Most branded systems are said to be perfect and/or tested to be linear squared wave output, but they still don’t sound as what they should be, some are even unbearable playing a CD with piano music doesn’t like a piano at all. It’s really hard for one to select a real good system.
First of all, you must know how to rate your system with your ears or what system you want to buy. Mostly you can’t get any CD that you’re familiar with to test on at the moment especially at the shop unless you must bring ones along with you. You can also turn it up the volume at a higher level, and then if you find the sound gets annoying or unpleasant; it means the system shall have a certain distortion to a very serious extent.
When you turn up the volume of the system, there should be less resistance which is rendered by the attenuator, under this condition; the system should have better sound quality. But if you find the system doesn’t sound good when you turn up the volume, it means there is certain serious distortion within the system.
You don’t have to care what the brand you’re going to buy, it all depends on the sound quality it can reproduce, and then you can have the right choice to pick the right one.
*** You may also turn up the volume of your system at your premises and see if the sound quality gets very annoying or unpleasant, if so, it means your system has a certain severe distortion. It’s the easiest and cheapest way to rate your system rather than using any testing equipment.
Secondly, if you have experience in a certain instrument such as piano, and then use such experience as a standard, you may listen to a few CDs with such instrument and then compare the sound with the live instrument that you’re familiar with, and then you would know how to make a decision to buy one.
