switching
- Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and Surround-Decoding Formats
- 6-ChannelAnalog Input
- Analog-Bypass Mode
- Automatic Calibration
- 7.1-Channel Playback from 5.1-Channel Sources
- Multi-Room and Multi-Zone
- Power Output in AVRs
- Satellite Radio: XM and Sirius
- FM Tuner Performance
- THX Cert of AVRs and Controllers
- Multichannel Power Amplifiers
- How to Choose a Home-Theater Power Amplifier
- Loudspeakers for Home Theater
- The Center-Channel Speaker
- Adding a Center Speaker to Your System
- Left and Right Speakers
- Surround Speakers
- Dipolar and Bipolar Surround Speakers
- Surround-Back Speakers for 7.1-Channel Sources
- Subwoofers
- Setting up a Home Theater
- Basic Setup
- Acoustical Treatment
- Speaker Placement
- Surround-Speaker Placement
- Surround-Back Speaker Placement for 7.1-Channel Sources
- Center-Speaker Placement
- Left and Right Speaker Placement
- Subwoofer Placement and Connection
- Calibrating a Home Theater
- Bass Management
- Setting Individual Channel Levels
- Adding Home Theater Without Compromising Music Performance
- Addendum: Surround-Sound Formats
11 Cables, Racks, and AC Conditioners
- How to Choose Cables and Interconnects
- How Much Should You Spend on Cables and Interconnects?
- What to Listen For
- Binding Posts and Cable Terminations
- Bi-Wired Loudspeaker Cables
- Interconnects: Balanced and Unbalanced
- Cable and Interconnect Construction
- Equipment Racks
- AC Power Conditioners
12 How to Get the Best Sound From Your System
- Room Layout
- Loudspeaker Placement
- Dipolar and Bipolar Loudspeaker Placement
- Subwoofer Placement and Setup
- Multi channel Loudspeaker Placement
- Loudspeaker Placement Summary
- Optimizing Your Listening Room
- Common Room Problems and How to Treat Them
- Acoustical Do’s and Don’ts
- Digital Room Correction
- Accessories and Cable Dressing
Glossary |
