How do you know when a stereo sounds good?

Measurements are another tool that smart people know how to apply for example to help decide what products to choose to listen to so they can then make their subjective decisions about what sounds good more effectively.

What comes first the chicken or the egg?

How do you decide what products to listen to? A crystal ball? What looks good? What some guy on the internet or a reviewer says you should? Only the ones at the local dealer if there even is one near you? Only the ones in a friend’s house, if available?

Maybe. But if you are building a system with components, putting those into a room, and you want those components to perform well together and thereby have a better chance of sounding good or maybe even outstanding once you get that far best to learn to read and interpret measurements. Not that you might not stumble onto something good otherwise, but....facts matter. Especially technical ones. You can choose to ignore them but does not change the facts.

 

mapman

19,678 posts

11-28-2021 11:22am

I suppose this thread might be viewed as part of Synergistic’s research.

How do you decide what products to listen to? A crystal ball?

Asking audiophiles what constitutes good sound is somehow intrinsic to Synergistic Research? LOL

Typically we look at measurements to determine what to listen to first, compatibility with our systems. Personally I tend to like amplifiers that double power as impedance halves, with high dampening factors. That said, it tells me nothing about what will sound best in my stereo, for that I listen, subjectively. Pretty much like other audiophiles who also own good sounding stereos.

Yours in music,

Lead Designer/CEO Synergistic Research Inc.

What is so funny about that?  Lol.

Audio Research has it right, measure and let Warren listen as final Quality Assurance…..of course, they are inventing, designing, building and supporting real stuff…