Distortion is the enemy

[steve_1979]

Discuss...

 

[ID.]

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Discuss.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

It is true, by definition of hifi. Accurate reproduction requires lack of, or as low as possible, distortion.

 

[ID.]

As much as I love accuracy I think one can get too hung up about being too literal about Hi-Fi meaning high fidelity, rather than what the word has come to mean in the minds of most people, something to listen to music with. Nobody likes a pedant going on about semantics (or grammar, or spelling apparently...)

 

[busb]

I'd feel more inclined to join in when the OP gives some introduction rather than a mere title then "Discuss". Distortion is such a big subject that encompasses frequency domain artefacts, amplitude distortion including volume modulation, phase distortion, noise - any unwanted artefacts apart from gain.

Related is distortion as in how it is measured. Does measuring harmonic distortion at 1kHz into a mostly resistive load actually tell us anything apart from the device under test is working or not as in "has it been repaired correctly?" Another question is whether or not subjectivity relates to very low level distortions or is just imagined.

 

[Diamond Joe]

I think we all know where this is going to end up... again :roll:

 

[Electro]

It is impossible to eliminate all distortion in a music replay system, so an equipment designer should concentrate on reducing the types of distortion that make music sound bad and and allow some distortion that is not so destructive instead.

Some types of distortion can actually sound quite pleasing and can be used to mask bad sounding distortion when it can't be eliminated , it is a balancing act on the part of the designer and the end result is a measure of how good he , she or they are IMHO

To try and eliminate all distortion in a piece of equipment regardless of the sonic consequences has produced some terrible sounding equipment in the past IMO .

( I am not an expert so all this may be rubbish, and is just my understanding of it )

 

[matthewpiano]

It is impossible to eliminate all distortion in a music replay system, so an equipment designer should concentrate on reducing the types of distortion that make music sound bad and and allow some distortion that is not so destructive instead.

Some types of distortion can actually sound quite pleasing and can be used to mask bad sounding distortion when it can't be eliminated , it is a balancing act on the part of the designer and the end result is a measure of how good he , she or they are IMHO

To try and eliminate all distortion in a piece of equipment regardless of the sonic consequences has produced some terrible sounding equipment in the past IMO .

( I am not an expert so all this may be rubbish, and is just my understanding of it )

Makes perfect sense to me Electro. In the end it is the musical result, heard by our very human ears, which matters above all.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Yes, to reproduce the original as faithfully as possible, distortion is the enemy. But it's like photgraphy. Many will take photographs to capture an accurate portayal of the subject - many others will manipulate that image to improve its visual appeal, accentuate detail, and to look how they want it to look. I would guess the latter is the majority.

I'm not saying either is right or wrong, but the individual pays their hard earned cash out on what they want to listen to their favourite music - pointing out that their choice doesn't sound like the original is one thing, but exaggeration and scaremongering to 'make them see the light' is another. We all have preferences, and that probably stands for everything we buy.

 

[the record spot]

You mean something new has been added to this very specialised area of technology since it was last discussed that most of us unqualified souls can pointlessly contribute to? My, the anticipation...!

I'll pass I think!

 

[chebby]

I've not been troubled by audible distortion since upgrading from a hand-me-down 'Prinzsound' (Dixons) amplifier when I was 18 years old and bought my first decent system.

Ok that's not quite true. When searching for the optimum bit-rate to rip speech / drama content (for use with my iPhone & iPad and AirPlay), I found very occasional 'raggedness' on just a few sudden, loud transients at 256K AAC. At 320K (AAC VBR) all trace of this had been completely eliminated.

 

[richardw42]

Unless it's clearly audible and affecting the music, I'm not fussed.

Best left to audio obsessives.

 

[CnoEvil]

.......In which case, Class A is your friend. :shifty:

 

[John Duncan]

I thought foo was the enemy. Or vinyl. Or HDMI cables. Or this forum. Or all forums. Or the hifi industry. Or magazines.

So many enemies, so little time.

Me, I think bilateral inguinal hernias are the enemy.

 

[shooter]

Picking the right speaker for the room is more important than distortion.

 

[busb]

There seems to be an almost schizophrenic attitude towards SQ: on one hand, it's "The closest approach to the original sound" or it's too clinical, not analogue-like, un-musical, lacking warmth etc, etc on the other. So we want accuracy but we don't really. Ummm. We don't want distortion but we can't live without it?

 

[the record spot]

Personally, I don't care, as long as it sounds good to my ears.

 

[CnoEvil]

There seems to be an almost schizophrenic attitude towards SQ: on one hand, it's "The closest approach to the original sound" or it's too clinical, not analogue-like, un-musical, lacking warmth etc, etc on the other. So we want accuracy but we don't really. Ummm. We don't want distortion but we can't live without it?

Exactly........which is why one should forget about it, and buy what you like the sound of. :wall:........Simples.

 

[Big Chris]

Most of the stuff I listen to would sound bleedin' horrible without it. :rockout:

 

[drummerman]

Drivers and in particular, ports, create a huge amount of distortion ...

regards

 

[Big Chris]

Drivers and in particular, ports, create a huge amount of distortion ...

regards

Very true. I once saw Lewis Hamilton at Dover, and could barely hear myself think.....

 

[John Duncan]

Actually, I've changed my mind.

Broccoli is the enemy.

 

[drummerman]

 

[CnoEvil]

Actually, I've changed my mind. Broccoli is the enemy.

.....and the wrong type of sparkle.

 

[plastic penguin]

"Distortion is the enemy"

Or should be titled: "All passives are s***e".