WANT HIGH-END AUDIO? YOU NEED TO LOOK BEYOND YOUR SPEAKERS.
Want to enjoy your favorite music in the quality the artists themselves envisioned when they made the recording? Often, the gut reaction is to buy the best speakers you can find. Unfortunately, that won’t be much good if you’re not delivering the right sound to them. Every high-end audio solution relies on a system of components working together to achieve a powerful, natural sound.
Very few speakers can overcome faulty audio signals or weak amplifiers. Every successful high-end audio system creates a powerful signal path from one component to the next to create a sonic environment that rivals the live experience. Read on to find out which elements are pivotal to high-performance sound and how to get them working together at your Texas home – whether in Bellaire or beyond.
SEE MORE: Do You Love Music? Consider High-End Audio for Your Home
SOURCE COMPONENTS
You need to start at the beginning: your source components. What, precisely, do you want to listen to on your system? Everyone may enjoy their music differently, whether you’re a vinyl record collector or a TIDAL streaming enthusiast. Relax, there’s no wrong answer here. While analog signals – particularly vinyl records — will still offer the best quality over digital (streaming or MP3) files, technology advances have cut down on those differences.
For example, Meridian offers DACS (Digital to Analog Converter), CD Players and media servers that provide noise-free audio processing, high-resolution sampling, and re-clocking to eliminate timing errors. These components include Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) technology, which compresses master-quality audio into files that are easy to stream and download. This way, you ensure you’re getting a crystal-clear signal that pays proper dues to the original recording
CABLES
How much will cables affect the performance of your high-end audio system? Imagine they’re like the water pipes going into your home. Can they transform the quality of the water? How good the original water source is will make all the difference, but these pipes can still “color” it in certain ways. In the process of carrying it, they can add debris or cut off the flow. Speaker cables interconnect, and even your power cables have a similar impact on sound. Ultimately, really bad cables can ruin your sound while outstanding ones can help to reveal new tones and depth.
AMPLIFIER
Before the sound makes it to your speakers, it will go through the motor of your high-end audio system: your amplifier. Power amplifiers have the tough job of taking that initial signal and processing it so your speakers can play it at your desired volume level, all without coloring the sound.
Overall you want an amplifier with low distortion, cross stalk (meaning contamination between left and right channels), and background noise. Needs will vary then on the level of inputs/outputs it should have and the amount of power it provides.
There are some amplifiers specifically designed for high-end audio applications. For example, Meridian’s premier Reference 2-channel power amplifier offers low-feedback and distortion to provide the best clarity and transparency to your passive speakers. Push up to 500 watts of power to low impedance speakers while fan-assisted cooling allows for silent operation at all times.
SPEAKERS
Ready to finally talk about your speakers? If you’ve created the right signal path to get powerful, pure sound to them then, they will have the most significant impact on your high-end audio system. Not because they are necessarily the most important, but because they offer the most performance variety. Getting the audio quality you want depends entirely on your preferences.
How important is bass, high-treble, or a full range of sound? Our team of high-end audio experts will help you choose a speaker model, location and calibration that best fits your unique preferences. For the biggest audiophiles, we do recommend luxury speakers that cover all of the features mentioned above.
Meridian’s latest DSP 800 Digital Active speaker is a great example. It offers the traditional benefits of high-performance speakers, including isolated bass and mid-range drivers for detailed sound, light-weight tweeters for a high-frequency response, and wide-range amplifiers for powerful sound. Also, the speaker includes the company's Digital Sign Processing that allows for added control and adaptability for a more precise reproduction.
High-end audio requires teamwork among all your components. Make sure you’re not letting a weak link bring down your favorite recordings.
Speak to the experts at Unlimited Integration to find out how to bring audiophile-grade sound to your home in the Bellaire area or beyond. Reach out to us by calling 832-857-0080 or contacting us here.
We look forward to hearing from you!
on Saturday, 19 January 2019.