Please Help: What must I study or know to be considered as knowledge on Hi-Fi?

[ODUODU]

Can anybody perhaps show me the right way?

What must i know or study to be considered as knowledgeable in the hi-fi genre.

Is there a qualification or course offered by any institute that can help with this specifically in SA?

Your input will be much appreciated

Thanks All

Ockie

[BigWoodenSpoon]

I don't know of any specific course that teaches 'Hi Fi" per say

There are of course courses (I love alliteration ) that would serve as a good background

EE of course would be the first choice and then the various sound engineering courses (Pro Tools etc)

And above all you need to be opinionated, judgemental, uncompromising, sarcastic and smug like the rest of us 

[chipwelder]

What is your aim with being considered knowledgable?

[ODUODU]

I aim for my own personal growth to be someone who can talk with authority on anything hi-fi related and be able to demonstrate it. I have allways had a passion for sound but now someone starts talking about crossovers or dynamic range and I have a feint idea of what they mean. I want to be able to completely understand what you are talking about so that i can differentate and understand for myself when someone is talking sense or nonsense.

Ockie

[chipwelder]

With or without bulldust?

Electronics background may help, but is not required. Read a lot, listen more (to music)... Quickest least expensive way... Wikipedia will have more than you can think of, if you follow all the links... Basic Science would be good start though then you will at least get the jargon, the rest will be easier, as it is basically variations and applications of this.

First Read up on:

Physics of sound
Loudspeaker construction
Basic electronic circuits

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudspeaker

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronics#Electronics_theory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_crossover

It will take a while, about a year or two for most important stuff to settle in your brain, if you don't have a particularly technical inclination.

[Shonver]

Is there a qualification or course offered by any institute that can help with this specifically in SA?

Try the University of Life  .

No, seriously: it is a journey, more than a course that will bring you to that level of knowledge. But it is not like a qualification; keep an open mind. Even if you know all the science and engineering behind what makes good audio, it is in the end the implementation thereof that makes a good product. Read discussion forums, ask questions, then try and correlate what you learned with your own experiences. And use common sense a lot.

I started out reading brochures; this is where I heard all the jargon first. Then I read up on those things that interested me at the local public library (there was no internet back then). As I gained more technical knowledge, I learnt to separate the black magic from the science. I'm still learning and I'm not bored yet  .

If you are into the technical side, read some white papers like those from JBL and others; tackle a DIY project- you'll learn a lot this way.
But, mostly, ask a lot of questions....

[ODUODU]

I have tried to varying degrees what has been suggested.

I just thought that somewhere out there was some course or level of education that was held by all and sundry as the basic must have to be considered as: "Joe-Haai!! this oak at least knows what he's talking about. So we respect his opinion on any matter hi-fi though we might not agree."

An A+ is considered the basic must have pc qualification to be considered as a technition in the pc industry. I thought maybe there was a similar qualification for hi-fi technitions. But enough of that.

Basically, I highly value what all of you have said. Life in general bores me and the only spiritual experience I have ever really had was my music. Maybe this is not the place to discuss life philosophy but music is something more than just hi-fi and seperate components.

What exactly it is that music gives me I cannot put into words but the hi-fi is the instrument that delivers the music.

Shall I call hi-fi the middleman if you will?

Then maybe the treasure lies in the creation of the music, the songwriting, the lyrics, the recording engineer's skill.

[Hein]

...the only spiritual experience I have ever really had was my music. Maybe this is not the place to discuss life philosophy but music is something more than just hi-fi and seperate components.

What exactly it is that music gives me I cannot put into words but the hi-fi is the instrument that delivers the music.

Shall I call hi-fi the middleman if you will?

Then maybe the treasure lies in the creation of the music, the songwriting, the lyrics, the recording engineer's skill.

You're already on the right track!!!

If the music moves you, the system is working... If the system is working you'll buy more music...
It may sound a bit cheesy - "Listen with your SOUL..." Getting too wrapped up in this hobby (of hardware knowledge and acquisition) of ours often let's you forget what it's ACTUALLY all about...

[GearSlave]

Getting too wrapped up in this hobby (of hardware knowledge and acquisition) of ours often let's you forget what it's ACTUALLY all about...

Guilty as charged I've been tinkering with electronics for some time now, but haven't started up the stereo system in a few weeks. I've been bad and need to be punished... Give me "Patricia's Best 10 Years"

[RS4]

Where you based?

Nobody on this forum has taken up my offer to attend our Car Sound Quality workshops. We have them once a month at a venue determined around a week before.

You can discuss with any of us about different speakers, how they work, what something should sound like, amplifiers, etc etc.
The workshops are completely free but the wisdom gained is priceless (lol, i sound like a philosopher or a mastercard advert).

I shall post more details sooner to the time on it, but your welcome to attend. Also, a good place to learn is at the Sound and Vision expo, everyone there is full of knowledge and experience with audio and can help you understand more. But thats already passed this year.

[Shonver]

Nobody on this forum has taken up my offer to attend our Car Sound Quality workshops. We have them once a month at a venue determined around a week before.

When will you be in Cape Town?

[Ampdog]

Oduodu,

What has been said is helpful, but to my mind parts of the end result. Musical enjoyment is essentially the end goal, but you specifically asked on how to become 'hi-fi wise'. I take it that would refer to equipment, not just the realisation of what is important.

Not sure of where you are at present (I mean background-wise). You will really have to have some hardware background, as in know what a transistor is, what an amplifier and the other periferals, and very basically how they work. That does not mean you should become a design engineer, but questions and (worse) misunderstandings will periodically crop up if this background does not exist.

Now we can come to the 'where' - sadly I do not know of one single source. I would presume something starting at the basics should exist on the internet. The advice re Wikipedia is helpful. As RS4 asked, where are you?

[joel]

There is one highly technical piece of equipment i use all the time when reviewing.

It's called
Wait for it

My foot.

If it's tapping the equipment is giving me enjoyment, if it's not then I'm not enjoying the music quite as much and the equipment isnt really moving me.

In my opinion specifications unless they're properly qualified, can be more misleading than good.   

Trust your judgment and don't be too concerned about what a salesman, or any one else thinks of your technical knowledge.

The only thing that really matters is that you enjoy the music.

[Hein]

... I've been bad and need to be punished...

You can send the new wife over for training...  Whips, chains, leather...

There is one highly technical piece of equipment i use all the time when reviewing.

It's called
Wait for it

My foot.

If it's tapping the equipment is giving me enjoyment, if it's not then I'm not enjoying the music quite as much and the equipment isnt really moving me.

In my opinion specifications unless they're properly qualified, can be more misleading than good.  

Trust your judgment and don't be too concerned about what a salesman, or any one else thinks of your technical knowledge.

The only thing that really matters is that you enjoy the music.

Foot tapping (YEA!!), and if it's really "working" I start grinning (uncontrollably) like an idiot having dirty thoughts... 

[Ampdog]

ODUODU,

Me again -

I have left something out. I will be amiss not to warn sternly about becoming too involved in information in promotional narrative, glossies, etc. I am sorry if I step on toes (not that I am aware of on this forum), but I have had more trouble in my long audio career with getting folks back on track after such influences than all the rest of my problems combined. 'Good' promotion (if such exists) at the start never steers too far from the truth lest it shows, but as they go further information often can become such drivel that one reaches for antacid. Sorry to be blunt, but seasoned reviewer Ken Kessler once said: "Repeat anything often enough and people will believe it." See also the quote at the bottom of my posts.