How
to: Improve sound quality!
At home, on
the bus or in a car, we all listen to music from different sources using different equipment.
We listen to different kinds of music, but most of us can't live without it. What
can we do to listen to better quality music, which is more alive?
What I’d
like to present to you is a short tutorial about making music sound better. I
hope that it will be useful for some of you.
At home:
If the source
of your music is a PC make sure that you have also an external DAC with a headphone amplifier (ex. Nuforce
uDAC).
What is DAC? It
is a microchip that changes digital bits into electric waves (check out
Wikipidia for more details).
Why external? Because the ones that reside in the
PC's audio card or mp3 device are cheap crap.
Source: http://www.nuforce.pl/
Make sure that you play
music from a lossless source like FLAC, lossless WMA or at least 320kbps
MP3.
You can also subscribe a
premium account on WiMP, Spotify or Deezer services to stream high quality music
from an Internet server.
On the way
Do a research about
headphones, choose a closed back instead of open type and do not use in-ear
monitors – they can damage your ears.
The source is always
important! If you buy headphones with a 1,25" speaker inside, a built-in
amplifier in mp3 player could have problems with generating enough current to
supply your device.
If you want to stay with your
smartphone as a music player, the best solution could be to find a
bluetooth headphones. They have a great advantage over standard wire ones. An audio
signal from the smartphone is transported
digitaly via bluetooth to headphones, where it is converted into an analog
signal. It means that bluetooth headset has its own DAC, so if you buy a good
one, you can enjoy hi-end sound quality from a crappy smartphone.
Source: http://en-de.sennheiser.com/
In a car
Sound deaden
doors of your car. It will kill all buzzes and rattles and build a proper sound
chamber. Before you start you should check your doors’ dissembling instruction –
examples can be found on many car forums. To have an idea of what it looks like check this video:
It seems to be
a lot of work but results are amazing: you can improve sound quality of your
car-audio set. But you have to spend a few hours of time or pay for
professional car-audio service.
I've been doing
it since my first car and I was always more that satisfied from results.
General advice: every element in the audio
path is important, from power supply to speakers. Cables as well;)
Summing up, it is a good idea to think what we
can do to make our life better, sometimes a small change can cause a great
effect. If you know what you want to change just Google it ;)
This article is based on my own experience and knowledge, so if you find any logical or technical mistakes please let me know :)
Do you have any other ideas to make your audio system sounds better?
Please share it with us!
Please share it with us!
No longer than a few days ago I was wondering what I can do with sound quality in my laptop :) I have good quality laptop and pretty good speakers.. If I listen to the mp3 it's only in 320kbps quality but I always wanted better and better sound... Now I know what I can improve, thanks! But I have question. Is it possible to connect DAC to the speakers via bluetooth? I don't like wires ;)
ReplyDeleteHello Piotrek!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that my article was usefull for you! It's great to hear that!
DAC is Digital to Analog Converter - so while bluetooth is digital transmission there is no use for DAC between computer(digital) and bluetooth(digital) interface. Moreover if you have bluetooth speakers you already have integrated DAC inside bluetooth speakers (a cheap one I gues ;) )
To sum up: DAC is always there where the digital tramission ends.
You can buy HiFi bluetooth speakers.
Unfortunetly for you if you want to hear a highend music you have to have a few wires ;)
And try using FLAC format instead of MP3.
If you have other related questions I'll be glad to answer!
Take care!
I'm not sure if Harman Kardons are cheap ;) I don't listen to mp3s only (I wrote "if" :P ). So it seems that I will look for good quality external sound card. Anyway, thanks for help and sharing your knowledge!
DeletePiotr,
DeleteIf you use bluetooth, better soundcard won't help ;) Because all audio-magic is perform on your speakers systemem (they has BT interface, DAC and amplifier embeded)
If you want better sound you need to separate digital and analog devices and improve quality of each element.
Understood! :)
DeleteNice presentation, very cohesive!
ReplyDeleteSound quality is something I used to think a lot about. One of my closest friends is an audiophile nut - his entire set up is worth upwards of £5000. For Gods’s sake - he imported a couple of pounds of specially selected little stones to put his speakers on because he claimed he could hear the vibrations caused by the marble legs of the speakers. The sound produced by all this machinery was pretty amazing - not “I wanna run and spend all my money on audio equipment” amazing but “huh, pretty cool” amazing.
