RE: Jitter

RE: Jitter

Posted by Jaundiced Ear on June 2, 2012 at 17:11:05

In Reply to: RE: Jitter posted by slider on June 2, 2012 at 14:41:52:

Whoa! I think I threw out my neck watching your post go over my head!

I can't say I "read" your post, as reading supposes some sort of comprehension, but after examining it several times I conclude that Jitter, like Frequency Response, doesn't fall neatly into the category of Distortion. That is, while Jitter is a Distortion, it would be best to treat it as distinct from the types of Distortions normally associated with audio gear. For example, Jitter is not normally an issue with amplifiers.

So timing errors are distinct from other types of distortion. Fair enough. It strikes me that timing errors have always been part of audio. We just didn't call them Jitter back then. Turntables had wow, tape decks had wow and flutter. As you point out with digital Jitter, this "analog Jitter" would also be non-linear and not harmonic at all. And yet even today the golden ears would never describe analog playback as hard, or glaring, or boring and uninvolving, or if they did, they wouldn't blame analog timing errors for the problem.

What is it about digital Jitter that makes it so pernicious? I find it incredible that timing errors within a competently designed electrical circuit could be greater than timing errors created by a moving mechanical device. To the contrary, I suspect the timing errors in an electrical circuit to be much smaller than the ones in analog devices, perhaps orders of magnitude smaller. For example, it's common knowledge that even a cheap electrical watch can have greater accuracy than the nicest mechanical watches. If listeners can dismiss "analog Jitter" why are we so concerned about the much smaller "digital Jitter?" How does the digital domain turn common sense on its head so that a much smaller cause has a much larger effect?

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - Jitter - Tubers 01:42:26 06/01/12 (33)

RE: Jitter - Sumflow 19:09:25 06/10/12 (0)

RE: Jitter - audioengr 16:50:58 06/04/12 (0)

Getting From Here To There Will Always = Jitter - Dynobot 17:20:05 06/03/12 (3)

RE: Getting From Here To There Will Always = Jitter - Bromo33333 18:20:53 06/03/12 (2)

RE: Getting From Here To There Will Always = Jitter - Dynobot 19:00:07 06/03/12 (1)

RE: Getting From Here To There Will Always = Jitter - Bromo33333 09:47:43 06/04/12 (0)

One double espresso: Jitter under control. Two doubles: Jitter can become a bit much. - willkayakforfood 13:48:17 06/03/12 (0)

What I really wonder is WHO here can measure jitter - - - - AbeCollins 11:33:39 06/03/12 (9)

RE: What I really wonder is WHO here can measure jitter - - - - audioengr 16:53:15 06/04/12 (2)

Ah, that makes things clearer... - Jaundiced Ear 22:03:38 06/04/12 (1)

Clear as MUD - Dynobot 15:37:24 06/05/12 (0)

Depends how you define "measure" :) - slider 11:43:50 06/03/12 (5)

RE: Depends how you define "measure" :) - AbeCollins 00:33:56 06/05/12 (3)

RE: Depends how you define "measure" :) - rick_m 07:39:15 06/05/12 (2)

RE: Excellent point ! I now want to know... - AbeCollins 10:27:11 06/05/12 (1)

RE: Excellent point ! I now want to know... - rick_m 18:36:06 06/05/12 (0)

RE: Depends how you define "measure" :) - Jaundiced Ear 23:03:42 06/03/12 (0)

In my experience it's vividly noticed when it's greatly reduced by comparison. nT - Vic D 09:24:56 06/03/12 (0)

RE: Jitter - stereo5 16:24:00 06/02/12 (0)

RE: Jitter - Jaundiced Ear 22:36:59 06/01/12 (6)

Exactly. See my comments above - nt - AbeCollins 11:34:43 06/03/12 (0)

RE: Jitter - Tony Lauck 10:29:25 06/02/12 (4)

RE: Jitter - Jaundiced Ear 14:17:19 06/02/12 (3)

RE: Jitter - slider 14:41:52 06/02/12 (2)

RE: Jitter - Jaundiced Ear 17:11:05 06/02/12 (1)

RE: Jitter - slider 20:08:43 06/02/12 (0)

RE: Jitter - SashaV 19:31:38 06/01/12 (0)

RE: Jitter - Todd Krieger 16:26:34 06/01/12 (2)

RE: Jitter - Adriel 23:27:45 06/01/12 (1)

RE: Jitter - Tony Lauck 10:19:35 06/02/12 (0)

RE: Jitter - John C. - Aussie 14:36:27 06/01/12 (1)

RE: Jitter - Bromo33333 19:58:25 06/02/12 (0)

Glare? - sbrians 11:33:29 06/01/12 (0)

Follow Ups

RE: Jitter - Jaundiced Ear 17:11:05 06/02/12 (1)

RE: Jitter - slider 20:08:43 06/02/12 (0)

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