Best hi-fi channel for the no nonsense normal people here on youtube. Yes I do like this content. Keep 'em coming Kelvin cause It's all good.

"Get the biggest speaker you can". HA! Love it! Sunday morning tea with Kelvin makes me happy.

when you said "get the biggest speakers you can" my wife got mad. I had to move rooms to continue watching. Great video as always

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the world is a better place for Kelvin and his hi-fi channel.

Solid core mains cable makes excellent speaker cable.

Priceless Kelvin, you bring such a brightness to the day every time you post another video no matter the weather. common sense down to earth tips hints and reviews

You can get mains cable by the metre at Wilko - it's sold side-by-side with 'speaker cable' and it's so much cheaper! I read the mains cable tip over 4 years ago (I think it was in a What Hifi? group review of speaker cables) and I've sworn by it ever since. As for buying vintage amps, practically every 'development' since the late 70s has been aimed at reducing manufacturing costs, not improving sound quality.

My speaker cables: a few years ago, a major wiring supplier for the aviation industry in my region got rid of kilometers of cables following a change in regulations on aviation safety. I acquired a hundred meters of these cables for a pittance from my electrical/electronic equipment supplier. Do the job perfectly!...

I love your honesty and not being just a hi-fi snob like some of the people with other channels. 🙂

Your advice for younger folks is right on the money. I'm over 60 years old and I have done the exact same thing you have done and the most important one I have to say is get the biggest speakers you can because they sound the best no matter what anybody says. Especially if you're not spending 10 grand

One of the best and cheapest upgrades for me was getting the couch off the back wall. The bass never sounded or felt so good 🥳

The best advice I've ever got, I got it in I guess in kindergarten and it applies to the audio world as well: Use common sense!

excellent Kelvin - you should do this kinda short primer on basics every so often. so many audio YTs start & end at the deep end of the pool. basics such as you've pointed out - particularly in the manner you point them out - are valuable point-of-entry guidance for future audio enthusiasts (& old-timers too!) adjusting to the many emerging technologies.

As an audio engineer, this is spot on advice mate, especially about the big old speakers.

Great advice from the Master!

12’’ bass heaven…Who says size doesn’t matter 🔊🤩

Great advice! I only have big speakers. I love your content. My favorite is a vintage US brand called ADS. They were an US based offshoot of Braun. You may have seen Brauns there in the UK. They are 3 way with a sticky dome mid and tweeters. Beautiful full and lush mids with great detail.

In a world full of Hi Fi bulls**t Kelvin says it how it is. Great stuff.

Now my wife is mad, I butchered the Hoover power cable.

I'll say that something still can be gained from better cables even on a cheap system. But don't go for the expensive ones. A little better than the typical ones that you show can work wonders. Great video Mate.

My hifi pusher sells both used and new equipment and the best part is that I can try it at home before buying. I think it is adamont trying things in your own listening room not just listening in the store.🙂

Thank you! I really enjoy your videos!

Great advice!! Take a $100 speaker and a $1000 speaker and you will hear a world of difference. Take a $100 amp and a $1000 amp, and you might not hear any difference. A great sounding system is ALL ABOUT THE SPEAKERS! Great video Kelvin!!

For bass, I agree size does matter. 12 inches for a really deep feel. 15 inches will be amazing. Low frequencies is a longwave. Silver core speaker wire or silver coated does make a difference.

The reason I believe that good hifi hasn't changed much sonically is because of the switch from analogue sources to digital sources. Just as analogue was coming good, digital comes along and has to go through a similar improvement and upgrading path as far as dac's and upsampling is concerned, the higher it is, the smother the curve and the more detailed it sounds. Thing is that digital is looking to recreate a clean sine wave... like analogue does, so the proverbial dog has ended up chasing its own tail, ergo, little sonic progression has taken place. In the late 70s, Audio manufacturer QED brought out a revolutionary 79 strand clean copper loudspeaker cable that bettered 2.5 mm twin and earth mains cable. It sold for 80 pence a metre and sounded far superior in both treble and bass delivery to the mains cable with it's contaminated copper wire and less flexible nature. Glad you're back Kelvin, mate.

