Stillpoints
fundamentals
A good Hi-Fi system will perform as well as its environment will allow. Put another way, a well set up less costly system can easily outperform a poorly set up more expensive one.
As the dynamic range of systems increase, the more the limiting factors will be electrical and mechanical noise getting into, and destructively interfering with, the system.
Equipment tables deal to a lesser or greater extent with mechanical noise (in the form of feedback and transformer noise).
Electrical noise in the environment can be dealt with by attention to power cabling, interconnect and speaker cables.
Optimisation of these environmental factors can lead to very significant improvements in the performance of any good system, but where top performing systems are concerned, these factors are fundamental to achieving the results expected for the cost of such a system.
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MusicWorks
ReVo stand & ReFlex block evaluating a system
Thinking & using terms such as liquid treble, smooth midrange & holographic stereo imagery bear no relevance to music. We believe musical performance should be at the heart of the evaluation of a hi-fi system. This will allow you to build a system that rewards emotionally and avoid costly mistakes.
tunefulness - are pitch intervals better reproduced? Does the musical interval feel right as well as sound right?
harmonic accuracy - do several coincidental, but differently pitched notes sound like a harmony? More importantly does it feel like better music because of the harmony?
timing - are simple time signatures more easily heard? Are complex time signatures rendered more understandable? Can subtle timing changes be heard as a musical or emotional effect?
dynamic - when a musician is playing quietly, does the piece still retain emotion? When several instruments play at different volumes, can they each be followed better? Can implied rhythms be heard by slight differences in how loud notes are played?
timbral accuracy - is the tonal envelope of instruments better conveyed? Are different instruments in the same section differentiated better?
performance - this is a measure of how involved the players are in the musical event. Can the energy of the performance be heard? Do instruments really sound like they are being plucked, bowed and hit?
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