[peaceful1]

 
Quote:

I think these might help. Unfortunately, both concepts are beyond the intent of this glossary - to describe sound.
 
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roll-off

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cut-off_frequency
 

 
I have stared at that link for 2 years but it's not that easy to understand 
one of my friends have send me a link :
http://www.integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/bbs/stereophile_audio-glossary.html
the PDF version :
http://www.mediafire.com/?2k7f2pmq6vqpt18
answered lots of questions I had 

 

[gregorio]

 

 
I have stared at that link for 2 years but it's not that easy to understand 
one of my friends have send me a link :
http://www.integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/bbs/stereophile_audio-glossary.html
the PDF version :
http://www.mediafire.com/?2k7f2pmq6vqpt18
answered lots of questions I had 

I haven't read all of it but I found that article to be quite poor and high percentage of definitions were inaccurate.

Roll-Off is a term used in the application of audio filters. It is impossible to abruptly remove frequencies above or below a specified point (although in the digital domain we can create steeper filters with fewer artefacts than in the analogue domain). Filters work by reducing the amplitude (level) of frequencies above or below a certain point, the cut-off point. Say we have a HF filter (a Low Pass filter) and set the cut-off point at 2kHz and set the filter to -6dB per octave. The signal will start to be reduced from 2kHz (the cut-off frequency) at a rate that at 4kHz the level will be at -6dB, at 8kHz the level would be -12dB and at 16kHz the level would be -18dB. Filters are applied in 6dB poles, so a 3 pole filter would operate at -18dB per octave.

As an audio professional this has always been my understanding of roll-off and cut-off and is verified by the two wikipedia articles but does not agree with the inaccurate Stereophile definition.

G

 

[tranhieu]

Quote:

I haven't read all of it but I found that article to be quite poor and high percentage of definitions were inaccurate.

Roll-Off is a term used in the application of audio filters. It is impossible to abruptly remove frequencies above or below a specified point (although in the digital domain we can create steeper filters with fewer artefacts than in the analogue domain). Filters work by reducing the amplitude (level) of frequencies above or below a certain point, the cut-off point. Say we have a HF filter (a Low Pass filter) and set the cut-off point at 2kHz and set the filter to -6dB per octave. The signal will start to be reduced from 2kHz (the cut-off frequency) at a rate that at 4kHz the level will be at -6dB, at 8kHz the level would be -12dB and at 16kHz the level would be -18dB. Filters are applied in 6dB poles, so a 3 pole filter would operate at -18dB per octave.

As an audio professional this has always been my understanding of roll-off and cut-off and is verified by the two wikipedia articles but does not agree with the inaccurate Stereophile definition.

G

That's a very informative input Gregorio. Apart from roll off is there any other inaccuratedefinitions? Thanks.
 

 

[gregorio]

That's a very informative input Gregorio. Apart from roll off is there any other inaccuratedefinitions? Thanks.

I haven't got time to go through all of them. Probably 30% or so are not completely accurate. There also seems to be some terms which have been misappropriated from music and pro-audio. Ironically, their definition of accuracy is inaccurate! So is "Absolute Phase", "Audibility", "Analytical" and "Attack" and that's just the letter A!

G

 

[peaceful1]

 
Quote:

I haven't read all of it but I found that article to be quite poor and high percentage of definitions were inaccurate.

Roll-Off is a term used in the application of audio filters. It is impossible to abruptly remove frequencies above or below a specified point (although in the digital domain we can create steeper filters with fewer artefacts than in the analogue domain). Filters work by reducing the amplitude (level) of frequencies above or below a certain point, the cut-off point. Say we have a HF filter (a Low Pass filter) and set the cut-off point at 2kHz and set the filter to -6dB per octave. The signal will start to be reduced from 2kHz (the cut-off frequency) at a rate that at 4kHz the level will be at -6dB, at 8kHz the level would be -12dB and at 16kHz the level would be -18dB. Filters are applied in 6dB poles, so a 3 pole filter would operate at -18dB per octave.

As an audio professional this has always been my understanding of roll-off and cut-off and is verified by the two wikipedia articles but does not agree with the inaccurate Stereophile definition.

