Put your speakers where your wife tells you to, this will protect your ears .

1. Speaker placement / tilting . . 0:26 2. Keep connections tight . . 1:34 3. Find out the weak link in your system (don't trust the badge) . . 2:12 4. Mix vintage with new . . 3:30 5. Run it flat . . 5:02 6. Room acoustics . . 6:24 7. Tighten the screws (don't overdo it on wood) . . 7:33 8. Money . . 8:28 9. Clean the pots . . 10:08 (heard rumours that DeOxit exposes terminals to corrosion, I use Servisol) 10. Mix and match equipment . . 11:11 11. Is it satisfactory . . 13:00 (find out what makes your heart flutter ) 12. Try it for yourself . . 15:08 13. Beware of chasing WATTS . . 16:50 14. Big sound doesn't come in small speakers . . 17:50 15. It's all about the music, man . . 19:10 Push this up!

Fantastic advice, 40 years of experience delivered in 20 minutes. Outstanding.

Love your channel and your experienced insight Calvin. The X factor is spot on. Mixing and matching gear is sooo much fun; especially when you have that elusive Eureka moment. First time this happened to me, I thought there was something wrong because the sound I was hearing was so ridiculously good. Love vintage gear and love the music.

Dealing with this profesionally for 42 years now, I am positively surprised by this video. There is a ton of wisdom in here. Of course I subscribe. Hats off!

Excellent advice. Very much appreciate your fifteen points and I am saving your video so that I can watch it again when I need to refer to the advice. Thank you.

Great, honest, down to earth advice as always. Thanks. Enjoyed the video.

Nice Mr k (aka Hi-Fi Yoda). Here’s a man who sinks his heart and soul into an art. Obtains a huge amount of good knowledge and passes it on through this media platform - for FREE. Takes time, effort not to mention money to get these out to us. We all appreciate it. You make a difference to a lot of lives with the choices we make and the money we spend. We applaud you sir.

Enjoyed your vid. Great tips from your many years. REally liked the one about using your ears and enjoying the music over the specs or power of a system. Thankyou

Great presentation! Love the advice about experimenting. Also, the comment about mixing vintage and new gear. Thanks!

Love your joy and enthusiasm for the hobby. Keep it up :)

Fantastic vlog K, easy to follow and digest. Had a chuckle at ' Tip 11' but what made it for me was the passion , knowledge and straight talking. Will everyone agree with all 15? Probably not but that's not the point. It was real, genuine and really felt like the culmination of 45 years experience. Great stuff. Thanks for posting 👍

This is brilliant! Honest, unbiased and straight to the point. Great advice delivered under 20mins.

Absolutely fantastic! I am an older audiophile too. I wish I would have known these things when I was young. On the other hand, the trial and error over the years was a lot of fun. Nice work!

Great advice, especially the last bit, it really is all about the music, no matter what you are using to listen to it with.

Kelvin, solid gold advice - I confirm everything you said - it's been my hobby for 50 years. Thank you for sharing your considerable knowledge with us! Wishing you all the best, Rob in Switzerland

Great show Laddie, you learn something new every day and rotating the speakers or something I never knew… Keep on rockin

Good advice, Calvin. A must view for anyone looking to scratch that itch!

Thanks for the tips. Was thinking about replacing my Linn 212 speakers. Took your advice and tightened every driver bolt I could access. Fantastic.

Great stuff. After 56yrs on this quest I would say that you have nailed it in less than 20 mins. Interesting looking timepiece too. Greetings to you and yours ;¬D

Find a good match is so true! I’ve spent hours trying different combos and have found some excellent pairings. And found some that don’t blend. But that’s part of the fun of this hobby. Great video Thanks for sharing

You and I have been in this fun hobby for around the same amount of time. I started when I was 13yrs old here in Canada in 1976. I have played around with many brands of gear and components over the years and now, since I am retiring, I am content with my current setup which except for my Audio Research SP14 preamp and REL sub, all my gear is used Rega gear. Rega Exon 3 mono blocks, Rega RS5 speakers, P6 turntable, Ania Pro mc cart, Rega DAC R, Rega Apollo CD and Ear headphone amp. My headphones are Sennheiser 6XX. Thanks for posting! Most informative and enjoyable.

Perhaps some of the most honest and real world advise you will ever get on this subject.

Love listening to this London dude 😍. Very good information!

