the hi-end doctor
are you an audiophile who owns a good hi-fi or a hi-end system?
If so, do you know that a perfect setup can incredibly improve your system's sound and performance, regardless of price or components? Moving the speakers, adjusting your listening position, or adding a top subwoofer properly can make a world of difference!
You should realise that, although magazines and hi-end "gurus" ignore it, a large part of any system’s final sound comes from the room’s acoustics and its setup.
It’s easy to observe that a hi‑fi system sounds different depending on the speaker's placement or if the entire system is moved to another room. This occurs because the speakers' original sound is modified by their interaction with the environment.
Therefore, a professional setup with electronic instruments is essential to flatten the frequency response at the listening point as much as possible.
This is a necessary and sufficient condition for achieving a sound as close as possible to that of the source and for using the term "hi-fi" for the system in question. Otherwise, the system behaves like another musical instrument, with all that this entails. Indeed, most audiophiles don't realise they own an expensive musical instrument instead of a hi-fi system!
A perfect setup can also mitigate, and sometimes even fix, speakers’ intrinsic flaws, which are very common, regardless of price.
For these reasons, an accurate setup of the system in its room is vital, especially today, as the latest generation of so-called "hi-end speakers", aiming to justify their unreal and ludicrous prices, are tragically becoming larger and larger. They are often placed in rooms of normal or small dimensions, which is a huge error that must be avoided from the outset. If such a mistake has been made, it must be corrected (or at least minimised) through a highly professional and challenging setup.
To implement this essential recommendation, audiophiles must realise that resolving serious sound issues requires technical and effective interventions. Unfortunately, incredibly expensive, often absurd, accessories provide little beyond placebo effects and mostly benefit the retailer.
So, take the bull by the horns and hire a skilled technician with a spectrum analyser if you want to fully address the problems!
Moving from a casual or wrong setup to a perfect one can result in such a profound metamorphosis in sound that it feels like you are listening to a new system!
are your speakers proportionate to the dimensions of the listening room?
When buying a pair of loudspeakers, beyond sound quality and cost, the key factors to consider are the size of the listening room and the potential positions for the "new babies".
For instance, I recommend avoiding floorstanders in small or medium‑sized rooms, especially if you'd have to put them in corners or too close to walls. These speakers are acceptable only in large rooms, where you can set them up well away from corners and walls. For medium or small rooms, choose systems with compact speakers on stands, paired with one or two active subwoofers. Besides being "faster" than floorstanders, such a setup has the major advantage of being fully tunable, an essential prerogative when you have to place the speakers in less‑than‑ideal locations.
Choosing the right speakers, based on these principles, is crucial, but it's only the first step. After the new speakers are initially positioned, with the essential aid of a spectrum analyser, their position must be optimised, and the whole system customised and tuned to achieve the flattest possible frequency response at the listening position.
sound perfection is not correlated with the price
Have you ever read in a hi-fi magazine that some very expensive "big boy's toy" is a joke and sounds ... not so well (to put it mildly)?
The simple answer, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is NEVER. This fact should prompt some reflection, as it's far from reality! Audiophiles who read and trust hi-fi magazines have been subliminally taught to believe in a putative hi-fi equation: "the higher the price, the better the equipment, and its sound".
Well, ... nothing could be more misleading and open to debate!
Throughout my professional career, I have auditioned numerous audio systems priced from tens to even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Honestly, all I can say is that I feel deeply sorry for the "poor" (metaphorically speaking, of course) owners!
With just a fraction of what they spent (more accurately, squandered) on absurdly overpriced equipment, they could have bought genuinely good gear at a "humane" cost, which, combined with a proper setup, would have delivered a far superior listening experience!
So, stop assuming you've nailed the perfect sound just because you spent a fortune. In theory, it could happen, but in 54 years, I’ve yet to see it!
you could be an unwitting victim of "setup crimes"
Visiting audiophiles to check their systems, I have often come across disturbing realities that can only be described as "setup crimes". These are the result of the glaring technical and acoustical unpreparedness of the staff at so-called "hi-end temples", who were tasked with delivering and setting up the new, expensive systems.
To help you grasp this alarming reality, I’ll share the two emblematic cases below.
