"ah" (rhymes with "rah") A vowel coloration caused by a frequency-response peak centered around 1000Hz.
"aw" (rhymes with "paw") A vowel coloration caused by a frequency-response peak centered around 450Hz. An "aw" coloration tends to emphasize and glamorize the sound of large brass instruments (trombone, tuba).
"ee" (rhymes with "we") A vowel coloration caused by a frequency-response peak centered around 3.5kHz.
"eh" (as in "bed") A vowel coloration caused by a frequency-response peak centered around 2kHz.
"ih" (as in "bit") A vowel coloration caused by a frequency-response peak centered around 3.5kHz.
"oh" (as in "toe") A vowel coloration caused by a broad frequency-response peak centered around 250Hz.
"oo" (as in "gloom") A vowel coloration caused by a broad frequency-response peak centered around 120Hz.
absolutete phase, absolute polarity Refers to the preservation of the initial acoustic waveform all the way through the recording and reproducing system so that a compression that reaches the original microphone will be reproduced in the listener's system as a compression reaching his or her ears. Some listeners appear to be more sensitive to this being correct than others, often referring to the inverted state as "muffled."
accuracy The degree to which the output signal from a component or system is perceived as replicating the sonic qualities of its input signal. An accurate device reproduces what is on the recording, which may or may not be an accurate representation of the original sound.
accurate The music is unaltered by the recording or playback equipment. Ideally, to sound identical to the original music.
acoustical space 1) A large performing or recording hall. 2) All the spatial and reverberant characteristics of the performing hall or location in which a recording was made.
acuity 1) The sensitivity of the ears to very soft sounds. 2) The acquired ability of an audiophile to hear and to assess the subtle qualitative attributes of reproduced sound.
aggressive Reproduced sound that is excessively forward and bright.
airy Spacious. Open. Instruments sound like they are surrounded by a large reflective space full of air. Good reproduction of high frequency reflections. High frequency response extends to 15 or 20 kHz. Pertaining to treble which sounds light, delicate, open, and seemingly unrestricted in upper extension. A quality of reproducing systems having very smooth and very extended HF response.
aliveness A quality of sound reproduction which gives an impression that the performers are present, in person, in the listening room.
ambiance (pronounced "ambee-onts") The feeling or mood evoked by an environment.
ambience (pronounced "ambee-ints") The aurally perceived impression of an acoustical space, such as the performing hall in which a recording was made. Impression of an acoustic space, such as the performing hall in which a recording was made.
analytical Very detailed, almost to the point of excess.
articulate Intelligibility of voice(s) and instruments and the interactions between them.
articulation 1) Clarity and intelligibility, usually of voice reproduction. 2) The reproduction of inner detail in complex sounds, which makes it easy to follow an individual musical voice among many.
attack 1) The buildup of sound when an instrument is bowed, blown, struck, or plucked. 2) The ability of a system to reproduce the attack transients in musical sound. Poor attack makes a system sound slow. 3) The leading edge of a note and the ability of a system to reproduce the attack transients in music. 4) The time taken for a musical note to reach its peak amplitude eg. notes will tend to sound more defined rather than blended with other notes.
attack transient The initial energy pulse of a percussive sound, such as from a piano string, triangle, or drum head.
audibility The measure of the severity of a sonic imperfection. The scale of audibility, from least audible to most audible, is: inaudible, subtle, slight, moderate, obvious, conspicuous, and Arrggh!!
audiophile A person enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction. Audiophile values may be applied at all stages of music reproduction: the initial audio recording, the production process, and the playback, which is usually in a home setting. A key goal of audiophiles is to capture the experience of a live musical performance in a room with good acoustics, and reproduce it at home.
auronihilist (pronounced "auro-nigh-illist") A person who believes that all components that measure the same, sound the same. A meter man.
autohype Suggestive self-deception; hearing something that isn't there, because you expect it to be. A rich source of audio mythology.
balance 1) The subjective relationship between the relative loudness of the upper and lower halves of the audio spectrum; "tonal balance." 2) The relative loudness of the instruments in a performing group. 3) Equality of signal level between the left and right stereo channels, which centers the soundstage and allows mono program material to image at the center. Also called channel balance. 4) essentially tonal balance, the degree to which one aspect of the sonic spectrum is emphasized above the rest.
ballsy Describes a system which is stentorian, punchy, and visceral.
banger A very loud LP surface-noise pop.
