by Winn L. Rosch
Can You Still Live with Your Stereo?
Time has a way of tip-toeing past us.
Before we realize it, the new car has
depreciated so badly scrap dealers won't
touch It, the last Congressmen we voted for
are eligible for parole, and we discover
those faint lines behind the tuning dial of
our receiver are actually cobwebs. Hi-fi
components fortunately give us the oppor
tunity to outrun the ravages of time by up
grading each part of our stereo system as
technology leaves it by the wayside. But
when is the proper time to replace a com
ponent in a venerable stereo system?
The primary purpose in getting new com
ponents is to improve the sound. When new
advances overtake the capabilities of your
equipment you’ll end up listening to sub
standard fidelity even if your equipment was
once top of the line. More importantly, as
you learn more about sound reproduction
and music through the years, your ears will
become more critical. You may actually out
grow your system.
The best way to decide when and what to
update is to compare what you have to any
thing and everything else that is currently
available. A Herculean task, to be sure. But
if you know what to listen for and how to
properly focus the scope of your search,
your quest will be not only manageable but
worthwhile.
If you’re not happy with what you hear
through what you have, it’s time to find out
what’s wrong and where improvement Is
needed.
The following is a brief guide to stereo
system symptomology that, when properly
applied with a liberal dosage of common
sense, should lead to a complete cure of
your listening problems.
The best place to begin is with the
inherently simplest piece of stereo
gear, the turntable. All one has to do
is spin records around — and be able to do
it so smoothly and accurately its workings