The Critical
Importance of PAVING
At MBS Audio we want you to enjoy your music every day no matter what time of the day. Whilst our playback products are very special it would be a diservice to them and you if you didn't exploit their full potential. This is where our PAVING model comes in. It's designed to help you maximize the performance of every component in your system, including one of the most crucial elements, your listening room.
While the principles behind PAVING aren't new, our approach sets us apart. We don't simply sell 'boxes' – we make hi-fi optimisation a fundamental part of our service.
The Role of Power in Unlocking Your Hi-Fi System’s Full Potential
In premium hi-fi, every element of your system plays a role in determining sound quality. While speakers, amplifiers, and source components are given the most attention, the foundation of any audio system—its power supply—is often overlooked. Without clean, stable power, even the finest components will fail to perform at their best. This article explores the key elements of the importance of power in a premium hi-fi system and how each can elevate your listening experience.
Power Conditioners & Distribution Blocks
The electricity supplied to your home is far from perfect. It carries noise from other household appliances, voltage fluctuations, and interference that can degrade audio quality. Power conditioners work to regulate this electricity, filtering out noise and maintaining a stable voltage supply. By ensuring that your equipment receives clean power, these devices reduce distortion, allowing for greater clarity and detail in the music.
Meanwhile, power distribution blocks play a crucial role in organising and isolating components. Cheap multi-socket extensions introduce interference, degrading performance. High-quality distribution blocks provide a well-structured power supply, minimising cross-contamination between components and helping to preserve the integrity of the audio signal.
Key Benefits:
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Reduces unwanted electrical noise and interference
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Maintains a consistent voltage for improved component performance
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Organises power distribution to minimise sonic degradation
Power Cables: More Than Just Conductors
Power cables are sometimes dismissed as insignificant, yet they are the first link in your system’s electrical chain. Standard cables lack the shielding and materials necessary to prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio-frequency interference (RFI), both of which can introduce noise into your system.
Premium audiophile power cables are constructed from high-purity copper or silver, with advanced shielding to prevent external interference. The result is a cleaner power supply, which translates into improved sound quality—better bass definition, cleaner highs, and a more open soundstage.
Key Benefits:
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Minimises interference, ensuring an unpolluted power supply
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Enhances bass depth, midrange clarity, and overall soundstage
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Provides a stable connection, reducing voltage fluctuations
Fuses: Small Component, Significant Impact
While fuses are primarily designed for safety, they can also influence sound quality. Most stock fuses are made from inexpensive materials with high resistance, which can restrict the flow of electricity and introduce micro-distortions into the signal path.
High-quality audio-grade fuses use better conductors, such as silver or gold, and are designed to allow a more consistent current flow. Many listeners report an increase in detail retrieval, improved tonal accuracy, and a reduction in background noise after upgrading their system’s fuses.
Key Benefits:
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Improves current flow for greater sonic accuracy
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Reduces electrical resistance, enhancing system dynamics
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Helps eliminate micro-distortions and background noise
Linear Power Supplies: The Purest Energy Source
Most audio equipment relies on switch-mode power supplies (SMPS), which are efficient but introduce high-frequency noise into the system. This noise can interfere with delicate audio signals, reducing clarity and dynamic range.
Linear power supplies (LPS), in contrast, use a more refined approach to power delivery. They generate a stable DC voltage without high-frequency switching noise, ensuring that your digital components—such as DACs, streamers, and preamps—operate at their absolute best.
Key Benefits:
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Eliminates switching noise for a blacker background
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Provides a steady, regulated voltage to sensitive components
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Enhances the resolution and natural tonality of digital playback
Summary
Power is the foundation of any premium hi-fi system. Without clean, stable electricity, even the finest components will struggle to perform as intended.
By investing in high-quality power conditioners, cables, fuses, and linear power supplies, you ensure that your system is powered correctly—allowing your music to be reproduced with greater accuracy, depth, and emotion.
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The Role of Acoustics in a Premium Hi-Fi System
A high-end hi-fi system is only as good as the room in which it operates. The finest speakers and amplifiers in the world cannot totally compensate for poor room acoustics, yet many enthusiasts focus entirely on equipment while neglecting the environment that shapes their sound.
Acoustics determine how sound waves behave in a space. Without proper attention to room dynamics, music can sound muddy, unbalanced, or unnatural—regardless of the quality of the system. Understanding and addressing room acoustics is a fundamental step toward achieving the best possible listening experience.