Hey, your back 👍👍 Good to see you Kelvin

Thank you you have confirmed my suspicions about Hi-Fi all along brilliant stuff,

Some more good tips and useful hacks for us think about and try out from the practical, down to Earth HIFI guy. I definitely prefer large speakers for the overall coherent, fuller, immersive sound from my stereo set up, without the need for a subwoofer. Thanks Kelvin.

I bought a lovely old JVC amplifier a few years ago, that is from 1978 and that makes it three years older than me! I love it and I'm so happy to have a class A amplifier, instead of a class D. I much prefer the sound.

Enjoying hi fi is a balancing act. On #5 I will use a better cable on my Linn v the freebie cable. Growing up we have these big Pioneer speakers. The bigger the woofer, the better. Talk about rock the house.

My celestion ditton 66, marantz model 8B, Dynaco pas 2 and CD player électrocompaniet EMC1. I'll stick with them because nothing modern compares.

I agree about big speakers. My infinity QBs ate the best pair of speakers I have.

Nice one mate great video

Meant to add - great tips Kevin and my most unusual speaker cable was copper wire used underground for shotfiring manholes etc!😊

Kelvin lots of great advice as always. Great channel.

Yep, i've had the same speakers for 35 years, every time i think about getting new ones they get smaller!

Finally an intelligent reviewer!greetings from geir in Norway!

I’m by no way a hifi buff but did find that by removing the panels to my amp and CD player and using a fine brush to loosen dust( gently hoovered away) and accumulated debris inside my 30 odd year component’s helped to reduce interference and improved the clarity of the system.

“Speakers, think big” I love that advice :0)

Very wise words thank you.

Always great advice but be careful if you have a small room larger speakers can overwhelm a room with bass go for sealed box types not ported and you can get great sound from small speakers with a sub in a small space everything else bang on kelvin my go to hifi expert

Now that is *great advice*

Another fantastic video, thank you!

This info really help! Thanks a lot for being true.

Agree with you 👍 Especially in the cables department.

I like to use old Extension cords - usually real copper and had a bunch laying around. 14 to 16 gage, and marked for polarity.

Interesting, thx for sharing 👍

Wise words I think Kelvin 👍

Very good advice about the new stuff!!

The power coming into your house passes through miles and miles of cheap wire. It's hard to believe that the last meter of wire makes a significant difference.

What if you get a great big subwoofer or two to go with your little stand speakers?

I have large vintage wharfedale speakers and they do give more of a wow factor in terms of scale. I do find that they struggle with some modern bands and also deliver less details than my smaller q acoustics.

But what about the size of fight in the dog ‘ay? Haha. Hey Kelvin any idea where to get interconnects to fit those small close together rca ins on vintage 1950’s 1960’s preamps? I am using a Leak St.20 with Varislpe and its a very tight fit for these with new ones.

I find twin and earth solid core ring main electrical cable excellent for speaker cable, but also use Linn silver interconnect between sources and amplifiers.

Hi Kelvin, I like your wise look on hifi world. Now I am over 60 and tried many hifi gear and finally came back to roots for little money. Now I have AMC XIA amp and CD & Pro-ject turnatable 2M Red cartridge. I am looking for vintage loudspeakers (value for the money) to my small room ca 15 square meters. I am interested in Beovox, Rank Arena, Mirsch, Philips or others that can fulfill my room. I am listening to music not to parameters. I like to feel basS and wide scene. Prefere 3 way sealed box with 25/30 cm bass. I am listening all kind of music but jazz and classic mainly. Could you recommend anything ? Regards from Poland, Darius.

In regards to small speakers What about the ls35a though? I still love mine

Not sure what your take is on the US made KLH speakers from the late sixties/early seventies Kelvin, but I found a pair of KLH Model 6's on the street in Brooklyn a couple of years ago and I must say that since I found them, I've been hooked. I now also have a pair of Model 32's and 33's which I paid $150 for combined.

