Setting up a nice sound system is one of those things that can make a house feel more like a home. Having a dedicated system for watching movies and listening to music can really enrich your life. We’ve come up with tips to improve your existing system and elevate your home listening experience from ho-hum to electrifying.
1. Evaluate the gear you already own
If you feel like your existing system isn’t performing as well as it used to — or worse, has begun to make noise or cut out altogether — do a general maintenance check. See if your audio cables are fraying or making a poor connection. Remove speaker grilles and examine the drivers for signs of rot or damage.
2. Check your receiver settings
Your receiver comes out of the box with default settings in place. These may not be the settings you prefer, but you may not even be aware of what your choices are. Look at the manual and see what some of those menu options do.
3. Make solid wired connections
“Getting better sound is a continuous process of eliminating weak links in your audio chain,” says Charlie. One of the most common areas of weakness comes from cheap cables, which can introduce noise. It’s well worth your time to upgrade them.
4. Listen to the best recordings
You have options when choosing the quality of the analog media or digital file format you listen to. For instance, if you plan to stream digital files, it’s a good idea to invest in high-resolution audio.
Analog music lovers should look for remastered albums on 180-gram vinyl. These records use more raw material than most older recordings, so they’re resistant to warping.
5. Get a great DAC
“Try inserting a high-quality DAC into the signal chain,”
Streaming from an online service, or from digital files stored on your computer is a pretty common way to enjoy high-resolution music. Often those files are compressed, and may lose resolution — a top-notch DAC (digital-to-analog converter) can restore missing information that makes the recording sound more accurate, spacious, and immediate.
6. Make sure your network is at full strength
As much as I’ve talked about making sure your hardware and digital files are up to snuff, if you’re streaming them from an online service, you’ll need to make sure your home network can handle the larger file sizes without buffering or lagging. Make sure you’re subscribed to an HD or better service tier if you’re using such a service, or you’ll be starting with reduced quality.
As a final tip, “Listen to a recording you’ve heard hundreds of times and you may hear something you never heard before. Maybe the bass part is a little different than you originally thought, or maybe you hear that a keyboard is doubling a guitar part. Any change that gives you a new experience with familiar material is a good thing.”
Upgrading your listening experience doesn’t have to cost the proverbial arm and leg. You can even improve your audio solutions pretty dramatically on a budget. If you want a little advice, contact us and we’ll help you sort through the options.
