Software, hardware, headphones and “practice only”: 30 materials with recommendations for “audio lovers”

In today's collection you will find articles and podcasts with tutorials from our “ Hi-Fi World ”.

It includes materials about software, hardware, headphones, amplifiers - everything that is useful for a music lover to know about them. Here we have collected texts about various aspects of audio: from specialized equipment to “computers for Hi-Fi”, and from vinyl to MP3.

Photo by Vikramdeep Sidhu / CC BY-SA

Software for music lover

Testing player programs for macOS X against regular iTunes . We understand whether the choice of the player affects the sound quality on OS X, and compare the built-in iTunes and third-party players. Determine whether it is possible to measure the difference in sound, consider in detail alternative players and discuss the advantages and distinctive features of each of them.

Guide to converting vinyl discs into digital files (Windows) . After reading this article, you can copy the vinyl to digital sound, even if you hadn’t done anything like this before. Inside you will find step by step instructions with a detailed analysis of each step and useful tips. This will help not only digitize vinyl, but also get rid of clicks and crackles on the record. And at the end of the material we offer a little fun: try to catch by ear the difference between digitizing vinyl and the same recording from a CD.

Audio Calibration: Why do electronic room correction . How to make the audio system play better? First, we will figure out how to look for the “bottlenecks” of the system, and what indicators of software products and measuring devices need to pay attention to. And then in six steps we will find out what defects can and should be corrected, and how to do it.

Why not all codecs are equally useful . This material is about encoding audio files to MP3: we compare how different players and codecs show themselves and why the “bitrate is different”, even if we set the “traditional” 320 kbps. Conclusions will help reduce the loss of quality and get a decent sound even in difficult situations.

Hi-Fi on PC

Build the right computer desk music lover . This material is about why music lovers who prefer to listen to music, sitting at a computer monitor, the “right” computer desk is important. In this case, “correct” does not mean “professional” and is extremely expensive. The article has practical tips on how and from what to make the music lover table itself and not to spend too much.

"Iron" for listening to high quality music . In the first part of the “Computer for Hi-Fi” series of articles, we discuss the topic of iron: what should be a computer music lover, how to “fill it out” and what intricacies should be remembered during assembly. In addition, we will talk about hard drives, network storage and address the issues of the “optimal age” of a Hi-Fi computer.

Music only: Make the PC system unit quiet . What to do if the buzz of the system unit prevents you from enjoying your favorite music? This material will discuss how to optimize iron. Each stage of tuning is analyzed in detail: noise reduction due to the hull, competent cooling system and other effective (though not always economical) solutions.

Network music: Computer for Hi-Fi . This article will explain what you need to create a high-quality PC-based audio source. In the article: stereo amplifiers, USB DACs, software selection and tuning for different operating systems, as well as the most popular software solution for playing high-quality sound.

TOP-5: Learn to computer sound . In this article you will find analysis of five integrated solutions for building a decent sound from a computer. The author selects a sound card, speakers and headphones, taking into account the budget of the PC owner. And also reminds the rules of acoustic treatment of the room and placement of equipment on the desktop.

Players and Amplifiers

How I used a VHS video recorder for recording . In this article, we will discuss an experiment with analogue technology: we archive vinyl and SACD on VHS with the help of a Grundig GV-464 tape recorder. In addition, we compare the sound on VHS and DVD and discuss the pros and cons of VHS Hi-Fi Stereo.

How to get the best sound from a CD player . This text is about getting the most out of your CD player and disc collection. The article has a few simple tips: where and how to put the player, which cable to choose and why it is better to turn off the display. We will briefly discuss the issues of amplifiers and tuning parameters of digital filters.

Where to keep a large collection of high quality music . Even a small collection of music materials in FLAC format can take several hundred gigabytes. Therefore, to store such a collection is not easy even on a stationary computer, not to mention a laptop. In this material, we deal with the problem of storing “heavy” recordings: we collect a decent source of digital sound using network storage and a network player.

Photo m1try / CC BY-SA

Sound formats and heading "without wires"

Podcast Sound: Audio and Video Formats . What is the difference between FLAC and Super Audio CD? What is the difference between dubbing and the original soundtrack (from the point of view of a music lover and a movie buff, why go from DVD to Blu-ray, and what could be the future of 4K? The answers to these and other questions will be voiced by the speakers, and you can read the release transcript at this link.

