Frequently asked questions about general hi-fi stuff including various types of equipment, technical concepts and advice for getting the best results.
The FAQs save everyone time, by addressing questions I’m most commonly asked. Honestly, there are questions I’ve probably been asked hundreds of times now over the last 10+ years. Answering commonly asked questions like these takes a chunk of time and, without a good alternative, I’d almost never get any work done! I write each […]
No. Let’s dig into this. I’ll cut to the chase: people don’t know what they don’t know, and we are all affected by this. As long as expert sources of information and professionals are sought when needed, this generally isn’t a problem, but they often aren’t, and that is a problem. With that in mind,
System resolution limitations or ‘bottlenecks’ are critically important as they define the maximum performance attainable with a given set of equipment. This is actually the most critical thing to understand about any system. Think of it this way: You can have the best pair of speakers and the most amazing source equipment in the world,
What are system resolution limitations and why are they important? Read More »
Generally no, unless you can have equipment inspected and you understand that PayPal offers no buyer protection on Gumtree. You need to be careful when buying anything like expensive equipment on Gumtree, a local classifieds selling platform here in Australia. Did you know sellers can circumvent the buyer protection that normally exists when you use PayPal? ‘Suso’
Yes, but there is much more to know. Let’s get this out of the way: good cables always improve system performance. That said, there is more snake oil and pseudoscience in cables than just about any other aspect of hi-fi, and the hi-fi world is already filled with nonsense. You know my thoughts on nonsense,
A great question, so let’s discuss it. Let’s start simply. A musician understands that no two guitars sound the same, even two of the same model. Likewise, two different digital camera models using the same Sony sensor will take different-looking pictures. I can already hear people screaming “But Mike, these things are built differently!” Correct,
Yes, but your CDs won’t sound as good as they can when played on dedicated CD hardware. For the very best CD playback, you’ll need a dedicated Redbook CD player, or even better – a transport and DAC. In almost all cases, CDs will sound better played on good dedicated CD hardware than when played
Is it OK to play CDs in my DVD or Blu-ray player? Read More »
