The Importance of References

What is the absolute sound?

The ‘sound of real instruments in real space’ is something we call ‘the absolute sound’. It is central to our objective, observational review method. The existence of this approach and the reasoning behind it are often unnoticed or misunderstood.

What we call “the absolute sound” simply defines test signals that we have found useful in characterizing audio equipment distortions. If you’ve followed the methodology we use as outlined above, we need references to assess equipment performance. The references are known musical sounds (because we can’t use unknown sounds) as test inputs. And music is used largely because it invokes ~the full ear/brain system and triggers the resulting audible phenomena that are central to “produce the sound” and of necessity to perceive the sound.

Now, very important: there is no presumption that such specific signals must be used by the consumer in his or her listening. The absolute sound is not the music you play, it is the source of the test signals we use…