measurements and designing audio equipment

[Nick B]

Fascinating and very informative YouTube videos on John Darko's channel with MBL chief design engineer Juergen Reis. Reis has been with MBL for 35 years. I'll summarize if you don't have time to view.

He uses measurements and that can provide him with 95% of the design, but the final voicing...tweaking....the last 5% is done by listening. Capacitors, resisters, potentiometers, wires etc. can measure the same, but sound different. The BBC has been analyzing music for years and the trend is for more treble and bass content.

The second video with Mr Reis gets into transports, dacs, microphonics, the effect of how hard the cpu has to work, etc. Also discusses using different materials for the chassis and controlling chassis resonances.

https://youtu.be/JLnSsE6GZAs

https://youtu.be/H9LystOuvTc

[Response Audio]

I agree the initial design is done via conventional methods but final voicing is always done by ear regardless of the component. We spent years fine tuning our preamplifier before releasing them. I still have 2 Purity Audio Design products that I have been fine tuning for some time now.

[steve]

Same here, took years of research, development, and specialized listening testing to get the preamplifier and amplifier spot on. After those reference pieces were finished, then seven plus years to get my personal test
speaker project right.

Excellent specs are necessary, but the ears address what the specifications do not cover.

One definition, to me, accuracy/neutral means natural, not sterile. The use of accuracy to mean sterile originated with the early solid state amplifiers which measured excellent with sine waves, but sounded brittle, broken glass under musical conditions.

cheers
steve

[Response Audio]

Absolutely true Steve.
Once things quiet down, I will continue working on my personal vertical system.

[steve]

Absolutely true Steve.
Once things quiet down, I will continue working on my personal vertical system.

I agree, for that last ounce of perfection, I also went vertical except for source and speakers. Frankly, I got sick of auditioning speakers 7+ years ago, and decided to design my own. Updated DAC came along as well.

Speaker manufacturers use who knows what electronic component combinations in who knows venue. Testing and Home venues do make a difference, especially if one has huge nodes at lower frequencies. Volume production also plays a part. Anyway, in my lab I designed my own using a huge volume box, back to basics and the olden days.

Imo, matching components from different designers/companies might excel to a point, but I do not believe to the absolute maximum quality of sound.

cheers

steve 

[rollo]

  Someone please tell that to Atkinson. "The House Sound" Some like it lush some like it neutral. To each his own.


charles