Answers | Q&A (Week of 6.9.25)

What are 'Below-threshold Distortions'?

Question:

Again, we address a subject that is frequently presented by individuals who comment on our YouTube channel. This article can also be found in the Audiopedia section of theabsolutesound.com.

You talk all the time about products that obviously can’t work. Cables, furniture, cable lifters, power strips, record cleaners, etc. Why the scam?

—many YouTube viewers

Answer:

Audio for music is full of interesting phenomena that, at times, are perplexing. Often, we can think about the issues and come up with a reasonable approach. Doing this sometimes requires wading through various assertions (especially true in a social media-influenced world). Doing so also requires, at times, making philosophical choices.

A phenomenon called “Below-threshold Distortions” presents such a challenge (or opportunity, if you find this fun and interesting). Below-threshold Distortions are simply those distortions that are not reliably detectable in a listening test. For example, in the much discussed but rarel…