RE: No- its all about distortion

Posted by Ralph (M) on August 6, 2012 at 12:53:24

In Reply to: RE: No- its all about distortion posted by Jim McShane on August 6, 2012 at 11:52:56:

Its true that the higher odd orders are often difficult to measure! But that they are hard to measure is not the same as they are not there- and our ears, being tuned to pick them out, find them easily where our instruments struggle.

IOW, many things in engineering can be ignored once they become 'negligible'; but in the case of audio, odd-ordered harmonics can't, as our ears use them to determine volume- for them there literally is no 'negligible' value.

It is this aspect of human hearing that is why two amps with equal bandwidth can sound quite different- one bright and the other not (once both are driving a load that both amps are happy with...). It has entirely to do with odd ordered harmonic distortion, often of vanishingly small amounts.

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - Are tube liquidity/palpability and neutrality antithetical? - jazz251 14:39:15 08/04/12 (18)

No- its all about distortion - Ralph 10:39:06 08/06/12 (3)

RE: No- its all about distortion - morricab 05:02:34 08/08/12 (0)

RE: No- its all about distortion - Jim McShane 11:52:56 08/06/12 (1)

RE: No- its all about distortion - Ralph 12:53:24 08/06/12 (0)

RE: Are tube liquidity/palpability and neutrality antithetical? - Alex M 03:45:03 08/06/12 (0)

Nope - triode 13:41:39 08/05/12 (0)

RE: Are tube liquidity/palpability and neutrality antithetical? - Jim McShane 10:49:48 08/05/12 (3)

RE: Are tube liquidity/palpability and neutrality antithetical? - ahendler 12:32:59 08/05/12 (2)

Yes, but it's not the harmonics on the continuous tone that gives characteristic timbre. - Timbo in Oz 01:07:17 08/15/12 (0)

RE: Are tube liquidity/palpability and neutrality antithetical? - Jim McShane 11:38:55 08/06/12 (0)

Nope tubes have real advantages as amplifiers - Timbo in Oz 21:48:39 08/04/12 (0)

No - Jack G 18:07:43 08/04/12 (0)

I don't have an answer to your question - 1973shovel 17:46:04 08/04/12 (0)

I'm a generation behind on ARC amps - plantsman 16:41:43 08/04/12 (4)

RE: I'm a generation behind on ARC amps - AbeCollins 07:08:16 08/06/12 (3)

RE: I'm a generation behind on ARC amps - plantsman 06:17:45 08/07/12 (2)

RE: I'm a generation behind on ARC amps - Mechans 12:13:27 08/08/12 (1)

I only partially agree - plantsman 15:41:29 08/08/12 (0)

Follow Ups

RE: No- its all about distortion - Ralph 12:53:24 08/06/12 (0)

RE: No- its all about distortion

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