bass 1) The range of frequencies below 160Hz, characterized by low pitch. 2) The audio frequencies between about 60Hz and 250Hz.
bassy Emphasized Bass.
beyond-the-speakers imaging The placement of phantom images or spatial (stage boundary) information beyond the positional limits of the loudspeakers.
billowing, billowy Excessively reverberant.
binaural Literally hearing with "two ears," refers to a recording/playback system which presents the listener's ears with the acoustic waveforms they would have received at the original event. Only currently achievable with a "dummy-head" microphone and playback via headphones.
blanketed Weak highs, as if a blanket were put over the speakers.
bloated 1) When describing a phantom image: excessively wide. 2) When describing sound in general: overly rich, warm, and reverberant. 3) Excessive mid bass around 250 Hz. 4) Poorly damped low frequencies, low frequency resonances. See tubby.
bloom A quality of expansive richness and warmth, like the live body sound of a cello.
blurred 1) Poor transient response. 2) Vague stereo imaging not focused.
body A quality of roundness and robustness in reproduced sound. "Gutsiness." Fullness of sound, with particular emphasis on upper bass; opposite of Thin.
body sound Of a musical instrument: the characteristic sound of the material of which the instrument is made, due to resonances of that material. The wooden quality of a viola, the "signature" by which a brass flute is distinguishable from a wooden or platinum one.
boomy Characterized by pronounced exaggeration of the midbass and, often, dominance of a narrow range of bass frequencies. ("One-note bass.") Excessive bass around 125 Hz. Poorly damped low frequencies or low frequency resonances.
boxy 1) Characterized by an "oh" vowel coloration, as when speaking with one's head inside a box. 2) Used to describe the upper-bass/lower-midrange sound of a loudspeaker with excessive cabinet-wall resonances. 3) Having resonances as if the music were enclosed in a box. Sometimes an emphasis around 250 to 500 Hz.
breakup The sound of severe analog-disc mistracking.
breathing From a dynamic noise-reduction system: audible changes in the level of background hiss in accordance with changes in signal volume. See "pumping."
breathy Audible breath sounds in woodwinds and reeds such as flute or sax. Good response in the upper mids or highs.
bright A sound that emphasizes the upper midrange/lower treble. Harmonics are strong relative to fundamentals. Also see "brilliant"
brilliance The 6kHz to 16kHz range controls the brilliance and clarity of sounds. Too much emphasis in this range can produce sibilance on the vocals.
brilliant The most often misused terms in audio, these describe the degree to which reproduced sound has a hard, crisp edge to it. Brightness relates to the energy content in the 4kHz-8kHz band. It is not related to output in the extreme-high-frequency range. All live sound has brightness; it is a problem only when it is excessive.
bunching 1) In double-mono repro~duction, the imaging of all sounds from a small area between the loudspeakers. Tight (narrow) bunching in A+B mode is essential for good imaging specificity in stereo. 2) In stereo reproduction, excessive center fill with inadequate spread. Compare with stereo spread.
buzz A low-frequency sound having a spiky or fuzzy character.
bypass test Directly comparing the output signal from a device with the input signal being fed to it, by putting the device into and then out of the signal path and observing the difference.
cable microphonics The noise heard due to the movement of a headphone or in-ear-monitor's cable rubbing against an object (ie. a shirt).
center fill Correct image placement between the loudspeakers of sound sources which were originally located at or near center-stage. See "localization," "stereo spread."
center stage That part of the soundstage that is midway between the loudspeakers.
chalky Describes a texturing of sound that is finer than grainy but coarser than dry. See "texture."
characteristic One of the basic constituents of reproduced sound, which contributes to its perceived quality. Frequency response, loudness, extension, soundstaging, and resolution are sonic characteristics.
chesty 1) A pronounced thickness or heaviness from reproduced male voice, due to excessive energy in the upper bass or lower midrange. 2) The vocalist sounds like their chest is too big. A bump in the low frequency response around 125 to 250 Hz.
chocolatey Like "syrupy," but darker and more full-bodied.
circularity The paradox of subjectivity: "You can't judge a recording without reproducing it, and you can't judge a reproducer without listening to a recording."
clean Free from audible distortion.
clear See Transparent.
click A small, sharp impulse that sounds like the word "click."
clinical Sound that is pristinely clean but wholly uninvolving.