Anyway, finally I decided to bite the bullet and invest some money. 99% of my music listening happens on the go so I bought the best player available at the time under £400 (Cowon j3) and a really nice pair of headphones (Sennheiser Momentum over ear - the picture of which you’ve included in your presentation. Do you use them as well?)
And guess what? I was thoroughly disappointed:) Coming from cheapo Sennheiser in ear headphones coupled with an LG G2 at the time I was expecting to be blown away, Did not happen, My girlfriend and I actually spent longer than I care to admit on blind testing the equipment. Most of the time I couldn’t hear the difference between the two devices, quite a few times guessing the phone to sound better. We tested 320 kbps Spotify tracks against uncompressed flacs. Trust me, I tried hard to convince myself the Cowon sounded better but it’s kinda hard to do in a randomised blind test:)
In the end I returned the Cowon and kept the Sennheisers (honestly, mainly for the looks - I freaking love them) - carrying an extra device other than my phone would just be too inconvenient. Right now my iPhone 6 plus does the job well enough for me not to even consider a DAC.
What’s your current set up? Do you actually carry a DAC?
Just to be clear - I'm not saying the good equipment sounds the same as the run of the mill one. It's just with me being tone deaf there is no point to spending money on stuff I cannot hear:)
DeleteSebastian,
DeleteThaks for sharing with us with your story.
I'm a bit sure, that you sennheiser's need an aditional headphones-amplifier to provide a decent amount of current (big membrane need a bit more current than mp3 playares can produce).
Those kind of headphones are designed for home use rather than mp3 players. Sennheiser has cheaper series for mobile players that can be use with low-current amplifiers. So you shouldn't have connected yours with mobile devices ;)
I have Sennheiser HD558 with Nuforce uDAC - and they sounds great - it cannot be compared with iPhone audio quality:) But I have to say that Apple has one of the best audio quality on middle range mobile-audio market.
As a stand alone setup I had a lot of equipment including Denon and marantz amps and Dali, B&W and Usher speakeres.
Currently I'm using m-audio studio monitors and Nuforce DAC because of lack of space in my leaving room :(
I didn’t know that bluetooth headphones are superior to wired ones, but right now it makes sense. I really do not care about clear and pure sound, because I listen to the music, mostly when I’m jogging, dancing, warming up before football training or while traveling in a tram, so I do not think it’s worth to spend extra money for very better quality, when the flexibility and endurance is the main feature. I used to wear sennheiser adidas cx 680 (http://static.bootic.com/_pictures/1406036/sennheiser-mx-680i.jpg), which I loved (but I must admit sound quality was really poor), but after I broke the jack I switched to Sennheiser CX 300 II Precision Enhanced Bass version (http://cachepe.zzounds.com/media/quality,85/CX_300_black-1a879ac31fe6a562ace6d7b3cd3ec2fb.jpg) and I must say that they’re better than previous ones, especially for better sound isolation.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the expensive sound system – last week I saw a guy on a crossing with that kind of hardware. The music was so loud and the car was so well sound-isolated, that he didn’t hear an ambulance on a signal, waiting for him to let them through. So with great power, comes great responsibility!
Great presentation!
Well said :)
DeleteBluetooth headphones are better if you have crappy sound source (like an cheap android phone). But unfortunetly good BT headphones cost around 1000zl and more :( If you want low priced, bearable audio quality you can choose iPod shuffle with Sennsheiser's HD202 - these has always best quality/price ratio :)
And iPod shuffle is perfect for jogging or running :)
Well, I bough pretty expensive DAC and similar headphones and I must say, when I'm listeting to my FLACs I'm impressed. I used to listen to crappy mp3 on average headphones, but if u spend some money on good quality equipment you are going to love it. Of course it's not everyone, a lot of people doesn't hear the difference. That was something about elephant and ears :D By the way, check this out : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGtQsDsr5tc
ReplyDeleteMateusz, thanks for comment.
DeleteThere is a possibility that you will spend a lot of $$$ and you still get crappy sound. The trick is to spend it wisely. I've been saying it over and over but I need to say it one more time in different words: If you spend a milioin$ for Bugatti and refuel its tank with water it won't go fast ;)
This video is sick!!!
