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People tend to think that high-end audio is expensive and meant only for audio geeks. But the main objective of high-end audio is to achieve good sound on a tight budget. Although there is a slight element of snob appeal in high-end audio, people want to hear the music that is natural and takes them closer to the actual performance.

Compact system: Yes or No?

The problem with mini-systems and compact systems is that they tend to focus on quantity not quality. They are loaded with a bunch of features that in reality make it sound worse. Mostly, these are mass-manufactured products that are not rugged.

If the three components of a system -- source, amplifier and speaker -- are separately assembled, it sounds much better than an all-in-one system bought at the same price. With separate components, you pay extra, but it lasts longer and has a higher resale value. Also, upgrading is easier on such systems.

For these reasons, the first step towards good sound is separate components.

What's a source?

The source can be a CD player, turntable (record player), or tape decks. Most truly high-end systems are entirely analog-based with a turntable as the only source. Unfortunately, there are not many LP records in the music stores. Tape decks and tuners are not considered hi-fidelity sources. So the source usually is a CD player.

Please note that these sources have no amplification of their own, meaning you can't just buy a CD player and a pair of speakers and hook the two up. The output from the source is a very weak signal that needs amplification from an external amplifier.

More powerful need not be better

That bring us to the amplifier or the receiver. A receiver is an amplifier with a built-in radio or tuner. The best way to buy an amplifier is not by power ratings, but by price and quality. The power rating measured in watts is a very misleading figure. For one thing, the difference in terms of loudness between a 200 W amplifier and a 20 W amplifier is that the 200 W amplifier is only twice as loud.

Furthermore, the main problem with amplifiers is clipping or distortion. When an amplifier starts to distort, it sends out square waves that are especially damaging to the speakers. This means that so long as a speaker is receiving clean, undistorted sound, regardless of the loudness, it will perform perfectly.

A cheap 100 watts Pioneer receiver is probably not capable of more than 25 watts before it starts to clip and damage speakers. On the other hand a more expensive 50 watts NAD amplifier is capable of putting out 50 watts of clean power. Unless you can remember all that, the best way to select is by the quality.

Judging the speakers

Speakers are not judged by how many watts they are capable of handling nor by how wide the frequency range they cover. They are measured by how accurately they cover the frequency range they are designed for. The superior sound quality and the enhanced durability are the major advantages of high-end systems.

My first advice would be keep away from mass-market names such as Bose, JBL, JVC, Sony, Kenwood, Aiwa, Technics and a horde of others.

For example, lets take Bose. Audiophiles love to hate Bose! So what's the reason? Bose is a corporate that has a swashbuckling marketing force, and if you go by numbers, it is one of the largest selling brands. Critics say the sound of Bose AM series is calculated to reinforce quick sales. They supposedly have mid- and upper-bass bloat that impresses on first listen. Also, the middle highs are excessively "hot" and really attract your attention.

So, when you compare them to the common deck out there, they sound impressive, and sell well. And Bose's latest lifestyle series is supposedly the most OOMPOC (overhyped, over-aggressively marketed piece of crap) the audio world's ever seen. If you happen to get a chance to try their "lifestyle", you'll find that they have totally directional bass, a muddy mid-range and the list goes on. Now-a-days, Bose products are seen more as self-esteem enhancement devices rather than quality sound systems. Okay, let me stop my carping here.

The bottomline is, if you are serious about the sound, you can get much better and superior sound quality for a much lesser price.

Mixing & Matching

So maybe you can't boast about a system that has say, a pair of B&W speakers, NAD amplifier and a Marantz CD player because there are not many people who espouse high-end audio. But take my word, compared to those mass-market systems with similar price tags, the latter is a killer. The sound from the latter is definitely enthralling and overpowering.

The mass-market companies specialise in producing cheap, low quality components for the common consumer who's ignorant. This is probably the most important maxim in audio. These household names concentrate on features and marketing, not on sound quality. They just score points in the aesthetics category but fall short of performance.

But there is big list of real superstars which you might have never heard of, like NAD, NHT, Nakamichi, B&W, Paradigm, Dana Audio, Mirage, Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha and Harmon-Kardon. There are about 619 such manufacturers, each being sound specialists, and when it comes to high-end systems, audio is their middle name. Of these, more than 100 are very active in the consumer market. So if you permute the possible combinations you can work with, the numbers are just mind-boggling. And since there are so many players out there, the pricing is very competitive and the buyer stands to gain from this.

If you are still not very comfortable in selecting the components, here is a list of manufactures you may want to look at:

Lower end (Rs 40,000 - Rs 3,00,000): NAD, Nakamichi, Yamaha, Infiniti, Harmon-Kardon, Definitive Technology, Philips, Denim, Onkyo, Marantz.
Higher end (Rs 2,00,000 - Rs 5,00,000): Panasound, Meridian, Braun & Olafsen, Carver, SyncAudio.

