Euphonic Compression - RandyB - Propeller Head Plaza

Euphonic Compression

Posted by RandyB (S) on November 11, 2002 at 18:24:44

Hi, Prop-Heads:

Is compression always a bad thing? Is there such a phenomenon as "euphonic compression" which is preferrred by some for its "fat" sound and non-fatiguing presentation?

I have heard tube amplifiers with deliberately engineered compresssive charactertistics, kind of a "retro" sound similar to the old days of recording on magnetic tape, pushing the gain to +3dB in order to achieve tape saturation on peaks and transients, in order to give a "fatter" sound.

Has anyone deliberately engineered soft compression into any front end electronics, interconnect or speaker cables, amplifiers, or loudspeakers? If so, could you explain the benefits of compression, how much to use, how to achieve it, some examples of current commercially product products which have compressive characteristics, either deliberate or otherwise? Do some driver magnet materials have compressive characteristics, such as iron, nickel, alnico, etc. whose compression is noticeable at normal listening levels?

I'm interested in utilizing euphonic compression in a loudspeaker I'm designing, just to see what it sounds like, if a certain amount is OK, what materials to use in xo or driver magnet to produce acceptable amounts of euphonic compression.

For example, how would a crossover be designed and what components would be used to deliberately compress peaks and transients? Would iron-core coils provide compression due to saturation effects? Are there any formulae or best practices in this regard, or is it all up to trial and error, trying various compoents until you hear the desired result?

Thanks for your help, rdb :-)

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Topic - Euphonic Compression - RandyB 18:24:44 11/11/02 (25)

Watch out for tweeter distortion - Lynn Olson 17:18:20 11/16/02 (1)

Re: Watch out for tweeter distortion - RandyB 07:23:48 11/19/02 (0)

Re: Euphonic Compression - tcain 09:46:40 11/13/02 (9)

Re: Euphonic Compression - RandyB 16:32:56 11/13/02 (8)

Re: Euphonic Compression - tcain 16:50:56 11/13/02 (7)

Re: Euphonic Compression - RandyB 17:30:51 11/13/02 (6)

Re: Euphonic Compression - tcain 19:47:35 11/13/02 (5)

Re: Euphonic Compression - RandyB 21:10:06 11/13/02 (4)

Re: Hello........... - Art J. 06:16:46 11/14/02 (3)

Re: Hello........... - RandyB 08:05:55 11/14/02 (2)

Re: Hello........... - Art J. 08:43:46 11/14/02 (1)

I'll evaluate Zobel, thanks - RandyB 09:20:03 11/14/02 (0)

Driver compression - John Escallier 20:20:46 11/12/02 (3)

Re: Driver compression - RandyB 21:12:56 11/12/02 (2)

Re: Driver compression - John Escallier 21:25:51 11/12/02 (1)

Re: Driver compression - RandyB 22:17:25 11/12/02 (0)

Re: Euphonic Compression - JOEY. 02:15:05 11/12/02 (2)

Re: Euphonic Compression - RandyB 07:10:58 11/12/02 (1)

Matching up compression characteristics - Duke 11:33:51 11/12/02 (0)

Re: Euphonic Compression - Art J. 20:02:03 11/11/02 (5)

Re: Euphonic Compression - RandyB 21:36:30 11/11/02 (4)

Re: Euphonic Compression - Bruce from DC 08:35:42 11/12/02 (1)

Re: Euphonic Compression - RandyB 14:28:48 11/12/02 (0)

Re: Euphonic Compression - Art J. 06:58:40 11/12/02 (1)

Re: Euphonic Compression - RandyB 08:05:33 11/12/02 (0)

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