this is such a complex question; beginning with "is accuracy always what we want?" and "on what distortion weighting algorithm do you define accuracy?"
bell Labs and H.264/MPEG both championed subjective testing to optimize trade offs. Neither are exactly audiofools as the word goes....
Music theory tells us that there are distortions that are consonant and others that are dissonant. The finest pianos and violins have significant consonant distortion, from their cases and sounding boards. Is that a bad thing? Down with Steinway and Boesendorfer?
Obviously there is a wide spectrum within each camp as well. Old CJ stuff was lush but wildly inaccurate. I suspect, but cannot prove, that some SS gear is in many ways accurate but generates enough dissonant distortion to be no enjoyable (on some music anyway).
And then there is the SS gear explicitly designs to minimize the dissonant distortions ("SS sound") - whether you buy that logic or not. I actually do but warn that its really hard since we rarely know everything to measure. Wish I did.
G
bell Labs and H.264/MPEG both championed subjective testing to optimize trade offs. Neither are exactly audiofools as the word goes....
Music theory tells us that there are distortions that are consonant and others that are dissonant. The finest pianos and violins have significant consonant distortion, from their cases and sounding boards. Is that a bad thing? Down with Steinway and Boesendorfer?
Obviously there is a wide spectrum within each camp as well. Old CJ stuff was lush but wildly inaccurate. I suspect, but cannot prove, that some SS gear is in many ways accurate but generates enough dissonant distortion to be no enjoyable (on some music anyway).
And then there is the SS gear explicitly designs to minimize the dissonant distortions ("SS sound") - whether you buy that logic or not. I actually do but warn that its really hard since we rarely know everything to measure. Wish I did.
G
