Fig. 4:
The dotted line shows
frequency responses for a
soft Bass (S
OFT
) at varying
P
ROCESS
and a M
ID
-H
I
T
UNE
of 3.5 kHz.
The solid line shows the
phase responses, which
always drift only a few
degrees if the P
ROCESS
inten-
sity is increased.
The diagram shows very
clearly that the mid attenua-
tion gets stronger as the
P
ROCESS
value increases.
An improved harmonic struc-
ture results in a silky top-end
with far better separation
and intelligibility.
14
S T E R E O
S
TEREO
V
ITALIZER
alters the frequency spectrum in such a way that the
balance is maintained between all frequency ranges even at varying
monitor volumes. For the human ear, the sound is more pleasant and
easier to perceive than the original. In other words, increasing the P
ROCESS
value also increases the intensity of the M
ID
-H
I
T
UNE
filter and the B
ASS
filter, whilst dominant mid frequencies are damped by amplitude-
controlled phase shiftings. This improves the perception of loudness, clarity
and the bass punch, i.e. the strength and fullness of the audio signal.
The S
TEREO
V
ITALIZER
works with steep filters and controlled changes of
the phase relationships of the harmonics to process the harmonics struc-
ture.
We consciously did without the generator principle of »Exciters«. The
S
TEREO
V
ITALIZER
's harmonic filter does not add any distortions to the
original signal, unlike with the generator principle. It extracts all the infor-
mation it needs from the original signal. This significantly reduces the
hearing fatigue effect on the listener. By influencing the phase relationship
in an intelligent fashion, the harmonics which have been filtered out are
emphasized with increasing addition expressed as a percentage. The effect
significantly improves the speech intelligibility and the transparency. Old
archived recordings sound fresh and silky again. The brilliance of any audio
signal can be improved without it sounding sharp.
The H
ARMONICS
filter derives its input signal from the original signal and
the output of the M
ID
-H
I
T
UNE
filter. If you close the P
ROCESS
control
(extreme left), the B
ASS
and M
ID
-H
I
T
UNE
controls do not function any more.
You can then listen to the H
ARMONICS
control separately.
The second potentiometer level of the M
ID
-H
I
T
UNE
control is responsible
for the cut-off frequency of the H
ARMONICS
filter. A variation of the M
ID
-H
I
T
UNE
control alters the cut-off frequency (fundamental tone) of the harmo-
nics. Both filters complement each other in an ideal fashion as they each
always process the part of the audio signal which is not being processed by
the other filter. If the M
ID
-H
I
T
UNE
control is set at 20 kHz, the H
ARMONICS
Harmonics
6
Control elements