G

 

thanks for the replay 
 
so the roll off is cussed by the filters, at first I thought its a flaw in the electric circuit design.
why they use filters?
why in some point we have to reduce the frequency is it because some frequencies are not pleasant to hear ?!  like frequencies upper than 10KHZ 

are they a part of the DAC or they are separately designed ?
​

 

 

[gregorio]

thanks for the replay 
 
so the roll off is cussed by the filters, at first I thought its a flaw in the electric circuit design.
why they use filters?
why in some point we have to reduce the frequency is it because some frequencies are not pleasant to hear ?!  like frequencies upper than 10KHZ 

are they a part of the DAC or they are separately designed ?
​

There are a number of different places in the audio chain and reasons why filters are used. For example, they might be used in the recording chain to remove thumps or other unwanted sounds accidentally recorded or might be employed on certain channels (within the mix) for artistic reasons. Filters are used in some electronic circuits to restrict the audio frequencies which are allowed to pass through the circuit (to avoid distortion or other artefacts). Filters have to be employed in digital audio (ADCs and DACs) to comply with the Nyquist-Shannon Sampling Theorem (the scientific theorem upon which the existence of digital audio is based). Filters are found in transducers like microphones and speakers. And last but not least, the ear itself acts as a filter as well!

BTW, frequencies above 10kHz are not necessarily unpleasant.

G

 

[peaceful1]

 
Quote:

There are a number of different places in the audio chain and reasons why filters are used. For example, they might be used in the recording chain to remove thumps or other unwanted sounds accidentally recorded or might be employed on certain channels (within the mix) for artistic reasons. Filters are used in some electronic circuits to restrict the audio frequencies which are allowed to pass through the circuit (to avoid distortion or other artefact's). Filters have to be employed in digital audio (AD Cs and DA Cs) to comply with the Nudist-Shannon Sampling Theorem (the scientific theorem upon which the existence of digital audio is based). Filters are found in transducers like microphones and speakers. And last but not least, the ear itself acts as a filter as well!

BTW, frequencies above 10kHz are not necessarily unpleasant.

G

thanks for the explanation 
 by the way one thing I have found out about filters is it also can be used to divide a high range of frequencies so with a single cable or transmitter different multimedia sources can be transferred  (mostly coded with a certain standard) and finally it will be send to a certain receiver.(something like that)
oops I was wrong this is called a modulator 
 

 

[nizarp]

Can anybody explain the term timbre? How someone with no real life experience with any of the instruments can relate to timbre? Also does a weighty low end help to improve the timbre?

 

[fordgtlover]

Quote:

Can anybody explain the term timbre? How someone with no real life experience with any of the instruments can relate to timbre? Also does a weighty low end help to improve the timbre?

From Wikipedia:
                             In simple terms, timbre is what makes a particular musical sound different from another
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbre
 
So, to answer your question, if you can tell the sound of the Sitar from that of a Piano, then yes, you can relate to timbre.

 

[Wizkid]

This is an exquisite resource for Head-Fi. Seriously, it's really well done. Though, I will say, part of the fun of Head Fi is figuring out some of the crazy terminology. There is a sense of accomplishment that comes a few days after joining when you can read a detailed review and understand >50%. I mention this as a noob who just happened upon the glossary after a few months of lurking on the forums.
 
OTT: OP, GT40 or GT?

 

[fordgtlover]

Thank you for your kind words.

 

[jadawgis732]

Two terms that I've come to this thread in the past few days to have defined for me, but were not on the list, are
1. Sparkle
 
Quote:

Sparkle refers to that high frequency shimmering sound instruments like cymbals make. Sparkle indicates excellent treble extension and detail. Listen to a pair of TF10's. They've got one of the most abundant treble sparkle and detail I've ever heard.

 
2. Cold (which I assume means analytical, but are often used in the same sentence: "The HF3 are sometimes described as cold and analytical.")
 
 

 

[kskwerl]

My favorite Honky - Like cupping your hands around your mouth. A bump in the response around 500 to 700 Hz.

 

[jadawgis732]

What is "presentation"
 

 

[ertai]

Loving this thread. Btw i have a question.

Is there a difference between recessed mids and mids with more distance in the soudstage depth? Or would u call it laidback mids? Are they the same? Thanks in advance!