A Technical Foundation To Building A Sound System
To most people, sound systems seem very simple – some speakers and some amplifiers, and you’re all set. In addition to this frequent simplistic perception, many people honestly can’t tell the difference between a good system and a bad one. Many defining elements of a “good” sound system are in fact a matter of opinion. Fortunately, among audiophiles and engineers, there is a lot of agreement on these elements.
There are interesting differences that exist in the opinions of audiophiles, engineers, and sound providers. Audiophiles and sound providers typically rely more upon first hand and communicated experience. Audiophiles tend to make judgments on perceived sound quality above all else – which is what it really comes down to. Engineers often get hung up on technical details, and sound people will often simply echo what the current mainstream industry practice happens to be. The engineers have because of their educational background some powerful and insight giving tools though, such as the Laplace transform and various Signals and Systems concepts. Audio Engineers are also knowledgeable of psychoacoustic principles, which play many important roles in music and sound, and give insight into music itself and how we experience it. Naturally, with experience and openmindedness, the perspectives of the differing groups become closer. Given the relatively advanced technological state of audio equipment however, the domains of engineering and mathematics remain the primary avenues via which advancements and contributions to the state of the art are made.
Suffice it to say there are a lot of subtleties that go into a good sound system – more than can be fully understood without extensive scientific knowledge, yet not so many that the issues cannot be explained in basic terms in a reasonably sized document.
An important side-note is that one should always be careful in taking as valid what anyone says about sound systems, and should carefully review their motives, experience, and training. Hype and marketing seem to be the way most business gets done in this new millennium – particularly in the music world. When seeking out information, keep in mind that the credibility of various information sources is often less than ideal. Many people’s opinions are often biased toward their own financial interests, and/or their own lack of knowledge or experience in a given area. Only those who put the time and energy into seeking out a wide array of information resources can achieve true quality and sophistication.
More info on this, starts at:
http://www.partyvibe.com/articles/building_a_sound_system/introduction.htm
