sound quality

Pitch perception beyond the traditional existence region of pitch

| by

“…the perception of musical pitch at high frequencies is not constrained by temporal phase locking in the auditory nerve but may instead stem from higher-level constraints shaped by prior exposure to harmonic sounds.” Humans’ ability to recognize musical melodies is generally limited to pure-tone frequencies below 4 or 5 kHz. This limit coincides with the … Read more

Soloist evaluations of six Old Italian and six new violins

| by

Claudia Fritz, Joseph Curtin, Jacques Poitevineau, Hugues Borsarello, Indiana Wollman, Fan-Chia Tao, and Thierry Ghasarossian PNAS 2014 111 (20) 7224-7229; published ahead of print April 7, 2014, http://www.pnas.org/content/111/20/7224.full.pdf+html “Soloist evaluations of six Old Italian and six new violins” conducted by Claudia Fritz, Joseph Curtin, Jacques Poitevineau, and Fan-Chia Tao. This research was published in the … Read more

In blind test, soloists like new violins over old

| by
newoldviolins

“…the fundamental premise of tonal superiority has not yet been properly investigated.” http://www.pnas.org/search?fulltext=violi  n&submit=yes&x=0&y=0 http://www.pnas.org/content/109/3/760.a  bstract ABSTRACT Most violinists believe that instruments by Stradivari and Guarneri “del Gesu” are tonally superior to other violins–and to new violins in particular. Many mechanical and acoustical factors have been proposed to account for this superiority; however, the fundamental premise of … Read more

MP3 vs. Uncompressed audio null test

| by

When you subtract a mp3 file from its comparatively uncompressed origin, the result is surprisingly musical.  It is shocking how much information is lost between original and digitally-compressed mp3.  When played, what has been removed is shockingly song-like…almost like a twin has been removed.     An MP3 vs. uncompressed audio null test is an … Read more

Tubes vs Transistors – Perception of Loudness, Clarity, Distortion, Sound Quality

| by

In general, with other variables held steady, as the power rating goes up dramatically (10x), the perception of loudness only doubles. 3,000 Watts sounds only “four-times louder” than 30 Watts. It seems unlikely, but measurements and anecdotal evidence have consistently shown it is generally true. People often ask, how does the Milbert BaM-235ab compare, in … Read more