audio reproduction gear, music and other stuff
The importance of symmetry in terms of equal distance of the loudspeakers from the side walls derives from the fact that what one hear is not just the direct sound of the speakers but also the reflections from the room walls. Especially important are the first wave reflections for they contribute to the spatial quality of the stereo image and its tonal richness.
Continue reading “Audio reproduction in non-symmetrical situations”
One of the exceptional recordings I have the pleasure to listen in the recent days is Jake Shimabukuro’s latest concert release Live in Japan. This record marks my first encounter with the Japanese American ukulele player born in 1976 in Honolulu, Hawaii. I had never took ukulele instrument seriously before I listened to that album.
Over the weekend I decided to swap the places of my audio system and listening sofa just to check out how it will affect the sound. I was concerned with the lack of enough space between the speakers, but It was just impossible to further increase the distance between speakers without entering the door boundaries. The task was to keep the room functions intact so that the door is passable.
Convenience of use and playback performance are the main considerations that pointed my attention toward the idea of buying a dedicated network player to replace the PC I have already in use. After researching the market for an affordable device that can stream digital audio over network or attached via USB data storage device my choice was basically reduced to two contenders – Auralic Aries Mini and SOtM sMS-200 both priced bellow 600 euro. I decided to give SOtM a try because of seemingly better build quality and the versatility of use.
In the last year I was involved in several DIY projects that I would like to present briefly. DIY is usually inevitable part of the audiophile hobby and it is often driven by the urge for experimenting and trying unconventional concepts that are usually not part of the mainstream commercial production aimed toward larger market segments. There are niche products as well, but they are often too expensive and not affordable. The other reason for DIY having its own special place in our hobby is the urge for perfection of a ready made component in order to get the most out of it or customise to one’s specific needs.
