Tips for reviewing speakers ,audio equipment and music

polkfarmboy

Sometimes I read reviews here and there by members on the forum that really impress me

I wonder how to structure such reviews and what to listen for when doing so ?

Is there literature that can give me a better understanding of what to listen for when doing the so called critical listening

I hear the term all the time"critical listening " but I dont fully understand the meaning

ben62670

Bring your favorite well recorded Cd's with you and listen. If you complicate it more than that you will be biased before you audition the equipment.

fishbones

If you want some reading literature to understand more about this hobby. I highly recommend: The Complete Guide to High End Audio by Robert Harley (Stereophile writer). It's an excellent book.

Critical listening is just that (critical listening). Sitting in the sweet spot (not moving around the room) of a properly setup system with a very familiar CD and paying attention to every aspect of the sound. Taking notes makes a big difference in accurately remembering what you heard as well, especially if you're comparing two pieces of equipment. Noting things like soundstage, upper frequencies, lower frequencies, midrange, etc, etc.

As far as structure goes, that has to do more with writing.

obieone

This is a purely subjective hobby, so I don't know what you would be able to gleam from a book.
Me personally, I like a full range of sound, with an emphasis on the lower end. NOT window rattling bass, that we have to listen to at stop lights, but just the lower end of the spectrum, that a lot of speakers can't reach.
Some people here, will tell you you HAVE TO have seperates, or tubes, or vinyl.
I don't agree with those views, but, again, it's all subjective.

BlueFox

I assume you are talking about reviews where someone has added, or upgraded, a compnent in their system. They should be very familiar with how the system sounded before the upgrade, so they can easily detect any differences. Then the review should should state what they heard.