Stereo Systems - Dream Home Cinema

When selecting a new stereo system, we usually suggest that you start with the speakers. Speaker preference is highly individual. No speaker, no matter how expensive or how good, is perfect, and different speakers excel in different performance areas. By thinking about your priorities, you can choose the speaker that performs best in the areas most important to you. You might consider:

tonal balance -- how evenly the speakers reproduce the audible frequencies. Often this is very important to our clients.
bass extension -- how well the speaker reproduces very deep bass (pipe organ foot pedals, big drum whacks, and the like).
resolution -- how much musical detail the speaker reproduces.
transparency -- how much the speaker "disappears," or how lifelike the sound is. Also, the illusion that the instruments are right there in the room with you.
sound staging -- how the speaker presents the images of the instruments, including image width, image depth, image size, and image height.
dynamics -- how well the speaker plays loud passages appropriately loudly, and soft passages appropriately softly.
width of seating area -- some speakers have wider or narrower "sweet spots" where the imaging is best.
optimal position within the room -- some speakers excel only when placed farther out into the room, either from the rear walls, from the side walls, or both.
efficiency -- how much amplifier power the speakers needs.
visual appeal -- how attractive the speakers will look in your home, including:
- size -- how dominant the speakers will look (can be good or bad, depending upon your perspective), and how easy the speakers are to move.
- shape -- how appealing the speaker's shape is to you.
- style -- some speakers are more contemporary; others are more traditional.
- finish -- the available wood veneers and/or colors for the speakers.
and of course price range.

We suggest that you listen to speakers in an acoustically neutral room. In-home listening evaluations can be very helpful too, particularly if you have either a good sounding room or a room that you won't be changing for a while. If you might be moving or improving the room, be careful that you don't choose a speaker which minimizes the problems in your room, rather than maximizes the speaker's potential -- you might regret your choice later.

With the speakers chosen, you can next turn your attention to matching a power amplifier to them. The type of music that you listen to, how loud you listen, the distance from you to the speakers, and the size of the room will influence the power requirement that the speaker will impose on the amplifier. For most situations, 50 to 100 watts / channel (RMS, 8 ohms, both channels driven, low distortion) will suffice, although often larger, more expensive amplifiers have more heft, control, and refinement to the sound. You may find that amplifiers sound remarkably different from each other. Often the matching preamplifier from the same manufacturer will complement the power amplifier best.

And of course, you might choose an integrated amplifier that combines a power amplifier and a preamplifier in one chassis. At certain price levels, a high-end integrated amplifier may provide the best sound because of the cost efficiencies of combining the enclosure, power supply, and so forth. However, you may find it somewhat more difficult to upgrade your system later.

Next, consider your source components. Almost all music lovers today own a high-quality CD player, as many new recordings are available only on CD. However, many wonderful old recordings (and even some new ones) are available only on LP. We suggest that you buy sources for whatever recordings you love to listen to.

In the future, you may wish to consider other sources such as DVD-Audio or Super Audio CD. You should know that it may be awhile before there is any real library of recordings available for either one of these new media, and it's possible that neither will catch on. We currently recommend these players only if you are comfortable being on the fringe of the edge of technology.

Your system will need cabling to connect the components together. Cables influence the final sound of your system, often to a surprising degree. We suggest that you choose your cables to complement the sonics of the rest of your components. The best-matched cables may make the difference between good performance and stunning performance. With our familiarity with the products that we carry, we can recommend well-matched cables to simplify your search. Even if your system contains components that we don't sell, we might have experience with your components and be able to help.

Your system will need a home -- an audio stand of some sort. The furniture must accommodate the width, depth, and height of each of your components and perhaps possible future additions. Some components require open space around them (or forced air ventilation) to keep cool. Overheating will shorten the life of your components. Also, some components need a stable, anti-vibration surface in order to function properly. Turntables and tube equipment are usually quite sensitive to mechanical vibration, however you may find sensitivity in CD transports and solid state electronics. Some types of audio furniture incorporates extensive anti-vibration features.

And last, the acoustics of your listening room will strongly influence your system's performance. Think of the air in the room as the final interconnect between the speakers and your ears. To get the best possible sound, you'll need acoustic room treatment. We can even help you build a dedicated listening room, if you'd like.

A well-designed, carefully set up 2-channel audio system will recreate a remarkably lifelike musical experience. To those who love music, it is truly a sublime pleasure