How Room Acoustics Affect Sound Quality
When a sound wave is produced by a speaker, it doesn’t simply travel in a straight line to your ears. It interacts with the room—bouncing off walls, ceilings, floors, and furniture. These reflections can either enhance or degrade the overall sound quality.
Several key factors influence room acoustics:
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Reflections and Echoes: Hard surfaces like glass and bare walls reflect sound waves, creating echoes and unwanted reverberation. This can blur detail and reduce clarity.
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Standing Waves: When certain frequencies align with the dimensions of a room, they can become exaggerated or cancelled out, leading to an uneven bass response.
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Absorption and Diffusion: Too much absorption can make a room sound ‘dead’, while too little can make it overly reverberant. Finding the right balance is crucial.
Acoustic Treatment: Controlling the Sound Environment
Rather than fighting against a room’s natural acoustics, it’s best to work with them—modifying the space to optimise sound reproduction. Acoustic treatment can be categorised into three main areas:
1. Absorption: Reducing Unwanted Reflections
Absorptive materials help control excessive reflections and echo, leading to a cleaner, more focused sound. These include:
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Bass Traps: Placed in corners to control low-frequency buildup.
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Acoustic Panels: Positioned at primary reflection points to absorb mid and high frequencies.
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Carpets and Curtains: Soft furnishings help tame excessive brightness.
2. Diffusion: Maintaining a Natural, Open Sound
Diffusers scatter sound waves, preventing harsh reflections while maintaining a sense of space and openness. These are particularly useful for treating rear walls, preventing sound waves from bouncing directly back toward the listener.
3. Speaker and Listener Positioning
Proper placement of speakers and the listening position can dramatically affect how a system sounds. The equilateral triangle method—where the listener sits at an equal distance from both speakers—often provides the best stereo imaging. Additionally, small adjustments to speaker toe-in and height can refine clarity and depth.
Room Size and Shape: The Unchangeable Factor
While treatments can improve a room’s acoustics, the physical dimensions of the space will always influence the sound. Large rooms can create excessive reverberation, while small rooms can lead to exaggerated bass frequencies. In an ideal world, a listening space should have proportions that help to evenly distribute sound energy, rather than concentrating it in specific areas. However, all you can do is work within the parameters/dimensions/shape of your room the best you can.
Summary
An investment in hi-fi equipment is only worthwhile if the room allows it to perform at its best. Addressing acoustics—through absorption, diffusion, and proper positioning—ensures that music is heard as intended, with clarity, balance, and depth.
If you are serious about high-fidelity sound, room acoustics should not be an afterthought. They are a core component of the listening experience, shaping the way you perceive and enjoy your music.
The Role Of Vibration Control In A Premium Hi-Fi System
Every component—from the source to the speakers—is designed with precision to reproduce sound with the highest fidelity. However, one fundamental factor can undermine even the most advanced setup: vibration.
Unwanted vibrations, whether from external sources or the components themselves, introduce distortions that degrade sound quality. Addressing vibration control is essential for achieving the clarity, detail, and balance that a high-end system is capable of producing.
How Vibrations Affect Audio Performance
Hi-fi components are incredibly sensitive. Even the smallest vibrations can interfere with their ability to function optimally. This interference can manifest in several ways:
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Turntables and CD Players: As mechanical devices, these are particularly vulnerable to vibrations. Any external movement can cause tracking errors, affecting playback accuracy.
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Amplifiers and DACs: Internal circuits, especially in tube amplifiers, can pick up microphonic vibrations, introducing unwanted noise into the signal path.
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Speakers: As speakers generate sound waves, they also produce vibrations that can transfer into surrounding equipment, affecting stability and clarity.
Vibration Control Solutions
Eliminating unwanted vibrations requires a combination of isolation, damping, and decoupling techniques.
These solutions help to stabilise components and maintain sonic purity.
1. Isolation Platforms
Designed to absorb vibrations, isolation platforms provide a stable foundation for sensitive components. High-mass platforms made from materials like granite or acrylic are particularly effective, while some high-end platforms incorporate viscoelastic materials to absorb low-frequency resonance.
2. Equipment Racks
A high-quality hi-fi rack isn’t just about organisation—it plays a critical role in vibration control. The best racks are constructed from materials that dampen vibrations, preventing unwanted energy transfer between components.
3. Resonance Control Feet and Spikes
Many audio enthusiasts use isolation feet or spikes under their equipment and speakers. These work by minimising contact points, reducing the amount of vibration that travels between the system and the floor.
