There’s a reason why some people still listen to vinyl records even with the existence of modern audio systems: it’s the sound quality. With vinyl, you can get a warm analog sound that reverberates.
And you can’t find it anywhere else. Unless you know how to tune your hi-fi speaker system.
I’ll let you in on a little hi-fi secret: with some tweaks, you can get the real vinyl experience with your hi-fi speaker system and unlock its full potential. And I’ll tell you how.
What To Look For?
Due to their enormity, music venues may seem more challenging to navigate than smaller spaces. You’ll be surprised to learn that calibrating small rooms in this situation is actually more complex than you think.
The rationale for this is that the likelihood of the frequency response of the loudspeakers being distorted decreases with increasing venue size. There’s less room for bass-frequency waves to travel in a confined space. Resonance or distorted sounds can result from this.
Common audio problems occur when your sound system and loudspeakers aren’t adjusted.
One of them is that you can’t hear dialogue clearly when you watch a movie or a TV show. Another is bad-sounding music. You’d experience murky bass, unclear or fading sounds, or notes that ring longer.
With a spectrum analyzer, you can find irregular frequency responses from your hi-fi system. Then you can adjust the speakers and get better audio.
To achieve better audio quality, you need to move the speaker, the sub, and the furnishings around until you find the ideal position.
How to Get that Real Vinyl Experience from your Hi-Fi Speaker
Many people believe that a hefty price tag equates to top-notch quality. And that can be true in some scenarios.
When it comes to hi-fi speaker systems, there are many factors that affect sound quality. Although expensive equipment can give you high-quality sound, you also have to consider other factors such as device compatibility, correct configurations, and the surroundings.
Even if you get the most expensive speaker, it would still sound bad with poor surroundings and incorrect settings.
Here’s what you can do to get the most out of your hi-fi speaker and get that real vinyl experience.
1. Adjust your equalizer and configure your sub.
If you want your hi-fi speakers to sound great, your priority should be its tuning. If you use an equalizer, be careful to make modest adjustments as needed.
Start with the system’s equalization at zero. No EQ curve is activated, and all tone settings are set to 0. When a sub is off, start playing your music at a reasonable volume and then progressively ratchet up the volume until you find the sweet spot.
Reduce the sub amp’s crossover spot to adjust the bass if it emanates from behind. Move the sub if your amplifier has a non-adjustable crossover.
For instance, spin the sub around, so it is blasting in the forward position when it is firing in the rear. Reevaluate your phase once the sub has reached its target.
2. Minimize resonance issues.
Loudspeakers, sound systems, and spaces do not work perfectly all the time.
To achieve the best results and get that vinyl experience, some modifications are necessary. You must also be willing to do lots of test runs to identify the combo that will give you genuinely high-quality sound.
Sometimes the answer to your problems is straightforward. It can be something as simple as fixing the acoustics of your space. This can involve moving around some furnishings, repositioning the speakers farther from the walls, or ensuring your hearing position is in the center may be necessary in other cases.
Utilize the spectrum analyzer to locate any resonance locations in your listening environment and see if they can be used to calibrate your listening environment and audio equipment.
Here are quick fixes if resonance problems arise:
- Move furniture and big objects away from the walls.
- Aim the center channel at your primary point of listening.
- Aim to separate the left and right speakers from the central channel.
3. Adjust the position of your speakers.
The optimal placement of speakers for stereo music reproduction is often to place them in a way that they create two points of an equilateral triangle. Then you, the listener, will form the third corner.
For example, if your speakers are 3 meters apart, then you should also be listening at a spot that’s 3 meters away from the speakers.
For home theaters, I’d recommend that the front left and right speakers be placed no further apart than “twice the size of the display” from one another. This is to make the sound feel connected to the display.
For example, a screen that’s 1.5 meters wide should be no more than 3 meters away from the front speakers.
4. Check and adjust the frequency response.
Your hi-fi speaker system’s frequency response is another thing you should check to make sure it is tuned appropriately to get that real vinyl experience.
From the listening point, take measures using the spectrum analyzer. The spectrum analyzer’s slopes should be as slick and angular as possible. It indicates that the various frequencies are about at the same level. Pay attention to the range from 60 Hz to 6 kHz.
Don’t be shocked if the curve exhibits a surge at low frequencies or a roll-off at high frequencies. It’s merely a result of the fact that the majority of commercial recordings combine near-field and far-field audio.
To fix this, utilize your system’s configuration menu to adjust the speaker distance. Match the speaker’s loudness and provide any appropriate time delays as well.
Final Thoughts
There’s no point in purchasing a hi-fi speaker system if you don’t get the best quality of sound from it.
So I hope this article has been helpful so you can properly tune your hi-fi speaker system and make the necessary adjustments to get that real vinyl experience.
Feel free to comment below if you have any questions and I’ll be glad to answer them.
A passion for writing and ongoing research projects gives Catherine an incredibly broad knowledge of all things. She has authored an incredible number of articles and can be found in the wilderness when not attached to technology or listening to podcasts.