Phone: Carlsbad:(760) 415-8742 Encinitas:(760) 415-5996 Fax: (760) 635-3854		Dream Home Cinema
Home		*Stereo Systems*
Stereo Systems Service	2-Channel (Stereo) Audio Systems When selecting a new stereo system, we usually suggest that you start with the speakers. Speaker preference is highly individual. No speaker, no matter how expensive or how good, is perfect, and different speakers excel in different performance areas. By thinking about your priorities, you can choose the speaker that performs best in the areas most important to you. You might consider: tonal balance -- how evenly the speakers reproduce the audible frequencies. Often this is very important to our clients. bass extension -- how well the speaker reproduces very deep bass (pipe organ foot pedals, big drum whacks, and the like). resolution -- how much musical detail the speaker reproduces. transparency -- how much the speaker "disappears," or how lifelike the sound is. Also, the illusion that the instruments are right there in the room with you. sound staging -- how the speaker presents the images of the instruments, including image width, image depth, image size, and image height. dynamics -- how well the speaker plays loud passages appropriately loudly, and soft passages appropriately softly. width of seating area -- some speakers have wider or narrower "sweet spots" where the imaging is best. optimal position within the room -- some speakers excel only when placed farther out into the room, either from the rear walls, from the side walls, or both. efficiency -- how much amplifier power the speakers needs. visual appeal -- how attractive the speakers will look in your home, including: size -- how dominant the speakers will look (can be good or bad, depending upon your perspective), and how easy the speakers are to move. shape -- how appealing the speaker's shape is to you. style -- some speakers are more contemporary; others are more traditional. finish -- the available wood veneers and/or colors for the speakers. and of course price range. We suggest that you listen to speakers in an acoustically neutral room. In-home listening evaluations can be very helpful too, particularly if you have either a good sounding room or a room that you won't be changing for a while. If you might be moving or improving the room, be careful that you don't choose a speaker which minimizes the problems in your room, rather than maximizes the speaker's potential -- you might regret your choice later. Tip: When listening critically to a 2-channel system, choose a seat centered between and equidistant from the speakers in order to hear the best imaging. With the speakers chosen, you can next turn your attention to matching a power amplifier to them. The type of music that you listen to, how loud you listen, the distance from you to the speakers, and the size of the room will influence the power requirement that the speaker will impose on the amplifier. For most situations, 50 to 100 watts / channel (RMS, 8 ohms, both channels driven, low distortion) will suffice, although often larger, more expensive amplifiers have more heft, control, and refinement to the sound. You may find that amplifiers sound remarkably different from each other. Often the matching preamplifier from the same manufacturer will complement the power amplifier best. And of course, you might choose an integrated amplifier that combines a power amplifier and a preamplifier in one chassis. At certain price levels, a high-end integrated amplifier may provide the best sound because of the cost efficiencies of combining the enclosure, power supply, and so forth. However, you may find it somewhat more difficult to upgrade your system later. Next, consider your source components. Almost all music lovers today own a high-quality CD player, as many new recordings are available only on CD. However, many wonderful old recordings (and even some new ones) are available only on LP. We suggest that you buy sources for whatever recordings you love to listen to. Tip: If you have an LP collection that you treasure, make sure that you clean your records before their first use with a wet-vacuum record cleaning machine. This will protect your investment in your collection. Also use a dry carbon-fiber brush to remove surface dust from the record before each playing, and use stylus fluid periodically to keep your stylus clean. We recommend the VPI record cleaning machines, as they are reliable, fast, convenient, and even fun to use. We also recommend the Hunt carbon fiber brush and Clearaudio stylus cleaning fluid. In the future, you may wish to consider other sources such as DVD-Audio or Super Audio CD. You should know that it may be awhile before there is any real library of recordings available for either one of these new media, and it's possible that neither will catch on. We currently recommend these players only if you are comfortable being on the fringe of the edge of technology. Your system will need cabling to connect the components together. Cables influence the final sound of your system, often to a surprising degree. We suggest that you choose your cables to complement the sonics of the rest of your components. The best-matched cables may make the difference between good performance and stunning performance. With our familiarity with the products that we carry, we can recommend well-matched cables to simplify your search. Even if your system contains components that we don't sell, we might have experience with your components and be able to help. Your system will need a home -- an audio stand of some sort. The furniture must accommodate the width, depth, and height of each of your components and perhaps possible future additions. Some components require open space around them (or forced air ventilation) to keep cool. Overheating will shorten the life of your components. Also, some components need a stable, anti-vibration surface in order to function properly. Turntables and tube equipment are usually quite sensitive to mechanical vibration, however you may find sensitivity in CD transports and solid state electronics. Some types of audio furniture incorporates extensive anti-vibration features. And last, the acoustics of your listening room will strongly influence your system's performance. Think of the air in the room as the final interconnect between the speakers and your ears. To get the best possible sound, you'll need acoustic room treatment. We can even help you build a dedicated listening room, if you'd like. A well-designed, carefully set up 2-channel audio system will recreate a remarkably lifelike musical experience. To those who love music, it is truly a sublime pleasure

California Contractors State License Board. License # 837044
Not Responsible for Typographical Errors -(I.E. Pictures, Specs, Features, Color.) Prices subject to change without notice.
Per our agreement with our suppliers, Dream Home Cinema does NOT sell products over the Internet, over the phone, by mail, or telemarketing. These pages are intended as a courtesy to our customers, to provide them with all possible information regarding the products we install for them. The products featured on our web-site are for Face to Face sales only and cannot be purchased independent of the installation.

2-Channel (Stereo) Audio Systems