4. Chassis Damping
Hi-fi components themselves can resonate, particularly metal enclosures. Applying damping materials inside chassis panels or using aftermarket vibration control devices can reduce internal resonance and improve sound clarity.
The Audible Benefits of Vibration Control
When vibration control is properly implemented, the improvements in sound quality are often immediate and significant:
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Greater detail and resolution, as micro-vibrations no longer interfere with signal purity
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Tighter, more controlled bass response, free from muddiness or overhang
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Improved stereo imaging, as stabilised components produce a more precise soundstage
Summary
Vibration may not be visible, but its effects on a hi-fi system are undeniable. By isolating, damping, and stabilising key components, you allow your equipment to perform at its highest potential. The result is an unmistakable improvement in clarity, dynamics, and realism—letting you experience your music as it was meant to be heard.
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Interconnects and Cables: The Critical Links in a Premium Hi-Fi System
When you are building your hi-fi system, unsurpisingly, your focus is on speakers, amplifiers, and source components. Yet, the connections between them—the interconnects and cables—are just as vital. These components are not simply passive conduits; they play an active role in preserving the integrity of the audio signal.
The difference between a well-matched cable setup and a poor one can be heard in every aspect of the music. Clarity, tonal balance, and detail all depend on how well signals travel between components. In short, if you neglect your cables, you’re not hearing your system at its best.
How Cables and Interconnects Affect Sound
A premium hi-fi system operates on precision. Every electrical signal—whether analogue or digital—needs to move through your system with as little interference or loss as possible. When cables introduce resistance, interference, or signal degradation, it affects the sound you hear.
Common issues include:
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Loss of detail and clarity due to poor conductivity
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Unwanted noise and interference from inadequate shielding
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An unbalanced soundstage caused by inconsistent signal transmission
Addressing these issues ensures that your music retains its full fidelity from source to speaker.
Choosing the Right Cables for Your System
Not all cables are equal. The materials, construction, and design of interconnects and speaker cables can have a measurable impact on performance.
1. Conductors: The Material Matters
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The quality of the metal used in cables affects conductivity and resistance.
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Oxygen-free copper (OFC): A high-quality standard that reduces signal loss.
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Silver-plated copper: Enhances high-frequency response for more detail.
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Pure silver: The best conductor, though costly, known for its transparency and speed.
2. Shielding: Protecting the Signal
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Shielding prevents electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio-frequency interference (RFI), both of which can introduce background noise.
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Braided or foil shielding is essential for analogue interconnects, especially in electrically noisy environments.
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Twisted-pair designs reduce noise pickup in balanced cables.
3. Terminations: The Connection Points
The connectors at the end of your cables are just as important as the cables themselves. Poor-quality connectors can loosen over time or introduce resistance into the signal path.
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Gold-plated connectors resist corrosion and maintain a clean contact surface
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Good quality RCA connectors provide a secure and stable connection
Digital Cables: Do They Matter?
Some believe that digital cables—such as optical and coaxial—don’t affect sound quality, as digital signals are just zeros and ones. However, this isn’t entirely true. Poorly designed digital cables can introduce jitter (timing errors) and signal reflections, which impact audio quality. A high-quality digital cable ensures data is transmitted with accuracy, minimising distortion in playback.
The Audible Benefits of High-Quality Cables
When cables are optimised for your system, the improvements can be significant:
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Greater clarity and definition, with reduced background noise
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More natural tonality, allowing instruments and vocals to sound lifelike
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A wider, more precise soundstage, with improved depth and imaging
Summary
Cables and interconnects are not just accessories; they are fundamental to maintaining the integrity of your music. Whether analogue or digital, high-quality connections allow your hi-fi system to perform as it was designed to. Neglect them, and you risk bottlenecking your system’s performance.
Investing in the right cables isn’t about spending excessively—it’s about ensuring that every element of your system is working in harmony, delivering the music with the purity and realism it deserves.
Noise Reduction: Addressing The Silent Enemy of Digital Hi-Fi
Even the most expensive hi-fi system, which is designed to extract every nuance from a recording, can be compromised by an invisible enemy — noise.
In digital audio systems, noise isn’t just an annoyance. It interferes with clarity, dynamics, and resolution. Whether it comes from power supplies, grounding issues, or radio-frequency interference, unwanted noise can veil detail and reduce the impact of your music. Addressing it properly is a fundamental step towards achieving true high-fidelity sound.
Where Does Noise Come From?
