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Smooth treble

What is in fact a "smooth and refined treble"? Is that synonymous with treble roll off? Psycho acoustically an extreme smooth and refined treble can present itself like if there is less high frequency extension paradoxically. This is what one actually hears in the concert hall! In the concert hall one hears less "treble" than in the home (with your super high end rig). How can one get this smooth and refined high frequencies without severe treble roll off?
In my experience the older and more mature an audiophile gets, the more he/she wants a very natural sounding (overly refined) treble (not the bright, brilliant and super transparent treble many people want when they are making the transition from "mid fi" to "high end" audio) . Do you agree with this?

Chris
dazzdax
rleff
1,065 posts
 
Ralph;is the ability to pass odd-ordered harmonics handled better by tubes over solid state or is it just design?
When the House of High Fidelity was in St.Paul this was one topic that was heavily talked about.
dazzdax OP
599 posts
 
Ralph, please elucidate: odd order harmonics? I thought these were the harmonics that should be avoided as the plague?

Chris
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,755 posts
 
Hi Chris, yes, that's right. FWIW tubes in general make less odd-ordered harmonics so its a lot easier to build a smooth sounding system by using them.

Tubes are so linear that it is possible to build circuits that use zero amounts of loop negative feedback. Although feedback reduces distortion, it will actually increase the odd orders that our ears use as loudness cues. This gives the equipment that uses negative feedback a sheen or harshness that it would not have otherwise, although with most transistor designs, not using feedback is not an option.

Rleff, does that answer your question?
rleff
1,065 posts
 
thanks ralph
jb0194
476 posts
 
I agree with Ralph that odd-ordered harmonics, distortion in general, should be as low as possible. In the case of multidriver loudspeakers, many (most?) tweeters produce a much higher percentage of both even and odd-ordered distortion at the lower end of their operating bandwidth. But if loudspeaker design was as simple as crossing a given tweeter higher along its operating bandwidth range to decrease distortion products without incurring other "penalties", even a muttonhead like me might get into the loudspeaker business!
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