Orban OPTIMOD-FM 8700, Operating Manual

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3-104
OPERATION ORBAN MODEL 8700i
GREGG MX. To keep the comparison “apples and apples,” we used the IMPACT MX
preset in the 8700i. Even with these presets, the distortion in either Orban processor
was negligible compared to the effect of even modest multipath and considerably
less than certain other non-Orban processors produce with this material. (Note that
the increase in the output starting slightly above 6 kHz does not represent distortion
but is instead another manifestation of the 8700i’s better HF power handling capa-
bility, which we first presented in Figure 3-8.)
Figure 3-11 on page 3-103 shows an example of program material with much more
energy above 6 kHz than in the midrange, making difference-frequency intermodu-
lation in the midrange easily audible. Although other, non-distorted material in the
midrange makes the measurement less dramatic compared to the previous pictures,
the combination of improved HF response (about 2 dB) and midrange IM suppres-
sion is plainly visible and very audible in the 8700i.
Transient Punch: Decreasing distortion often comes at the expense of decreased
transient punch because in competitively processed FM, transients must be clipped
and may therefore appear incorrectly to the distortion controller as “distortion”
Figure 3-12
Simple Minds, “Alive and Kicking”