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The British Sound

Ok I know this sounds ridiculous but hear me out. The British sound is characterized as being laid back, mellow and unagressive in the treble. It struck me that England is a very humid environment. And in high humidity conditions, the treble is more pronounced and shrill. Musicians playing outside before a rainstorm call this condition the bloom before the thunderstorm. Ive read that this state can be explained by physics. The reason I thought of this again tonight is because right now the weather is extremely humid in central NC tonite. I listened to my stereo and I had to turn down the treble on my speaker controls. My AC has not run all day. I ask, is this why they tweak their designs. They are only trying to make musical equipment perspective of any environmental influences. Am I way out in left field? Then tell me why their products including speakers sound that way. Mike
128x128blueranger
phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect
2,013 posts
 
Brit speakers have evolved over the past decades and
The mellow tag is less applicable today. in fact box speakers have improved to the point everything sounds remarkably similar.
buconero117
2,311 posts
 
Part of this is due to the fact that British ears are voiced differently then other cultures. Many years ago an excellent article appeared in FI magazine that covered the issue in great detail. So, yes there is a British sound, tuned to British ears.
rrog
1,958 posts
 
The affect of humidity on sound waves is not appreciable. Who here actually uses a humidity meter? I have one hanging on the wall of my listening room and I check it periodically out of curiousity, but I am not convinced the sound is better with higher or lower humidity.
cio52
121 posts
 
I agree, it is not humidity but pressure that can make a big difference. Equalizing your ears helps insure you are hearing sound as you should especially if you have sinus problems or flu/cold symptoms.
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,892 posts
 
Sound travels about 4.3 times faster in water than air, so there might be something to the humidity, albeit, a little. Couple that with their smaller rooms and I can see why they prefer a more laid back, treble.
Or its just something in the water.
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