Solid core mains cable is great for speakers. If you can solder get some screened twisted pair instrument cable and make your own interconnects (connect the screen at one end only - the amplifier end). If you want high end cables on a budget, read Allen Wright's "Supercables Cookbook" (no affiliation). A good big un is always better than a good little un (applies to cars, bikes and guns too). I had a big pair of transmission line speakers for about 30 years. Replaced them with similar sized horns about 15 years ago. Both marvellous. If you are a tinkerer you can get great sound out of a Raspberry Pi with an inexpensive DAC "hat" and stream with that. I remember a beer advert "unspoilt by progress" - applies to a lot of HiFi too.

6. make room in your budget for a pair of high quality subwoofers. it gives you freedom to extend your system’s response further than any tone control or EQ possibly can. *BE NOT AFRAID.* PS i’ve bought at least a half dozen different cables from JSAUX, always in red 😂 their cables are great!

I have been a pro musician for many years. Fender twin reverb with jbl’s 69 strat & various other axes. Using belden cable as an interconnect between amp & guitar, this opens up the sound in the mids & higher registers. Otc cables are generally shit. Fender used to supply a belden guitar cable, along with a strap when you bought a new guitar. These cables were tip top. The grey ones with the spiggot inside the plug & a grub screw to contact the shield. I cannot possibly agree with your opinion on cables in any way at all. Good quality cable is the lifeblood of musical sound!. Are you sure that your ears are up to discerning the differences between sounds from various cables?. I, and many other musicians certainly can. Picking out different nuances in sound is part & parcel of our stock in trade. It is a fact that musicians have far more sensitive hearing than folks that are not, for obvious reasons. At home my accuphase & jbl work great with belden cable, lovely open sound. I like you have an assortment of amps, that i change from time to time, just for the pleasure of it all!. Bell wire indeed!?. Tut, tut.

A musical hoover ! : ) My Goodmans XB 45 and 25 sound fab .

I've used solid core cable and I thought it sounded better but it depends on what you're looking for in the depths of the song

Hi, I would very much appreciate if you would give me some advice. I have a pair of Jamo PR 120A speakers in good condition & a large cd collection. What music system, cd player, TV etc would I need to play them without causing any damage to speakers or cd player, music centre /system. I would really appreciate your knowledgeable reply. Also it would have to be a bang for buck s/h buy. Many thanks Kim.

This is your best video ever. You channeled your conversation directly to me. Laid back and natural...GREAT JOB.

Many years ago I had a Saturday job at a top-end Hi/Fi retailer, this was the time when expensive cables were emerging, for the sales staff there was a massive commission for selling them, there was a large patch bay for the cables, and guess what someone had put resistors in line the "cheap" standard cables. PS what make are your lava lamps?

Thanks for this. Common Sense isn't entirely common anymore.

Funny to see your picture, as I too have a pair of TANNOY T125 speakers. And a PIONEER SA606 amplifier, n WOW don’t they sound great to together.

My iPhome 10 DAC is good enough for me when compared to expensive Chord DAC. My kit is vintage Linn & KEF. Be happy, save money, enjoy!

The best hiding channel definitely for normal people brilliant

Hi again Kelvin. Have you ever had chance to listen Beovox S60 or M70 ? Need some supprt your impression. Thanks.

Great advice... when it comes to vintage audio you know your stuff. BTW, I have a pair of mid 70s Radford 3-way speakers that use the same Goodmans woofer as your display speaker.

Hi Kelvin from Portugal! In moment you said something i understand just like, the new small speakers don't live and the sound stay "inside" the speakers. Will this aspect pass with new floorstandings? All the best. Pedro

Good video. My tips, speakers are the most important (after room acoustics). If possible get a high efficient speakers (used or new) like a Klipsch Heritage series (horns and compression drivers). This way, you can focus on low but good quality wattage amps and still get good volume and keep the dynamics even on low volume. I have compared low efficient speakers and mega wattage amps, its not the same. Low wattage amp's sounds the best on the actual real word wattage use most people use daily. DAC's and cables are the lastyou need to worry about. Also, room acoustic is very important, actually even more important than the speakers depending on the situation. Currently running a fleat watt class-a, amps, both on solid state and single ended tube amp👍

Some debatable points, cable quality lends itself to the law of diminishing returns and a difference can usually be perceived as an 'improvement' or not. Speaker size is down to your room size and type of music you prefer end of. I dont agree with buying the largest speaker, that seems daft advice to me.

