Hi-Fi audio knowledge

                                                          Hi-Fi audio knowledge

Hi-Fi is the abbreviation of High-Fidelity in English, translated as "high fidelity", its definition is: a replay sound that is highly similar to the original sound.

To evaluate whether a sound system or equipment meets the high-fidelity requirements, it should generally be carried out by combining subjective listening evaluation and objective index test, and the objective test index is the main basis. Because using instruments to test the performance indicators of equipment can obtain very intuitive quantitative results for reference and comparison, it is undoubtedly the most scientific and trustworthy.

The British sound, the American sound, the Danish sound, and the German sound are popular in the audio industry.

The first, but the current technology can only be a relative definition of faithful reproduction, which is one of the reasons why speakers of different brands have their own sound characteristics.

Furthermore, a mature brand will have its own preferred style. It will design a style that it thinks is satisfactory for all its models or a series of models, and calibrate its sound in this direction. Especially the speaker is the most distorted link in the audio system. A popular saying among speaker designers is: It is easy to flatten the spectrum, but it is not easy to make your own style. In the final analysis, it is the distortion of the speaker, which can not only give style, but also give the designer's musical accomplishment.

Cultural regional imprints behind sound styles

Regarding the understanding of style, different cultural regions have different understandings, so there are "British voice", "German voice" and "American voice". This "XX sound" represents a cultural understanding of sound. This understanding is not at the technical level, but at the artistic level. Behind it is the precipitation of culture and the character of the nation. Unfortunately, there has never been a "Chinese voice". It's not that China has no culture, but that Chinese practitioners and consumers have abandoned Chinese culture. There are only a handful of domestic brands that have formed their own style. Many of them design whatever style is popular, which has obvious profit-seeking nature, and more of them don’t understand what style is at all, and those that can make a sound are regarded as products. .

Detailed explanation of various sound styles:

british sound

The British upper class pursues a meticulous and elegant atmosphere. The male guests should be like gentlemen, and the female guests should be like ladies. They should not be overjoyed about things, be calm and calm, pay attention to some small sentiments, listen to some small-made music or even solo, the sound It doesn't need to be huge, let alone bursting, as long as you can hear clearly. On the whole, it is a slow-paced and meticulous life. Their unanimous approval of this kind of life makes them like a kind of music with prominent mid-frequency, low low frequency and bright high frequency, which is softer, slower and slightly warmer. Style, the soundstage is small but not tight, and the details are rich but not outstanding. This sound orientation has been recognized by almost all British audio equipment manufacturers. Although there are differences in the sound characteristics of their products, the basic features are similar. This typical stylized feature is called "British sound". The British voice varies greatly according to the sound style of the era. Old-school British sound refers to the traditional sound style of the early British audio, with dim tones, rich timbre, and prominent mid-frequency. The new style of British sound has good extension at both ends, overall analysis and transparency, but maintains the delicate, gentle, elegant and modern British style of traditional British sound with good mid-frequency density. Generally speaking, British Acoustics does not pursue hard indicators such as widening frequency response, dynamic range, powerful strength, sense of speed, transients, etc., but pays more attention to timbre, so most British acoustics equipment is not expensive, and there are many audiophiles among the majority of audiophiles. High retention.

british sound

British-style equipment that mainly expresses symphonic music, commonly known as "British sound".

Typical representatives are speakers of British brands such as BW, TANHLOY (Tianlang), MISSON (Bel Canto), KEF (Kraft), PKOAC (noble), Rogers (Jazz). This kind of speaker has a soft, delicate and warm sound, excellent mid-high frequency performance, flexible sound, rich sense of music, quite aristocratic gentlemanly demeanor, and long-term close listening will not feel tired, especially suitable for listening to classical music, symphony, light music and Artistic works such as bel canto songs. However, the dynamics of British speakers is not as large as that of American speakers, the instantaneous response is slow, and the efficiency is relatively low; for example, the famous British speaker classic LS3/5a is only 82.5dB, and the driving power of the power amplifier must be sufficient to fully develop its potential. .

american voice

As a country with almost no history, the United States has a completely new view of the world. After more than 200 years of development, the United States has become the most powerful country on earth. For a country with a long history, it is definitely different. They are also deeply influenced by culture in their understanding of sound. They pursue large dynamics, loud fields, and good transients. The bass must be fierce and hard, the high frequency must be bright, the resolution must be good, and even metallic luster. This kind of sound is energetic and surging, but lacks a sense of detail. The audio-visual industry in the United States is well-developed. When exporting audio-visual products, it also outputs this aesthetic view of sound. It has been recognized by a large number of users, especially young users. Therefore, this sound orientation has deeply affected the entire industry, not just in the United States. Audio manufacturers.

It should be noted that the American East Coast sound is close to the British sound, focusing on the original sound and accurate reproduction.

american voice

American-style equipment that mainly expresses rock music, commonly known as "American sound".

Typical representatives are speakers of American brands such as BOSE (Doctor), JBL and Infiruty (Yanfei Lishi). This kind of speaker pays attention to momentum, strength and boldness; the low-frequency reproduction is superior, the transient response is good, the output power is large, the dynamic range is wide, the speed is fast, the impact is strong, the sound is tense and exciting, and it sounds strong and bold. These characteristics make them perform well when replaying rock music or electronic music, and are especially good at creating an atmosphere, so they are often talked about by enthusiasts who pursue sensory stimulation and effect rendering, and are also more suitable for home theater use.

