Get Better Sound by Jim Smith (2008) Paperback

As a licensed installer, music lover and audiophile nut, I gotta tell ya : Jims' book is about the best I've ever read on how to get the most out of your sound system. I have spent almost 30 years experimenting and tweaking my 3 dedicated audio rooms. Thought I knew it all. But this book has useful, often simple, amazingly effective ideas that work ! ( Never realized that taking off my glasses while listening would enhance the cymbals and concert ambience so much= WOW). This book is well reviewed by the audiophile community and has been over $ 100 for years. At this price, it's cheaper than ANY investment in an audio component or acoustical treatment. A fun, easy to read book that is now at the FRONT of my reference library (dog ears and all). Simply amazing to have so many audiophile / installer "secrets" in one book. Don't buy any new equipment until you've followed Jims' advice on setup. Bravo !

I purchased this book after seeing the ads posted in various audiophile magazines. The information contained in the book is very helpful if one has the flexibility within their listening environment to experiment with component placement and general tweaking of the listening space. Unfortunately I do not so the processes and methodology provided was of marginal use. That being said there are still plenty of ideas and suggestions on how to improve the sound of one's audio system. I found the author's format to be somewhat disconcerting as he offers information as numbered tips. Many of the tips also reference other related tips which means the reader must jump around to get a comprehensive understanding of the topic at hand. I also found the graphics and art examples to be rudimentary but effective. This is not what I would describe as a comprehensive guide but rather a somewhat disconnected while accurate treatise on audio techniques.

Teaching you the basics of audio setup. You will save big money if you know how to setup your system for best sounding!!! You will loose a lot of money if don't know...

This book was recommended by many re-known audio authors of numerous magazines and audio websites. if you are interested in getting the best sound from your present audio system and equipment ,this is the book for you. it gives you all the ins and outs of getting the best bang for your well earned dollars. i was just like everybody else thinking the more you spend on equipment and speakers the better your listening pleasures will be. very incorrect, Jim smith explains it all, and gives you hundreds of solutions and facts to save you tons of money. if you have nice equipment, after reading this book you will enjoy it even better without spending a bunch if any amount of money. i highly recommend it for the serious and leisure audiophile.

The misinformation in this book is shocking, and only further purpetuates this bat-sh** crazy world of audiophiles that for whatever reason unbeknown to all logical thought, they completely deny audio principles practiced for many years.You won’t get good advice other than half brain ideas of how acoustics work and that compression is somehow the devil to high fidelity audio. I actually laughed when I read that chapter about compression. Oh, and course all the audiophile price point mentions somehow snuck into a book on how to achieve better sound.It’s a hobby until you think you know everything, then it’s just offensive and weird.What. A. Joke.If he can publish a book I can actually go to mars like I wanted to do as a kid.

This book was a total dissapointment. I bought the book to learn about how to use the settings in my reciever, to get better sound. This book just talks about speaker placement. Dahhh. I can figure that out on my own. The settings in the reciever are what determine the sound quailty, along with the efficiency of the speakers. The best book I've read on the subject is Home Theater for Dummies. Don't buy this book. It's all hype and no substance.

After reading the book, I went back to two of the rules I'd marked and moved the right speaker a little bit and raised 280Hz by .04db and I have improved performance greatly. I will admit that having a digital parametric equalizer on hand significantly reduced my odds of failure, but though the main complaint seems to be the cost involved of righting the ship, it is still cheaper than new components. (I'm so glad I'm not on the Audiogon conveyor belt.) The room-first approach perfectly aligns with what I've read from people with electrical engineering degrees, further deepening trust. I remember reading about a hi-fi shop in Atlanta a while ago that featured Avante-Garde horns, and now I know why it was written about in the first place.

Jim Smith provides many helpful tips to improve your overall sound. He proposes ideas that will make a large difference, and also provides tweaks for the perfectionists. I wanted to keep my vintage equipment, and get to most out of the sound. It worked. I did spend some time building speaker stands, and moving things around. I had fun doing the work. It was easy. My system sounds wonderful.The hedge-fund managers, and corporate raiders, can purchase the expensive gear advertised ($200,000 turntables etc.) in the audio mags. This book made it possible for me to make the best of what I have.