Spot on about reviewing , often l watch Bluetooth speaker reviews, really good reviewers in general but fail on one thing...they only seem to play dance/ rap kind of music when reviewing speakers. That's if I can discern the paid reviewers from the genuine

Size should be determined by room and most definitely placement. And thb most rooms i see are anything but good enough for the bigger guys out there. The amount of speakers I've seen flanked by a huge dresser, cornered, and backwall hugging is pretty much endless. I feel people should understand that your ears are not even the limiting factor. Your room doesn't give one bit about you or your spendure. Good video, just found you i have a very small unbiased audio channel so i can relate to alot youre saying here

Sir Cliff Richard likes small and tall speakers as he says in his Wired For Sound hit single 😄👍🏼

Big speakers, amp with good current, good source and you’re onto a winner. Cables do make a difference though, especially interconnects, Belden 1694a cable for interconnects is cheap and excellent sounding, use proper speaker cables (oxygen free copper) soldered bananas, keep your cables separate and not touching each other, learn how to set up speakers properly using something like the “master speaker placement” technique and a test tone on youtube for imaging and soundstage (reflections) 👍🏻

Evening Kelvin, another reasonable and considered show, yes indeed , big speakers,three way are normally much more open sounding...if I may I'll give you my reasons why.. I found a pair of BW 601 S3's at a second hand shop near where I live, bought 5 CD's and speakers for twenty quid..no not joking, on the Costa people aren't really into hifi or driving really but I dygress.. That's supposed to be a really great speaker but to be honest they sound pretty dead until played quite loud...moving on ..I was given some gear from a good Pal, and a pair of Jamo 760 R speakers in perfect shape..well these sounded OK but we're two way, it so happens though they have a bass port facing forward nxt to the diffuser horn loaded tweeter. Just the right diameter to fit a bang and Olufsen mid driver..So add a monacor DN 10 three way cross over and Bobs your aunty.( Maybe These days😮) They make those BW's sound pretty compressed, improved though if you bi amp them, But Bigger is Better, in my humble opinion Cheers Kelvin and have a great week old son.

I use the orange lawn mower cable for my speakers

That is tasty looking speaker! Boss can you review some Sugden equipment? Cheers!

Agree so much , cone surface ...I use JBL 18" ...drums sound realistic without seeing the cone move ...so no linear distortion from too much cone excurtion ....feel the bass instruments tactility, bassmotes of piano ...noises of woodenfloor in opera.....and high efficiency....to give uncompressed dynamics....without clipping amplifier into distortion ....at least if I want to listen at realistic musical instrument soundlevels ...I played those instruments and if I want the goosebumps , I miss them at lower level ....love your presentations ❤❤❤

You may say that about cables and I always wanted to believe this, but my mate brought over some cable talk stuff and I swapped over my bundled interconnects and 79 strand type cable with them and there was a significant difference, which dismayed me. I messed around with the cables, not wanting to believe it, and even found that I needed to have both the ‘better’ interconnects and speaker cables to make the difference. So I wasn’t going to pay out for expensive cables so went out and bought some decent audio coax cable and some coax RCA phono plugs and some similar speaker cable from Quad, for a lot less money, and found that I got similar results. I later found that speaker cables do make a difference, but not necessarily because they have exotic materials, but just in how they are constructed and how it affects capacitance, etc. Like that flatline stuff is pretty sharp sounding, and twisted two core mains was ok but not great, and my amps didn’t like the thicker stranded cables. So now I just always use 2.5mm stranded clear sheathed Van Damme speaker cable (I think PMC recommend the 4mm version for their speakers) , which is reasonably priced, and also Van Damme interconnects for where I am not digital.

