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Originally Posted by Silenced  WOW, just wow. This was a great read... the first post and the argument which ensued. Just one question fjrabon: what about harmonic distortion and square wave responses?
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Those are very real, and to be taken into account. but both relate directly to how well a headphone can reproduce a sound signal's frequency and amplitude under certain conditions. that has more to do with the science of sound reproduction than the science of sound, if that makes sense.
Total Harmonic Distortion (Or THD) refers to when, generally under stress, audio equipment adds in harmonics to the fundamental tone its trying to reproduce that aren't actually in the source signal. That is, in simple terms, it adds in random frequencies that aren't supposed to be there.
Square Wave Response basically measures how fast a headphone (or any sound reproduction equipment) can respond to rapid changes in amplitude at various frequencies. Most equipment can't perfectly reproduce a square wave, but the closer it gets, the better it sounds. This is what most audiophiles refer to as "speed" or at least I think this is what they're referring to when they refer to speed. The ability of a headphone to have a "hard leading edge". But again, just a measure of how well it reproduces frequency and amplitude in a certain very difficult condition. Think of a hard snare drum hit with the tip of a heavy pair of sticks. The better square wave response, the better the headphone is going to be able to nail the full impact of the snare.