I would have never thought that BT headphones would be best for sound quality. Maybe I just always thought about them as crappy wireless phone headsets from a long time ago when I had one. As for the car deadening the effects shown in the video you posted and in others I found around the internet are quite noticeable but it looks like a lot of work and I would probably be afraid that I break something along the way :p
ReplyDeleteMaciek, the satisfaction that you get if you listen to music in your car knowing that it sound so good thanks to hours of your hard work is priceless ;)
DeleteThe sound quality is really important for me. In da house I have a Logitech 5.1 speakers system and it works fine. I like a deep bass a clearly sound. The place where I mostly listen to music is my car - unfortunately I have a lot of objections in this case. A pursuit for unpolluted sound could be very expensive but a difference in hearing through between low-end and hi-end devices is largely noticeable. I also agree with your advice – in audio system every element matters. Nice topic of article with clearly form of presentation. Congrats
ReplyDeleteThanks for your opinion!
DeleteYou can try to change your car speakers and radio for a start - it is quite straightforward.
There are shops in Warszawa, where you can get free replace service for free with speakers/radio.
Frankly speaking it's not topic for me. When I want to buy new headphones I always chose the one which looks the best for me. I'm not checking the quality of the sound. I have to try it on my head and when it's comfortable - that the one.
ReplyDeleteAs goes with the home... well, I use JBL Flip 2 wireless speaker (http://pl.jbl.com/jbl_product_detail_pl/jbl-flip-ii-red.html). It's fine for me and the bluetooth technology is great because I can play music from laptop or smartphone. Another advantage is that I can bring it with me when I go somewhere on vacation for example.
Audio in car: I have factory audio system. I don't drive Lancia so it's not Bose ;)
If you don't care about sound, you can just wear earmuffs ;) It would be cheaper ;)
DeleteI have read a lot of articles about sound quality and I have also checked a lot of different headphones from 5 PLN to 1000 PLN and I have one conclusion. I can’t hear diametrically difference between this for 150 PLN or 1000 PLN so I won’t buy anything more expensive than my current headphones - AKG F450. Definitely it is enough for me, especially that usually I use it with my phone :)
ReplyDeleteOf course I am not an ignorant at all. I had change my integrate music card in my PC because the quality of sound was pretty poor. I did it about 5 years ago and now I use Asus Xonar Dx and once again: it is enough for me. Nonetheless, thank you for your presentation. That was very interesting for me!
Tomek,
DeleteThe lack of difference between 150pln and 1000pln headphones could be caused by pour sound source and amplifier. For more expensive one you need to pair it with hi-quality headphone amplifier.
You shouldn't have judged headphones after listening session on low-end amps.
If you will have an opportunity to test different headphones on really good amp, you may change your attitude :)
Thank you for sharing your experience!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYou could easily go broke on audio equipment. I wanted to glory my room's setup (PC+PS4+Audio source) with M-Audio BX5-D2 'semi-studio' stereo speakers but it also meant investing in cables, Denon amplifier and in it ended with me buying Ultrasone headphones for the nights as well :)
ReplyDeleteDACs are a whole different story - I've read opinions that DACs for a good quality headphones are 'reasonably' prices at FiiO E7 price range. Which starts at 400zł and goes waaaay up - in many casessurpassing the headphone's value :)
On the other hand i was pleasantly surprised when I wanted to replace my Ford's stock in-door speakers for aftermarket ones which cost <100zł. The upgrade was mightily huge, so I guess the sound upgrade is not as expensive in all cases :)
Freakin' expensive and time consuming but the overall effect is stunning, but could be better :)
Mateusz, M-Audio BX5-D2 are great choice! You don't need any amplifiers like Denon for them - they already has built-in amp inside! And it's quite good amp! And that's why they are one of the best sounding monitors for the money!
DeleteWhat for do you have? I've got Focus MK3 with stock audio and I've just deadened my doors and effect is great but I think about changing the speakers too. So could you tell me what you have chosen?