closed A closed-in sound lacking in openness, delicacy, air, and fine detail usually caused by Roll-off above 10kHz; in contrast to Open.
closed-in Lacking in openness, delicacy, air, and fine detail. A closed-in sound is usually caused by HF rolloff above 10kHz. Compare with "open," "airy."
coarse A large-grained texturing of reproduced sound; very gritty. The continuum of reproduced sound seems to be comprised of large particles. See "texture."
cocktail-party effect The auditory system's controllable ability to separate-out, on the basis of direction alone, one sound source from many coming from different directions. It allows you to follow one voice among the others at a noisy cocktail party.
cognitive dissonance A conflict between observations, as when a sound has the timbre of a close listening seat but the perspective of a distant one.
coherent 1) Pertaining to a multi-way loudspeaker's sound: seamless from top to bottom; showing no audible evidence of a crossover or of different driver colorations in different frequency ranges. 2) Pertaining to the soundstage: Phantom imaging that reproduces within the stereo stage the original lateral positions of the performers. See "bunching," "hole-in-the-middle."
cold The same as "cool," only more so. Having somewhat excessive upper-range output and weak lower-range output.
coloration An audible "signature" with which a reproducing system imbues all signals passing through it.
coloured Having timbres that are not true to life. Non flat response; peaks or dips.
comb filtering A hollow coloration that, once recognized, is unmistakable. Caused by a regularly spaced series of frequency-response peaks and dips, most often due to interference between two identical signals spaced in time. If that time difference is continually changed, the comb-filter peaks and dips move accordingly, giving rise to the familiar "phasing," "flanging," or "jet plane" effect used in modern rock music.
congested Smeared, confused, muddy, and flat. Lacking or totally devoid of transparency.
consonant Agreeable to the ear; pleasant-sounding. Compare "dissonant."
conspicuous Very audible. See "audibility."
continuity 1) Of the soundstage: the reproduction of the original lateral positions of the stereo images. See "bunching," "hole-in-the-middle," "stereo spread." 2) Of a multi-way loudspeaker: uniformity of coloration from the operating range of one driver to that of the other(s).
control The extent to which a loudspeaker sounds as if it is "tracking" the signal being fed to it. The sound is tight, detailed, and focused. See "damping."
cool Moderately deficient in body and warmth, due to progressive attenuation of frequencies below about 150Hz.
crackle Intermittent medium-sized clicks. The usual background noise from much-played vinyl discs.
crisp In reproduced sound: sharply focused and detailed, sometimes excessively so because of a peak in the mid-treble region. Extended high frequency response, especially with cymbals.
cupped-hands A coloration reminiscent of someone speaking through cupped hands or, if extreme, a megaphone.
damping The amount of control an amplifier seems to impose on a woofer. Underdamping causes loose, heavy bass; overdamping yields very tight but lean bass.
dark 1) A warm, mellow, excessively rich quality in reproduced sound. The audible effect of a frequency response which is clockwise-tilted across the entire range, so that output diminishes with increasing frequency. Compare "light." 2) A tonal balance that tilts downwards with increasing frequency. Opposite of bright. Weak high frequencies.
dead Dull and lifeless.
decay 1) The reverberant fadeout of a musical sound after it has ceased. Compare "attack." 2) The fadeout of a note, it follows the attack.
deep bass Frequencies below 40Hz.
definition (also resolution) 1) That quality of sound reproduction which enables the listener to distinguish between, and follow the melodic lines of, the individual voices or instruments comprising a large performing group. See "focus." 2) The ability of a component to reveal the subtle information that is fundamental to high fidelity sound.
delicacy The reproduction of very subtle, very faint details of musical sound, such as the fingertip-friction sounds produced when a guitar or a harp is played. See "low-level detail."
delicate High frequencies extending to 15 or 20 kHz without peaks.
depth 1) The illusion of acoustical distance receding behind the loudspeaker plane, giving the impression of listening through the loudspeakers into the original performing space, rather than to them. See "layering," "transparency." Compare "flat." 2) A sense of distance (near to far) of different instruments.
detail The subtlest, most delicate parts of the original sound, which are usually the first things lost by lesser / imperfect components. See "low-level detail." Compare "haze," "smearing," "veiling."
detailed Easy to hear tiny details in the music; articulate. Adequate high frequency response, sharp transient response.
diffuse Reproduction which is severely deficient in detail and imaging specificity; confused, muddled.
