Why is sound often lost?
Subscribe to Ask Paul Ask a QuestionWe can hear the softest of sounds in a concert hall and the same in some stereo systems when at low volume levels. But not all. Why are some systems more revealing than others?
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Hi Paul, I enjoy your daily efforts. I don’t know if I’m going to deep with my comments here but I think that it should be mentioned that both speakers and electronics have a resolution floor that creates a level below which details seem to be lost. With speakers it is normally either due to the drivers/damping effects of the cabinets not allowing them to be sensitive enough to respond to the quieter aspects of the signal, hence the need to raise the volume to try and get the music to clearup and become more dynamic. With electronics it can manifest itself in a similar way or as a sense of loss of clarity as the music get more complex or dynamic. I have a number of recordings with very soft/nuanced background playing that on some electronics will tend to be presented as only a shadow of what I know is buried in the recording. I agree with you in that the room, and I’ll add speaker placement, can have the effects of masking a part of the music, I just wanted to add that sometimes the design quality of audio components, even between very good designs, can be a discerning difference between better high-end electronics. Mike.