How to choose imported audio equipment

When home theater was all the rage some time ago, many people were very worried about the future of pure audio. However, traditional two-channel Hi-Fi audio did not die in the heat of home theater. Recently, it has shown signs of warming up. The hot sales of genuine CDs that cost more than 100 yuan are a good example. Domestic and foreign hardware manufacturers have also launched many Hi-Fi equipment for enthusiasts to choose from. At the "Fifth Domestic Audio and Video Equipment Exhibition" held in Shanghai not long ago, most manufacturers and visitors paid more attention to Hi-Fi equipment, while home theater did not seem to be as lively as before.

How to explain this phenomenon? Mr. Liu Hansheng, a famous person in the audio industry of Taiwan, pointed out that a large proportion of today's AV users must become audio users. No one can watch movies every day without getting bored, but many people can listen to music every day without getting tired of it. Music brings people relaxation, relieves stress, and can be enjoyed while doing things, and these characteristics are basic human needs. As long as people get tired of watching AV, they will naturally turn to music, which is a business opportunity.

There are many types of Hi-Fi equipment on the market, and the prices vary greatly. Faced with so many Hi-Fi equipment, especially imported products, how can we get the best effect at a relatively low price? Is there a combination worth pondering? I believe this is a question that many people are concerned about. The author believes that the following aspects of the combination audio system are worth paying attention to:

First, buy genuine equipment at a reasonable price;

The second is the reasonable combination of equipment;

The third is the reasonable adjustment of the system.

Buy genuine equipment at a reasonable price

I remember that Mr. Shi Youlin talked about this issue when he talked about the selection of professional audio equipment. In fact, this also applies to home audio equipment. Generally speaking, when preparing to buy audio equipment, audiophiles should have a clear idea of ​​what grade of audio equipment to choose? Whether it is popular, mid-range, high-end or even ultra-high-end, you should have a clear idea in mind. Only after the grade is determined can you choose the brand. At present, many beginners have started to investigate products without even deciding on such an important issue. This is not appropriate. It is very likely that the salesperson in the audio store will be confused and not know which one to listen to, or they will buy unsuitable equipment in a muddle. The following will introduce readers to the brand and product information of imported audio equipment based on the market situation. After understanding this, you may avoid buying products that do not match the price and quality (not referring to quality issues).

Ultra-high-end Hi-Fi audio products: Usually, people call this type of home audio Hi-End or top-quality equipment. Whether it is speakers, amplifiers or CD players, there are Hi-End products.

Hi-End speakers are very expensive, with prices generally ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan. Even a pair of entry-level Hi-End bookshelf speakers costs around 20,000 yuan. For example, the recently popular B&W Nautilus 805 speakers are a typical example.

There are four main types of Hi-End speakers: The first type is produced by Hi-End speaker manufacturers. These manufacturers are generally small in scale, mostly American manufacturers, and their output is not high. They only produce high-priced, top-quality speakers, such as Avalon, Genesis, Hales, Thiel, MartinLogan, WilsonAudio in the United States; Sonus Faber in Italy; WilsonBenesch in the United Kingdom and other manufacturers' products. The second type is the flagship products and special products (commemorative products) produced by major speaker manufacturers that represent the company's image and strength, such as Nautilus and SilverSignature25 (25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee Signature Edition) from B&W in the UK; Kingdom from Tannoy; GrandeUtopia from JM-Lab in France; K2 and CenturaGold (50th Anniversary Edition) from JBL in the US; Orile from Jamo in Denmark, Century from Avance, and Evidence from Dynaudio, etc. The third type is the speakers originally designed and produced for studio monitoring. Due to their excellent effects, they are relatively more used by senior audiophiles at home, such as the old Matrix801S3 and the new Nautilus801 from B&W in the UK, SCM50 from ATC, System215 from Tannoy, and 4344MKⅡ from JBL in the US. Another type is the high-priced flagship products produced by major speaker manufacturers, such as the Nautilus 800 series from B&W in the UK, including the above-mentioned Nautilus 801, Tannoy's Prestige HE series, KEF's Reference series, AE's AE2 and AE5; France's JM-Lab's Utopia, MiniUtopia and Electra series; Denmark's Dynaudio's Contour 3.0 and 3.3 and other products.