I like your info on the topic… and admire you ‘nerd so much around with stuff’.. I’m not a super experienced / hifi / audiophile… I just like good music in my ears like wine in my mouth… Tried Bluetooth speaker… small speaker… and now at 53 I’m back… started slow.. with semi big Dali 18 mk2 (super cheap, but NICE…(with powerful amp))… than 3 years ago my old dream speakers (Dali 40se) was bought.. found out I needed MORE amp… not because I play loud… they just take a lot.. now with 4 monoblock amp’s and a nice old restored preamp, the last & final purchase- two months ago, upgraded to a Keenwood 1980 turntable (so much more stable and solid), and I’m at the end for me in hifi…I stop before the bug for new stuff kicks in, I enjoy going around and find a old LP for very few quid’s… the last was ‘The Crusaders’.. WOW what a sound for 1-2 £… that leaves money for a nice wine or even better a few Gin & Tonic…I probably never marry with a set of 2 x 68kg speakers… but I can live with that 😊

Thanks for video. I support the opinion that you don't need to spend tons of money on cables when you have a budget set-up. A good move is to buy the CHEAPEST cables but from a QUALITY audio company. Almost all of them have budget thin cables that cost modest money. Thus, you will save money and stay in the hi-fi territory and that would warm your soul 🤗😌

I’m always unplugging chopping and changing the inputs. I found Monster cables have extremely user unfriendly RCA plugs. They damage my input sockets cause you have to wiggle them off in that it damages the socket.

Yeah nightmare those dongles ended up buying four and it wasn't the most expensive one that worked the best at WHSmith, I tried an apple one that was useless it cut all the top frequencies off and was low output, the Samsung one wasn't much better didn't cut the frequencies off but no output to speak of, a cheap one from a garage that just didn't do anything. Very annoying the whole lot!!! they need to put the jacks back in phones i don't know why they took them out in the first place save money I suppose 2p a socket yeah. Very difficult to know how to get a decent one I think just trial and error

Verry honest content Kelvin! There are so many youtubers arround, who are slaves of the highend industry to get their overpriced, but cheap manufactured, gear over the counter. And the result......? Buy pricier!

Nice tan Kevin😂😂

All true !

Love the UT shirt. 🤘 Hook ‘em horns!!

I agree there is no magic in cables, it’s an easy money spinner for dealers, I use Amazon basics in my system and yes I have tried fancy expensive silver cored cables, they don’t make a difference.

Love this channel, very honest. The way I look at it is what do the Rolling Stones or Taylor Swift use, Not small things on stands .

Audio reproduction is a lot simpler than video. Our hearing is also a lot less discriminating than our vision. It's simply the case that audio electronics, at least from a sound reproduction standpoint, was a solved problem by the 1980's. Consumer electronics in the 1970's was basically limited to TVs and stereos; these days there's a lot more gadgets competing for your cash. Not a lot of people want large speakers dominating their living rooms, so manufacturers do what they can with small speakers / soundbars and subwoofers. You can't beat physics, though, so it's not surprising that at a set of older speakers with 12" woofers will sound better. Most home speakers won't have spent a lot of time being pounded at top volume, so generally don't 'wear out'. The main issue is more likely to be disintegrating foam speaker suspensions, where used.

9.00 - why not use a dongle DAC from HIDYZ or Audioquest to connect your phone to your vintage amp. Better than Headphone out from phone.

See if you can get Namco NSQ-331's or NSQ-551's in the uK Kelvin. They are real sleepers. Look like JBL's like the L112's and sound really nice (full) and can be had for almost nothing. Big three ways.

I have Klipshorns in both corners of my living room, they don't take up that much space, but what a presence, bookcases, NEVER !

Try and hear the broom sweep on Harvest Moon by Neil Young. I only hear it with good headphones or watching the video. If you hear it on speakers I salute you!!

ELEVEN.

I think my B&W dm602s were the best bang for buck speakers ,streaming I don't like one bit as find cd vinyl and minidisc are far superior sounding and I agree with your opinion on cables I upgraded my cables but so they are in line with the quality of the rest of my system