HIFI TERMS

[Nadeac]

Anybody enlighten me on various hifi terms
EG Brightness ,Soundstage Etc Etc

Thanks Mark

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Hi Mark.

Some of the most common ones:

Brightness - how "sharp" something sounds. i.e. if there is too much treble (cymbals/tambourines are so sharp they hurt the ears) then it might be "bright", whilst not enough is "dull"

Soundstage - imagine you are at a Beatles gig, with the Ringo in front of you, John on the right, and Paul/George on the left. If you close your eyes, you would still be able to tell where they were, right? The same applies in HiFi. A good soundstage will let you pinpoint where each performer is performing from. Obviously, this also depends on the recording.

I'm sure there are some more, and that someone else will chip in with them...

 

[John Duncan]

Ooo there was a good thread on this a few months back.......

 

[John Duncan]

Can't find it - I thought it was made into a sticky. Clare/Andew/Andy, any idea where it was?

 

[Nadeac]

Ok thanks for replies ,surly though when people say an amps to bright or the speakers are to bright isnt this what the tone controls are for ?

Another one iv just remembered is CLIPPING ,is this like distortion ? theres probably a load others ,just cant remember at the moment

Like u say though a good thred to keep sticky for newcomers

Maybe whathifi could even write there own

Mark

 

[John Duncan]

Well there's one in the magazine every once in a while........

Yes that's what tone controls are for, but the higher up the hifi chain you go, the less likely an amp is to have them, as they detract from the supposed goal of complete faithfulness to the original source - hence you have to match components carefully to get a presentation you like - if all of your components are 'bright' then you can end up with a sound that's too 'bright', for example.

 

[Anonymous]

Opposite of "bright" is "dark" not strictly "dull".

 

[John Duncan]

"Dim"

 

[Frank Harvey]

'Bright' should never be mixed up with 'harsh'.

 

[John Duncan]

Unless it's "bright" + "bright" + "bright".

 

[Anonymous]

JohnDuncan:Unless it's "bright" + "bright" + "bright".

Or just Cyrus for short.

 

[Anonymous]

:-D

 

[gwynne61]

http://www.stereophile.com/reference/50/index1.html

One from across the pond

 

[Anonymous]

"Chalky describes a texturing of sound that is finer than grainy but coarser than dry."

It's hi-fi, not bloody wine!

 

[John Duncan]

Hughes123:JohnDuncan:Unless it's "bright" + "bright" + "bright".

Or just Cyrus for short.

plus Monitor Audio, was my thinking......

 

[John Duncan]

Hughes123:"Chalky describes a texturing of sound that is finer than grainy but coarser than dry."

It's hi-fi, not bloody wine!

Loving also their distinction between "ambiance" and "ambience", which is ballacks.

 

[Anonymous]

gwynne61:
http://www.stereophile.com/reference/50/index1.html

One from across the pond

Ha Ha Ha Ha

Get this:

vowel coloration: A form of midrange or low-treble coloration which impresses upon all program material a tonal "flavor" re~sembling a vowel in speech.

More like bowel coloration..........

How about, sounds bad, sounds ok, sounds good, sounds excellent?