Your a champion mate! The best advice you'll ever find is all here, love it! 👍

Kelvin Brilliant advice. I'm guessing there will be many youngsters out there that will still learn the hard way but in some ways that's some of the fun. As a man of years 66 years🥴 I'm so glad I eventually copped onto your channel. You have blown away so many myth's you have taught me so much about vintage components it has lifted my hi fi system to a level that belies it's cost. Of course I would love to have thousands to spend and chase perfection but by listening to your advice at last I feel satisfied with my system that I can sit and enjoy the music. Keep up the good work Steve

I'll second that this advice is fantastic and presented properly without a script my I add!😬 Couldn't be more accurate of a statement!🤔🤭🤗😉😇

“You may be trying to get sound out of a room you’ll never get.” -really well said. Thanks for sharing your passion, experience & wisdom.

Definitely one of the best review i heard about Hifi.... And definitely love the last (but not least) tip 👍🏾👌🏾👏🏾👏🏾!!

*EVERYTHING said here is great advice and very helpful. Eye opening indeed. THANK YOU.*

Good advice. My 2 cents: If you want to save money, spend double the amount of money you are currently comfortable with. Then keep the equipment for ever.

A great rule to live by: Don't judge your set-up by the quality of a recording. There are speakers that are more honest than others and lie to you less, giving you the illusion that your speakers (or stack) has failed you when in fact, it could be that the mastering or recording of a certain album has been revealed as shoddy or poor of quality. Listen to a lot of albums before you lose hope.

Great advice Kelvin. You really gave me a head start with the Sansui Au-317 and the 331

Always nice to look and listen to you , greetings from the Netherlands .

What a great video. Applies to both who have been in this hobby for ages and anyone just coming into it. These little things are often overlooked.

Respect for naming the gear you don’t like! I hate when reviewers don’t mention products they think sound bad

This guy is right on. Since I was 16, when I bought my first real system, I got the idea that it's about a system and needs to match or the weakest link would bring down the whole thing to that lowest level of SQ. Later you can upgrade something like a processor or speakers but then you will have a good idea what difference it makes. It's going to cost a lot to get great sound and that's a fact of life. Hobbies are not cheap, boating, photography, flying, motorcycles and cars all cost a bundle to have nice stuff, stereos are the same. I can't live with out great sound and never have. I love this guys assessment of how to build a system, he's right on. The only thing I used to say different from him is about the speakers, I always said they produce the sound to your ears and no system can sound better than you speakers, so buy the best ones you can afford at the time and then upgrade from a receiver to separates later, turntable to a CD player and the cartridge was more important than the turntable, I used to say the two most important things are what pick up the signal and what put it out, the wires and amps and processors can all be upgraded to match those later. But it's really a system and it can take years to afford the whole thing.

Switch cleaner is a great tip. I also use it on the turntable head shell. It makes a big improvement. Great video thank you for sharing. Signal path where your sound is coming from and how you listen and what you listen to sums up all these great tips.

BRAVO ! I've been soldering wires for 54 yrs. - as well. Many Many great suggestions coming from years of experience. Well Done. Room Acoustics is Number '' 1 '' for me. I see sound rooms with sliding glass doors, fireplaces, totally irregular shapes , hardwood floors. etc. 50 % gear, 50 % room acoustics. and yes. McIntosh would appreciate the gesture.

This was the first video of yours I've seen and maybe the most relatable I have come across in the audiophile sphere. I appreciate the thoughtful, simple insights and observations and overall you've summed up what I've sort of arrived at myself. In a landscape where people are so opinionated and sure they're right about everything, it's refreshing to hear a someone say essentially "If it sounds good to you, you're probably winning!". That;'s tough to argue. So thanks for that.

Love your Lava lamp!...you have the most realistic reviews and help over most all audiophiles on KZfaq...👍🏼🎶🎶

great advice calvin! since covid, i just bought a tube (er valve) hybrid headphone amp. i decided liked it when i noticed i was tapping my feet to street fighting man by the stones. it's all about the music!

Fantastic commentary, lots of great advise.

So much truth in this video, I’m a 50 year veteran audiophile as well, your spot on the $ , I have had some awful pre amplifiers that have made kept speakers from really singing, I love the tube combo pre amps, they can really add the final icing on the cake.

Brilliant kelvin boy you no your stuff and speak so much sense. Brilliant

Gave you a thumbs-up right off the bat b/c of your very first point. Correct positioning is, in my opinion, the biggest factor in achieving good sound quality, aside from the room itself (which is the biggest factor). And now I'm off to watch the rest of your tips. :) (I'm an oldie, too - I have 40 years of audiophilia under my belt, but I'm always open to what other audiophiles have to say). Cheers from Toronto, Canada!

