Many people enjoy music. You may, in fact, think you’re an avid fan and expert when it comes to your favorite band and genre. However, are you really listening to your favorite music in the best quality possible the answer for most people is probably no. You may have invested in a sound system, but you may not be using it the right way. With that in mind, here are some tips on how to get the best possible sound out of your system.
In regards to the sound quality picked up by the human ear, one of the most important things you need to consider is acoustics. Does the room you have your sound system in actually have good acoustics? Keep in mind that a lot of hard surfaces will reflect sound and distort audio quality. A vaulted ceiling can do the same. Also keep in mind that the shape of the room matters. If it’s too rectangular or square, that too can affect audio quality. Adding things like couches and rugs can absorb reflected sounds and increase audio quality.
Speakers also matters a great deal in regards to creating the best quality sound possible. You should of course try to invest in a highly rated speaker system. However, you may be losing out on some of that great sound quality if they aren’t placed correctly in the room. For one, neither speaker should resting directly on the floor. Get some stands to raise them to five feet to improve fidelity. They should also be at least three feet from the wall and not directly parallel to each other. Be careful about the placement of your subwoofer, because just placing it anywhere can really muddy the sound.
There’s a huge market for speaker wire out there. You could end up spending a lot of money only on cables. While you don’t really need to do that, investing in some high quality speaker wire is still a great idea. Look for thicker cables that are at least 12 gauge and not higher than that.
The audio sources you choose to use for your music also matter a good deal. If you are using audio files, aim for lossless codecs like FLAC and WAV. MP3s are often extremely inferior in regards to audio quality. For physical media, also consider the fact that many classic albums are now available in lossless quality on Blu-ray disc. You don’t have to stick to CD. Vinyl, while it has flaws, is also still superior to CD in regards to the depth of sound it can produce.
Just because you have a sound system does not mean you are getting the most out of your music. The room, speaker placement, audio sources and more all have a huge impact on the audio quality you end up hearing. Not overlooking such details, however, can increase the audio quality put out by your sound system a great deal.