Yeah, with my M-Audios and Denon i have now a tri-amped setup, but I needed it in order to connect optical audio cables to my gaming console and easily switch sources, which was the main goal :)
DeleteMy ride is Fiesta MK6 - Ford has these unusual elyptic-shaped speaker sockets which are kind of difficult to get :) I went with HERTZ DCX 570.3, which i bought at http://www.elektrodor.pl/ (Wyszogrodzka street). In addition to the big choice of speakers, they have all the tools i needed for the installation job - e.g. custom Ford ISO cube which was impossible to get anywhere else.
I have no door isolation whatsoever (I didn't have the time and motivation), so more bass shakes the whole car loose, but overall the speakers are smoking most of the stock ones (not only in Ford)
I don’t really hear the difference in sound quality of good and excellent audio equipment and it saves me a lot of money ;) but it’s good there are people who hear it and work on the development of sound quality. I heard of audiophiles building their own sound equipment, that’s really cool:)
ReplyDeleteThis was one of the most absorbing presentation I've read on this blog. It's really interesting. It is not just an ordinary presentation. It's like "guide performance"!. Anyone who reads it will learn something :) Great !
ReplyDeleteOk this is seriously not good topic for me. I don't belive in most of the things related with quality of sound. Of course I'm not talking about basic stuff but you can find a lot of things like kables for $40k or something like that. It may had any sense in the bast but know when we have digital sound ? Come on ;) be serious.
ReplyDeleteI cannot find any logical or techical mistakes because i'm such a lame in this subject... I'm taking all you've wrote for granted. But maybe you can tell me something about JABRA company? Are their products good? I have the plantronics headphones and they really rules. But the battery is getting worse and I'm sure that pretty soon I will have to replace them.
ReplyDeleteIts very interesting article, thanks for that. Anyway I can’t hear any difference between device for 100 PLN or 1000 PLN so I won’t buy anything more expensive than this, the only difference is between 20 PLN and 100 PLN :) You can call me an ignorant or something but its true. If I really want to listen loud and good quality sound Im going out to see a concert.
ReplyDeleteOh that's great. Let me introduce you to my fully tube 120Watt RMS amp, and 4x12 cabinet. 4x JJ 6L6GC on the power amp and 4x 12AT7 + 2x 12AX7 on the preamp. That's what we call Peavey 5150 - THE LEGENDARY ONE :D Anyway ... how long have you been working with sound improvement and all that stuff? because after 11 years of my experience, I can say that listening to FLAC and WMA, all that 320kbps is a total bulls... sir and no one can even hear the difference if you don't play it through some really heavy and very expensive hardware ! Also "Why external? Because the ones that reside in the PC's audio card or mp3 device are cheap crap" - why? I have like 5 DACs laying near me and I wouldn't say it sounds better than Macbook's Pro built-in audio system... Clearly I can say DACs sound different but you never can tell something sounds better. For you better can be lots of low ends, for someone else it can be clear highs (this is why some people prefer neodymium magnets) etc... All that stuff with DACs and headphones and FLAC is a total..... overkill. Sorry for such hateful comment lolz.
ReplyDeleteHey, thanks for the interesting topic. I think that no every inside music card is cheap crap :P. Even integrated systems are acceptable - but you have to get high end motherboard. Of course this is my opinion and I have to say that I am not an audiophile. I didn't know that the best way to play music from smartphone is do it by bluetooth ;o. But it sounds fair. One of my buddies is a sound maniac. I remember him hearing the music from old iPod. If I am not wrong that was the classic v5. He got custom fireframe, some small electronic changes (inside), external amplifier and AVG headphones. Good and not expensive stuff :D. Do you hear about it's potential?
ReplyDeleteThe changes you mentioned will feel only people who know at this and are able to hear the smallest change in sound. Not in every situation it makes sense to invest a lot of money and time to improve the audio system. If someone uses a car audio rarely and only to listen to radio stations that he doesn't need great equipment, but if you like to listen to CDs on which the recording quality is very high, then right, you should improve the audio to enjoy every slightest tone of music. When it comes to home audio as far as I know it's important even the kind of wood used to build the box, every hole and screw in hand made professional equipment, even the layout of the room and what is on the walls, whether it is a concrete or wood. Fortunately, today we have lots of audio systems to choose from a cheap radio to a very expensive home-theater-made to order. In short - something for everyone.
ReplyDelete