Steps to begin your search

• Call up as many dealers as possible and ask them about their product-range, prices, and other services. The yellow pages should be of help.
  
• Talk to friends who have installed music systems in the past and ask them from where they made their purchase.
  
• Zero down to around two reputed audio speciality stores which have a wide selection of equipment.
  
• Don't go to the store with a predetermined notion in mind. This might influence your selection and often you may end up with fewer choices to work with.
  
• Try and ensure that the store has a knowledgeable floor salesman.
  
• If the salesperson strikes you as honest then ask him/her to recommend a system combination for your needs and budget.
  
• Stick to your budget. I have seen most people end up shelling more money than they thought of spending. And if the sales guy has sharp business acumen, your chances of overspending are high.
  
• I always suggest that you take a friend or someone along, who probably knows about the systems.
  

Now that you have taken a look at the entire product-range, start listening. Audiophiles call this 'auditioning' and it's of prime importance. Here are half-a-dozen points to help you.

1. Don't be afraid to audition any system, even if its components are unfamiliar. Try substituting one component for another in the system you are listening to and see if it's different in anyway.
2. Take your favourite CD along to play. It could be that Carlos Santana's "Supernatural" album or one of the Rehman numbers from Rangeela. You will be in a better position to discern how each piece sounds (or used to sound) and can easily tell if it is sounding better or worse.
3. Don't enter into any conversation with the salesperson while you are auditioning.
4. Some stores may have special acoustically made rooms for this purpose. These rooms provide the systems with near-ideal conditions and so even a mediocre system may sound sophisticated. So make sure you audition in any ordinary place comparable to your living room.
5. How does the music sound? How low do the bass notes go? Are they exaggerated or too soft? How does the treble sound? Is it energetic or shrill and irritating? Is the mid-range smooth or jarring?
6. Close your eyes and imagine that the music is being played across a stage. Can you hear the guitarist as naturally as the drummer? Can you feel the depth and shape of the stage? Do the performers sound as different and individual entities or do they blend together?

At the end of every test, note down what happened. And then come up with a cumulative grade for the system.

There is no limit to the number of points you would like to analyse. Audiophiles test for tone color, imaging, sound dynamics and so on and so forth. For many, finding their preferences amidst the battery of sensory information is a task in itself. So, it's you who has to decide on the intensity of the test and when to call it quits.

When you begin to audition systems, you may find that you have an immediate and definite sense of what you do and don't like in a stereo system. Although there is no hard and fast rule, auditioning for a system can take 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your hearing senses and how fast you make out the subtle differences.
At all times, trust your judgement. Don't imagine something sounds good because someone said so. This is because different people have different flavors.

Now get down to buying it

Once you have conducted simple experiments of this kind, stop. Buy the system. This advice may sound too obvious, but you may find yourself the victim of fear that there is something even better out there somewhere, and that you are missing it by buying now.

This fear is abetted by the hype produced by many audio publications, dealers, and audiophiles. In the audio world as technology is growing, things do tend to get cheaper and better with time. But it is unlikely that some new product will cause you to be dissatisfied with your old system.

To the system cost, you have to add the cost of all the cables, speaker stands, equipment stands, taxes, etc. This usually comes up to 20 per cent or more of the system cost, depending on the type of system.

Remember, interconnects and stands are very crucial to the performance of the system. Good cables definitely improve the acoustics and good stands are needed for providing sufficient isolation.
Superior electrical insulation and reduced heating can be achieved by carefully selecting these accessories.

If there are changes to the system that you can try with minimal effort, such as swapping out one component for another available at the same store, then you might as well try them. At worst, they will confirm that your system was best the way it was, and at best they will make a good system even better.

Time to hook it up

Setting up the system in the right position greatly enhances its performance. Here are some basic rules you can follow to get the best acoustics:

• Make sure when you clap, you do not hear an echo in the room, otherwise you have what it is called a live room and any high-end system will sound bad in there. Furniture and curtains typical sound absorbers.
• Optimally, you should have thick carpeting. If not, try covering the floor with an area rug.
• Place the speakers a few feet away from the rear and side walls. The distance from the walls acutely affects the bass performance. So try different positions until you feel comfortable with the bass.
• Ideally, the two speakers and you should form an isosceles triangle. So try to place your sofa or couch accordingly.
• Never place anything between the speakers. The fact is the sound stage and imaging of the system is greatly reduced if you place your television, equipment stand, powered subwoofer or entertainment center between the speakers. So those already doing this may want to reposition their speakers.
• Place the source and amplifier on the equipment stand. Do not stack these components as this will cause heating.
• Go for sturdy metal stands with hollow support tubes. Don't kill yourself going for wooden stands.
• Positioning the equipment stand is a compromise. The best thing would be to place it in one of the room corners that would keep the speaker cables as short as possible.
• If money is not a problem, you can add other accessories like power conditioners and filters to improvise on the system.

• Buying speakers

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