Home stereo systems have gradually become an essential element of any entertainment system. Moreover, the trend is now shifting towards having hi-fi stereo systems at home in India. These trends have come to rise with the rise of some successful hi-fi audio product stores and shops like The Revolver Club in Mumbai. This store is like a wonderland for an audiophile with some really cool hi-fi products for sale like turntables, hi-fi stereo speakers, amplifiers, and much more. We have an endless stock of Vinyl records to keep you amazed. If you can’t visit our store in Mumbai, you can surely check out our products on the website.
A high-quality stereo system can really add to the ambiance and feel of your home. But is a stereo system the same as stereo speakers? People in India are usually confused between the two and end up getting just a pair of high-end stereo speakers. But just the speakers are not enough to make a stereophonic sound system. A home stereo system is more than just some stereo units for home. It’s an entire system that includes various hi-fi audio components. Right from the obvious big components like hi-fi audio amplifiers and your favorite set of top-rated stereo speakers to smaller audio components like audio cables that connect the entire stereo system, furniture for the stereo system, etc.
All the confusion could make putting together a home stereo system a task. Which amplifier will work the best with your hi-fi stereo speaker? Will my preamp in my turntable be enough to play my tracks directly on my stereo speakers? Can I use the audio cables available in local stores to connect my Blu-ray player to my amplifier? There are a lot of questions, these questions can often be confusing and it can even lead to frustration if you keep buying the wrong stuff. So let’s debunk this myth and understand what goes into making a hi-fi stereo system. To do that we need first to understand the basics. But if you don’t have time to understand all of this, walk into The Revolver Club store and our team can assist you in buying the right products. For those who are planning on buying a home stereo system online, can surely check out the ready home stereo system packages made ready for installation on our website. These packages make things easy and include all three major audio components of a stereo system. Keep reading if you are wondering what these audio components are.
A high-quality stereo system will have an input source like a turntable, a stereo component like an amplifier and an output device which are mostly the stereo speakers. These three are your major audio components. The other minor components will be your stereo cables, furniture for the stereo system, connectors, crossovers, etc. In order for you to devise the best stereo system for home, you must understand how all of the audio components work in unison to give you the best possible output.
Your input device can either be an analog audio source or a digital audio source. Simply put, you can play music via your Smartphone, Television or you can try the pairing your stereo system with turntable and get your vinyl records spinning. This is a factor of preference as there will be some who would prefer to go all analog and follow the world of analog audio with passion. These are the audiophiles who would collect vinyl records for years and would cherish the warm tone of the audio and music played from these vinyl LPs. Some of the best turntables available around the world are made by manufacturers like Pro-Ject, Rega and Audio Technica. The good news is that you can buy turntables from all these remarkable brands here at The Revolver Club online retail store.
If you are a newbie and if this looks like a massive investment to you, you can try some home stereo system packages available at our online store. We have smartly created packages that have all the stereo components of the stereo system working together like a melody. We even have some advanced packages for pros and serious audiophiles. Feel free to browse these no brainer packages.
Those who like to keep things digital could get a decent player, whether it’s a CD player, a DVD player or a BluRay player. To get the best possible output, you should definitely play your songs in FLAC format (thus you will also need an audio player which supports and plays this format). FLAC is a lossless format and stores a lot of information that a sound producer intends to add and prefers being heard. This is the preferred format of all digital audiophiles. The consumer level format that we are all aware of is MP3. You have to play your favorite song in both these formats to hear the true difference. Alternatively, you can also stream music via your smartphone on major platforms like Spotify, SoundCloud, iTunes, etc.
To really cherish the music your heart wishes to hear, paying attention to input source is of utmost importance in order to put together a hi-fi stereo system for a home. You can surely check out the best options available to buy on our online store.
When it comes to stereo components, it’s all about compatibility. Your stereo component is the bridge between your input source and your output device. As a result, it has to make sure that it is able to receive the best possible audio signal from your input device and amplify it to send the best possible audio signal to your output device(speakers).
