"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 14 Jan 2006 19:23:21 -0500, "Eisboch" wrote:


"-rick-" wrote in message
...
Shortwave Sportfishing wrote:

nothing like that transformer sound.

It's interesting how the old tube amps with output transformers were
pretty bad in terms of bandwidth and fidelity yet had more pleasing
distortion, especially when pushed hard and the non-linear speaker load
reflected back to the output tubes and the wimpy tube rectifier power
supply started sagging. It makes a pretty complex system when combined
with room acoustics, guitar resonances, and multiple feedback paths.

Theres been a lot of work on DSP emulation and modeling that so far I've
not found nearly as satisfying but it's sure nice to be able to come
close
at low volume.

oh crap, Moss just got a gift in the end zone.

-rick-

Saw an interesting study on amplifier distortion ratings recently.
Typically
expressed as "THD" or Total Harmonic Distortion, it is generally
considered
that the lower the number the better, resulting in amps with ratings of 1%
or less, often much less.

Turns out that in a series of blind tests with a control group for
comparison that were told what levels of distortion existed, the human ear
is very non-sensitive to relatively high levels of distortion.
Furthermore,
the ear is frequency dependent in it's ability to detect distortion. I
forget the exact numbers, but it was something like above 8khz the ear was
most sensitive and both the blind group and the control group detected
distortion at about 3 percent. As the frequency lowered, both groups were
unable to detect higher levels of THD. At low frequencies (bass) it took
almost 100% THD for the groups to detect any distortion. Both group
results
were almost identical also.

I also remember reading about Carver amps which were of a "magnetic amp"
design. Bob Carver, the designer of the original Carver amp claimed the
same thing as the tests described above. Carver amps typically have a
much
higher THD rating than those of comparable competitors.

Oh, well. Useless information on a rainy day, 40 minutes from kickoff of
the Patriot's next victory on the way to the SB.

being a sufferer of perfect pitch, i can tell when something is
distorted or out of tune with reasonable accuracy.

i almost never listen to anything loud and i dont attend concerts for
much the same reason - the sound can just turn into noise for me.

then again, its a perfect excuse not to take the wife anywhere.

Ummm....pitch is to distortion as kleenex are to pencil erasers. But never
mind.