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From: fmaster@brahms.udel.edu (Fred A Masterson)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: Carver vs. the dB
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Date: 14 Jan 91 14:03:59 GMT
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In Article 1165 (1/11/91), Steve_Graham@ub.cc.umich.edu writes:
 
>Carver's bit in the last issue were interesting, but I can't help but feel
>that he makes too much of how much energy is represented by a 1 dB change.
>To be sure, changes of a fraction of a dB in response are quite plainly
>audible.  But the dB is used because it reflects the way we hear things
>better than "flat" measurements, and to play with numbers like that just
>misses the point, it seems to me.  True, frequency response can affect the
>perception of depth, but I haven't experience having a cheap component
turned
>into a great one by means of equalization yet.                             

   
I also found Carver's article (#1137, reprinted from the Oregon Triode Society
newsletter, _Positive Feedback_) to be interesting, and also quite
appealing, for two reasons.  First, I agree with Carter that one should
search for scientifically credible explanations instead of endorsing
mystical nonsense.  Second, in my own experience with equalizers, a mere 1
db peak or trough spread out over two or three octaves can make a
significant difference in sound, and one that can, under the right
circumstances, be regarded as a significant sonic improvement.  The
difference won't transform a cheap component into a great one, but hey-
neither will the difference produced by a mega-expensive cable from a
boutique wire bandit.  The difference isn't real large, but this should be
put in the context of high-end reviews where reviewers often are highly
motivated to find and to exaggerate differences, even relatively small
ones.  

Fred Masterson           fmaster@brahms.udel.edu
Cognitive Sciences       fmaster@chopin.udel.edu
University of Delaware