|
|
||
|
|
Now for the last argument in favor of correct timing: |
|
|
Have you ever noticed that you rarely suffer from listening fatigue in the ‘real world’? Even in noisy, complex environments like busy restaurants and factory floors one rarely experiences this weird form of fatigue. Live acoustic music almost never causes fatigue, even the really wild stuff like massed, blasting brass and marching steel drum bands! Understanding the mechanism that gives rise to listening fatigue requires a brief discussion of the human hearing system.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Contents Slanted Baffle Aligns Crossovers, aka Filters, Step Response - Other Troubles
|
Our hearing system allows us to perceive the direction and distance of sound sources around us; a critical advantage for our species' survival to be sure. There is a section of your brain that is responsible for taking the signal that comes from your ears and then converting it into a picture of reality for presentation to your conscious mind. Left vs. right amplitudes are compared, timing is analyzed, the complex filtering effects of your outer ears are devolved, echoes are analyzed and
|
rejected (or preserved), noise is analyzed and rejected (or preserved), several of these factors are assessed to calculate distance and, it even appears, notes are compared with visual processing centers (have you ever closed your eyes to hear better?). This process is ongoing, and we are never actually aware of it. Yet, our conscious mind is kept continuously informed about 'what's happening' out there so that we may form judgments and react properly. |
|
|
||
|
When you listen to a completely natural sound environment - the real world - each sound arrives at your ears in its natural state, and with an amplitude and phase relationship that agree because the sound was created by a real event. The mind can readily turn the signal coming from the ears into a picture of reality. We can readily perceive the location and distance of each sound around us. But, in stereo reproduction there is a huge opportunity to scramble things. If gross errors are made, try as it may, your mind cannot put together a picture of reality from the garbage that's coming up from your ears. Wire one speaker out of polarity and you'll see! As errors in sound reproduction get smaller, a stereo picture will form, though sometimes just bits and pieces. Perhaps you've heard a system that can get the singer to image, but spreads the string bass around the room. When a system works pretty well, you will perceive good imaging, soundstaging and ambiance. But unless the waveform reaching your ears looks "natural" to your mind, your
|
mind will still have to work rather hard, though subconsciously, to put together that picture of reality. While a stereo that destroys the original waveform may sound excellent for 20 or 40 minutes, ultimately your mind will notify you of its extra labor in the form of listening fatigue. You probably won't know why, but your mind begins to wander from the music, and finally you turn off your rig and go make a sandwich. You've spent a bundle have a "great" sounding stereo that ends up giving you very little real enjoyment. The high end is absolutely FULL of these. Of course, this problem is all but impossible to pick out in short listening comparisons, and does not readily lend itself to A/B testing since the last system played will almost always lose in a fatigue judging contest. I doubt if we'll ever see scientific proof of my assertions...
|
|
|
|
||
|
On the other hand, have you ever been swept away? Brought to tears? Washed over by waves of goosebumps? Choked up? Have you played recording after recording into the night? Has the overwhelming emotion of fine music soothed your soul? Do you forget you're listening to stereo? Does your spouse sit down and listen with you? Is listening to music the most exquisite luxury in your life? Well for these feelings to visit you regularly, repeatably and
|
convincingly, your stereo rig must be really, truly RIGHT. And to be really, truly right, it must faithfully reproduce the music, not just in terms of amplitude and frequency, but also in TIME !!! When it comes down to it: You will make a choice between a time coherent speaker and a time incoherent speaker - a choice between right and not right. You'll either really love it or just learn to live with it. |
|
|
|
||
