Brett Gideon: The Tests

No matter how brilliantly a HiFi system “performs” – how well it checks all the audiophile boxes like balance, sound staging and imaging, dynamics, detail retrieval, accuracy, LF and HF extension etc etc, it has to grab hold of your attention at an emotional level when you settle down to some serious listening or it isn’t really doing its job.

These are the indicators I use to see if I’m really involved or “just listening to some music”

The magazine test

I read magazines like other people watch TV, i.e. a lot and I’ve always got something new to read or something old to re-read. If one my favourite CDs is running I can pick up a magazine and read it without really noticing what’s playing, then the system isn’t right. Sure you could argue that sometimes I’m not in the mood or simply don’t feel like listening to music but when the gear is properly sorted, I can’t pay any attention to the reading, my mind is drawn to the music every time.

The wandering mind

If I’m listening to music and I constantly find myself idly wondering what’s for dinner, or thinking about work (heaven forbid) or just generally daydreaming, then the HiFi isn’t doing its job properly and changes are in order.

Skipping CD syndrome

When I skip through CDs, playing only the “songs that I like”, then I know something isn’t quite right because with the right setup, I’ll often pop in a CD, set it on random play and be surprised and/or disappointed when the CD ends. I’ll also listen to the entire CD right through a couple of times in a row without wanting to skip a track, especially on the CDs I really know and love.

More often than not, I can’t quantify exactly what isn’t right in a system. A combination that sounds technically marvelous occasionally just won’t grab me. I’m in the very fortunate position to be able to audition all sorts of gear over a wide range of price points and I’ve had a wild variety of kit at home. Some components come together with a synergy that is more than just a technical accomplishment and they actually make music. That always has to be the goal or else we may as well be looking at measurement graphs instead of listening.