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In the Forum: Playback Listening
In the Thread: Audio vs. Musical pitch
Post Subject: Precisely WrongPosted by Paul S on: 5/1/2013
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Herman, I agree with the root idea about "dissimilar" materials for drivers being a problem with respect to "pitch" as this applies over the audio bandwidth, and here are some more thoughts about this subject.

With Robin's explications, it is easy to "expand" this concept of pitch into "scale", which can then be thought of as individual instruments and sections, alike.  It is especially easy to understand the problem of "system varigation" in terms of one instrument that is covered by several drivers, even though any one driver will, in fact, exhibit similar/related problems as its range is extended.  Which is to say, the problem with the hi-fi reproduction of pitch has to do broadly not only with driver pitch potential but also with "non-linearity" that is part and parcel of hi-fi, from source to speaker, not to mention the room(s), and setting aside the listener, for now.  It would also be interesting at some point to further explore the ideas of "sum and difference" that Robin raised, both in terms of pitch and in terms of phase, since these are not only related but they are very much at the heart of all this in terms of play and playback, both.  As for "AI", it seems highly unlikely that some omnicient "algorithm" will ever operate apart from problems inherent somewhere else in the recording/playback/reception chain/system.

Close listening to Music via hi-fi definitely tends to turn up faults with both, I think, and not least with "pitch".  For years I have suffered from the relentless elevation and upward striation by hi-fi of what I will term here "native pitch".  And lately, with the electricity so bad here, I am driven nuts by both the absence of mid-down power and color and "ghosting" in the center that includes a sort of washing out of "voice density", which must also be related to native pitch.

Robin's last post speaks to a subject I have considered well for hi-fi, namely that of spreading out problems.  As Robin hints, although there is certainly a price to pay in terms of "precision", if it is done well enough in the "right" ways it can be a viable alternative to being precisely wrong.


Best regards,
Paul S

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