dip A narrow area of depression within an otherwise flat frequency-response curve. Compare "dished," "humped."
direct sound A sound reaching the ears in a straight line from its source. The direct sounds are always the first sounds heard. The "critical distance" from a soundsource is when the spl of the direct sound is equal to that of the reverberant field. See "far field," "near field," "precedence effect." Compare "reflected sound," "reverberation."
dirty Sound reproduction which is fuzzy, cruddy, or spiky.
discontinuity A change of timbre or coloration due to the signal's transition, in a multi-way speaker system, from one driver to another having dissimilar coloration.
dished, dished-down Describes a frequency response that is depressed through the entire middle range. The sound has too much bass and treble, exaggerated depth, and a laid-back, lifeless quality. Compare "forward."
dissonant Unpleasant to the ear; ugly-sounding. Dissonance is an imperfection only when the music is not supposed to sound dissonant. Compare "consonant."
distortion 1) Any unintentional or undesirable change in an audio signal. 2) An overlay of spurious roughness, fuzziness, harshness, or stridency in reproduced sound.
double (or dual) mono Reproduction of a monophonic signal through both channels/speakers of a stereo system, as when a preamplifier's mode switch is set to A+B (L+R). Compare "single mono."
dramatic Describing a perceived difference between components: Very noticeable, unmistakable. A term misused by audio reviewers to demonstrate how incredibly sensitive they are to barely audible differences. See "audibility."
dry 1) Describing the texture of reproduced sound: very fine-grained, chalky. 2) Describing an acoustical space: deficient in reverberation or having a very short reverberation time. 3) Describing bass quality: lean, overdamped. 4) Lack of reverberation or delay as produced by a damped environment. May comes across as fine grained and lean. Opposite of Wet.
dull Lifeless, muffled, veiled. Same as "soft," only more so. The audible effect of HF rolloff setting in at around 5kHz. See "dark"
dynamic 1) Giving an impression of wide dynamic range; punchy. This is related to system speed as well as to volume contrast. 2) The suggestion of energy and wide dynamic. Related to perceived speed as well as contrasts in volume both large and small.
dynamic range 1) Pertaining to a signal: the ratio between the loudest and the quietest passages. 2) Pertaining to a component: the ratio between its no-signal noise and the loudest peak it will pass without distortion.
"aw" (rhymes with "paw") A vowel coloration caused by a frequency-response peak centered around 450Hz. An "aw" coloration tends to emphasize and glamorize the sound of large brass instruments (trombone, tuba).
"ee" (rhymes with "we") A vowel coloration caused by a frequency-response peak centered around 3.5kHz.
"eh" (as in "bed") A vowel coloration caused by a frequency-response peak centered around 2kHz.
"ih" (as in "bit") A vowel coloration caused by a frequency-response peak centered around 3.5kHz.
"oh" (as in "toe") A vowel coloration caused by a broad frequency-response peak centered around 250Hz.
"oo" (as in "gloom") A vowel coloration caused by a broad frequency-response peak centered around 120Hz.
absolutete phase, absolute polarity Refers to the preservation of the initial acoustic waveform all the way through the recording and reproducing system so that a compression that reaches the original microphone will be reproduced in the listener's system as a compression reaching his or her ears. Some listeners appear to be more sensitive to this being correct than others, often referring to the inverted state as "muffled."
accuracy The degree to which the output signal from a component or system is perceived as replicating the sonic qualities of its input signal. An accurate device reproduces what is on the recording, which may or may not be an accurate representation of the original sound.
accurate The music is unaltered by the recording or playback equipment. Ideally, to sound identical to the original music.
acoustical space 1) A large performing or recording hall. 2) All the spatial and reverberant characteristics of the performing hall or location in which a recording was made.
acuity 1) The sensitivity of the ears to very soft sounds. 2) The acquired ability of an audiophile to hear and to assess the subtle qualitative attributes of reproduced sound.
aggressive Reproduced sound that is excessively forward and bright.
airy Spacious. Open. Instruments sound like they are surrounded by a large reflective space full of air. Good reproduction of high frequency reflections. High frequency response extends to 15 or 20 kHz. Pertaining to treble which sounds light, delicate, open, and seemingly unrestricted in upper extension. A quality of reproducing systems having very smooth and very extended HF response.
aliveness A quality of sound reproduction which gives an impression that the performers are present, in person, in the listening room.
ambiance (pronounced "ambee-onts") The feeling or mood evoked by an environment.
