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From: wwb@ihuxn.UUCP (Walt Barnes)
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: How to evaluate speakers
Message-ID: <967@ihuxn.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Feb-85 17:08:22 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxn.967
Posted: Wed Feb 20 17:08:22 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 22-Feb-85 09:18:26 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 22

I have been fascinated to see all the discussion about what speakers
to buy, but some very important related topics have been overlooked.

How to evaluate HiFi:  When you listen, don't try to listen to the
components, hear the music.  Evaluate the music as you would a live
performance, Is it pleasing to listen to? Is it obvious why the
composer did a certain thing? Is the intent of the performers clear?
I find answering these questions much more useful than discussing
imaging, etc.  The better the system, the more you will be able to
listen to the music and ignore the components.

By the way, when you listen to a system, did you know that having
another set of speakers (just setting there not playing anything)
in the room makes it impossible to evaluate anything.  The passive
speakers  vibrate in response to the sound being produced and
pollute the sound being produced, no matter how good the system
being evaluated is.  Needless to say, those walls of speakers found
at some stereo stores are a disaster.  (At really good stores, they
will have only one pair of speakers in the listening room at a time.)

					Walt Barnes
					...!ihuxn!wwb