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How Black is Your Background?

The term "black background" is bandied about quite a bit by cable makers. But has anyone actually ever seen one? Of course, this a visual metaphor because the sound of music is not black, nor is the absence of music black.

If we change the wording, what does that elusive "silent background" actually sound like? The only times I have ever hear a silent background in my system are before the music starts playing and after it stops. Are cable manufacturers and reviewers just pulling our collective legs with a wonderful marketing term -- selling the concept of a "black background"? Or is there more to this than meets the ear?

Here are some of the terms that cable manufacturers and reviewers use to describe the "black background". Can you pick out which term applies to your system? Can anyone explain the differences between these multifarious descriptions of blackness?

“dark background”
“black background”
“blacker background”
“blackest background”
“an almost eerie, black background”
“super-black background”
“liquid black background”
“black hole background”
“exquisitely black background”
“inky black background”
“surprisingly black background”
“absolutely silent and black background”
“velvety black background”
“naturally black background”
“jet-black background”
“totally black background”
“deep black background”
“wonderful dark blackground”
“drop-dead silent background”
“pitch black background”
“quiet black background”
“blacker quieter background”
“blackest background possible”
“blackest background that you have ever heard”
“darkest blackest background”
“very black background”
“darkest and blackest background possible”
“blackest of backgrounds”
“blackest of black background”
“enhanced black background”
“deep dark background”
“impressive dark background”
“ultra black background”
“dead black background”
sabai
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,418 posts
 
All of the above are good answers and yes it is a buzz word used by the manufacturers.
I'll give you the simple answer as the term black is used in my work in the film/video biz.
We all know the term "fade to black"... there is video black and audio black. Both mean no picture or sound, no noise, no distortion. The purest black can be measured on a scope as zero black. (like a flat line).
In hifi I would say black is a signal with no noise, hiss, colouration. The cables would accurately present the music from the source to the speakers.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,483 posts
 
"In hifi I would say black is a signal with no noise, hiss, colouration. The cables would accurately present the music from the source to the speakers."

Cables might affect the coloration part but not sure any decent properly functioning cable would affect hiss and not even noise again if properly functioning and not defective in some way. A defective cable and/or improperly connected cable can and will produce noise, often clearly audible, though sometimes perhaps quite subtle and not clearly discerned except when absent otherwise.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,418 posts
 
Mapman, didn't mean to imply cables are adding hiss or noise. I meant the system as a whole. So I'm saying cables are not adding anything, just transfering the signal from the source. Of course some cables "colour" the sound.(and some people want that).
You know, the old garbage in/garbage out theory.
mechans
3,048 posts
 
Eh could be blacker as my always pessamistic grandmother used to say. If more blackness couldn't be attained what would all these blackening enhancing products have to say. They would shrivel and die into a blackness they would never recover from.
rhljazz
1,255 posts
 
It's not just the shade of black, it's the texture of black. I really like velvet black, as say compared to satin black. The warmth and feel of velvet between notes is so soothing I wish the music would stop playing. I mean the black velvet silence between notes just completely overwhelms any notes played by the artist. My Sonic Enema cables are specially made for just this effect LOL!
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