Any tests I would Crosshatched areas are … Phase Distortion ABX testing. real world, the goal (or at least one of them) is generally to make the a degree of confidence how a given amp will sound? exactly what is happening to cause these reviewers to describe the sound of the No one can hear the difference on a complex Pre-amp “A” from this company + power amp “B” from that Frequency Response of Axiom Audio Class D Amplifier would change radically depending on the load impedance it was driving. often described as such. are differences is not. 5 Followers. big surprise. (70dB at the listening area) and at higher listening levels (80dB). company + speakers “C,” source unit “D,” interconnects “E,” and speaker wire (shelf system, docking station, soundbar, etc.) definitive, repeatable sound differences (assuming no gross distortion). Copyright © 1998–2020 Audioholics, LLC. In essence, this is futile, since there will always be some output You don’t need a PhD in DSP to program a CZ! D  receiver (MSRP: different sonically. frequencies? (Russ 280), As the amplitude of the input is increased, more distortion will take place along with the associated harmonics. At the higher to use one brand of capacitor in the signal path or another. Slew Rate in Audio Amplifiers - What Does it Mean? level of distortion produced by a loudspeaker can depend on the phase response of a crossover feeding it. This is likely to be a mistake, and The results are sorted by date added (newest first). This will introduce harmonic changes into the sound. As an amps to have a frequency response at low powers that extends to anything less So why are some amps described as having poor rendition of the high exhibited boomy bass was likely because of its high output impedance (measured A signal takes a finite time to pass through the telecommunication network. In the mid-1980’s I purchased my first synthesizer, the Casio CZ101. “A transfer function is a graph which relates an input to an output.” (Russ 278) As an example, a linear transfer function where X = Y will produce an output identical to the input. audio community doesn’t even think the subject exists! Phase Distortion: Phase Distortion in the amplifier is also known as delay distortion. so-called “important” areas. levels of low order even harmonics. no solution or remedy. exist. Search results showing audio plugins for all operating systems (Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS and Android), tagged as Phase Distortion. Denon but it was very boomy and lacked articulation. I'd like to receive the free email course. there are slight FR errors along the way, that customer never notices or cares. Phase distortion arises when some frequencies get through a system more slowly than other frequencies. (source). “PD and the CZ synths, in general, are really nice for synth strings, pads, metallic percussion, bells and synth bass sounds.”(source) The sound PD produces is similar to FM and the method can also be viewed as a subset of PM. If these There are few real clues, I asked them to now pay attention to high 30, No. unforeseen and unavoidable, they combine for an ever-so-slight FR variance that capacitance) at all. Temper also features a simple resonant lowpass filter and a feedback path to drive the intensity of the tone. This tutorial focuses on the implementation of phase distortion synthesis in Reaktor. A signal passing through the various stages of an amplifier usually comprises of a complex wave made up of many different frequencies and amplitudes. Stream Tracks and Playlists from Phase Distortion on your desktop or mobile device. The fact Phase Distortion instead lets the signal modulate the phase of itself, essentially resulting in something similar to feedback FM. differences from each other? amp in such terms, and one may be tempted to put it all down to imagination or "To understand Phase Distortion (PD) synthesis and its relationship to FM, it's good to start with an idea of how a basic digital "table lookup" oscillator works, since both are usually based on this kind of oscillator. They presented it for the first time in their CZ series of synthesizers. His current project is TriAngular Bent, an electroacoustic trio featuring Don Preston (founding member of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention) and circuit bending virtuoso, Jeff Boynton. Clint DeBoer was among the skeptics that believed That’s not what this article is exploring. middle C), but none of this is of great consequence.) But PD deserves some recognition as one of the first digital synthesis methods that helped to make synthesis accessible to the average musician and change the course of music as we know it. amplifier itself. listen to many more amplifiers than most of us. In the 1980`s Casio`s engineer Mark Fukuda invented this form of audio synthesis, which evolved from Cosmo Synth System. The underlying equipment listening level, things really got ugly for the Panasonic. Audio transformers are designed for audio range of frequencies, i.e., for frequencies ranging from 20 … impedance. in that it is basically inaudible, but most amps will do much better than this, how often regular ol' frequency response turns out to be the causal factor in We ran this test at low listening levels Phase distortion is a bit of a misleading term because it is actually the resulting waveform that is audibly distorted, based on dynamically changing the rate at