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Many of us drift into the grasps of audiophilia in a slow, gentle crescendo.  We begin with a simple desire for a more technological music device that brings more substantial sound than a walkman or boombox, something that we can listen to with as much fervor and focus as we watch our favorite sports rivals battle on the playing field.  We revel in our new system at first, but slowly realize that the sound can be more precise, more enjoyable.  The irrepressible need to enhance sound takes hold.  Menacing looks from spouses, loved ones and anyone who can’t begin to comprehend, let alone share our passion become more defined and are a sure indicator that our hobby has crossed the brink of obsession.

Once the mania takes hold, there is little that we won’t do to quell our desire for better sound.  Whether your maiden is power, frequency, imaging, volume, etc. , you will devotedly put hours and dollars into the slightest improvements.  For myself, I have found a couple of simple, inexpensive ways of bringing the most out of speakers, without having to spend hundreds on expensive equipment.  By no means is this an exhaustive guide— my aim is to look at a few things that may satisfy your audiophilic cravings, if only for a brief stint.

Placement

Speakers depend heavily upon proper placement.  Different speakers have different requirements, but sound improvements stemming from a simple shift in direction or location can be dramatic.  Discuss placement with the salesman before you purchase the speaker and, once home, play around with it.  Know your speaker’s design, how it was meant to be placed and spend time moving and testing as best you can in the confines of your room.  A nice pair of properly placed speakers will give you the impression that the music is not coming from the speakers at all, rather from different locations in the room.  Vocals will pop out at you, cymbals will clash in the background, etc.

Go Digital

You probably noticed—digital is the new black.  The first improvement I made once I had my speakers set up was to junk the old red/white analog cables connecting my audio inputs to my receiver for a digital cable. The cable cost around $20 and the sound improvement was marked.  The new sound was cleaner and crisper.  I even did a direct comparison, just to make sure my mind wasn’t making me hear what I wanted to hear. Definitely an improvement.

Bi-Wire

If your speakers have connections for bi-wiring (positive and negative inputs will be split into high and low frequency), this is a great way to add some sound. When it comes to speakers, extra information equals extra sound, so if you double the connections, you’ll enhance sound.  At first, I was skeptical, but adding the extra cables really established a fuller sound  Again, I did a direct test, bi-wiring one speaker, while leaving the other with single connections. The music shifted toward the bi-wired speaker, as opposed to being centered.  Clearly, there was additional sound output provided through bi-wiring. Speakers are designed for it— so grab some extra cable and hook it up.

Bigger Investments

You’ve seen a glimpse of the audio market— there is equipment in all shapes and sizes out there.  If you have the will, you can transform your bills into all kinds of sound.  The amount of money that you could spend on things like speaker cables and gold connections is unreal.  Alternatively, you could spend your resources investing in what drives your connections— add amplifier(s) to increase power, or replace your old reliable receiver with individual components.  High quality audio inputs, like CD players are another option.  I’ll stop here, because if you have this kind of money, you shouldn’t need too much help in constructing state-of-the-art sound.

Whether your wallet is big or small, it is possible to spend a lifetime making little but distinguished improvements to the sound quality provided by your system. Chances are, if you’re a devout audiophile, you will do just that.

-Chris Weiss