Listen

I finally made it to the “Vinyl Atbp.Record Bazaar” last July 12 organized by Hyperaudio’s Rene Rivo. It was actually the fourth staging of this highly successful vinyl bazaar where even the most rare or sought-after long-playing and 45 records were on sale. The event was full to capacity with the number of people spilling over half of the one-lane Calatagan St. in Makati. 

I’m no longer surprised to see music- lovers young and old sifting through crates and crates of vinyl laid out under several tents provided for by Rene. My plan to remain incognito failed. I was amused to see teenagers seeking my intervention on their heated discussion on which amplifier reproduces better sound — vacuum tube or solid state. This issue is also a hot topic among audiophiles which has transformed chat sites into a veritable science classrooms that could rival those of MIT’s and Caltech’s.

Nonetheless, I’m glad that a growing number of today’s audiophiles know what they’re into. Before, the intimate knowledge of how an amplifier works belonged exclusively to electronic engineers. Years of tinkering with their wares and committing countless mistakes have made some audiophiles even more knowledgeable than the experts. They are after all in an enviable position of learning, loving and living their passion.

My humble opinion has already been sought a number of times on the issue, and the only answer I can offer is: Just listen! I have done that, and concluded that the tube system indeed is far superior than solid state as far as reproducing sound that is faithful to the original is concerned. But amplifiers are just part of a system. Getting the most out of your sound system means more than having a good amplifier.

Amplifiers have to match up seamlessly with the preamp, the speakers, your music source (be it a CD player or a turntable) and, most importantly, the environment in which your system functions. New audiophiles often forget that room acoustic plays a crucial role on how music is reproduced. Even an excellently recorded vinyl, for instance, could sound distorted if the four walls of your music room are made of glass, and dull if they’re covered with carpet. In short, recreating sound with unflinching fidelity simply means getting the whole package right. This is why sometimes it takes years to perfect a system; unless you have the money to do it in a single sweep.

The first step is to listen well. Train your ears to detect good music from bad. You can do this by taking advantage of the generous time that most dealers allow their customers to try out their wares. Play your favorite music on different systems that a dealer is offering. You’ll be surprised to hear that some musical details could be missing on a few of them.

Training your ears to evaluate different sound systems could give you the head start in building up your dream system. In your quest, you’d surely come across the fact that some solid state systems can equal vacuum tubes in faithfully reproducing music. Where’s the difference then? High-fidelity music does not only mean getting all the musical information from a musical track. It also means delivering the artists right into your music room. This is where tube systems excel, aside from the fact they give out a rounder, sweeter and warmer sound.

The sound of nature — the human voice, the gushing wind or even the tick-tock of a clock — is analog. As we’ve discussed before, a digitized sound, even with the aid of the latest tools that technology could offer, often falls short of the high-fidelity yardstick.

I do not want to pan the fire in the already raging, albeit healthy, digital-vs.-analog debate going on. I have made my choice using my ears and the little science I’ve learned while enjoying my “vice.” The fact that many have shifted to analog is a testament to its excellence in faithfully reproducing sound.

Music-lovers of the ‘80s and the ‘90s were trained to hear digital music, but by simply listening and keeping their ears open, they are slowly finding out what they have been missing all these years. 

* * *

For comments or questions, please e-mail me at audioglow@yahoo.com. You can also visit www.wiredstate.com for quick answers to your audio concerns.