Modern digital hi-fi systems rely on sensitive electronics, which are highly susceptible to interference. The sources of noise are varied, but the most common include:
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Electromagnetic Interference (EMI): Electrical noise from household devices such as Wi-Fi routers, LED lighting, and power supplies can leak into audio components
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Radio Frequency Interference (RFI): Wireless signals, mobile phones, and nearby transmission towers can introduce high-frequency noise into digital circuits
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Power Line Contamination: Mains electricity isn’t pure. It carries interference from everything plugged into the grid—washing machines, refrigerators, and even your neighbour’s electrical devices
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Ground Loops: When multiple components are connected to different ground points, small voltage differences can cause a persistent hum or buzz in the system
Noise Reduction Solutions
The good news is that noise can be effectively managed with the right approach. Several specialised products are designed to minimise interference and optimise signal purity.
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Ferrite Cores and EMI Absorbers
Simple but effective, ferrite cores attach to cables to suppress high-frequency interference. EMI absorbers placed inside components can further reduce internal noise.
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USB and Ethernet Noise Filters
Digital sources—such as streamers and DACs—often suffer from data-related noise. Specialised USB and Ethernet filters eliminate jitter and electrical noise, ensuring a cleaner data stream.
The Audible Benefits of Noise Reduction
Once noise is properly negated, the impact on sound quality is undeniable:
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A lower noise floor allows for greater detail retrieval and microdynamics
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A more open and spacious soundstage, with improved depth and imaging
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Increased tonal purity, as the music is no longer masked by interference
Summary
The impact of Noise is one of the most overlooked factors in digital hi-fi systems, yet it plays a crucial role in defining sound quality. Addressing RFI and EMI ensures that your system operates in the cleanest possible environment, allowing every detail of the music to shine through. Noise reduction isn’t a nice to have — it’s a necessity.
Grounding: The Key To Elevating Your Hi-Fi System
Grounding plays a fundamental role in maintaining a quiet electrical environment for digital and analogue components. Without it, unwanted hum, buzz, and high-frequency interference can mask detail, flatten dynamics, and introduce distortion. Understanding and addressing grounding issues is one of the most effective ways to unlock the full potential of a premium hi-fi system.
What is Grounding and Why Does it Matter?
Grounding provides a stable reference voltage for an audio system, ensuring that electrical currents flow as intended. It prevents noise from contaminating the signal path and minimises unwanted interference between components. When grounding is poorly implemented, the system is vulnerable to several issues:
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Ground Loops: If multiple components are connected to different ground points, small voltage differences can create unwanted hum or buzzing
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Radio Frequency Interference (RFI): Without proper grounding, digital equipment can act as an antenna, picking up unwanted high-frequency noise
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Electromagnetic Interference (EMI): External electrical noise from power supplies, lighting, and household electronics can infiltrate the system, reducing clarity and resolution
How to Achieve Proper Grounding in a Hi-Fi System
Addressing grounding is not about adding more connections—it’s about ensuring that everything is grounded to a central hub in the right way. The following solutions help establish a clean, interference-free system.
1. Star Grounding
A star-grounding approach ensures that all components are referenced to a single ground point, preventing voltage differentials that cause hum and noise. This method eliminates ground loops by giving every component a direct, equal path to ground.
2. Dedicated Grounding Devices
Specialised grounding boxes provide a controlled path for noise to dissipate, improving system stability. These devices connect directly to equipment chassis or dedicated grounding terminals to drain unwanted electrical interference.
3. Upgraded Power Strips with Proper Grounding
Not all power distribution units are created equal. High-quality models include dedicated grounding paths that eliminate interference while providing surge protection and noise filtering.
4. Shielded Cables and Grounded Connectors
Cables can act as conduits for noise. Using properly shielded interconnects and speaker cables with grounded connectors can significantly reduce RFI and EMI contamination.
The Audible Benefits of Proper Grounding
When grounding is optimised, the improvements in sound quality are often dramatic:
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A lower noise floor, allowing fine details and microdynamics to emerge
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More accurate and stable imaging, with improved soundstage depth
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Greater tonal purity, free from unwanted electrical interference
Summary
Grounding is an essential foundation for a premium hi-fi system. Without it, even the finest components cannot perform at their best. By implementing effective grounding techniques, you create an electrically stable environment that allows music to be heard with the clarity, depth, and realism it deserves.
If you are seeking the best listening experience, implelementing a grounding system isn’t just recommended—it’s essential.