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Distortions that the human ear likes. Are there any ?

This is based on a post from another thread, where someone speaking to a studio mastering engineer, repeated a quote by this engineer, stating " most audiophiles like certain distortions ", and it quickly started a debate. I did not want to continue this on the other thread, as it had little to do with the OP's direction on his thread. What say you, Geoff, George, Almarq, Ralph, anybody......if this thread goes nowhere, I can always have it removed. Enjoy ! MrD.
mrdecibel

Showing 2 responses by mrdecibel

mrdecibel OP
3,150 posts
 
Al, I think you hit the nail on the head. I believe the engineer was implying " deviation from accuracy ". This makes the most sense, and the dictionary says the same, and not just about audio. Al, I believe the question was answered. T.Y. Always, and Enjoy ! MrD
mrdecibel OP
3,150 posts
 
Listen, " as far as I am concerned ", there are three distortions I am easily aware of, and I do not like any of them in a system. One, is obviously amplifier clipping, which is very unpleasant, and one that I personally, in my own system, I never experience. The second, is when a speaker breaks up ( compression ), because it cannot handle the signal being applied to it, or, when an amplifier is simply played too loudly, beyond the limits of the speaker. Third, hum or hiss. I do believe, there are distortions that are enjoyed by some listeners, as I think Nonoise and Eric hit on. I know quite a number of musicians, some of which are audiophiles, and some are not. Many of them, when they play, have gear that creates distorted sounds, so this may be another situation that the engineer was speaking about. Anyway, I will give this post a week or so, and see where it goes. I am a big boy, so if anyone cares to " attack " me, it is ok. But, I posted this as a learning opportunity. Enjoy ! MrD.
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