Are you aware that the construction material of our soul is harmony?Leonardo da Vinci 1452-1519

The importance of a home’s sonic environment is often overlooked and more often misunderstood.

Yet sonic affects the manner in which we experience our spaces, domestic as well as public.

Reconciling aesthetics with an emotionally satisfying sonic environment can be challenging.

Music washes the dust of everyday life away from the soul.Berthold Auerbach 1812-1882

Clear sound, clear mind

A natural, stress-free sonic environment contributes

to a home´s atmosphere. Well produced sound can re-

lax as well as revitalize.

And yet merging an aesthetically pleasing interior

with an emotionally pleasing sonic environment often

poses a challenge. Architects and materials account

for a room’s basic acoustics. Further, we’ve the inflexi-

ble laws of physics making their own demands. When

attempting to create a natural, emotional sound en-

vironment, certain conditions must be accepted and

met. For example, small, concealed speakers don’t do

well at creating a natural, stress-free sound. To work

optimally, speakers must stand where their features

are at their best.

We can agree that pure, natural sound should be part

of our everyday lives. In order to achieve this, sound

systems should comprise a significant aspect of the

home’s interior. Amphion´s goal is to design loud-

speakers that coordinate with the most demanding

aesthetics and room acoustics. Owing to their excel-

lent dispersion characteristics, Amphion loudspeakers

work well in challenging spaces: rooms, for example,

with large windows and other hard surfaces. Our de-

signs embrace a natural midrange –– traditionally a

loudspeaker’s greatest challenge. Clarity and intelligi-

bility should come across crystal-clear at low listen-

ing levels: for example, as background and late-night

listening. Similarly, an even, wide dispersion permits

the listener to experience good sound while moving

about the room attending to chores.

A great sound system exceeds the sum of its parts.

Yet assembling a system consisting of award-winning

components does not necessarily yield a pleasing re-

sult. Building customer-specific systems in cooperation

with specialist retailers comprises a key aspect of Am-

phion’s goal: the creation of easy-to-use, joy-inducing,

long-lasting, high-performance sound systems.

Digital technology’s maturation contributes signifi-

cantly to flexible, no-compromise sound systems.

With a computer or TV as a sound source, by carefully

selecting and matching equipment, high-performance

sound is possible, even at a modest price point.

Making the best choices

As in all aspects of life, we often have to compro-

mise when buying hi-fi equipment. Determine what

you want your sound system to do. What are you

willing to sacrifice? Quality of sound, ease-of use,

longevity, size, ease-of-placement, aesthetics, or

something else? Also determine where no compro-

mise is possible.

And consider your essential needs – music, movies,

improving your home´s sonic environment, or per-

haps all of this. Do you listen to music from your

computer? Do you desire a multi-channel home-

theater system or are you content with a well-exe-

cuted two-channel system?

Quantity / quality

Quantity is no substitute for quality. A two-channel

system consisting of good, well matched compo-

nents does beautifully, even as a means of enjoying

TV. It is possible to create richly dimensional, natural

sound with one pair of loudspeakers that, moreo-

ver, do not require the separate subwoofer so often

found in conventional home-theater systems.

In the final analysis, you’re not buying specifications

or a specific technology. In truth, you are seeking

good sound as an accompaniment perhaps to a

breathtaking picture.

And you should be aware that the consumer elec-

tronics industry is forever marketing technologies

that at times engage in less than adequate and ob-

solete designs. If something fails to work satisfac-

tory, the biggest advertising budget cannot make it

better.

Set aside time for personal evaluation. Another’s

experience or opinion cannot substitute for your

own. Do your own evaluations even if you consider

yourself something less than an expert. At bottom

we can only assess the qualities we desire with our

own eyes and ears. If possible, listen to a system in

your home with familiar sound media.

Depending on where it’s placed, a loudspeaker’s

character can change. What sounds good in a shop

where the speakers are positioned far from the back

wall can be boomy at home when, as dictated by

the décor’s demands or perhaps the requirements

of everyday living, they need to stand close to a

Amphion Loudspeakers Ltd.

P.O.Box 6, FI-70821 Kuopio | Finland | Tel: +358 17 2882 100 | Fax +358 17 2882 111 | info@amphion.fi | www.amphion.fi

www.amphion.fi

wall. Manufacturers have been known to optimize

their products for in-store sales. Make sure that the

product satisfies where it counts –– in your home.

And also bear in mind that a good sound system per-

forms well also at a low volume setting. Low-level

listening may indeed comprise the better part of

your listening preferences. It’s therefore important

to evaluate systems at low levels. You may very well

hear deficiencies you failed to detect at higher levels.

Moreover, it’s important to evaluate systems at dif-

ferent volume levels with source materials that cor-

respond to the kind of listening you favor. If you in-

tend for your sound system to include TV, ask the

salesman to demonstrate normal TV broadcasts

along with the demos he wants you to see.

And listen to the system from different positions.

Most systems perform at their best in the so-called

sweet spot. Move around to make sure that the

sound is satisfactory elsewhere in the room. You

should be able to enjoy music when it’s really not

convenient for you to sit down in the optimal listen-

ing or viewing position.

You’ve heard the old saying, good things come to

those who wait. If you are dreaming of acquiring a

multi-channel system, bear in mind that you do not

have to purchase the entire system at once. A pair of

main speakers will always operate as your system´s

foundation. Choose that pair with care.

A wisely chosen sound system is a long-term joy.

Contemplate your needs for the next ten to fifteen

years. In addition to the system’s overall quality, con-

sider expandability, flexibility, connectivity and the

availability of long-term service.

Early impressions don’t always hold up to long expo-

sure. A purchase at a discounted price, while instant-

ly gratifying, may not satisfy in the long term. And

don’t be fooled by dazzling effects. A quality sound

system’s merits –– the well being they provide –– are

sometimes slow to reveal themselves.

“Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few

seasons. You will find it is to the soul what a water

bath is to the body.”

–– Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)