A Few Audio Ironies

[mas]

Here is a list (by no means exhaustive) of a few audio ironies (thanks to P.Brown):

70.7 volt distribution systems dont run at 70.7 volts.
Loudspeaker
power ratings arent really power ratings. Theyre voltage ratings
expressed in watts using an assumed impedance.
The power rating of a loudspeaker has little to do with the power rating of an appropriate amplifier.
A 100 W amplifier will never actually produce 100 watts into a loudspeaker.
The
1-watt sensitivity of a loudspeaker isnt measured using 1 watt. Its
measured with 2.83 Vrms applied to the loudspeakers terminals.
The
1-meter sensitivity of a loudspeaker isnt measured at 1 meter. Its
measured at a greater distance, and normalized to 1 meter.
The unit for impedance is the ohm, yet ohm meters dont measure impedance.
Electronic room equalizers dont equalize the room.
Time delays dont delay time.
Power amplifiers dont amplify power, and their gain isnt determined by comparing the output power to the input power.
Terms such as phase, level, and ground have different meanings, depending on the context.
Audio and acoustic levels should be expressed in decibels, yet few people understand the decibel system.
Grounding something may make hum worse.
An isolated ground system isnt isolated from the building ground.
You can buy a Y-cable to mix two signals, but Y-cables should never be used to mix two signals.
A mixer or equalizer can be Pin 3 hot without inverting a balanced signal, but an amplifier thats Pin 3 hot cant.
A digital loudspeaker may not be digital.

And the list goes on and on.

Just a few reasons that a little technical understanding can provide great benefits.

[pauln]

Those are tech ironies. I was sitting here thinking that tech ironies are clear cases because the ironic contradiction is based with reference to a clear stance of what should be the right form without contradiction. That is, it is based on a firm implied reference point.

I was thinking of subitting that the more overarching audio irony concerns the disconnect in the search for better reproduction capability of deteriorating program material and thought this was a different class of case (the technology improves and the music chosen gets worse).

From my reference point the vast majority of current production is unworthy of consideration. But someone else hearing what I like might exit the room in horrow or bordom. But if everyone only likes a minority portion of the total current production, then the irony stands generally for each individual instance and the thought is true. Therefore, for each individual their experience will be that the majority of current production is undesirable, and this is ironic in light of the industry efforts to provide refined sound of this production.

As in The Sixth Sense, "I hear bad music".

[mas]

I can understand what you are saying, and in many ways I agree with your evaluation with much of the current program material.

But in an absolute sense, I must disagree.

What you 'like' and prefer does not ultimately determine materials' worth. (Although within the limited sphere where your relative opinion holds sway, it certainly may! I know it does in my house! [] )

And while you and I may dislike much of the current crop of popular music, there nevertheless IS material being excellently produced. And some of the material is also quite excellent.

And what you may feel is the paradigm of quality material was likewise judged by others who were then in a relative position similar to your current position as being anything from the Devil's music to trash.

Valuation of any material is relative and transitory.

But an understanding of the technical aspects are 'absolute' (well, at least it is 'defined'!). Their meanings are not subject to relativism (well, except in a home audio forum where they are ironically too often 'felt' to be exactly that!).

Regardless of what material you might or might not like, it would benefit more to make a greater attempt to understand the technical aspects, to the degree that one may have a desire to evaluate and propose useage and various changes to equipment.

[Daddy Dee]

mas,

great list of audio ironies.

that made me smile, which I needed this morning.

[jacksonbart]

Its all about the music

[pauln]

Here is another audio irony (back to technical).

Square wave audio signals recorded on vinyl result in
triangular waves in the vinyl, and when the stylus tracks this triangle wave in
the vinyl the cartridge outputs a square wave voltage.

In the chain of audio some think they know what the
waves might look like in an at least simple and intuitive way. Waves in the
air, waves in the circuits, etc. seem to make sense. But waves in vinyl are
quite different, and the truth is quite strange.

A modern phono cartridge (that use the magnetic
principle) generates output voltage that is linearly proportional to the
perpendicular velocity of the stylus rather than the simple displacement from dead
center. This perpendicular
velocity is the modulation speed, and the voltage polarity depends on the direction of travel (not on whether the stylus is left or right of center).

If the modulation speed is constant then the voltage
output is also constant.

Let us say that the idea is to produce a square wave
output voltage from the cartridge; what shape groove wiggle will produce it?

Since the square wave is simply two alternating
levels of constant voltage, the way to generate this with the stylus is to have
two different deflections of constant modulation speed. If you think about
it for a moment, this is a triangle waveform in the vinyl!

If you extend this universally to the rest of how the
transfer to and from vinyl works it will destroy your mental image of what
corresponds between the image of a waveform and what is actually scratched into
the vinyl.

[Daddy Dee]

One non audio irony.... well a question anyway...

why does sour cream have an expiration date?

[pauln]

Butric acid, because it is a dairy product...

[colterphoto1]

I"m going to share that list with Tech and Engineering. Thanks Mark![]

[rcarlton]

Why do they use sterile needles for lethal injections?

Why do they call the third hand on a clock the second hand?

[ByteWrangler]

Maybe the Second Hand really is the second hand and the clocks without one only have first and third hands. At Goodwill you can sometimes find secondhand clocks with a second hand.

And who's on first?