2. amps-preamps
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Amp "timing" ?

I was reading someone raving about the impeccable "timing" of their high-end amp this morning.  I have heard this term tossed around several times recently in my dive back into highish-end audio. 

Can someone please explain what is meant by this term?  Is it snake-oil or confirmation bias?  I just don't understand how a human  can hear  a timing difference of a soundwave unless it's a 2nd+ order reflection.  

Thoughts?
dtximages

Showing 3 responses by wolf_garcia

wolf_garcia
6,626 posts
 
A good musician will play on, behind, or ahead of the beat, resulting in the "feel" of a musical presentation...that’s timing, and if my hifi rig does any of those things on its own I’ll assume I’ve lost my mind.
wolf_garcia
6,626 posts
 
I was trapped into a "presentation" (in the late 80s maybe) at a stereo shop of why a Linn LP12 table, when compared to a Denon direct drive table, was more  rhythmically accurate...it wasn't.
wolf_garcia
6,626 posts
 
I have a Linn now, but my point was that those specific tables had absolutely the same speed, and the music presented was in identical pitch (which I'm extremely sensitive to, as are most people if they know it or not). Maybe the dealer should have been using a crappier table for comparison than an expensive direct drive Denon. I don't think "prat" is a particularly useful term and am glad it's seemingly fallen out of fashion as I rarely see it anymore, even in UK audio mags.
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