Hi-End transistor amplifiers have extremely high fidelity and are very expensive. They are also mainly American products. Ayre, Cello, Jeff Rowland, Krell, Mark Levinson, McIntosh, Threshold, and Pass Labs are famous American Hi-End amplifier brands. In addition, companies such as Denmark's Gryphon, France's YBA, the Netherlands' Sphinx, Britain's Chord, Canada's Classe, Japan's Accuphase, and Luxman also produce Hi-End amplifiers. In general, most Hi-End transistor amplifiers are made into split front and rear stages, but due to the high price, it often costs tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of yuan to equip a set of front and rear stages, so sales are very limited. Recently, the above Hi-End transistor amplifier manufacturers have launched integrated machines with an output power of 100 to 250W per channel, which are relatively low in price. For example, Krell KAV300i (priced at about 20,000 yuan) is a typical product.

Hi-End tube amplifiers have not disappeared in the international market, because there are many audiophiles who like the sound of tube amplifiers. The products of French Jadis are typical representatives. In addition, American Audio Research, Cary Audio Design, Canadian Sonic Frontiers, and Italian Unison Research are also famous Hi-End tube amplifier brands. Like Hi-End transistor amplifiers, Hi-End tube amplifiers are mostly split in front and rear stages.

In order to improve the sound quality, some Hi-End CD players are designed with the turntable and D/A converter separated. The integrated top-quality CD players are typically represented by the products of Wadia Company in the United States, while the split type is typically represented by the products of Theta Company in the United States. Most of the above-mentioned Hi-End power amplifier manufacturers also have integrated and split CD players of the same grade for matching. In addition, some top-quality CD players are designed for recording studios or broadcasting levels, and are also bought back by audiophiles for home use due to their perfect effects, such as the products of the two sister companies of Studer and Revox in Switzerland. In addition, Philips and Sony, the inventors of CD players, also produce Hi-End CD players.

Some Hi-End manufacturers produce a series of products including amplifiers and speakers, such as Germany's MBL, Switzerland's Goldmund, and the above-mentioned American Cello and McIntosh.

High-end Hi-Fi audio products: This level of audio equipment refers to those products that are relatively cheaper than Hi-End but are still relatively expensive and have good sound effects.

The price range of high-end speakers: bookshelf speakers are generally between 5,000 yuan and 15,000 yuan, and floor-standing speakers are around 10,000 yuan to 25,000 yuan. There are several types: The first type is products produced by speaker factories with a certain scale, such as the CDM1-SE series of B&W in the UK, the Definition series of Tannoy; the Cobalt series of JM-Lab in France; the Concert series of Jamo in Denmark, the Contour1.1, 1.3MKⅡ and 1.8MKⅡ of Dynaudio, etc. The other type is products developed by smaller speaker manufacturers, which are mostly British brands, such as Harbeth, ProAc, and Spendor. Their common characteristics are that they have fewer varieties and stronger personalities. There are no low-priced products, and there are few products with prices exceeding 100,000 yuan. Sometimes it is difficult to generally classify them as Hi-End or high-end speakers, and they can only be determined based on specific models.

The price of a high-end amplifier and CD player is usually between 8,000 yuan and 20,000 yuan. The most popular products are from the UK and Northern Europe. The A-series Class A amplifiers from the UK's MusicFidelity are typical products. In addition, the UK's Alchemist and Meridian; Denmark's BOW, Densen, and Primare; Sweden's Copland; and Germany's Restek are also very good high-end amplifier or CD player brands. Major Japanese audio companies, such as Denon, Marantz, and Sony, all produce high-end CD players and amplifiers.

Some manufacturers produce a full range of high-end or ultra-high-end audio equipment including speakers, amplifiers and CD players for users to match, and exclude other manufacturers' products from mixing in, such as Britain's LINN and Denmark's B&O.

Mid-range and popular Hi-Fi audio products: These two grades of products have the highest sales volume in the market, so every manufacturer attaches great importance to the development and promotion of these grades of products.