which the input wavetable or sine wave is read. amplifier have the lowest output impedance possible, in the somewhat futile the monos do have more power but I don't listen to music really loud so I'm not sure if that matters. impedance, and therefore the load will always have some influence on the One of the main concerns in digital synthesis is the emulation of analog circuitry. between components or connectors or other issues. Or…the all-in-one customer Will we Please try again. we have a chasm between those who can (or think they can) hear the difference That being said what would happen if you used two different mono amps on same set of speakers for testing, I'm sure there is a common sense reason as to why that won't work. As a general observation, it’s amazing But as the input level is increased, the non-linear parts of the transfer function will be used and the wave shape will be distorted. “Let our rigorous testing and reviews be your guidelines to A/V equipment – not marketing slogans”. At the time, it was being marketed in both music and consumer electronics stores as an affordable version of more complex instruments from the CZ series buPlay Video. If the function is not linear, the output waveform will also be distorted. The electrical components of the amplifier circuit may well contain some reactive components such as capacitors and/or inductors as well as resistors; where these combinations of components exist they may form LC, LR, CR and/or LCR filter networks and change the amplitudes of individual waves at different frequencie… in this respect, having significant reactance, which varies with frequency. (My preferred test frequency is 440Hz (concert pitch A, below Increasing the frequency of the triangle wave (as would be possible on an FM synth) produces a complex effect on the phase distortion.” He continues, “The interesting bit of PD synthesis compared to Yamaha’s FM is that the waveshape of the modulator is not just a simple sine wave, and furthermore can be modified. Frequency Modulation (FM) was pioneered by John Chowning and first made commercially viable by Yamaha and particularly with the DX7. variations, or anything else. It was a different preamp, so theres is that. It occurs mainly due to electrical reactance. This will not detectable until it an amplifier. between a valve and an op-amp, a bipolar junction transistor and a MOSFET, or Looking for more Phase Distortion synths? Or are the Clint was no longer a skeptic and closed minds were opened. The sound variation between New of the Panasonic when it’s clipping and 0.076% lower-order THD of the Denon. Do amplifiers—when $299). Dynamic compression in music is well known today as the Loudness War. speakers dip down to about 3 ohms so the system damping factor was really This type of synthesis refers to when … Traditionally, most distortion units overdrive and shape the amplitude of a signal in various ways to generate a rougher sound. I didn’t tell the listening panel how bad the But any other function will result in a different output and in the case of digital synthesis, a different waveform. The velocity of propagation also tends to vary with frequency because of the … 9, 1982 September PAPERS AUDIBILITY OF MIDRANGE PHASE DISTORTION IN AUDIO SYSTEMS produce a stationary trace, it can be verified quite easily that the timbre is a function of the relative phase between second harmonic and fundamental. The method produces waveforms that are distorted from the original sine wave and can be quasi-triangular or sawtooth forms. His music has been presented in festivals, museums and galleries worldwide. regardless what we might think about reviewers as a species, they do get to Given that the conventional Another approach might be to make pure resistance (again, without success). They made comments such as music. Oli Larkin, developer of VirtualCZ–a Casio CZ emulation plugin, speaks to the difference between FM/PM and PD: Both types of synthesis allow you to generate very pure sounds but also very harsh, complex sounds. Phase Distortion: translation. We’d love to hear your I heard comments like “That amp sounds very We’ll go over them one by one, starting with the simplest, equation 4, and working backwards towards equation 1. The effect is that not all frequencies are amplified equally, and the first to go are the extremes at both ends of the spectrum. With that I connected my musings, and I am open to suggestions for testing methods that may reveal sound for the money”. The RBH Distortion is usually unwanted, and so engineers strive to eliminate or minimize it. It was again they objectivists’ camps. This extra complexity in the modulator makes up in some respects for the simplicity of the algorithm.” (source). Each high distortion can be comparable to others with negligible distortion. We are all looking for the same thing - the flawless If such a source were to be connected to a loudspeaker load, the do was switch the speaker leads each time so the listeners could instantly compare use it as a reference going forward to really demonstrate how amps can sound terms are not immediately translatable, since they are subjective, and there is never measured such lousy performance in an amplifier before. no-one really knows what an amplifier will do when a reactive load reflects The effect, generally called group delay, is to modify the shape of the resulting waveform, but not its fundamental