You’ve spent an awful lot of time and money putting together a carefully chosen system and, although it's pretty good, there's still something missing.
Maybe it's incredibly detailed but rather hard to listen to for any length of time without feeling fatigued? Perhaps the bass seems to be lost in the floor? Or maybe it's just not engaging you as much as you'd like?
One thing's for certain; you're not enjoying it as much as you'd like to, considering the effort you've put in...
So what's the secret?
There's a high probability that you're actually only experiencing a small part of what your Hi-Fi or Home Cinema is truly capable of. But don't worry because we're here to help.
We've identified four key areas where a little attention to the cabling and your system's support will reap you huge rewards - by helping to release better sound and picture quality from your investment.
Think of it like a sports car: if you have a fantastic engine and gearbox, your money’s going to waste if you don’t have a comparable chassis to support it.
You won’t get the full benefit of a performance engine and gearbox unless you’ve sorted what they are sat on. Likewise, we think you’ll never get the full benefit of the money you’ve invested in your Hi-Fi components unless you’ve sorted the infrastructure connecting and supporting them.We are like the audio equivalent of chassis and suspension specialists.
And it really doesn't matter whether your Hi-Fi or Home Cinema is brand new or 30 years old; whether it cost £100s or £1,000s. If you improve these four key areas below, you'll discover the hidden potential of your equipment.
Step 1: Your power
Like petrol in a car, electricity is the 'juice' that makes your system work. And, like petrol, if that 'juice' is dirty or polluted, things don't work as well as they should... no matter how good the system.
This is why it's vitally important to get your power supply sorted first, before you improve anything else. If you start with your interconnects and speaker cables you could be making things worse because higher quality cables will be able to reveal any problems 'downstream'. Get the power right, though, and better cables 'upstream' will only bring benefits.
We recommend you start with the power cable that supplies your main source component – such as your CD player, streamer or turntable – and then work outwards from there. So, in a typical system you would upgrade your power cables in the following series; CD player, preamp, power amp.SEE OUR POWER CABLES HERE
Once you've addressed your power cables, the next step is to replace any mains extensions with one of our dedicated units.
Ordinary extension blocks available in shops can degrade the sound to a surprising extent, so it makes sense to upgrade this essential step in your mains supply. Getting sockets nearer to your system is much more convenient and there’s a very good electrical reason for using a mains extension; it means your equipment is 'star powered' back to the wall socket your extension is plugged into. It sounds better and looks neater, too.
SEE OUR MAINS EXTENSIONS HERE
Ordinary extension blocks available in shops can degrade the sound to a surprising extent, so it makes sense to upgrade this essential step in your mains supply. Getting sockets nearer to your system is much more convenient and there’s a very good electrical reason for using a mains extension; it means your equipment is 'star powered' back to the wall socket your extension is plugged into. It sounds better and looks neater, too.
SEE OUR MAINS EXTENSIONS HERE
The final step is to supplement your cables and extensions with filters. Computers and domestic equipment such as fridges – and even your Hi-Fi or Home Cinema – can put tremendous amounts of noise onto your mains supply.
Russ’s filters have been developed to lift off degrading mains noise and harmonics and, because they work passively, you get all of the benefits of a clearer cleaner sound without the increased impedance that in-line filters can bring.
VIEW OUR RANGE OF MAINS FILTERS HERE
Russ’s filters have been developed to lift off degrading mains noise and harmonics and, because they work passively, you get all of the benefits of a clearer cleaner sound without the increased impedance that in-line filters can bring.
VIEW OUR RANGE OF MAINS FILTERS HERE
Step 2: Interconnects
Now you've addressed the quality of your mains supply, it's time to look at the interconnects between your Hi-Fi or Home Cinema components. This is the point at which the raw electricity coming into your system has been transformed into an audio or video signal, so you want to be sure that it's transferred as accurately as possible.
We recommend Kimber Kable because its combination of high quality components and unique woven design ensure a highly detailed but natural and engaging performance - that's why we use it in our power cables. Using the same principle as for our mains cables, start by upgrading the interconnect from your primary source component (CD player, streamer, etc). If you have separate pre and power amps, replace the interconnect here next and then move back to any additional but less used sources, such as a tuner or recording device.
Step 3: Speaker cables
The final link in the chain is to upgrade your speaker cables. Like their interconnects, Kimber speaker cables cancel interference in a unique way so that the sound you hear is rich, detailed and free of harshness.
To ensure that the signal travels accurately and you get the best sound from your speakers, a cable must be properly designed and be able to carry higher voltages than those carried by the interconnect cables. Kimber speaker cables use a combination of very high purity copper, copper/silver and pure silver wire together with the best insulation materials to ensure you extract the very best from your Hi-Fi or Home Cinema system.
The ultimate goal: Russ on musicality
What should we be listening for in a Hi-Fi system? Not just the sound quality, Russ suggests, but the musical quality... In this article, Russ Andrews talks about the most effective solutions to ensure your system presents a truly enjoyable musical experience, and how the way we listen can have a profound effect on acheiving this goal. Click here to read the article now.
OK, so how do I know your approach is going to work better?
Good question, and the answer is, you don’t. To be brutally honest, neither do we… for certain. But we are pretty confident it will, and if it does, you could end up saving yourself a whole heap of money and get the enjoyment from your system you’ve always been listening for.So, the question is: can you afford not to give it a try?
Plus, the great thing is that once you sort out the infrastructure, it will also serve you even better when you do come to upgrading your components later on.
Give it a try - risk-free with 100% satisfaction or your money back.
We are so confident that our products will bring the sort of musical satisfaction you’ve been yearning for, that the vast majority come with our 60-day, money-back guarantee. Now, we can hear the sceptics among you: “That’s great in theory, but how easy is it really if I do want to return something”.
Since we formed in back in 1986, we've built up an industry-leading reputation for customer service so we're not going to risk it by making you unhappy. So, if - for whatever reason - the product you've purchased isn't right for you, just give us a ring or drop us an email for a returns number, send it back and we'll organise a refund (you only have to cover postage - for full details, click here).
And finally...
Music is a wonderful, emotional and often exhilarating experience and it should never be a chore to listen to. We are enthusiasts ourselves and it’s our goal to help you get the maximum enjoyment out of your Hi-Fi.
So, if you're not satisfied with the way your system is performing, please don’t hesitate get in touch - you can be sure we’ll do our very best to help you get back on track and enjoy your listening again.
Email your questions to info@russandrews.com
