RULES DESCRIBING HOW TO COMPROMISE
A stereo system deals with analogue signal from source to speakers. (As we said C.D player translates digital data to analogue before feeding amplification).
It's a one way analogue system- which means data go from
source to speakers with no interfering with the QUALITY of the signal.
We say that a stereo system only amplifies the signals. A stereo system
is a passive system, if
something goes wrong with the quality of signal in the
pre amplifier, there
is nothing in the system that can find what goes wrong
and correct it.
This means that -
1. Data that was lost in source or amplifier, will never reach the speakers.
2. Data that was destroyed in source or amplification,
will always reach
the speakers as destroyed data.
So we have to assure that each part of our system will be as good as possible.
The two examples above describe in a general way analogue one way system - The quality of a one way analogue system is always a little bit lower then the quality of the most inferior part.
The problem is that most of us cannot afford such a stereo system (in which each part is best quality) because of the very high prices of HIGH END parts.
So we must compromise - and here are the rules:
1. THE SOURCE - is the most
important because we must get the whole data
from the basic format (record, c.d or radio
waves). If someone thinks that
each c.d player gets all information from
c.d, and gets it right, he or she is
mistaken!!
To most of us main source today is the CD
player. Those who like to
listen to Vinyl, the turntable is as important
as the CD player both as main
sources.
People who like to listen to both - vinyl
and CD's, must know that a good
quality turntable is cheaper then an equal
quality CD player.
Buying a new CD player and a turntable, a
good quality turntable with
750$ tag price, sounds better then a CD
player costing 1,500$ or less.
(As I always say -
don't trust anyone but your ears - try to hear the
differences
in qualities by yourself).
Nowadays it's easy to buy a used good quality turntable in a very low price.
2. THE AMPLIFIER - this unit
takes a very low "fragile" signal and
amplifies it thousands times. It's a very
difficult and complicated work -
not all amplifiers can do it right.
3. THE SPEAKERS - The signals
speakers deliver to us - can't be better
quality then the signals they were feed
with.
It's important to know that speakers with
better quality then the system,
make listening unpleasant because they emphasize
the weaknesses of the
system.
The order of importance is described in two rules with different words but the same meaning:
1 - Hierarchy of a stereo system
- this describes the importance of parts from
source, the most critical part, to
speakers, the least critical. It also
describes the importance of subparts
- for example amplification - the pre
is more critical then power, a turntable
is more critical then the cartridge.
2. The rule of the preceding part
- Each part we'll point at in a stereo system,
can't give better quality than the the quality
of the preceding part.