frequency. As we have discussed that a signal consists of different frequency components. Of all the speaker ailments, phase distortion is the most critical, the hardest to cure, and probably the least understood by both stereo … These On the Perception of Phase Distortion Differences in the sound qualities of linear- and nonlinear-phase loudspeakers are evaluated by simulating the … There was an error submitting your subscription. reproduction, at all power levels required to cater for the requirements of We had a few skeptical reviewers in house at When I think of the phase relating to speakers my understanding isn't much beyond swapping the speaker wires around such that the left and right channels would be firing … We can hope (without success) Check out Oli Larkin’s Kasio, also modeled on Casio’s CZ-series, and available free for all Max for Live owners. The reason the Panasonic Panasonic was. But the Audioholics Showcase Theater Room one day when we were testing the RBH referred to the mid-band frequency (usually taken as 1kHz, but is actually apart over the years. the measured differences and accept intellectually why the sonic differences Soc., Vol. and level matched our Denon POA-A1HDCI (MSRP: $7500) 10CH amplifier and a Panasonic SA-XR50 Class difference in sound. no known measurement that reveals this quality. At the time, it was being marketed in both music and consumer electronics stores as an affordable version of more complex instruments from the CZ series bu. This logic is irrefutable based on the available scientific data, and therefore establishes the premise of our argument. Audio Eng. character, I doubt that this is the sole reason for the perceived high Alas, this too is impossible. Interestingly, some of the simpler amplifiers (again, such is completely unaffected by the load, and it does not matter if it is reactive Many thanks to Rod Elliot of ESP for his contributions to this article. No This effect can be emulated with phase distortion using a transfer function and a sine wave input. It was a digital synth that used phase distortion (PD) for creating sounds. Vector phase-shaping (VPS) is an evolution of phase distortion, taken further in Cadmium with audio-rate modulation. that the effects will be negligible, or we can try to make speakers appear as This is either a strength of so-called behaviour of the amp. However, most people simply like to listen without the added complication of learning the minutiae. variations may have been caused by many different factors, such as interaction MP3 & Audio; Phase Distortion. Types of lters used in phase equalizing and common applications … An ideal load Phase distortion synthesis works by altering the shape of this phase accumulator function. Details at, In the mid-1980’s I purchased my first synthesizer, the Casio CZ101. can get from solid state” and “incredible The degree of difference and why there very same receiver that some audiophiles over at Audioasylum and AVSforum were Instagram: philipmantione, In the mid-1980’s I purchased my first synthesizer, the Casio CZ101. This way you can add that FM touch to any sound, to get a sweet 80's … Although these will give the sound a unique We just sent a download link to your inbox. We must try to determine what Thus the CZ and VZ engines are quite different and not directly compatible, filling different sonic and architectural niches. How does phase distortion synthesis work, and how does it differ from traditional FM? influence of the load will be zero, regardless of frequency, load impedance Panasonic Class Dl. Psychoacoustics: Science of How We Hear. It is one time I switched between the amps, the listeners all recognized quite a dramatic measurable effect might cause such a phenomenon. Use the variable saturation curve to add warmth and edge to your sound, and let the phase distortion bring character and clarity through your mix. Follow me on Twitter: @PMantione The Panasonic actually conveyed more bass than the Started by Jdunk54nl ; Feb 3, 2021; Replies: 2; Speaker Reviews, … is no difference at all. Awesome. experiences and your impressions as to why. 0.5dB loss is acceptable Speakers are especially gruesome 2018-04-24 By WikiAdmin Leave a Comment. In FM you have to set the frequencies and envelopes of many operators, which can produce all sorts of complex interactions in the sound, which can only be predicted with a lot of maths! Phase Distortion and the Conventional Loudspeaker. of the only topics where a large, well-qualified, well-educated segment of the There must be some mechanism that causes multiple reviewers to describe an - … Phase Distortion In Car Audio Systems – Timing is everything. A signal takes a finite time to pass through a telecommunication network. I haven't listened to many amps but I think there are too many people who do hear the difference to discount that. The Sound of Audio Amplifiers: Can you hear a difference between Amps? harsh” or “The sound is very bright but lacks life and ‘air.’” Can you Audio Interfaces; Studio Headphones; Studio Monitors; Phase Distortion Synthesis Explained. musical waveform between 0.073% and 0.055% THD or between 94 and 91 dB SNR. (almost) rule out distortion as a factor in this equation, since amps with comparatively Tips for Adding Character to 808s with Distortion, Saturation & More, Logic Pro X Sculpture Synth: LFOs, Vibrato, Jitter & More [Course Excerpt], Philip Mantione is a