Request for Basic Audiophile information

[IAmWeasel711]

Hi and thanks for reading this. Sorry if this is a duplicate and if so please link the best post.

I would really like to up my knowledge about audio and become more of an audiophile. I have a very basic understanding of sound from a computer science degree and will outline what I know below:

Audio is a wave differential of air pressure which vibrates the ear drum and allows us to hear. This is measured in a frequency known as hz and humans can only hear sounds within a specific range. Audio which is digitalised measures which hz the sound is at for a specific point in time and the bit sampling rate determines how accurate this is to the analogue signal. I also know a bit about sound file compression such as how MP3 is compressed and losses some of this data vs Flac which is uncompressed and is closest to the analogue signal.

I do have some question and would appreciate if anyone can link any posts or material to answer them.

I am wanting to buy a better set of headphones (current pair mainly for gaming is Audio technia ath-g1) and was thinking of upgrading to either the sennhiesers HD 660s or the HiFiMan Sundara. After looking at a few reviews I hear a lot of terms which I don't understand and would like clarified below:

Low
Mids
Highs
Bass (got a good idea that is the depth if sound such as an explosion of beat if a dream)
Treble

I have also heard the term warm being used but unsure what it refers to. As a said I have a basic knowledge of Audio and would like to improve it. If possible can you link material or give an explanation of the terms above and add any more you think are relevant. Sorry for such a long post and if you have made it this far I appreciate it

 

[lovinthehd]

Being an audiophile is largely the pursuit of high fidelity audio reproduction and the gear to do it with. My take on what you've asked:

I wouldn't concentrate on the subjective terminology many enthusiasts over-use, warm often just means limited high frequency response, or perhaps accentuated low frequency response. Low generally means somewhere in the bass range, particularly where often depends on the user's opinion. Mids are midrange frequencies, highs are high range frequencies. A bass or treble tone control is generally a way to increase/decrease a fixed range of frequencies in that area and vary a bit with implementation by particular hardware. A parametric equalizer (eq) is a superior way of adjusting frequencies in a specific way.

Generally I'd concentrate on the various articles in the AV Research area of this website (there's a tab at the top of the page) to acquaint yourself with the particulars of various hardware and how to set things up.

Can't help you with headphones, don't use them.


ps For some visualization of instrument frequency ranges, take a look at some of these charts https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=instrument+frequency+range+chart&atb=v136-1&iax=images&ia=images

 

[Am_P]

Hi and thanks for reading this. Sorry if this is a duplicate and if so please link the best post.

I would really like to up my knowledge about audio and become more of an audiophile. I have a very basic understanding of sound from a computer science degree and will outline what I know below:

Audio is a wave differential of air pressure which vibrates the ear drum and allows us to hear. This is measured in a frequency known as hz and humans can only hear sounds within a specific range. Audio which is digitalised measures which hz the sound is at for a specific point in time and the bit sampling rate determines how accurate this is to the analogue signal. I also know a bit about sound file compression such as how MP3 is compressed and losses some of this data vs Flac which is uncompressed and is closest to the analogue signal.

I do have some question and would appreciate if anyone can link any posts or material to answer them.

I am wanting to buy a better set of headphones (current pair mainly for gaming is Audio technia ath-g1) and was thinking of upgrading to either the sennhiesers HD 660s or the HiFiMan Sundara. After looking at a few reviews I hear a lot of terms which I don't understand and would like clarified below:

Low
Mids
Highs
Bass (got a good idea that is the depth if sound such as an explosion of beat if a dream)
Treble

I have also heard the term warm being used but unsure what it refers to. As a said I have a basic knowledge of Audio and would like to improve it. If possible can you link material or give an explanation of the terms above and add any more you think are relevant. Sorry for such a long post and if you have made it this far I appreciate it

This is an AV forum that appears to have a significant number of video/home theater enthusiasts who may not care as much about the "audiophile" nuances of music listening. AVSforum is similar. Audiogon, Steve Hoffman forums etc tend to be the more "audiophile" focused forums.

 

[Verdinut]

Hi and thanks for reading this. Sorry if this is a duplicate and if so please link the best post.

I would really like to up my knowledge about audio and become more of an audiophile. I have a very basic understanding of sound from a computer science degree and will outline what I know below:

You want to increase your knowledge about audio? Since you are technically inclined, here are two books which should answer all your questions related to that topic:

The Audio Dictionary: Third Edition, Revised and Expanded: White, Glenn D., Louie, Gary J.: 9780295984988: Amazon.com: Books

The Audio Dictionary: Third Edition, Revised and Expanded [White, Glenn D., Louie, Gary J.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Audio Dictionary: Third Edition, Revised and Expanded

www.amazon.com

Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms (Audio Engineering Society Presents): Toole, Floyd: 9781138921368: Amazon.com: Books

Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms (Audio Engineering Society Presents) [Toole, Floyd] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms (Audio Engineering Society...

www.amazon.com

 

[ski2xblack]

I second the rec for Toole's book, as well as any articles here at Audioholics that he's contributed to, as the most pertinent info for a newbie to understand the basics.