tech today
Why do audio products sound different, and how can we examine the differences? It is crucially important to compare audio products under controlled conditions to quantify their performance. Here’s how. WORDS BY DAVID MACKINNON
Over the trio of decades that I’ve been in the mobile enhancement industry, I’ve seen, touched and heard thousands upon thousands of different products from hundreds of companies. I lived through the neon speaker wire and tweed-finished installs of the late ’80s, the shiny fiberglass and neon of the ’90s and the layered look of the late 2000s. In that time, I’ve had the honor to audition, judge (through IASCA) and formally review more products than I can remember. I consider myself fortunate and downright lucky. When I was reviewing a lot of gear, my favorite listening sessions were with amplifiers. I’d amass a half-dozen amps from different companies and head to my friend Brad’s house to listen to them
48 Mobile Electronics January 2019
back-to-back with his Gallo Acoustics speakers and Conrad-Johnson CD Preamp. Unbeknownst to me at the time, listening to multiple amps in a single listening session afforded me a unique opportunity to not only experience each product but also to directly compare the performance of all the products in the test group. The test reports stood on their own, but the listening experience was incredibly valuable in learning how to audition audio products. Thank you to Sound Wave Customs of Virginia Beach, Va. for providing build photos for this article.
Head to Head Battles About five years ago, I was talking to a friend about a line of supposedly premium amplifiers and mentioned I hadn’t
formally auditioned one of their high-end solutions. He offered to let me borrow one of his and sent it over a few days later. I took the amp home and wired it into my reference system and sat down for a listen. It was very nice to listen to. The sound was warm, smooth and inviting. After about a dozen tracks, I started to pack everything up when I realized I should immediately listen to the same tracks on my reference amp. So, that’s exactly what I did. The differences were stunning. My reference amp was what I would consider transparent. Percussion was violent and detailed. Vocals were natural and crisp. Most importantly, the sound didn’t seem to be warm. The music sounded more like a live performance and less like listening to it on a stereo
