IEM's - Help with Audiophile Terminology plz?

[Ninia]

I wish to fully understand ljokerl excellent and comprehensive Multi-IEM Review..., so can you help me with the following (first two terms were used in a acclaimed general consumer review magazine):

1) What is ljokerl/audiophile terminology for "tinny"?

2) What is ljokerl/audiophile terminology for "artificial-sounding"?

3) What does an iem's 'treble/treblely sound signature/frequency' really sound like in laymen's terms???

4) What would be the 'Describing Sound A Glossary' technical definition of why a iem can become "fatiguing"?

5) lol always wanted to know what does "clipping" sound like in laymen's terms?


Thanks any help would be appreciated.
(PS. I've read head-fi's 'Describing Sound A Glossary'.)

 

[NA Blur]

Tinny:  A sound that is reproduced that sounds as if it were being played through a tin can.  Headphones like the Shure SRH 440 sound tinny.
 
Artificial Sounding:  A sound that does not represent its original sound wave to a severe degree.  This is typically heard in bass and treble and can be a consequence of not moving enough air to reproduce the original signal.  This would be like going to a drum solo and hearing the kick drum, then going home and listening to the same track with your headphones, and the headphones bass response is not as airy or impactful as the drum solo was in person.  Cymbals can sound bland in that they do not have their usual quick decay and metallic sound.  This is found with many headphones.  The detriment that occurs from signal processing and sound wave reproducing in an audio system making the sound emitted unlike the original recording is what makes the sound artificial.
 
IEM Treble / Trebly:  This is a term used for an IEM that has a few peaks in its frequency response curve anywhere from 2 kHz to 11 kHz which can cause the listener to wince at high notes in a track.  It can also be used to describe an IEM that does not have a balance of bass, mids, treble, and tends to have more treble than bass.  Another term for this is bright.
 
Fatiguing:  Fatigue occurs when the parts of the inner ear become disturbed by peaks in any aspect of the sound that is typically contributed to peaks above 0dB.  Each listener has their own threshold for pain as well as sensitivity to these peaks making fatigue hard to diagnose for a particular piece of equipment or audio track.  If a headphone is described as fatiguing by more than just a few people there is a good chance a different user will find it also fatiguing.  It is more commonly found in audio systems that have mids or treble above 0dB on their frequency response and having an up-front sound.  A more laid back headphone can sometimes avoid fatigue.
 
What does clipping sound like?  Typically when an audio signal is clipped there is a loss of data.  Take a sine wave for example.  The wave is very smooth, but when it clips the crest or trough will become flat instead of nicely rounded.  This will cause an effective loss of data and the sound may become harsh or misrepresentative of the original.  In severe cases clipping can sound like a click because there is an abrupt edge to the signal instead of a nice smooth sine wave.  The roughness can cause an immediate rise or fall in the signal making the smooth sound very harsh.  This can lead to sibilance or distortion as it directly alters the shape of the waveform.
 
For more detail about clipping go here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipping_%28audio%29

 

[Ninia]

Quote:

Tinny:  A sound that is reproduced that sounds as if it were being played through a tin can.  Headphones like the Shure SRH 440 sound tinny.
 
Artificial Sounding:  A sound that does not represent its original sound wave to a severe degree.  This is typically heard in bass and treble and can be a consequence of not moving enough air to reproduce the original signal.  This would be like going to a drum solo and hearing the kick drum, then going home and listening to the same track with your headphones, and the headphones bass response is not as airy or impactful as the drum solo was in person.  Cymbals can sound bland in that they do not have their usual quick decay and metallic sound.  This is found with many headphones.  The detriment that occurs from signal processing and sound wave reproducing in an audio system making the sound emitted unlike the original recording is what makes the sound artificial.

 
Wonderful response, thanks NA Blur you explained everything. Just one thing what are the audiophile or audio terms/terminology for "Tinny" & "Artificial Sounding", because the majority of the audiophiles including ljokerl don't use those two words in their reviews!

 

[Ninia]

NA Blur can I ask you some basic questions about Warm Sound Signature?? I very much would appreciate help to construe the following:

1) I guess it a no-brainer that a 'Cold Sound Signature' means digital sounding. But in laymen's terms, what does "warm sound signature" really mean and sound like???

2) What are the main music genres that would be referred to as 'warm' or need a 'warm sound signature'? (lol hope this question isn't moronic)

3a) To achieve the most *spine-tingling orgasmic, naturalistic and detailed vocal work, vocal gymnastics NO accompanying instrumental (singers/artists/frontperson from all genres except traditional rock, heavy metal, EDM), does this need an overall sound signature (DAP+AMP+IEM) of Warm, Analytical/Neutral/Cold, Bass???

3b) I know about the significance and meaning of soundstage, but any other specific audio terms in user's reviews should carry weight to achieve the above aim *?


Thanks any help would be much appreciated.