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What is “warmth” and how do you get it?

Many audiophiles set out to assemble a system that sounds “warm.” I have heard several systems that could be described that way. Some of them sounded wonderful. Others, less so. That got me wondering: What is this thing called “warmth”?

It seems to me that the term “warm” can refer to a surprising number of different system characteristics. Here are a few:

1. Harmonic content, esp. added low order harmonics
2. Frequency response, esp. elevated lower midrange/upper bass
3. Transient response, esp. underdamped (high Q) drivers for midrange or LF
4. Cabinet resonance, esp. some materials and shapes
5. Room resonance, esp. some materials and dimensions

IME, any of these characteristics (and others I haven’t included) can result in a system that might be described as “warm.”

Personally, I have not set out to assemble a system that sounds warm, but I can see the appeal in it. As my system changes over time, I sometimes consider experimenting more with various kinds of “warmth.” With that in mind…

Do you think some kinds of warmth are better than others?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Bryon
bryoncunningham

Showing 7 responses by unsound

unsound
7,344 posts
 
FYI:
http://www.stereophile.com/content/sounds-audio-glossary-reverse-glossary-part-1
unsound
7,344 posts
 
Well, the Audiogon site seems to be a bit fickle when it comes to hyperlinks. So here's the definition from J. Gordon Holt, the man who probably put this language in our lexicon:
"warm The same as dark, but less tilted. A certain part of warmth is musical sound."
"dark A warm, mellow excessively rich quality in reproduced sound. The audible effect of a frequency response which is clock-wise tilted sound across the entire range so that the output diminishes with increasing frequency. Compare "light".
"light Lean and tipped up. The audible effect of a frequency response which is tilted counterclockwise. Compare "dark".
unsound
7,344 posts
 
FWIW, I think that when we attend many concert halls, especially large ones with many patrons, we are often exposed to "warmth". The same instruments can sound quite different; without an audience, in different rooms or even in different seats. Depending on your perspective "warmth" can be either natural or a by-product of a typical live listening experience.
unsound
7,344 posts
 
"...While other hall effects might sound cool". Yes, but I would think that's more likely in small, highly reverberant halls, and not as likely to happen in typical concert venues.
unsound
7,344 posts
 
If a space can't support or leaks the lower frequencies, and at the same time reverberates or enhances the higher frequencies, though not typically likely to happen, I would suspect the results would be "cool".
unsound
7,344 posts
 
The definition of warmth in audio as defined by the person who introduced the word to the lexicon of audiophiles is in this thread; see J. Gordon Holt. I suggest the following: it has been used for decades. If the definition is clear, then there is little reason to tinker with it. If we need new words to describe something similar, let's find new words, and not confuse them with existing terminology. If the existing definition doesn't agree with ones interpertation, too bad, find a new word for what your trying to convey, no reason to muddy the waters with more confusion. If the definition is unclear, that's something else.
unsound
7,344 posts
 
http://www.stereophile.com/reference/50/index.html
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