ambience (pronounced "ambee-ints") The aurally perceived impression of an acoustical space, such as the performing hall in which a recording was made. Impression of an acoustic space, such as the performing hall in which a recording was made.
analytical Very detailed, almost to the point of excess.
articulate Intelligibility of voice(s) and instruments and the interactions between them.
articulation 1) Clarity and intelligibility, usually of voice reproduction. 2) The reproduction of inner detail in complex sounds, which makes it easy to follow an individual musical voice among many.
attack 1) The buildup of sound when an instrument is bowed, blown, struck, or plucked. 2) The ability of a system to reproduce the attack transients in musical sound. Poor attack makes a system sound slow. 3) The leading edge of a note and the ability of a system to reproduce the attack transients in music. 4) The time taken for a musical note to reach its peak amplitude eg. notes will tend to sound more defined rather than blended with other notes.
attack transient The initial energy pulse of a percussive sound, such as from a piano string, triangle, or drum head.
audibility The measure of the severity of a sonic imperfection. The scale of audibility, from least audible to most audible, is: inaudible, subtle, slight, moderate, obvious, conspicuous, and Arrggh!!
audiophile A person enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction. Audiophile values may be applied at all stages of music reproduction: the initial audio recording, the production process, and the playback, which is usually in a home setting. A key goal of audiophiles is to capture the experience of a live musical performance in a room with good acoustics, and reproduce it at home.
auronihilist (pronounced "auro-nigh-illist") A person who believes that all components that measure the same, sound the same. A meter man.
autohype Suggestive self-deception; hearing something that isn't there, because you expect it to be. A rich source of audio mythology.
balance 1) The subjective relationship between the relative loudness of the upper and lower halves of the audio spectrum; "tonal balance." 2) The relative loudness of the instruments in a performing group. 3) Equality of signal level between the left and right stereo channels, which centers the soundstage and allows mono program material to image at the center. Also called channel balance. 4) essentially tonal balance, the degree to which one aspect of the sonic spectrum is emphasized above the rest.
ballsy Describes a system which is stentorian, punchy, and visceral.
banger A very loud LP surface-noise pop.
bass 1) The range of frequencies below 160Hz, characterized by low pitch. 2) The audio frequencies between about 60Hz and 250Hz.
bassy Emphasized Bass.
beyond-the-speakers imaging The placement of phantom images or spatial (stage boundary) information beyond the positional limits of the loudspeakers.
billowing, billowy Excessively reverberant.
binaural Literally hearing with "two ears," refers to a recording/playback system which presents the listener's ears with the acoustic waveforms they would have received at the original event. Only currently achievable with a "dummy-head" microphone and playback via headphones.
blanketed Weak highs, as if a blanket were put over the speakers.
bloated 1) When describing a phantom image: excessively wide. 2) When describing sound in general: overly rich, warm, and reverberant. 3) Excessive mid bass around 250 Hz. 4) Poorly damped low frequencies, low frequency resonances. See tubby.
bloom A quality of expansive richness and warmth, like the live body sound of a cello.
blurred 1) Poor transient response. 2) Vague stereo imaging not focused.
body A quality of roundness and robustness in reproduced sound. "Gutsiness." Fullness of sound, with particular emphasis on upper bass; opposite of Thin.
body sound Of a musical instrument: the characteristic sound of the material of which the instrument is made, due to resonances of that material. The wooden quality of a viola, the "signature" by which a brass flute is distinguishable from a wooden or platinum one.
boomy Characterized by pronounced exaggeration of the midbass and, often, dominance of a narrow range of bass frequencies. ("One-note bass.") Excessive bass around 125 Hz. Poorly damped low frequencies or low frequency resonances.
boxy 1) Characterized by an "oh" vowel coloration, as when speaking with one's head inside a box. 2) Used to describe the upper-bass/lower-midrange sound of a loudspeaker with excessive cabinet-wall resonances. 3) Having resonances as if the music were enclosed in a box. Sometimes an emphasis around 250 to 500 Hz.
breakup The sound of severe analog-disc mistracking.
breathing From a dynamic noise-reduction system: audible changes in the level of background hiss in accordance with changes in signal volume. See "pumping."
breathy Audible breath sounds in woodwinds and reeds such as flute or sax. Good response in the upper mids or highs.
