04-09-2023, 08:11 PM
Ideally, you should take your own reference mix tape with you when shopping for speakers. The deck was stacked against me there.
First, the selector switch box at the store didn't have a way to directly connect an audio player. I had to connect my shitty phone with Bluetooth. Bluetooth is a rather low bit rate serial connection over wireless. It's not well suited to high resolution stereo transmission.
Next, the two speakers in each pair on display were placed way too far apart. You're trapped in a narrow aisle with a gondola full of other merchandise behind you, so there's no way to step back and get anything approaching a proper soundfield.
Finally, it's a retail space, not a studio or hifi shop or living room. So even if the other two points are in order, you're not gonna get a real sense of what they'll sound like when you take them home.
So I basically took a chance and got lucky. On the plus side, there are a few switches on the backs of the monitors that you can use to tailor the response to your room. I set them all for a flat response, and haven't done any tinkering yet.
First, the selector switch box at the store didn't have a way to directly connect an audio player. I had to connect my shitty phone with Bluetooth. Bluetooth is a rather low bit rate serial connection over wireless. It's not well suited to high resolution stereo transmission.
Next, the two speakers in each pair on display were placed way too far apart. You're trapped in a narrow aisle with a gondola full of other merchandise behind you, so there's no way to step back and get anything approaching a proper soundfield.
Finally, it's a retail space, not a studio or hifi shop or living room. So even if the other two points are in order, you're not gonna get a real sense of what they'll sound like when you take them home.
So I basically took a chance and got lucky. On the plus side, there are a few switches on the backs of the monitors that you can use to tailor the response to your room. I set them all for a flat response, and haven't done any tinkering yet.
