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General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories.

I go back over 50 years too

Yes, I remember when THD was the be-all, end-all ... I remember Julian Hirsch too. But today criticism of THD is as "straw-man" and "beating a dead horse".

For a couple of reasons:
  • While 0.05% was considered great in the '60s, best measuring components today are more like 0.0005% ... uhm, that's two orders of magnitude, -40 dB better
  • There is an awareness that the constituents of the "total" harmonic distortion are critical. 2nd & 3rd order distortion are pleasant sound but higher order harmonics so harsh. Solid state components of the '60s and '70s had relatively low 2nd/3rd and high high-order harmonics. Todays best performers have 2nd/3rd order below -120 dB and unmeasurable higher-order.

    Perhaps it's time to have another look at measurements ... just sayin'.

    Don't be silly: today's ABX involves human ear comparisons. Someday maybe AI could be used applying Geddes' mumbo-jumbo math to make the comparisons -- that would make morricab happy.



    Dmitri Shostakovich


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