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Blackness - how quiet does it need to be?

In almost all gear of any substantial value the concept of the blackness, quietness or low noise floor comes up. A reviewer might say that the noise floor was noticably lower when reviewing a particular piece compared to another. Now I get that low noise translates roughly to being able to hear more music and nuanced detail. Thing is, when I turn on my system and no music is going through it, I can't hear anything, unless I put my ear right up to the speaker and the AC isn't running and the fan isn't on, etc. And with music on the only thing I hear is any recorded hiss that might be from the recording. So what I dont get is when they say a piece of equipment sounds quieter, do they mean somehow that the hiss on the recording is lower? I cant see how that would be possible, or are they talking about the hiss of the equipment without muisc? In which case I cant hear it at all when sitting down on my couch. I don't have the world best gear, so I'm thinking are they overplaying the "quiet" card.
last_lemming
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
4,428 posts
 
Jitter in playback of digital source is basically noise proportional to amplitude of the signal and not detectable without signal.
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,896 posts
 
If I got this right, the equipment is the conduit and the music is the signal. That signal can sound cleaner depending on the equipment. One familiar enough with a recording can discern a lower noise floor using the same signal (music) while comparing different makes of equipment. And a really good piece of equipment can detect the noise floor limits of a so-so recording. It works both ways as it would be difficult to decide if you have a really good recording if your equipment is not up to par with the recording.

Familiarity with your equipment is necessary. Now if you hear a slight hiss with your ear at the speaker (really slight) and not at your listening spot, I wouldn't worry. If your system were to mask the hissing of a poor recording, I would worry. Sound to me like your system is okay.

On Diana Kralls Love Scenes CD I can hear when she comes in and out of the music. She is recorded separately as the noise floor on her voice is messier compared to the rest of the recording. Right before she comes in, the noise floor is comparatively low and when she does come in, you can hear the hiss levels rise along with her voice. When I first heard it, it was quite disconcerting. As she stops singing, the hissing goes away to reveal a quieter background as her backup musicians play on.

That's why I tend to go for better recordings which can really limit what I listen to. That is the price you pay for your endeavors.

All the best,
Nonoise
csontos
1,311 posts
 
This is not complicated. Your right on the mark, Last Lemming. The recording has nothing to do with it. We're talking about gear. However, noise floor is not the only factor influencing low level resolution. Typically, if you put your ear up to the speaker at 0-half volume and don't hear anything except the tweeter, the amp has a low noise floor. Especially on an efficient speaker like a Klipsh. If it's noisy, it stands to reason that resolution is going to suffer commensurate with the level of that noise since the amp is going to amplify whatever it's being fed. At "couch" distance it's irrelevant unless of course you can hear it there! Differences are apparent when A/B ing amps with the same recordings and other gear. So in answer to your question; yes, they mean the equipment is quieter. From your description it looks like you have a nice quiet amp.
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