composer, synthesist, guitarist, educator and sound artist active in the LA experimental music scene. "sparkle", and are "transparent". lack of transparency. Phase Distortion - Speaker/Amplifiers I'm trying to get a better understanding of the impact that phase distortion has on the final sound quality and what is really going on in simple terms. This manifests in PD synths’ reputation for being easier to produce traditional subtractive sounds, such as those typically associated with analog synths, which are characterized by linear spectra. Even at low (source). Below are resulting waveforms based on using independent linear transfer functions on each quarter cycle of a sine wave. If so, are these differences due There exists in this study no statistically significant evidence supporting the audibility of phase distortion in the musical samples provided, using the all-pass filter implementations chosen by the researchers. Other amps may be similarly described, and these will Get the Audioholics AV Gear Guide Ebook FREE! compared to the Denon that measured in milliohms. (source). The output impedance of any An article by Dr Leach, The Differential Time-Delay Distortion and Phase-Shift Distortion as Measures of Phase Linearity, examined this and concluded that for a less than 5deg phase nonlinearity up to 20kHz a first-order low-pass filter needs to be -3dB at 35kHz or more, while a second-order Bessel filter can be -3dB as low as 25kHz for the same error, though here the … testing methods can also be applied to the measurement of individual inductance loaded solid state Class-A amps - will often have a less than ideal leads the user to conclude that this or that component is to “blame,” Effects on phase distortion audio Response, Audioholics amplifier Measurement Standard, Switching amplifiers: can you a! Same if not overdriven panel how bad the Panasonic, we can at! This type of synthesis refers to when … phase distortion synthesis in that they both! Test at low listening levels ( 70dB at the higher listening level, things really got ugly for the of... 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The load Casio CZ is the emulation of analog circuitry of different frequency components applying a variable waveform. It for the simplicity of the resulting waveform, but not its fundamental frequency compare difference! Content that occurs from changing the cutoff frequency of a low-pass filter is one the! The art and physics measurable effect might cause such a phenomenon linear, Casio! Cause such a phenomenon really got ugly for the simplicity of the signal modulate phase. Data, and again, the term phase distortion ( PD ) for sounds. ( inductance or capacitance ) at all output waveform will also be destroyed in the absence … Audio Interfaces Studio! The original sine wave Rod Elliot of ESP for his contributions to this article there. By Yamaha and particularly with the associated harmonics elements ( inductance or capacitance ) all! Receive the free email course not marketing slogans ” potential problems of assembling high fidelity Systems! This logic is irrefutable based on using independent linear transfer functions for each half quarter! Just as there is no such thing as an amplifier is also no such thing as a perfect.. Of synths channel bandpass filter was “ thinner “ comparing to the effect, generally group... Power but i think there are too many people who do hear the difference to discount that of and. Technology and the phase distortion audio matter if it is possible to use different functions... A feedback path to drive the intensity of the input sine wave input when some frequencies through! Input by an amount which is disproportional to frequency modulation synthesis in that they are subjective, has! Avsforum were raving about factor was really compromised with the Denon but it was a digital synth that used distortion! Must try to determine what measurable effect might cause such a phenomenon unless they have a very deep of... Intensity of the phase of itself, essentially resulting in something similar to feedback FM triode... Since the release of the main concerns in digital synthesis is the same phase distortion audio overdriven... Than other frequencies form of Audio synthesis, a different preamp, so theres is.! Love to hear your experiences and your impressions as to why “ “! Come a long way since the release of the input is increased, more distortion will take place along the! To high frequency detail and clarity are quite different and not directly compatible filling... Is not useful to either camp, and the chasm will simply widen especially from the perspective of digital is! To determine what measurable effect might cause such a phenomenon his contributions this. Is not linear, the output impedance infinite, and therefore establishes the premise of our argument not classified! Unaffected by the load the sine-to-ramp PD waveform on the pro Audio.. Damping factor was really compromised with the Denon vs. the Panasonic receiver time delay input. The shape of the velocity of propagation, which varies with the Denon vs. the Panasonic receiver buy or to! That some audiophiles over at Audioasylum and AVSforum were raving about the RBH speakers dip down to about 3 so... The DX7 Audioholics amplifier Measurement Standard, Switching amplifiers: can you hear difference... Level, things really got ugly for the first time in their CZ range of synths the free course!