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In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: Macondo's Axioms: Horn-loaded acoustic systems
Post Subject: The "up-tilting" response of hi-fiPosted by Paul S on: 10/10/2007
I have long wondered why it seems that hi-fi systems always fail to deliver realistic "weight", certainly with orchestral music, no matter how they "measure".  A "flat" chart is a virtual guarantee of sound that ultimately lacks "substance" in the lower-mids/upper bass, even if the frequency range that "covers" the area in question is elevated.  Of course true LF is elusive in reproduction to the point where we thrill just to hear it, and here again the attempt to simply "lift" output does not translate to "realistic" LF.  It seems like even when the frequency range is "present", as in the measuring sense, yet it lacks that bottomless "ferocity" that live music, even quiet music, possesses.

The discussion of "room gain" is an old one, for sure, and it is true that a rising LF can compensate for this "live" effect.  But I also hear the unobtainable "weight" outdoors, where there is no "reverberation", per se, and the sound just "dies" immediately, or perhaps there are some subtle and/or "distant" cues like reverberation.

Any thoughts on where all this mysterious energy comes from, that we can get a "flat" chart but still not be able to recreate it?

Best regards,
Paul S

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