Breathing space

Why would I bother to replace my trusty Pioneer to a pair of DIY speakers? Look, Pioneer is a big corporation, given its global presence products, the products that bear their name must have well researched, that's what I want to believe. On a personal account, I have got a mission that is to test my system building capability. "Am I for real?" Yes, a reluctant yes. Though I doubted myself at times, my gut feeling tells me to follow my heart or die with an unanswered question. A dream sound or financial risk, there's no other option. Readers who visit here know that I'm more than pleased with how things turn out. Hallelujah!

Every change offers learning opportunities. The first lesson reestablishes the need for breathing space. I couldn't stress enough to allow the speakers space to breath even if it means you need to downsize. There's a delicate balance, too little breathing space will choke the sound, too much will rob the vigour of the sound. My preloved, Pioneer is roughly 20% more box than Belle comparatively. It has two 7 inch bass driver while Belle only one 8 inch widebander driver. The less box freed up space to render the airiness and ambience at the expense of bass. It's a difficult decision. On the bright side, the sound enjoys unprecedented liberty which brings me to the second lesson; given the volume is a constant, the correlation of bass volume to your room size. There is an amount of bass volume and low bass you room has installed. I wouldn't use volume for bass compensation, you will not get a balanced sound. You either got the bass right but it becomes way too loud or too bass heavy where it muffles the mids. Best to leave the volume as a constant instead of as a variable. Many stubborn and greedy audiophiles think they could handle a bigger speaker/bass than their small room can take. They are trying to defy the law of physics. I wish them luck.

Be mindful of the volume, multiple drivers speakers need some juice to produce a glorious bass, but a small room isn't accommodating. Either way, you're at the losing end, the bass overstayed because there isn't enough room for dissipation or lacks bass to load the room leaving you wanting more bass. Thirdly, low-efficiency speakers are a natural detail eater. Complex crossovers eat details for breakfast. Details to high-efficiency speakers are like a duck to water, low-level details can be heard at low volume. You can say I'm biased. I encourage you to go find out yourself. But then again, widebander speakers are not without problems, they inherited a different set of problems. Tell me which speaker designs are problem-free?

Ideally, we want sound to correspond positively with the effort we put in. That's the sign of a good system just like the star of Bethlehem, the wise audiophiles know. If the reverse is true, the dark cloud on your forehead, it's time to consider changing your speakers or getting a contractor to enlarge the room. If not, a super duper room treatment can do so little. A DSP room correction for a quick fix? I have my doubts. Brace for impact, the sound will fall apart, it will not be pretty.

On the contrary, a system that leverages the size room will produce an amazing sound. By the way, have you listened to speakers sing in free space? The stark contrast is, the sound enjoys a bodied presentation in a room. The sound of Philharmonic hall, as free as can be, pure and extended, no sonic pocket. I opined that simpler music is more capable of depicting timbre, a busy sound is best to evaluate the system's resolving power and macro dynamics.

Well, being an audiophile myself, I know I sometimes got stubborn and intolerant to different opinions, my bad. This sickness is common among serious audiophiles, I'm not immune to that. Our stance is shaped by our past experiences and exposures. It goes without saying the quality experiences just like quality education, you see a gentleman in a person. I can't see myself compromising over the opposing principles. Water and oil will not mix, it will never mix.

Sound can mean differently to people. A cult group gathers the like-minded audiophiles. They feel good hanging around the like-minded people. You will see less division. If the number is large, it will be deemed as a standard, true to the spirit of democracy even it is wrong. Only true sound can stand the test of time and well received. My motivation is not about the money but self-actualization. Audiophiles buy expensive equipment to satisfy self-esteem. It's one of many men's playgrounds, you stand up for what you believe and you don't have to bother with what others say. Who needs policing here, I'm the boss. I'm not taking shit from anyone.

Jesus advises you to build your house on a rock. He got a point. Building a system upon a good bass is essential, good things will follow. In a real situation, we all have to deal with direct and reflected sound. Unless you listen in an anechoic chamber, the higher end system will reign supreme because there's only direct sound. In reality, we have to contend with reflected sound. Reflected sound ruins the sound, I'd take a portion of the equipment budget for the room treatment. This is what makes me different from the majority of audiophiles, the room is my playground. It can go as simple as rearranging the furniture in your listening room, for the better or worst, it depends on the skills of the individual. This is the know-how, unfortunately, it doesn't get the commensurated reward. Those who have been there will know what I'm talking about. Your sound very much lies on the magnitude you manage the reflected sound. If you haven't given thought about it, perhaps you stop blaming your equipment and work on your reflected sound. I could guarantee you a handsome reward awaits you at the end of the tunnel.