I want to apologize for how I became.
I figure why should I react to cut off my nose to spite my face. I realize now that this place is a treasure trove for audio knowledge. Not all of it will I have the aptitude to understand. But, I understand that what I will understand, will prove invaluable to my quest for better audio.
Other than that... I am here to learn.
Recovering harmonic synthesizer addict, Gene
I figure why should I react to cut off my nose to spite my face. I realize now that this place is a treasure trove for audio knowledge. Not all of it will I have the aptitude to understand. But, I understand that what I will understand, will prove invaluable to my quest for better audio.
Other than that... I am here to learn.
Recovering harmonic synthesizer addict, Gene
Old habits die hard - this is a skit from the UK around thirty years back:
YouTube - British humour: Not the 9 oclock news II
The relevant one starts just after 3:30. Enjoy.
Yes. I was quite relieved to know that's where the relevant one began!
That also gave me the answer to what I could not remember the other night! I was struggling to recall what the name was. I did not have my tube Mac's refurbished and modified by the New York Electronic Works. It was the New York Electric Gramophone Works! That was the name!
Another interesting point. I located my hybrid tube/mosfet integrated amp by means of an imported Gramophone magazine I had read at a library. Roy Grant. Grant amplifiers. Do you recall the company?
Answers can appear in most unexpected ways.
When someone makes technical statements on here, we at first assume they know what they are saying. I would not go to a salesmen's convention and tell them how to sell, as selling is a mystery to me. I would not tell a musician how to play his instrument, although I might comment on the outcome.GeneZ said:
Thanks. Apology accepted.
A piece of advice: as a gross generalisation, the stated opinions of audio journalists are not given much credence on here. Quoting a journalist to support a point of view will often be taken as a sign of a weak case. This is because in many cases, but of course not all, journalists warmly recommend equipment which has significant design errors which they are unaware of because in many cases they don't actually understand the technology. People have various views as to why such equipment is recommended, ranging from herd behaviour to advertisers' influence. By all means mention the existence of a review as a statement of fact, but don't assume we will regard the content of the review as being factual too.
Ahh, and thanks to Flap&Zap i now require reading spectacles while typing this, but have 20/20 night vision and lack the fragmentation handicap in a bare knuckle bar fight.
(unfortunately, my 2 year parole for the last event just commenced, so i'll have to find solace in hitting up a humor brit at an English pub the moment the itch starts acting up again)
No. Harmonic synthesising is a nice polite name for deliberately added low-order distortion. You take the signal and by some means add some harmonics. Adding harmonics is exactly what distortion does. Distortion adds intermodulation too, and it may be that some clever method avoids this (to some extent). The result, if not overdone, is that it sounds 'richer' or 'warmer'. Some people achieve this by using badly biased valves (e.g. in a 'tube buffer' or unnecessary line stage), and this effect is partly responsible for 'tube sound'. Used correctly, valves can be as transparent as solid-state (some would say more so!).
You can do harmonic synthesis using analogue or digital techniques. The result is the same: the signal includes components not present in the original. Another name for such components is distortion.
You can do harmonic synthesis using analogue or digital techniques. The result is the same: the signal includes components not present in the original. Another name for such components is distortion.
Perhaps? Controlled intentional distortion can be seen as flavoring, since what was originally recorded can easily have lost its flavor by the time it reaches your speakers. Or, what was recorded under controlled conditions was flat sounding to begin with. Not everyone records in great sounding rooms.
Controlled intentional distortion is like adding spices that were never found in the original food. Its to bring out more flavor. Distortion has been seen as a dirty word and causes a knee jerk reaction when its mentioned. Maybe not all distortion should be seen in that light. Its the difference between having a relaxing drink, and someone driving while stone drunk. A little red wine is good for the heart. No?
Yes, distortion can be seen as a dirty word. However, it does have a fairly precise meaning: anything which was not there before. In that sense it is neutral. If it was simply replacing something which had been present, then lost, you could call it correction but the person adding it cannot know what was originally there so compensation might be a better word.
If you bend a straight rod to make an attractive shape then although it looks nice it is still bent. Some people might try to deny that it is bent, and claim that they were merely restoring the original shape. Similarly, the spices were not in the original food - they change the flavour, not restore the original flavour. Nothing wrong with that, except when people deny it. Curiously, for some reason people often say that salt brings out existing flavour when in fact it adds flavour - salty flavour!
If you bend a straight rod to make an attractive shape then although it looks nice it is still bent. Some people might try to deny that it is bent, and claim that they were merely restoring the original shape. Similarly, the spices were not in the original food - they change the flavour, not restore the original flavour. Nothing wrong with that, except when people deny it. Curiously, for some reason people often say that salt brings out existing flavour when in fact it adds flavour - salty flavour!
Salt
Several ways. First, it increases the release of certain aromatics (the nose part) by altering the polarity of the medium. Second, it potentiates other flavor receptors, most notable sweet and sour (that's the origin of the use of salt rims on margaritas). Third, it tends to inhibit the bitter receptors which can unmask other flavors.
MSG is even a more striking example. Alone, it's fairly tasteless. Yet added to food, it changes the flavor profile in a very noticeable way.
Several ways. First, it increases the release of certain aromatics (the nose part) by altering the polarity of the medium. Second, it potentiates other flavor receptors, most notable sweet and sour (that's the origin of the use of salt rims on margaritas). Third, it tends to inhibit the bitter receptors which can unmask other flavors.
MSG is even a more striking example. Alone, it's fairly tasteless. Yet added to food, it changes the flavor profile in a very noticeable way.
MSG is actually sensed by a taste receptor called Umami, on the tongue, same as salt, sour, sweet, bitter. Does it change the flavour profile other than by being present, same as any other chemical that acts on a taste receptor?
Have you got a link for your claim about salt releasing some aromatics?
Have you got a link for your claim about salt releasing some aromatics?
One of the chefs who trained me (the great Charles Downing) used to say, "There are three major mistakes made by home cooks. Not enough heat, not enough butter, not enough salt."
I hear routinely that the high THD and IM from flea powered single ended amps restore harmonics that were somehow misplaced along the way. That's not unlike the sonic "enhancers." But since this is all an illusion, if it improves the experience for some listeners, that's great. I don't like it in recording since, once salted, it's hard to remove the salt.
I hear routinely that the high THD and IM from flea powered single ended amps restore harmonics that were somehow misplaced along the way. That's not unlike the sonic "enhancers." But since this is all an illusion, if it improves the experience for some listeners, that's great. I don't like it in recording since, once salted, it's hard to remove the salt.
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