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but in the meantime audiophiles largely reject bench specifi cations as an indicator of
audio quality. This is appropriate; the appreciation of audio is a completely subjective
human experience. We should not more let the numbers defi ne audio quality than
we would let chemical analysis be the ultimate arbiter of fi ne wines. Measurements
are certainly critical, they can and do provide a measure of insight, but are no
substitute for human judgment of that which is pleasant.
As in art, classic audio components are the results of individual and collective efforts
that refl ect a coherent underlying goal and philosophy by the major participants. If
successful, they make both a subjective and objective statement of quality, which is
meant to illicit appreciation in the fi nal product. It is essential that that the circuitry of
an audio component refl ects a philosophy which addresses the subjective nature of
its performance fi rst and foremost.
Lacking the ability to completely characterize performance in an objective manner,
we should take a step back from the resulting waveform and take into account the
process by which it has been achieved. The history of what has been done to the
music is important and must be considered a part of the result. Everything that has
been done to the signal is embedded in that signal, however subtly.
Experience correlating what sounds good to knowledge of component design yields
some general guidelines as to what will sound good and what will not sound good in
real life.
1) Simplicity and a minimum number of components is a key element, and is well
refl ected in the quality of better tube designs. The fewer pieces in series with the signal
path, the better. This is often true even if adding just one more gain stage will improve
the measured performance.
2) The characteristic of gain devices and their specifi c use isimportant. Individual
variations in performance between like devices is important, as are differences in
topological usage. All signal bearing devices contribute to the degradation, but
there are some different characteristics that are worth attention. Low order
nonlinearities are largely additive in quality, bringing false warmth and coloration,
while abrupt high order nonlinearities add harshness.
3) Maximum intrinsic linearity is desired. This is the performance of the gain stages
before feedback is applied. Experience suggests that feedback is a subtractive
process; it removes information from the signal. In many older designs, poor intrinsic
linearity has been corrected out by large application of feedback, resulting in loss of
warmth, space and detail.
We give these precepts a great deal of thought in the design and voicing of product
so that you do not have to. You only need to address the cartridge loading till it
sounds good to you. Once set you can relax and focus on the results.