What is Good Audio?

After my article on good video, it’s time for a feature on disturbances in the air that make the world dance, cry, intoxicate, whatever. Music is what I’m talking about, and music is sound. While the debate on what constitutes music can be subjective (for example, one man's music might be another's noise), in the realm of sound it's pretty easy to get a grip on things.

A speaker, amp, or MP3 player can either sound good or like crap. This article is about how we go about checking the gear. The next time you set foot in the market, make sure you have your fundas clear – this will enable you to purchase the equipment that's best for your ears. I shall cover speakers and amps, while our man from the world of portable bliss, Laiq Qureshi, will take over midway to tell you about headphones. So let’s push play...

Speakers and Amps
Before even turning the signal on – actually, before even connecting the speaker to the amp – you can tell a lot by looking and feeling it. And remember specs are just a guide; they don’t mean much when it comes to real listening, as the specs are always measured in ideal conditions, without sound reflection off the walls etc.

We check the configuration of the driver cones – how many are present, their sizes, material of construction etc. Larger drivers (say, 8-inchers) are good for pure low bass, while specific material in the drivers have a lot to do with the performance of the speakers. But for this each individual speaker manual and white paper must be read, as there is no general rule for cone material. Many proprietary deigns have done wonders to sound reproduction over the years.

The cabinet might be ported, meaning there will be a hole somewhere to let bass escape out directly. This has more deep resonating bass than sealed enclosures. Depending on your room it is vital to check this. Knocking on the wood can tell you how much it resonates acoustically; generally a dead, non-ringing sound should be heard. Speakers made of wood sound totally different from metallic satellite speakers; while the latter can yield some insane shapes and sizes, sound is generally compromised.

As for amps, check the power rating and see that it matches your intended speakers: the optimal rating would be an amp with more power capability than your speaker (but don’t increase the volume too much on the amp!) The chassis must not get too hot, though it will definitely warm up.

After this initial stage, the speakers should be 'broken in', meaning they are connected and run for a while to warm up and loosen up – it’s a mechanical transducer, after all. At the showroom the demo pieces are generally audition-ready, but your new piece won’t be. This is the case with all bookshelf and floorstanding speakers.

Soundwise, the first and most obvious thing to check is the frequency response. For this you must take some music of your own to check; stuff that you are accustomed to, especially if you are a serious music lover. Bass should not only be low and present, it should be well-timed and accurate. The notes down there should be clear, and they should not ring longer than usual. This could be an issue with the amp also; actually all audio factors are due to both the amp and speaker.

After bass comes mid frequencies, or mids. Check vocals and stringed instruments. They should sound like the original. If you listen carefully you'll find that these elements don’t sound at all like the original on bad speakers. Parlance such as ‘punch’ and ‘crispness in the sound’ are often used, which are all subjective terms that mean this portion of frequency is soothing. The checking is useful because music can get fatiguing to the ear after a while if it's spiked up or something.

When it comes to highs, it’s easy. There is a very thin line between ‘bright’ sounding and ‘shimmer’. Bright sounds are the excess treble, and the irritating ‘hiss’ sound in everything. Vocals, drum cymbals, etc. must be checked to see whether they are represented well.

The next factors are spaciousness, timing, detail of the softer instruments etc, which I would call secondary checks. Play a live performance and check the positioning of the players in your virtual soundstage that is created in between the speakers. Musicians who stand at the back should sound that way; it should not be 2D and planar. Drum beats should be precise and clear, and variations in volume between different instruments also should be represented the way it was recorded. Or what’s the point?

Headphones
Headphones deal with sound in pretty much the same way, only the amount of data lost in the wind is low since the contact with the ear is so close. So you approach sound coming through headphones much more personally. What you should look for is a ‘full’ sound. By this I mean you need to check for clarity and preciseness, which is the essence of the sound.

A good pair of headphones can make or break the experience. That’s why after buying an MP3 player, if you need to get more out of the deal, you should invest in a good pair of headphones. All the frequencies are well adjusted, and the sound envelops more environments than you can generate on low output speakers.

The bass should be tight, it may have a lot of punch, but you will notice that good headphones can reproduce lows better and more accurately. At their peak you will a notice a certain jarring. This represents bad sound. With in-ear technology you can get a tighter bass response.

The mids should always be independent of the rest of the sound, and the highs should be well-adjusted. When a song is recorded, the highs are kept on their best behavior. Too much means rickshaw sound.