However, in terms of the performance of orchestral music, their texture and transparency are not ideal, and the timbre is cold, hard, and lacking in human touch. Listening to music with them sometimes makes people feel uncomfortable. Enthusiasts often call them "more than entertaining, Insufficient appreciation". In the early years, the "American Voice" was divided into "American East Coast Voice" and "American West Coast Voice". The style is basically the same as the so-called "American Voice". Another feature of American speakers is that they are sturdy, durable, and reliable, with sufficient margins in technical indicators and very stable performance.

Danish sound

The Nordic-style speaker, which mainly expresses modern pop music, is commonly known as "Danish sound".

Typical representatives are Danish Dali (Dani), JAMO (Zunbao), AVANCE (crown), DANTAX (Dante sound), Germany's ELAC (intelligence), HECO (Degao), VISA-TON (Weishatong) ) and CAN-TON (Gold List); Canada's MIRAGE (Mirage) and other speakers. The characteristics of this type of speaker are between the United Kingdom and the United States. It not only absorbs the advantages of large dynamics and good transients of American speakers, but also absorbs the structure and characteristics of speakers that the British are very particular about. They are compatible speakers. Their sound performance is relatively balanced, the sound color is pure and simple, the resolution is high, and there is no excessive rendering. Performs best. Because this type of speaker strives to faithfully reflect the original sound without too much rendering, some audiophiles feel that the sound is not warm enough, rigid, and unacceptable. After all, things with modifications are often more pleasing.

german voice

Rigorous and meticulous, it shows the demeanor of a powerful industrial country, and the timbre is graceful and majestic without showing a trace of timidity. All frequencies are accurate and unbiased. The pursuit of rich details does not let go of fine hair, demanding sound accuracy and disdain for false styles.

Rigorous and meticulous, there is no room for sloppy, and no details are missed from the inside out. No matter from machinery to automobiles, from daily use to audio, German manufacturing is a symbol of precision and high-end. The tireless pursuit of every detail and strict control of product quality have created the century-old quality of German products.

The people who grew up on the banks of the Rhine have speakers that are as majestic as a castle, and few of them are extremely exaggerated. In addition, it is also the birthplace of classical symphony and has a long history of music. The sound of natural speaker products is also atmospheric and balanced, meticulous and precise, and the dynamics are powerful and accurate. From popular vocal lines to symphonic masterpieces, it can be easily controlled. Replaying film products can also show all the climaxes in the blockbuster.

Japanese sound

Japanese equipment known for its high technology.

The commercial taste of Japanese equipment is relatively strong. It can especially cater to the psychology of consumers in terms of novelty in appearance and diversification of functions. The precision of internal design is also admirable. At the same time, the price is relatively low. European and American products are mainly lacking in musical taste, and it is difficult to reproduce the rich colors and subtle changes of timbre, which seems a bit dull and lifeless. This deficiency is particularly prominent in Japanese speakers. However, the Japanese are good at manufacturing power amplifiers and CD players, such as Marantz power amplifiers. Due to the beautiful appearance, high-precision craftsmanship, complete power amplifiers, good technical indicators, and a wide selection of Japanese products, their market share in the international market is not low.

Chinese voice

In fact, there should be no such thing as a "Chinese voice" in the market. It is not that China has no culture, but that there are only a handful of domestic brands that have formed their own style. Many of them design whatever style is popular, which is obviously profitable. What's more, I don't understand what style is at all, and it is considered a product if it can make a sound.

Although it is inclusive and comprehensive, it lacks accumulation and has not achieved success. With the advantage of rapid development, there is no high-quality product that stands out in the rivers and lakes.

From functions to applications, domestic audio brands are well versed in the needs of local users, and they have done a good job in terms of ease of use, function selection, and appearance to cater to the public. However, the accumulation of music culture and science and technology is lacking. Although the overall lack of sound is a bit mediocre, influenced by the Confucian doctrine of the mean, they always want to cover everything. Many and individual voice characteristics show people, comprehensiveness still needs to continue to work hard.

Summarize

From the perspective of the size of the speakers, the medium-sized speakers and home speakers in the UK are relatively good, suitable for listening to classical music and jazz music in small and medium-sized living rooms of ordinary families, while Americans are good at manufacturing large speakers and professional speakers, suitable for large speakers. Listen to rock music and modern music in halls (public places such as karaoke halls and stages).

Judging from the appearance of speakers, the UK and the US take a conservative and solid route, known for their solid but not flashy style, laying the foundation with their strength and reputation; while European products mostly have exquisitely designed and artistically attractive appearances. , the sound also has a romantic color. Especially in the Nordic countries represented by Denmark, due to their high living standards, their products not only pay attention to high-quality performance, but also have extremely gorgeous appearance, so as to be "good-looking" and "good-looking".

From the perspective of technical indicators, the difference in timbre mainly depends on the difference in the spectral characteristics of the sound. Theoretically, the flatter the frequency response curve of the speaker, the better, but in fact, the sound of a speaker with a flat frequency response may not be pleasant. Most speakers have undulating curves in certain frequency bands, and different speaker curves have different shapes, which may be the reason for the different sound styles. American speakers pay attention to the sound performance of all frequency bands, with clear treble, bright midrange, and strong bass, but they don't pay much attention to frequency balance. The British speaker focuses on the perfect softness between the sounds of each frequency band, the treble is round, the midrange is sweet, and the bass is deep.

Having said that, most people may expect that when our "Chinese voice" will also occupy a place in the world's mainstream speaker styles. This is caused by China's current culture, economy, and audio industry situation. In recent years, under the ideal of "catching up with foreign countries", everyone has paid more and more attention to their own music and cultural accomplishment, and they have independent thinking about music culture. In fact, as long as you can make a sound with soul, you don't have to insist on a unified sound style. I look forward to more and more "good voices in China".