bright A sound that emphasizes the upper midrange/lower treble. Harmonics are strong relative to fundamentals. Also see "brilliant"
brilliance The 6kHz to 16kHz range controls the brilliance and clarity of sounds. Too much emphasis in this range can produce sibilance on the vocals.
brilliant The most often misused terms in audio, these describe the degree to which reproduced sound has a hard, crisp edge to it. Brightness relates to the energy content in the 4kHz-8kHz band. It is not related to output in the extreme-high-frequency range. All live sound has brightness; it is a problem only when it is excessive.
bunching 1) In double-mono repro~duction, the imaging of all sounds from a small area between the loudspeakers. Tight (narrow) bunching in A+B mode is essential for good imaging specificity in stereo. 2) In stereo reproduction, excessive center fill with inadequate spread. Compare with stereo spread.
buzz A low-frequency sound having a spiky or fuzzy character.
bypass test Directly comparing the output signal from a device with the input signal being fed to it, by putting the device into and then out of the signal path and observing the difference.
cable microphonics The noise heard due to the movement of a headphone or in-ear-monitor's cable rubbing against an object (ie. a shirt).
center fill Correct image placement between the loudspeakers of sound sources which were originally located at or near center-stage. See "localization," "stereo spread."
center stage That part of the soundstage that is midway between the loudspeakers.
chalky Describes a texturing of sound that is finer than grainy but coarser than dry. See "texture."
characteristic One of the basic constituents of reproduced sound, which contributes to its perceived quality. Frequency response, loudness, extension, soundstaging, and resolution are sonic characteristics.
chesty 1) A pronounced thickness or heaviness from reproduced male voice, due to excessive energy in the upper bass or lower midrange. 2) The vocalist sounds like their chest is too big. A bump in the low frequency response around 125 to 250 Hz.
chocolatey Like "syrupy," but darker and more full-bodied.
circularity The paradox of subjectivity: "You can't judge a recording without reproducing it, and you can't judge a reproducer without listening to a recording."
clean Free from audible distortion.
clear See Transparent.
click A small, sharp impulse that sounds like the word "click."
clinical Sound that is pristinely clean but wholly uninvolving.
closed A closed-in sound lacking in openness, delicacy, air, and fine detail usually caused by Roll-off above 10kHz; in contrast to Open.
closed-in Lacking in openness, delicacy, air, and fine detail. A closed-in sound is usually caused by HF rolloff above 10kHz. Compare with "open," "airy."
coarse A large-grained texturing of reproduced sound; very gritty. The continuum of reproduced sound seems to be comprised of large particles. See "texture."
cocktail-party effect The auditory system's controllable ability to separate-out, on the basis of direction alone, one sound source from many coming from different directions. It allows you to follow one voice among the others at a noisy cocktail party.
cognitive dissonance A conflict between observations, as when a sound has the timbre of a close listening seat but the perspective of a distant one.
coherent 1) Pertaining to a multi-way loudspeaker's sound: seamless from top to bottom; showing no audible evidence of a crossover or of different driver colorations in different frequency ranges. 2) Pertaining to the soundstage: Phantom imaging that reproduces within the stereo stage the original lateral positions of the performers. See "bunching," "hole-in-the-middle."
cold The same as "cool," only more so. Having somewhat excessive upper-range output and weak lower-range output.
coloration An audible "signature" with which a reproducing system imbues all signals passing through it.
coloured Having timbres that are not true to life. Non flat response; peaks or dips.
comb filtering A hollow coloration that, once recognized, is unmistakable. Caused by a regularly spaced series of frequency-response peaks and dips, most often due to interference between two identical signals spaced in time. If that time difference is continually changed, the comb-filter peaks and dips move accordingly, giving rise to the familiar "phasing," "flanging," or "jet plane" effect used in modern rock music.
congested Smeared, confused, muddy, and flat. Lacking or totally devoid of transparency.
consonant Agreeable to the ear; pleasant-sounding. Compare "dissonant."
conspicuous Very audible. See "audibility."
continuity 1) Of the soundstage: the reproduction of the original lateral positions of the stereo images. See "bunching," "hole-in-the-middle," "stereo spread." 2) Of a multi-way loudspeaker: uniformity of coloration from the operating range of one driver to that of the other(s).
control The extent to which a loudspeaker sounds as if it is "tracking" the signal being fed to it. The sound is tight, detailed, and focused. See "damping."
cool Moderately deficient in body and warmth, due to progressive attenuation of frequencies below about 150Hz.
