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I downloaded the AES paper by Floyd Toole and Sean Olive "The Modification of Timbre by Resonances: Perception and Measurement". It's twenty pages long and I'm still digesting it. For anyone involved in distortion testing I would suggest you read it - both those who do the tests and / or select drivers based on the test results. Lots of good information.
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To answer your question. Yes. I can hear it- especially elevated levels of higher order harmonic distortion and linear distortion, specifically. The distortion is very audible when I'm doing harmonic distortion tests. How do I know? I compare driver A that has low overall harmonic distortion at X frequency versus driver B that doesn't in the same frequency range (at the same SPL) and the driver with higher distortion can literally shred your ears off.
Now, combine harmonic distortion of a driver with a range of music as the signal, then the ability to distinguish may become more difficult, but it still exists and colors the sound (logic).
So, in an ideal world, some of us find drivers with low harmonic distortion and flat frequency responses. Then one can come closer to the original signal if or when the sum of the parts in the loudspeaker result in an even power response, low distortion, and flat on axis frequency response (insert an entire book of other variables here). Sorry I don't have an acoustic engineering degree, though. So maybe I should have somebody that does have a degree tell me I'm wrong, and what I'm hearing or testing doesn't exist or matter.
Looking forward to your summary. -
To answer your question. Yes. I can hear it- especially elevated levels of higher order harmonic distortion and linear distortion, specifically. The distortion is very audible when I'm doing harmonic distortion tests. How do I know? I compare driver A that has low overall harmonic distortion at X frequency versus driver B that doesn't in the same frequency range (at the same SPL) and the driver with higher distortion can literally shred your ears off.
Now, combine harmonic distortion of a driver with a range of music as the signal, then the ability to distinguish may become more difficult, but it still exists and colors the sound (logic).
So, in an ideal world, some of us find drivers with low harmonic distortion and flat frequency responses. Then one can come closer to the original signal if or when the sum of the parts in the loudspeaker result in an even power response, low distortion, and flat on axis frequency response (insert an entire book of other variables here). Sorry I don't have an acoustic engineering degree, though. So maybe I should have somebody that does have a degree tell me I'm wrong, and what I'm hearing or testing doesn't exist or matter.
Looking forward to your summary.
Much of the paper's research has to do with establishing the audible threshold for resonances with different types of sources. While I agree that some levels of distortion are audible the thresholds are probably quite different than what many people think they would be.Comment
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