[Steve Eddy]

Basically just means very low noise.
 
se

 

[jaddie]

Many, possibly most descriptive terms in audio are analogies, and many of those cluster around the visual description of something physical.  "Veiled", etc.

 

[bigshot]

Just about all digital audio has a black background, even the cheap stuff.

 

[Greenleaf7]

Thanks guys, that answers the question.

 

[Greenleaf7]

Just stumbled upon this article about the Myths behind tubes. Here's the link for those who are interested.
 
http://sound.westhost.com/valves/myths.html

 

[bigshot]

I've come to the conclusion that the best thing about tubes is that they glow really nice. Someone should come up with some nice LED fake tubes you can put on top of your solid state equipment to pretty it up.

Tubes don't improve the sound, in fact, they aren't even consistent in the way they degrade the it. Solid state has gotten to the point where it's pretty much plug and play. Why go back to worrying about whether the sound is shifting because a tube is not warmed up or beginning to fail?

Why do you think they call it solid state? It's because the sound stays the same.

 

[Steve Eddy]

Quote:

Why do you think they call it solid state? It's because the sound stays the same.

 
Um... no. It's called solid state because the charge carriers pass through a solid material (i.e. germanium or silicon for example) rather than through a vacuum.
 
se

 

[bigshot]

I was being hyperbolic!

 

[Steve Eddy]

Quote:

I was being hyperbolic!

 
Sorry. Missed the hyperbole emoticon.

 
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[Autobat]

I always enjoy reading this thread.  I am a scientist (Physicist) who prefers to scientifically test and then study numbers and graphs before drawing conclusions on pretty much anything.  From a scientific method I agree with most of what I read here, however, I also understand that the placebo and nocebo effects have been observed in nature within studies and therefore can not be ignored.
 
With this in mind, if people believe things sound better/worse then they will convince themselves of this.  No amount of research and evidence will ever convince the human brain that it did not hear a change if it believed that it did.  If we look at medical trials and the fact we can trick the brain into thinking that it received medication when it was just a simple sugar pill we will never understand what is happening when listening to something as subjective as music.

 

[bigshot]

There really isn't any reason to try to convince them. It only makes them unhappy.

 

[uchihaitachi]

And then the moderators come after you.

 

[Autobat]

Very true.

 

[367459]

Interesting piece on the science (or lack of) of wine tasting: http://m.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/23/wine-tasting-junk-science-analysis

 

[jcx]

precision of Ranking is the issue there - and the "bad judge" 4 points variance on a scale of 100 is way more consistent than chance - seems that the point is a little strained
 
using the ranking beyond its repeatability is a social issue
 
the other examples rather poorly thrown in just point to expectation effect skewing sensory perception - letting price, color info modulate the brain's interpretation of smell, taste