crackle Intermittent medium-sized clicks. The usual background noise from much-played vinyl discs.
crisp In reproduced sound: sharply focused and detailed, sometimes excessively so because of a peak in the mid-treble region. Extended high frequency response, especially with cymbals.
cupped-hands A coloration reminiscent of someone speaking through cupped hands or, if extreme, a megaphone.
damping The amount of control an amplifier seems to impose on a woofer. Underdamping causes loose, heavy bass; overdamping yields very tight but lean bass.
dark 1) A warm, mellow, excessively rich quality in reproduced sound. The audible effect of a frequency response which is clockwise-tilted across the entire range, so that output diminishes with increasing frequency. Compare "light." 2) A tonal balance that tilts downwards with increasing frequency. Opposite of bright. Weak high frequencies.
dead Dull and lifeless.
decay 1) The reverberant fadeout of a musical sound after it has ceased. Compare "attack." 2) The fadeout of a note, it follows the attack.
deep bass Frequencies below 40Hz.
definition (also resolution) 1) That quality of sound reproduction which enables the listener to distinguish between, and follow the melodic lines of, the individual voices or instruments comprising a large performing group. See "focus." 2) The ability of a component to reveal the subtle information that is fundamental to high fidelity sound.
delicacy The reproduction of very subtle, very faint details of musical sound, such as the fingertip-friction sounds produced when a guitar or a harp is played. See "low-level detail."
delicate High frequencies extending to 15 or 20 kHz without peaks.
depth 1) The illusion of acoustical distance receding behind the loudspeaker plane, giving the impression of listening through the loudspeakers into the original performing space, rather than to them. See "layering," "transparency." Compare "flat." 2) A sense of distance (near to far) of different instruments.
detail The subtlest, most delicate parts of the original sound, which are usually the first things lost by lesser / imperfect components. See "low-level detail." Compare "haze," "smearing," "veiling."
detailed Easy to hear tiny details in the music; articulate. Adequate high frequency response, sharp transient response.
diffuse Reproduction which is severely deficient in detail and imaging specificity; confused, muddled.
dip A narrow area of depression within an otherwise flat frequency-response curve. Compare "dished," "humped."
direct sound A sound reaching the ears in a straight line from its source. The direct sounds are always the first sounds heard. The "critical distance" from a soundsource is when the spl of the direct sound is equal to that of the reverberant field. See "far field," "near field," "precedence effect." Compare "reflected sound," "reverberation."
dirty Sound reproduction which is fuzzy, cruddy, or spiky.
discontinuity A change of timbre or coloration due to the signal's transition, in a multi-way speaker system, from one driver to another having dissimilar coloration.
dished, dished-down Describes a frequency response that is depressed through the entire middle range. The sound has too much bass and treble, exaggerated depth, and a laid-back, lifeless quality. Compare "forward."
dissonant Unpleasant to the ear; ugly-sounding. Dissonance is an imperfection only when the music is not supposed to sound dissonant. Compare "consonant."
distortion 1) Any unintentional or undesirable change in an audio signal. 2) An overlay of spurious roughness, fuzziness, harshness, or stridency in reproduced sound.
double (or dual) mono Reproduction of a monophonic signal through both channels/speakers of a stereo system, as when a preamplifier's mode switch is set to A+B (L+R). Compare "single mono."
dramatic Describing a perceived difference between components: Very noticeable, unmistakable. A term misused by audio reviewers to demonstrate how incredibly sensitive they are to barely audible differences. See "audibility."
dry 1) Describing the texture of reproduced sound: very fine-grained, chalky. 2) Describing an acoustical space: deficient in reverberation or having a very short reverberation time. 3) Describing bass quality: lean, overdamped. 4) Lack of reverberation or delay as produced by a damped environment. May comes across as fine grained and lean. Opposite of Wet.
dull Lifeless, muffled, veiled. Same as "soft," only more so. The audible effect of HF rolloff setting in at around 5kHz. See "dark"
dynamic 1) Giving an impression of wide dynamic range; punchy. This is related to system speed as well as to volume contrast. 2) The suggestion of energy and wide dynamic. Related to perceived speed as well as contrasts in volume both large and small.
dynamic range 1) Pertaining to a signal: the ratio between the loudest and the quietest passages. 2) Pertaining to a component: the ratio between its no-signal noise and the loudest peak it will pass without distortion.