Thank you Kelvin. As a beginner in vintage hifi I've learned loads from your videos. I have a set now with NAD and Celestion gear which cost a pittance and sounds brilliant.

Loved this video. Especially the part about listen to your system for weak links. The corollary to this is, "when you get great sound, don't go changing things and mess it up".

Nice, as usual. I like small speakers, I like tall speakers 😃 in fact I like all kinds of speakers, I always a couple of systems set up. My main system, tone control free. My integrated second system, a receiver with tone controls, sometimes a little added colour is what's called for, especially with some rough old recordings 😃 speaker placement, yes, keeping things right yes. For me the speakers are the most important part... If your speakers are letting the side down, then no matter what sits upstream of them, you'll only realize parts of its delights! Get the speakers that you really enjoy and then a decent amo, and you'll find tons of source components that are pretty great. Love your videos Kelvin

I could listen to this dude chat about hifi for hours. Subscribed:) 😎👍

Excellent as always Kelvin just to add ensure your speakers are in phase especially if cables are not coded and swap them regularly to ensure they sound the same.

Great advice Kelvin. Due to your channel just purchased a Quad 306 power amp of eBay. Never considered such a thing before and what a difference it has made. Thank you👍

Very wise common sense words. I have just subscribed and will be enjoying watching your videos, thank you.

I bought a pair of floor standing Mordant Short 906's and my wife made me put one behind the TV and the other at the end of the sofa. Sounds great! No headache!!

Very cool advice, some of it unorthodox like speakers last but it makes sense. There is a lot of wisdom in these years of experience.

Finally a guy I like who's not getting kickbacks.

This guy is like the Hemingway of Hifi 😂😂…Love it!! My old man has this level of knowledge but it’s awesome to see it on youtube.

Done! Really good video, man! This'll be really helpful to newbies. I found myself nodding along with pretty much everything you were saying. Number 11 makes a really good point. Glad you also pointed out that specs do NOT tell the whole story. Hell, all the points are valid. Great job!

Agree, especially the part about getting ''class'' straight away instead of working your way up the ladder with multiple buy/sell/buy...

Thanks for very good advice. Amusingly my Quad 405 from 1978 is still my favourite SS amp and I have tried a lot of equipment...

Always love the content. Please keep them coming. Love the vintage / modern mix idea. I’m kinda opposite using vintage McIntosh with modern speakers, Dac, streamer. Sometimes tone controls can be very helpful. Speakers (especially modern) that are bright can truly be helped by a little intervention.

Great advice all round mate. Love my 70's Marantz gear along with a couple of Bryston power amps (Canadian, you see). All built to last. Mix and match. A lifetime audio enthusiast like you.

Wow wow wow, awesome advice I would never have thought of.

Have been into audio for 35yrs or so and totally get what you've said. Nice vid! Thanx and enjoy the music; )]

This is pure GOLD! Thanks Calvin

Loved every minute of your video! Thank you man you are awesome !!

Thank you! You said "vintage" speakers, it suddenly occurred to me that my Spendor SP9/1's are in fact vintage - I bought them twenty years ago and never looked back. Just completed rotating the cones 180 degree - sounds awesome! SP9/1 speakers + Pass Aleph 5 amp = magic.

Really great video man I'm not just saying that! I just found your channel and I'm subscribing! I have been battling myself for like a month about my sound (sound of my turntable speakers) I just can't get it right. Thanks for sharing this advice

Excellent review. Love it and so to the point. Only thing you miss out are those speaker, fiber optic cables. Please, get the biggest copper cable your speaker terminal can accept and for the optic cables, well, light is light... Thanks again for the video.

Love your videos, very interesting

Thanks kelvin! You make us music lovers smile

Very informative and straight to the point.

Excellent video!! it took me a few years to realize that I hate ruler flat reproduction of music. A little EQ is almost always needed in my opinion. Agreed on your point regarding room acoustics as well. My system completely changed for the better after I added a rug, curtains, and diffuser panels to my room. I would say that room acoustics are responsible for around 70% of the overall sound of a system.