Over twenty years ago, I met an audiophile of remarkable musical culture. Calling him a "music addict" hardly does him justice: classical music is the core of his life, his soul, and his one true religion. He rarely misses concerts around Auckland and often travels overseas for a “good one” or Wagner’s Ring Cycles! When I met him, he owned a system valued at about $125K, with American loudspeakers costing as much as a mid‑range SUV. Each speaker consisted of a large bass cabinet with two passive woofers on the back, and a separate, pyramidal, omnidirectional unit for the mid-high frequencies positioned on top of the bass cabinet. The speakers were bi-amplified with two very costly amplifiers (tubes for the mid-high and solid-state for the bass), connected to the speakers via “elephantine” cables. However, as soon as I heard my reference CD on the system, I immediately noticed the bass sounded odd, with a distinct sense of inconsistency. As I always do in these cases, I connected the spectrum analyser and the “pink noise” generator. The instrument revealed that the bass-range frequency response produced by the passive bass units (audaciously and outrageously referred to as "subwoofers" by the manufacturer) was very strange, yet familiar in a way I recognised. So, I followed up on my hunch about the possible cause: I disconnected and removed the mid-high units and turned the bass units upside down to check the connections (it seems that placing the binding posts on the rear panel, rather than underneath the heavy cabinets, was beyond the manufacturer's “humanity”!). As suspected, I found out that the "technician" who set up the system wired the so-called subs out of phase. Please believe me, even if it sounds incredible! I fixed the "negligible" mistake, and obviously, the bass improved. But when I later gave the owner the chance to audition a pair of serious speakers with built-in real active, electronically controlled subwoofers at one-ninth the cost of his speakers, he was stunned! So stunned that he asked me: how can they sound so good? They are very cheap compared with mine! I replied that this is hardly surprising, but the real question, if anything, is whether it’s even plausible for a pair of speakers to cost as much as a nice car! Faced with incontrovertible evidence, he suddenly realised that in hi-fi, price and sound perfection aren't related! Not being a hi-fi lover but a seeker of real sound, he followed my recommendations without hesitation. He ended up replacing not just the speakers but the tube amp as well. After six months with the prototypes, he purchased (and still cherishes) the sachem monoblocks, serial number 001, together with everything required to achieve “the Sound”. He trusted me completely, and after a perfect set-up of the new equipment, he was rewarded with the sound he’d always dreamed of, at a total cost of less than one sixth of his old system’s price. The further great and enjoyable outcome was that we have become very close friends! This second instance involves a system worth around $250K, featuring hi-end English electronics (not the stuff of my dreams, even if each component was priced at about the cost of the "usual" nice car), paired with the same brand and model of speakers mentioned above. This time, the "professional" who set up the system placed the speakers very close to the back wall and didn’t take the listening position into account, which was in the middle of the room. The inevitable result was a dreadful bass range. By moving the speakers one metre forward and the listening position about three metres back, the spectrum analyser revealed a notable improvement. The sound transformation was evident, with cleaner bass range and improved mid-high frequencies, too. Although I managed to enhance the system's overall performance, achieving "the Sound" remained impossible because the components, despite their exorbitant cost, simply lacked the required potential. The owner likewise declined to replace any component of the system, since he was on the verge of moving overseas. Well, these are just two examples of a “pathology” that, believe me, is far from rare. The unsettling truth is that, over my five decades in hi‑fi, I’ve come across an extraordinary assortment of flawed, and occasionally downright comical, setups, frequently paired with technical “errors” and “horrors”! So be aware: you too might find yourself swimming in the same waters! To ensure that no "setup crimes" have been committed against your system, I strongly recommend having it inspected by a highly qualified professional, and ... while he's at it, ask him to perform an instrumental setup of the entire system as well: I'm confident you'll find it was well worth it!
Over twenty years ago, I met an audiophile of remarkable musical culture. Calling him a "music addict" hardly does him justice: classical music is the core of his life, his soul, and his one true religion. He rarely misses concerts around Auckland and often travels overseas for a “good one” or Wagner’s Ring Cycles! When I met him, he owned a system valued at about $125K, with American loudspeakers costing as much as a mid‑range SUV. Each speaker consisted of a large bass cabinet with two passive woofers on the back, and a separate, pyramidal, omnidirectional unit for the mid-high frequencies positioned on top of the bass cabinet. The speakers were bi-amplified with two very costly amplifiers (tubes for the mid-high and solid-state for the bass), connected to the speakers via “elephantine” cables. However, as soon as I heard my reference CD on the system, I immediately noticed the bass sounded odd, with a distinct sense of inconsistency. As I always do in these cases, I connected the spectrum analyser and the “pink noise” generator. The instrument revealed that the bass-range frequency response produced by the passive bass units (audaciously and outrageously referred to as "subwoofers" by the manufacturer) was very strange, yet familiar in a way I recognised. So, I followed up on my hunch about the possible cause: I disconnected and removed the mid-high units and turned the bass units upside down to check the connections (it seems that placing the binding posts on the rear panel, rather than underneath the heavy cabinets, was beyond the manufacturer's “humanity”!). As suspected, I found out that the "technician" who set up the system wired the so-called subs out of phase. Please believe me, even if it sounds incredible! I