It is commonly known about the relation between the ultra high frequencies and lowest frequencies. The extended reproduction of highest frequencies ”improves” the lowest octaves and makes perception more susceptible to bass. The phenomenon is well known. The countless reviewers and marketing heaters take advantage of this phenomenon and push to the audio consumers the ultra high frequency transducers that run well over 30kHz. Yes, by adding those super tweeters, if it done properly (a big rarity), the audio people go exuberant about their “new bass”. However, the reality of the things is slightly more complicated.

I always was suspicious regarding the validity of HF and LF relationship as it violates my decree about the unity of audio rules. People who follow my articles knows that I am a firm believer that a correct solution should not just address a specific problem or to serve a specific benefit but simultaneously fulfill a composite set of benefits plugging itself at once into multiple aspect of sound reproduction. If a solution does address juts one aspect then it is most likely was juts premature or incorrect solution.

So, while I do admit the LF benefit from using of UHF transducers I disagree with a necessity to reproduce anything linearly auditable over 13kHz: Beware of "Higher Frequencies Syndrome". So, form one prospective I do observe the UHF “help” and from another I find that UHF destroy Sound.

As the result of further thinking and listening I came across to a very interesting observations. I detected that the LF benefits that we have when we put the super tweeters into the game are in fact very faulty benefits. Yes, the bass become more defend and more firm. However, this bass become actually less musical and less realistic making essentially incorrectly reproduced bass. The UHF somehow modulates within our awareness the taste to “audio bass” and this bass has nothing to do with the acoustic bass or the original musicality. What actually happens with that UHF-helped-bass is that this bass somehow drive listening attention to itself. It has nothing to do with amplitude or with anything else manageable. It is in the character of the bass, the character reminds the bass of OTL amplifiers: always impressive but never musically rational or justifiable.  Listening this UHF-helped-bass I always feel strange as soon or later this bass “get” me, switching listening attention from consuming a content of musicality into the acknowledging and analyzing the reproductive affords of the audio chain.

So, get better bass for your playbacks by THE NATURAL WAYS and do not fertilize it with HF.  By staying away from the UHF tricks you will end up with 1) better HF 2) better bass. Well, you bass will not be “better” but it will be whatever you actually have before you “amalgamated” it with UHF….

Rgs,
Romy the Cat

Here is a wonderful article by Jim Lesurf expanding the phenomena of LF and HF relation.

http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/HFN/hearing/hearthis.html

Jim runs a site:

http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/

 that has  quite interesting content.