Danger: Watch Out For Unnecessary Gimmicks
May 06 '01
The Bottom Line Don't expect a micro to sound as good as a separate system. But should be easy-going and pleasing to listen to.
So your after a new hi fi, a micro system. These are ideal for small rooms and bedrooms, they make good presents for children, they are easy to use and sound good. WHAT?
Hold it if you think the above statement is totally true your going to have to rethink it. YES they are ideal for small rooms and make good presents for children but the rest… NO WAY.
Micros are not easy to use (some are I know) and they don’t always sound great. So if you want a micro which looks good you may be sacrificing sound, if you want a load of extras you may miss sound again, if you want pure sound, you’ll miss out on features and maybe looks.
Before I start here are some key meaning of words I use.
Watts; this is the measurement of the power of a micros amplifier, which drives the speakers to produce sound. More watts can often mean louder sound. But it depends on the speakers rated sensitivity.
Harsh; a meaning for ear painful treble which over emphasises the high-pitched sounds.
Punchy; for bass a punchy sound means a snapping attacking sound, which is clear as a real life bass drum attack, quick and precise.
Frequency spectrum; the total area of sound, low to high pitched sounds, bass to treble – the ideal would be a truly flat sound level.
Coloration; where a part of the frequency spectrum is over emphasized, like harsh treble or booming bass.
To make it plain and simple here are my list of tips:
Watch out for PMPO
PMPO, ha ha ha, what a pathetic gimmick, this is supposed to mean Peak Music Power Output, but it is totally untrue. Most of the cheaper inferior brands will have this coupled to a fair wattage number. Its basically the RMS (Route Mean Square) wattage power out put multiplied by four to make it sound powerful. Some times even the store will staple a little label on saying something like 10Watt PMPO, which means the system will produce only 2.5 watts. It’s a stupid gimmick which you should totally ignore.
Don’t look for flashy lights
Its gimmicks like these which make micros attractive, and often makes then uninspiring when it comes to sound. Its nice to have them as long as the system isn’t over filled with them. But in my view they’re just there to make them seem special.
Don’t look for 3/5 disc CD changers
I agree a CD changer would be nice, but the fact is they are totally unessasary, you can’t get better sound from a micro if it has a big clunky CD changer inside, it means they spent more money on the mechanism than the components that create the sound thus meaning less quality sound.
Check build quality
The old cliché ‘you get what you pay for’ comes in here; a £1000 micro (who make s these?) will be better built than a £100 micro. Even a £100 micro should have;
Parallel lines between panels, joints and doors,
No wobbly panels, drawers, doors or buttons
And no weak assembly points.
A micro should really last a lifetime. And this is a perfect time to cross out possibilities on your shortlist in the store.
Now once you have those checked next to your shortlist products, you can begin the final analysis, and you should take into account your price range, you current system, your music and your space.
The testing
Don’t be folled into thining playing music in a busy store is wrong, any good retailer will allow you to play with any product they have on display. When the assistant appears next to you and asks ‘can I help you’, you say ‘yes’.
Now you can ask him about the product. You can ask him what you want, like;
Does this come with a standard year guarantee? -------It should
Can I bring it back if I don’t like it?-------They should allow that in a number of days
Can it play CD-Rs/CD-RWs?--------It should play CD-Rs, CD-RW playback will come in handy later.
Can it play metal tapes?------Its not always needed but nice if its there.
Has this been returned before by unhappy customers?------the assistant will be a little unsure with this, probably saying ‘no, its never been returned’.
Does it come with a remote?----it should
Does it come with its own speakers?----No not all do, some require you to buy them.
Ask if you can take it home leaving a deposit to test it perhaps.
As a final tip for store assistants help is to be happy with the service, hey you want to buy something from a store who are nice to you, right? If you uncomfortable with the help, leave!
As some final tips…
Go for brand names, it makes sense really. Watch out for knock offs, and the real cheapos that hardly work well. Don’t go for the cheapest, its silly to buy something because it has the same as a £100 machine but costs £40, because the sound and performance mechanically will not be as good.
Moving into sound
Take along your own choice of music, tapes, records, CDs, anything. Try each area as long as you want. You want the best sound right?
Try the radio, see how voices sound, is the treble to ear painful and harsh at higher volumes?
Is there enough bass?
Can you hear instruments clearly behind vocalists?
Can you hear the drummer in the background?
Is the bass punchy, and attacking?
Is there any coloration?
The voices in music should sound centre staged, while with classic music the instruments should be heard around the speakers, not from them.
Don’t expect too much, a micro system will offer a good blend of features with easy-going sound.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
MichaelHatton
|
 - Top 200 |
|
Location: Darlington, England
Reviews written: 192
Trusted by: 59 members
About Me:
Retired
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.