Vinyl and CD: the taste and color: Pros and cons of formats . Here we will talk about the difference between CD and vinyl: what can and cannot each of the formats. We are talking about popularity, subtleties of sound recordings and problem areas of records and CDs. Let's look at the results of comparing digital and analog recordings, find out the truth about the “warm” sound of vinyl and see what people love vinyl for.

Bluetooth audio: Squeeze the most out of a wireless connection . In this article we will discuss how Bluetooth technology is useful for a music lover. We will touch on the history of technology, tell about the Bluetooth profiles and the nuances of their work. Additionally, we will determine which codec is best suited for lovers of high-quality sound: AAC, aptX or SBC.

What wireless technology is right for you? . The creators of audio systems are increasingly supplying their products with solutions without wires. How to determine the best option for yourself and what to look for when choosing? The article compares popular wireless technologies: AirPlay, Bluetooth, DLNA, Play-Fi, Sonos, etc., and discusses the pros and cons of each of them.

We understand the technology of wireless sound transmission . We delve into the topic of wireless technology. This time we will talk about popular technologies in the market of Hi-Fi-equipment, tell you about the subtleties of wireless transmission of audio in your home audio system and look at the choice of audio codec.

Headphones and DACs

Podcast Sound: "Headphones and DACs . " Let us see why the choice of headphones depends not only on the format of their use (in the subway, at home, in training at the gym, etc.), but also, for example, from your favorite musical genre. Next, we will discuss what other features need to be taken into account: how to choose the headband and ear cushions for you, whether to listen to expert opinion and fully rely on technical characteristics when comparing different models. You can read the release transcript at this link.

Choosing the best DAC (part 4) . This article focuses on FPGA modules. What is FPGA, how does it work and what is the reason for DACs? What are the advantages and features of their use (for example, Chord DAVE)? All this in the material.

Digital to Analog Converters: Questions and Answers . In this issue of the Sound podcast, Dmitry Kabanov and Timofey Shikolenkov answer the questions of the audience. Among the topics of the release: why there are no equalizers in expensive equipment, whether intra-channel headphones can be harmful to health, what is the difference between professional and amateur musical equipment and why “professional” in this case does not mean “best” or “expensive”.

Portable audio systems: Myths and reality . We offer a transcript of the first release of “Sound”: the presenters will talk about how and why this project was created. In addition, we will talk about popular myths "around the topic of audio": misconceptions about amplifiers and plug-in headphones, as well as marketing solutions of companies selling audio equipment and the features of the choice of musical equipment.

How musicians choose headphones: Do not believe advertising, believe your ears . The author gives advice on how not to get caught in the brand traps when choosing audio equipment and examines popular myths about audio using the example of Beats Electronics technology. Why is there no need to strive to reproduce the sound “just like in a recording studio”, how the sound is influenced by a smartphone (if you listen to music from it) and its “filling”, and what it means to “believe your ears” - about all this in the text.

Children's headphones can be dangerous, or watch the volume . Inside, you will find the results of a study by The Wirecutter, which tested 30 sets of “children's” headphones and determined the winners and outsiders. As it turns out, not all the equipment, declared as “safe for children”, is really suitable for listening to music by young music lovers. At the end of the material are tips on how to protect children from hearing problems when using headphones.

How to clean headphones: Plug-in, overhead and EarPods . Dust and dirt on the headphones is not only unaesthetic, but also impairs their performance. Therefore, the author of this article offers several ways to safely and effectively clean the headphones - from EarPods to overhead - and not damage them.

Choose headphones with active noise cancellation . We are talking about noise cancellation: when it is necessary, what is the difference between active and passive noise cancellation, and why in this regard building ear plugs are noteworthy. The article discusses the features of noise reduction of overhead and in-ear headphones and the pitfalls of technology for both types of devices. And in the material there are several life hacking to make the world around as quiet as possible.

In-ear headphones: Price, design and sound quality . In-ear headphones are one of the most popular solutions on the market. The author of this material is trying to figure out what makes up the price of headphones of this type, describes in detail the design of such headphones and features of dynamic, rebar and hybrid models.

Full-size headphones for the street: Compare models of the closed type . Despite all the adaptability of in-ear headphones, many music lovers still prefer closed-type headphones. This article will discuss what features of the design you should pay attention to when choosing a full-size headphones, as well as the pros and cons of active noise cancellation. Additionally inside you will find an overview of the top 5 models of the closed type and a comparison of their characteristics.

A couple of other audio digests on our GT blog:

All Articles