Thank you! Great suggestions love the idea of pairing old with new. I have been thinking of pairing some AR9 speakers with an Adcom GFA-5802 Power Amp Cheers!🥂🎩

When I was young I had the treble and bass up, but in hindsight only because my amps were seriously lacking. Now I have several very good amps and JC1 mono blocks (tube like sound with 25 watts class A and 400 watts A/B for incredible dynamics and bass control) where I will always bypass all tone controls. Decent high current amp don't need tone controls and they only muddy the sound when you use them. Very good advice you are giving people. I have a few pairs of vintage speakers which I thought weren't very good until I hooked them to a high powered modern amp that could handle the 3 ohm dips. Had I not heard my Kef R900s, I would have been totally satisfied with my vintage Polk LS70s, but only on a high powered and sweet amp. I was amazed how great my LS70s sounded on my mono blocks, but the R900s went back into the system because the LS 70 were a little too deep in tone and the bass wasn't quite as tight. I run all of my speakers with the ports plugged because I like super tight bass and with big amps you can have the best of both worlds (tight and strong bass). When speakers dip to 3ish ohm in the bass, they are sucking more than twice the power for those low frequencies and will still kick some serious bass even if the ports are plugged.

Not expecting a cheque from Music Fidelity then.😄 Another passionate review my friend!

Great stuff, Kelvin!

If you are dipping your toe into the complex world of Hi-Fi I would recommend you watch this video several times and take it all in. This is a person sharing years of experience for your benefit. Great video 😊

Excellent presentation. Thanks.

Measurements are like reading an ingredients list and portions for a recipe - it doesnt mean it’s gonna taste good and measurements doesn’t mean it’s going to sound good. everything you say makes a lot of sense.

Another top video ….Brilliant !!!

Outstanding video, thank you. I agree with every point you made with the possible exception of speakers and their importance. Once you kind of understand your room and where the speakers can go, then you can then pick out a set that you can live with for a long time. Spend most of your budget there, particularly if you are starting out. At that point I would go for an amplification system that drives the speakers properly. Then, finally work on the front-end last, because that's the part that changes with technology the most. How much money have some of us wasted on a digital front end, only to find out that there was a better one coming out each year. Many cases for a lot less money. Not to mention that the used market is tough on digital product. Just my two cents.

I've watched hundreds of hifi videos on KZfaq and this is the best one.

Excellent, as always! 😎🎧

A lot of what we buy is because of our budget limitations, which is sort of what you said. Over the weekend I just pick up (from the ORIGINAL owner) a Yamaha CR-600 and two BIG speakers for $300, all in excellent condition. The speakers I'm certain are ones you've never heard of - Audiocoustics Laboratory XR-310F - a "house brand" speaker sold by a high end audio store here in Indianapolis, designed to compete with Advent at the time. Very well built and they really pack a punch!

Another great video. Thanks!

Great vid Kelvin, enjoyed that

Spot on, on all counts, excellent concise comments, well said. I couldn't agree more (from an old electronics audiophile.

Thank you, enthusiastic & factual -- excellent advice! The Fives by Klipsch may not be the best sounding speaker but it IS the EASIEST to set up. Old TV can do nothing modern but a 12' optical worked the first time on a cheap laptop sending reg HDMI 25' playing KZfaq live performances. Mindblowing!! (even though I don't have best set of eardrums)

Buchard mark ii might be challenging your small bookshelf bit 😂 great video!

Ultimately, if it sounds good to you, its right.

Great tips, many thanks.

Great advice here, I got Klipsch Cornwall IV paired with NAIM Uniti Atom....old speakers with modern gear is a winning combination.

First time I’ve seen/heard you. I really enjoyed the vid and found myself nodding agreement. We may both be wrong but I think a little experience and a little extra cash helps you debunk a lot of the hifi bs and snobbery. Going to watch your next video now. Cheers mate.

Every single tip is on the money. All great advice. Thanks Kelvin!

My old Naim NAIT (currently in the care of my eldest son), is just 13 watts and still sounds beautiful, fully able to fill a reasonably sized room & drive some decent speakers (like my old Linn Index Plus', also in the tender care of son number 1).

Loved your video, thanks!

Really good to hear from you that we should focus on music instead of equipment, big money don't mean big pleasure. Have a good time buddy.

Thanks for the great HiFi common sense…..Subscribed!

Nice to meet you! Fantastic video. I use NAD C352 with mission 734i speakers. Standard ofc speaker cable. Audio output from tv to aux input. The result is dependent on the quality of the source recording. When it's good it blows you away, when it's poor it shows. I like it that way! Subscribed.