There are numerous stereo receiver components, but their purpose is somewhat the same in the end. The audio signals from input sources are weak, i.e. not strong enough to be played via your speakers. Hence, the primary function of an amplifier is to take an input signal from a source and recreate an enlarged or amplified version for the speakers to play it out loud. In a lot of cases, a preamplifier or a phono preamplifier is required before the signal is sent out to an amplifier. A phono preamplifier is a component that enlarges or amplifies the input signal from your turntable to a level that allows you to connect it to your sound system the same way you would with any other audio source.
The output signal generated on a turntable is of Phono level. This phono signal needs to be enlarged to a Line level signal (AUX signal) to be connected to the amplifier of your stereo system. Some turntables come with an inbuilt phono preamp and some need an external phono preamp. You can visit The Revolver Club’s online store to buy phono preamplifiers online in India. We have various brands that manufacture phono Preamps to choose from like Pro-Ject and Rega. Once the audio signal from the input source reaches Line level then comes an amplifier that enlarges/amplifies the audio signal to your speakers.
An amplifier’s partnership with stereo speakers is the key factor for achieving the best possible output, and there are a few things worth considering to ensure they complement each other like peanut butter and jelly. When it comes to amplifiers, there is a little bit of technicality one needs to understand.
The partnership of speaker and amplifier depends on the amplifier’s power output (watts per channel), the impedance (ohms) and sensitivity (dB).
The difficulty to drive a speaker is measured in impedance. On the other hand, to measure how loud a speaker will get for a given input, it’s called the sensitivity of a speaker.
Connect a speaker to an 8-ohm resistor and measure the power till the distortion becomes too high. This is a standard way to measure an amplifier’s output. Though you may be tempted to go for the most powerful amp you can afford, you’ll usually do better by buying a more sensitive speaker. That’s because an amplifier’s output has to double to match a 3dB increase in speaker sensitivity.
The point of all of these technicalities is that one needs to take into consideration what input source and speakers one already has before investing in an amplifier.
There are various kinds of amplifiers, integrated amplifiers, power amplifiers, Stereo receivers, etc. Instead of looking for the best option, look for the most suitable option. You wouldn’t know how to select an amplifier unless you have tried a few out first. For this, you can always visit The Revolver Club’s online retail store, look for amplifiers and check out the amazing products of some of the best brands in the world that make stereo amplifiers like Marantz and Rega.
The third basic audio component of your stereo system is your speakers. There are some really good manufacturers around the world that specialize in making some of the best speakers for your home stereo system. You can shop for the best products of brands including Polk Audio, Klipsch and Rega on The Revolver Club online retail store.
All high-quality stereo systems have some of the best hi-fi speakers. These speakers are able to deliver sound in two channels (minimum) and can go up to 7.1 to create a surround sound experience. If surround sound is what really interests you and if you are a movie buff as much as you are an audiophile then you should read about our Home theatre speakers.
Various factors that determine which is the right kind of speaker for you but eventually, it boils down to the preference. Remember, hi-fi speakers, means speakers that deliver distortion-free, clear audio. It’s not just about how high the wattage is, how much noise can it create, and how much heart thumping bass it can produce. One can enjoy music at a decent volume as long as one can hear every instrument clearly and like the way it was intended to be heard when produced.
Remember to invest in a good set as speakers tend only to get better as they get old. In fact, you might need to burn in your speakers for a set number of hours to really get the right kind of clarity delivered from them. You can surely read more about stereo speakers and at the same time, we also suggest that you read our buying guide on our hi-fi audio systems page.
Now, these were just the three major components, the other minor components are your stereo cables, that connect your input device to your amplifier and then from your amplifier to your speakers. Now, remember that all of this is data, and once the amplifier pumps up or amplifies the data, the cables should be able to deliver the signals without any resistance and loss in quality.
Last but not least, the furniture, and this brings us to the concept of placement. As the term stereo suggests, it means we should ideally place at least one speaker on one side and one on the other side of the room. When it comes to a more extravagant surround sound system, one needs to be mindful of where the speakers are placed so as to get the best sound experience. You can read more about the placement of speakers for surround sound in our home theatre systems page. And if you are wondering how to place the speakers in the recommended position of the listening room. You can check out the furniture for stereo speakers, you can buy on The Revolver Club’s online retail store. Also, don’t forget the current trend and the future is all about wireless speaker systems and multi-room audio systems. Check out about this if the tech geek in you is excited on our hi-fi audio systems page.