At present, famous European and American speaker manufacturers have mid-range and popular speaker production. Due to the large output, the cost is reduced, and the price is also reduced. In other words, the performance price is relatively high. At the same time, these two grades of speakers are often compatible with AV use. Their products mainly include: British B&W 600S2 and 300 series, Tannoy's Revolution and Mercury series, KEF's Coda and Q series, AE's 200 and 100 series, Mission's 770 and 700 series; French JM-Lab's Opal and Tantal series; Danish Jamo's Classic and X3M series, Avance's Sigma and Omega series, Dynaudio's Audience series, Dali's AXS series; German Elac's CL and SLR series; American JBL's European version of the L series, etc.

中档和普及档音箱由于竞争十分激烈，因此造就了不少音质较好的产品，例如B&W的最新600S2系列音箱是在原来的600老系列的基础上，移植了Hi-End级鹦鹉螺800系列的一些先进技术，是技术上的改进和革新，因此音质有显著的提高。600S2系列采用了鹦鹉螺导管高音单元、带子弹头防尘罩的Kevlar防弹布中低音单元、Kevlar防弹布/纸浆混合低音单元及发烧级分频器，而售价维持在平价水平上，因此有很高的性能价格比。原来的600系列已经多次获奖，市场相当红火，现在看来B&W公司又要火借风势，在平价音箱中刮起“鹦鹉螺”旋风。

Entry-level popular bookshelf speakers from the UK, such as KEF's Coda7, AE's Aegis1 (Crystal One), Tannoy's Mercury2 (Mercury 2), B&W's DM302, etc., which cost around 2,000 yuan, are the first choice for many audiophiles with limited funds, and are often used with domestic amplifiers. Also due to fierce competition, these products have good sound quality, and they have generally won awards in the UK. Among them, DM302 was even listed in the C-level list by the American "Stereophile (Fever Book)".

When buying mid- to low-priced speakers, don't buy brands you've never heard of, so as to avoid buying speakers that are registered overseas but actually manufactured in China. Such speakers may have a lot of advertising, good brand packaging, and even cry "stop thief" and claim that someone is counterfeiting their products. If you find that there are very few articles introducing their products in regular domestic audio publications, especially speaker brands that have never been mentioned in "fever clinics" and other readers' questions, it is best not to buy them.

However, we should not be too superstitious about brand-name speakers. Recently, some of the above-mentioned brand-name speaker manufacturers have developed popular speakers specifically for the Chinese market. Although they are cheap, large, and have several speaker units, the sound quality is really bad. It is best not to buy such products. How to judge? It is recommended to check its international Internet address. If a series of popular speakers are available in the domestic market, but cannot be found in the product range on its website, be careful. Usually, such products are produced at the request of agents.

Most mid-range amplifiers are integrated, usually priced at around 5,000 yuan. British products are the most popular, such as Arcam, Audiolab, Aura, Cambridge Audio, Creek, Myryad, Music Fidelity, Rega, etc. These companies also often produce mid-range CD players, such as Rega's Plance CD player, which is a highly praised product and was even listed in the B-level list by Stereophile. In addition, Denmark's Thule Audio and the United States' MAX also produce mid-range amplifiers.

Among the popular amplifiers and CD players, products from Rotal and NAD are more popular. These two companies are somewhat similar. For example, Rotal is based in Japan, its design and development center is in the UK, and its factory is in Taiwan. It is difficult to say which country its products belong to.

Major Japanese audio companies also produce mid-range and popular amplifiers and CD players. Among them, Denon, Marantz and Sony are the most popular CD players; Marantz, Denon and Onkyo are the most popular amplifiers.

Cables: Today, I believe that all audiophiles know the role of speaker cables and signal cables in a set of audio equipment. There are many kinds of cables on the market, with different design concepts and prices. A cheap pair of speaker cables or signal cables costs hundreds of yuan, while expensive ones cost tens of thousands of yuan. However, expensive cables do not necessarily sound good, and cheap cables do not necessarily sound bad. You can't help but believe in cables, but you can't be superstitious about them. When playing with cables, the psychological effect is actually very large. Usually, many people will think that the sound effect has improved after changing expensive cables due to psychological effects. However, if you let him blindly listen to a pair of cables at the thousand-yuan level and the ten-thousand-yuan level, he may come to the opposite conclusion. Interestingly, if the cables are not changed during blind listening, some people will say that the effect has changed. So, from this point of view, there is no difference between high and low cables. Even authoritative books like the American "Stereophile" say that cables are not graded, and you must "try before you buy" when buying cables.

