Meaning of these...

[SubSonic]

Hello, i was just reading over some reviews and i was wondering... what exactly does fast attack of a tweeter mean? how does colored sound actually sound like? there are a few more terms and metaphors or such that i forgot... if you may put some things newbies need to know please add on... also is there somewhere i can go to read further upon these types of descriptions? :T

[Race Car Driver]

I prefer the fast attack of the kick drum myself, but whatever works

[Russ L]

Fast Attack of a tweeter- Precise reproduction of alot of simultaneous high frequency sound(thats what I thought it meant)
Colouration- The source (eg. CD player), the pre or Amp, or the speakers add their own sound to the sound that was recorded on the CD. Either unintentionally or they are made to sound that way. -Russ

[BTB]

Attack (in simple terms) is the "beginning" of a sound, like what you hear as a string is plucked or as a cymbal is struck... think of it as the opposite of "decay" or release, which is what you hear as the note fades or dies out. Using the terms "Fast" attack, I would guess is an attempt to suggest that a certain component has a sense of immediacy, or "speed" about the way it replays sounds. Sometimes also referred to as "snap" to suggest the same quality.

"Colouration" is any deviation from faithful (or accurate) reproduction of the original signal. So for instance, a speaker system with a "warm" sound might boost mid bass information to produce the subjective sense of "warmth" and fullness not necessarily contained on the recording, thereby "colouring" the sound. As Russ L suggests, perhaps intentionally (as in it's designed to sound that way) or because of other influences (poor placement, room modes, etc.).