Rerurn to Romy the Cat's Site
In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: RAAL “Water Drop” tweeter for Macondo.
Post Subject: Hi/lo ambience corollaryPosted by Paul S on: 5/19/2007
Sometimes it can take a while for the other shoe to drop.
I knew I had bass and balance issues with my phonostage. I recently added some capacitance to the output cap, and that did the trick for the ribbon level.
Going back to the earlier discussion of the ribbon's role in making bass more fulland articuate, here is the not-necessarily-logical corollary: better bass making more-correct bass ambience, which somehow "combines" or "blends" with the ribbon's output to drastically improve overall ambience and in so doing it also "lowers" the perceived HF output level from the ribbon.
Today I played a crappy (1977) pressing of the Budapest Quartet playing Beethoven's Late Quartets (1952), and for the first time with these discs I could comfortably follow the melody as it was handed off from voice to voice. Limited ambience in this pressing, but some, anyway, and more importantly I enjoyed the great ensemble playing, and some of the fabled Strad tone, to boot.
Better recordings better illustrated the hi/lo corolary and correct ambience, including well-done reverb on some jazz solos. Some poorly over-dubbed records I tried that used to sound merely hyped are now unbearable, not just because of "too much HF", but rather because they are exposed for just what they are, and the ridiculous, out-of-perspective/balance added "mix" is just too much to take, rendered literally.
Basically, if any or all of the recording is processed aside and/or tipped up, then it sounds like that. So far, it's mostly pop songs that are out, so no big loss.
So, no big hurry for the L-pad now, and no further phono funny business is required.
Best regards,
Paul SRerurn to Romy the Cat's Site