Audiophile-grade cables are mainly American products. Well-known brands include AudioNote, AudioQuest, Cardas, Kimber, MIT, MosterCable, NBS, TARALabs, Transparent, WireWorld, XLO, etc.

There are relatively fewer cables produced in Europe. The more famous ones are VDH (Van den Houw) from the Netherlands and Ortofon (Ortofon) from Denmark. In addition, companies like Shark and Ixos from the UK, WBT and Monitor from Germany, and Supa from Sweden are also well-known.

There are not many manufacturers of cables produced in Japan. The most famous one is Furutech. In addition, Hitich and Denko's audio cables are also well-known.

Reasonable combination of equipment

Since there are so many brands and varieties of imported audio equipment, the above only lists the common brands and series. There are many more that are not mentioned, but I think there are actually enough.

So, how to properly match the equipment among so many? Actually, we have discussed it from the perspective of price. Generally speaking, the level of the sound system should be determined according to the total budget, and it is best to match the equipment of the same level. As for the brand and tone, it should be determined according to your own requirements, aesthetics and audition. Magazines and other people's introductions can only be used as references, and you must see and hear them with your own eyes.

In the past, when many domestic audio review articles talked about the matching of speakers and amplifiers, they often said that a larger proportion of the budget should be invested in speakers, because speakers are the most important part. It should be said that this is basically applicable to mid-range and popular equipment, but it is not applicable to high-end or even ultra-high-end Hi-End equipment. High-end Hi-End speakers often have strong personalities, some are very difficult to drive, and some have difficult to control bass. For example, the British ATC speakers are famous for being difficult to drive, but if they are driven well, the elegance of their sound is another realm. At this time, they must be driven by pre- and post-stage amplifiers that are several times more expensive than the speakers. For example, B&W's latest Nautilus802 monitor speakers have a retail price of nearly 80,000 yuan. Although the sensitivity is as high as 91dB, the sound is neutral, and it can be driven by a 100W amplifier per channel, if you want to produce a noble sound, you must at least use Jeff Rowland's Model8Ti-HC post-stage plus the corresponding pre-stage. At this time, the price of a set of pre- and post-stage amplifiers will reach twice that of the speakers. Therefore, when pairing high-end audio equipment, senior audiophiles generally invest 2 to 3 times more in power amplifiers than speakers. It is not uncommon for wealthy people who don’t know much about audio to be willing to spend money on speakers but unwilling to invest more in power amplifiers.

When matching, you must understand the personality of the audio equipment. If the timbre is strong, the sound personality of the equipment should be complementary. If it is a neutral equipment, it is relatively easier to match. For inexperienced people, it is safer to buy neutral equipment to match.

When auditioning in an audio store, you must pay attention to the grade, brand, and model of equipment and wires. When purchasing audio equipment, speakers are usually listed as the first choice. If you are a beginner, you will generally buy mid-range or popular speakers. If the owner of the audio store talks to you and finds that you are not very knowledgeable, he will usually use a British or Nordic amplifier with a humble appearance but good sound quality and a CD player to test the sound. At this time, the sound of the speaker is very good. At this time, the owner of the audio store will tell you that the output power of my amplifier is only 50W. If you use a more powerful amplifier, the effect will be better. Then the owner will help you order the "menu", and according to your budget, you will be asked to pay for the amplifier and CD player. The audio store's business is done, but when you go home and connect the wires and turn on the sound, it may not be the same. Therefore, buyers must have their own ideas and use the equipment they want to buy for audition.

If you don't know where to start with the numerous brands and models of speakers, it's best to give priority to world-famous brands with good brand images. For example, Taiwan media "Audio Forum" No. 129 revealed that the best-selling speakers in Taiwan are the British B&W and French JM-Lab brands. The reason is simple. They both have very good brand images, and their product prices are wide enough. They have products in almost any price range you want. In addition, brand-name speakers with good images are relatively easy to sell when you need to upgrade in the future.

