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Bandwidth question?

I am interested in the qualitative difference in sound betw amplifiers that have -3db roll off at 100khz vs -3db at 300khz. Thru the amps I have tried, I suspect increased bandwidth has more openness and transparency and hence a better sense of space sharing. At the same time, it is easier to screw up the sound due to noise (from components/AC/RF) or improper cartridge loading. I am not very certain of the correlation and interested in what you guys think?

In reviewing the measurement sections of stereophile, many amps with -3db at 100khz demonstrate subtle rounding of the edges when reproducing 10khz square waves. I don't listen to square wave so I don't know what that translate into.

I realize that some amps (Spectral or Soulutions) has very high bandwidth (MegaHz) to implement negative feedabck. I am not refering to that.
128x128glai
orpheus10
8,668 posts
 

While you don't have to be a "rocket scientist" to know what you hear, you do have to be a scientist in order to explain what you hear.

"Harmonics" are what separates the "high end" from "midfi". For example, if the fundamental frequency is 25 HZ, the frequencies of the harmonics are 50 HZ, 75 HZ and 100 HZ. Although the amplitude of the harmonics decreases in order, they determine the quality of the sound.

When you go to a live event, these harmonics are quite audible; they give the violin that rich tone and timbre, they resonate with each guitar note. These harmonics are present as low level detail at home.

If you have been to a live event and had that sensation of a sound that was ringing right in your ear, that was due to harmonics.
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
4,428 posts
 
Orpheus10,

We're all talking harmonics here. I mentioned summing of harmonics twice while Al mentioned it also few times. Highest fundamental is around 8kHz (church organs) but most often it is only up to about 2kHz as it is shown in this interactive chart:

http://www.independentrecording.net/irn/resources/freqchart/main_display.htm

I noticed that Harp has absolutely incredible range - never expected that.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,793 posts
 
Marakanetz, as I mentioned earlier, it does not seem to matter that the speakers lack the bandwidth of the amps. The phase shift that will occur in the amplifier due to bandwidth limitations is something that you hear well within the range of human hearing and nearly any speaker can reproduce it.
learsfool
1,215 posts
 
Don c55, nice link. I can't find the articles anymore, but it has been proven in the last twenty years or so that the human brain does definitely detect frequencies above what the ear can hear, scientists just don't understand exactly how yet.
hifihvn
943 posts
 
Here is a YouTube video with a guy testing a couple of old tube amps. They're still going FWIW.[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAjjc7ijGM4] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayg6Y5CZgK0]
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