fixed the "negligible" mistake, and obviously, the bass improved. But when I later gave the owner the chance to audition a pair of serious speakers with built-in real active, electronically controlled subwoofers at one-ninth the cost of his speakers, he was stunned! So stunned that he asked me: how can they sound so good? They are very cheap compared with mine! I replied that this is hardly surprising, but the real question, if anything, is whether it’s even plausible for a pair of speakers to cost as much as a nice car! Faced with incontrovertible evidence, he suddenly realised that in hi-fi, price and sound perfection aren't related! Not being a hi-fi lover but a seeker of real sound, he followed my recommendations without hesitation. He ended up replacing not just the speakers but the tube amp as well. After six months with the prototypes, he purchased (and still cherishes) the sachem monoblocks, serial number 001, together with everything required to achieve “the Sound”. He trusted me completely, and after a perfect set-up of the new equipment, he was rewarded with the sound he’d always dreamed of, at a total cost of less than one sixth of his old system’s price. The further great and enjoyable outcome was that we have become very close friends! This second instance involves a system worth around $250K, featuring hi-end English electronics (not the stuff of my dreams, even if each component was priced at about the cost of the "usual" nice car), paired with the same brand and model of speakers mentioned above. This time, the "professional" who set up the system placed the speakers very close to the back wall and didn’t take the listening position into account, which was in the middle of the room. The inevitable result was a dreadful bass range. By moving the speakers one metre forward and the listening position about three metres back, the spectrum analyser revealed a notable improvement. The sound transformation was evident, with cleaner bass range and improved mid-high frequencies, too. Although I managed to enhance the system's overall performance, achieving "the Sound" remained impossible because the components, despite their exorbitant cost, simply lacked the required potential. The owner likewise declined to replace any component of the system, since he was on the verge of moving overseas. Well, these are just two examples of a “pathology” that, believe me, is far from rare. The unsettling truth is that, over my five decades in hi‑fi, I’ve come across an extraordinary assortment of flawed, and occasionally downright comical, setups, frequently paired with technical “errors” and “horrors”! So be aware: you too might find yourself swimming in the same waters! To ensure that no "setup crimes" have been committed against your system, I strongly recommend having it inspected by a highly qualified professional, and ... while he's at it, ask him to perform an instrumental setup of the entire system as well: I'm confident you'll find it was well worth it!
a professional is as good as his tools and skill
To properly set up a subwoofer, find the optimal position for a pair of speakers, or address the overlooked (but crucial) issue of different sound emission between the left and right speakers when placed with different backgrounds (refer to the third article on the school of hi-fi page), a spectrum analyser MUST be used. It’s indispensable for visualising the sound and tracking how the frequency response shifts whenever you alter a setting or move a loudspeaker.
For a serious audio technician, this instrument is as useful as a CT scan machine for a doctor! Despite that, the discouraging reality is that audiophiles normally trust "doctors" (actually, "shamans") who don’t even have a stethoscope and prescribe aspirin (yes, but packaged in gold foil) to cure cancer! It’s sad, but this is generally the plain reality of the hi-end audio market, where lack of technical and sonic foundations reigns supreme. This happens not just in NZ but worldwide (exceptions are always possible and welcomed). To gauge the hi-end gurus' actual level of musical and sonic competence, you have to listen to the music they dish out to poor audiophiles at hi‑end shows worldwide. Today's trend is to parade million‑dollar systems playing appalling "pseudo light music" (strictly on turntables and reel-to-reel recorders, of course). Almost none of them dare to play classical music!
Anyway, I don’t know of any shop or "esoteric temple” in New Zealand equipped with a spectrum analyser, but I hope I’m just misinformed. I must also point out that merely owning a spectrum analyser is a good start, but not enough. Indeed, this is where the operator's expertise comes into play. He must know how to use it correctly, interpret what it reveals accurately, and know the proper steps to fix the problems it identifies.
Developing this skill takes years of practice and a solid knowledge of acoustic physics. To say, despite a lifetime of experience, I still occasionally uncover something new and unimaginable!
here is where I can provide an essential service
The knowledge I’ve accumulated over 54 years of serving "His Majesty" the Sound guarantees solid experience in improving any system's performance. Ridiculous and overpriced accessories (the “aspirins” wrapped in gold foil) produce, at best, minimal results. Therefore, audiophiles must ultimately realise that the Sound is not a questionable religion, but is governed, always and without exception, by the strict laws of physics and acoustics! Hence, my deep expertise is at the disposal of audiophiles who are eager to improve their systems’ sound in effective ways. My consultancy is very reasonably priced (far less than an esoteric accessory), and I accept payment only if the Customer is fully satisfied with the outcome. However, I must honestly point out that while I always manage to improve the sound of any system, achieving the Sound is impossible if the room's acoustics are prohibitive and/or the system's components lack potential. I'd love to, but I don’t perform miracles yet, sorry!
some might perceive me as arrogant
Because of my "Italian way" of approaching the topics on this page (more direct than the typically reserved Kiwi style), you may question my credibility, perhaps assuming I’m just another charlatan in this market. If so, I invite you to visit the testimonials page and read the comments.
Indeed, by reaching out, you've got nothing to lose: in fact, you might even stand to gain!