Reasonable adjustment of the system

After bringing home a set of audio equipment, you may sometimes find that the results are not satisfactory. Even if the equipment is properly matched, it is often caused by the lack of systematic and reasonable adjustments.

Reasonable adjustment of the system includes room processing, speaker placement, cable configuration, etc.

Requirements for the room: Too many smooth surfaces will cause sound reflection, resulting in poor sound quality or unclear sound. Carpeting and curtains can help reduce sound reflection. It is best to have some wooden cabinets in the room to absorb the bass appropriately. If conditions permit, it is best to lay wooden floors in the room, which will make the bass sound better. It is best to use leather sofas for the seats in the listening room, and do not choose frame-type seats or sofas made of mahogany, for example.

Speaker placement: First, check the speaker manual. Regular speaker manufacturers usually give the speaker's directional characteristics and the general principles of placement in the product manual. If the speaker is closer to the intersection of the plane of the room, such as the corner, the intersection of the wall and the floor, the bass will be enhanced a lot, sometimes causing muddy bass.

For bookshelf speakers, a pair of high-quality stands is indispensable if you want to have good sound. Generally, high-end bookshelf speakers come with original stands, so it is best to buy them together with the speakers. Don't be stingy. If there are no original stands, you should buy a pair of high-end speaker stands like Italian Solidsteel (Frame King). Mid-range and popular bookshelf speakers generally do not have original stands, but you should choose good-quality stands, even if they are domestically made, to ensure the effect.

Floor-standing speakers usually come with spikes, which must be installed when in use, otherwise the bass playback effect will be greatly reduced. Some models of floor-standing speakers also have special tripods, such as the old B&W Martix800 series, and it is best to buy them together with the tripod.

When adjusting the position of the speaker, it should be placed on a stand or equipped with spikes until the effect is satisfactory. There are many ways to position the speaker. Interested readers can check the relevant websites or search for articles on this topic in audio publications.

Wire configuration: When purchasing audio equipment, you don’t have to rush to buy wires. It is best to wait until the audio system is run-in (commonly known as burn-in) and stabilize before considering the wire configuration.

Audiophiles who have played around with audio equipment have this experience: the sound of newly unpacked equipment is generally hard, with more treble, and the bass seems to be muffled and seems to be unable to come out. But after a few months of run-in, when the sound characteristics of the system stabilize, it will become good to listen to, with transparent and delicate treble and elastic bass. If you rush to configure the wires before the system enters a stable state, it may become unpleasant later. Therefore, you should wire the audio system according to the characteristics of the sound at this time after the run-in is stable, and use ordinary wires during run-in.

The sound characteristics of audiophile cables vary. Some are fast, some are slow, some have good bass, and some have excellent treble resolution. Therefore, when trying cables, it is best to pay a deposit to the audio store and take them home to listen to them and then buy them. Generally speaking, high-end and Hi-End equipment use more cables from Cardas, Kimber, MIT, NBS, Transparent, XLO, and VDH, while mid- and low-end equipment use more cables from AudioQuest, MonsterCable, TARALabs, Shark, Ixos, Monitor, Supa, and Denko. Of course, this is not absolute. When purchasing expensive cables, if conditions permit, you can consider buying second-hand cables, because the loss of cables is mainly in appearance, and the internal quality does not change much, so buying second-hand cables is the most practical.

Author's Postscript: This article was written at the request of AV Audio World. When writing this article, a domestic audio dealer asked me why I wrote about imported audio equipment, as if writing about imported equipment would not promote the "Chinese sound". I replied that the reason is actually very simple. Since music art knows no national boundaries, why should audio equipment be divided by national boundaries? I think no one who buys domestic audio equipment is specifically for listening to folk music, and domestic audio equipment manufacturers and dealers may not all use folk music for sound testing. I remember that at every domestic audio exhibition, most manufacturers use Western classical music and imported audiophile discs for sound testing, so why do they use foreign music for sound testing? Is it "Chinese sound" to use domestic equipment to play foreign music?