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From: bblue@crash.CTS.COM (Bill Blue)
Newsgroups: rec.audio,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: defects improve sound
Message-ID: <1846@crash.CTS.COM>
Date: Sat, 10-Oct-87 16:56:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: crash.1846
Posted: Sat Oct 10 16:56:25 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 12-Oct-87 19:17:58 EDT
References: <8729@utzoo.UUCP>
Reply-To: bblue@crash.CTS.COM (Bill Blue)
Organization: Crash TS, El Cajon, CA
Lines: 83
Xref: mnetor rec.audio:3705 sci.electronics:1549

In article <8729@utzoo.UUCP> henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) writes:
>The Audio Update column in the November issue of Radio-Electronics is very
>much worth reading.  Some samples:

Though I don't put any more faith in Radio-Electronics view of audio than
I do of Consumer Reports, every point here is absolutely correct if not
taken out of context.  Kudos to RE.

>"Dedicated audiophiles, who would never dream of adding `artifical'
>enhancement devices to their systems, eagerly seek out those components --
>including special cables -- that they believe `naturally' add desirable
>sonic properties.  In this, they resemble the food faddists who insist
>that vitamin C extracted from rose hips has far greater virtue than
>vitamin C derived from chemically-produced ascorbic acid."

Thought there is some truth to this, it's the one area in this list that
I feel is viewed from the wrong perspective.  Audiophiles (that I know,
at least) do not select *any* component, be it cable or electronics, for
sonic properties that it *adds*.  The selection process is usually made
on *lack* of coloration, or what it doesn't add.  In other words, the
most neutral.  Just how it doesn't add coloration is of little
significance.

True, there are interractions, and some colorations can 'hide' other
colorations giving you a false impression of neutrality.  Some so-called
high-end audio store salesmen will try to pick complementary
colorizations for you.  Bah.

>"Out-of-phase crosstalk between channels... will de-emphasize the center-
>recorded sounds, thus increasing the depth and width of the stereo stage...
>There was one highly esteemed British phono cartridge whose coils had a
>matrixed output.  If the coils were not properly adjusted... there would
>be a high level of out-of-phase crosstalk that provided (for some ears)
>a wonderfully open, wide-stage quality.  Those cartridges that were
>properly adjusted didn't manifest that effect and were therefore considered
>defective by many US audiophiles..."

This is very true with cartridge adjustments too.  Misadjustment of SRA
and VTA, even tracking at too high a pressure with some cartridges, 
fiddles with the L+R L-R relationship, and can do all sort of interesting
things to soundstage width, depth (and the illusion of heighth).

Interequipment cabling can do subtle things to the L+R L-R relationships,
especially in the area of ground current flow.

>"...a small bump in frequency response at about 300 Hz... may contribute
>to subjectively-enhanced depth..."

If it's very broad.

>"...many moving-coil cartridges -- and some electronic components -- have
>had a rising high-end response that is frequently interpreted as "airiness"
>and increased depth..."

True enough.  Worth noting is the fact that much 'average' gear, though
measuring perfectly 'flat' in the audio bandwidth, gives the listening
*impression* of a rising high frequency response.  This is from various
distortion products, insufficient speaker damping, inadequate power
supply, etc., etc.  Its effect is aggravated by certain recordings that
may already be a little 'bright' in the upper octaves.

>"...a *small* amount of *stereo noise* (random hiss) added to otherwise-
>clean program material can add to the subjective appearance of airiness
>of the stereo image...  Bob Carver [demonstrated this to me and] mentioned
>that there was early resistance to [Dolby] because the reduction of tape
>hiss resulted in a subjective dulling..."

Quite true also.  Another aversion to Dolby (and DBX) in the early days
was the lower distortion.  You just couldn't get that tape 'sound'
anymore. Many engineers and producers liked that nice compressed
soft-distortion sound you could get by overdriving the tape.  Some still
do, unfortunately.

>He mentions that the crosstalk and hiss effects may have something to do
>with audiophile complaints about CDs, since CDs have neither defect!

They'll certainly have an effect.  Whether or not it is a result of CD 
complaints, I don't know.  Most CD complaints are caused by the
perceived 'brightness' of the CD, usually caused by inadequately
designed audio stages in the player which trigger problems in unstable
gear later in the audio path.  It can be a pretty obnoxious sound...

--Bill