Hi Tom:

>>The biggest problem with reproduction of sound and its greatest limiting >>factor is the speaker.

Yep, it can alter the frequency response and the phase integrity of signal. Even a first order filter with non concentric drivers is minimum phase only on the design axis.

>>Along came CD’s and now we have “synthetic sound”. Convenient but for some >>listeners they leave a bit to be desired.

Including me

>>Vacuum tube amplifiers are known for superior transient response (ability to >>respond to changes in frequency/sound) compared to semiconductor amplifiers. >>A well designed tube amplifier will sound superior to any semiconductor >>amplifier in subjective testing or in analysis with proper test and >>measurement equipment.

Yep, tubes for me. Love those even order harmonics.

>>Analog refers to the ability to faithfully reproduce a sound or complex >>waveform, while digital recordings cannot make such a claim.

It sure sounds that way to me. My record player absolutely blows away my CD player.

>>The way to test any sound system is to pass a square wave through it and >>observe the result on an oscilloscope.

The topic of the audabilty of phase distortion is hotly debated. Some people say the time domain is most important and try to build minimum phase speakers, while other feel that polar response is most important and use high order filters that corrupt the time domain. As a comprimise I like the reverse polarity 3rd order butterworth. It only rotates the phase about as much as a second order fiter and has more attenuation in the stop band.

>>My dealings with speaker systems goes back to the late 1960’s when I began >>designing reflex systems in 2.5 cubic foot cabinets that weighed about 50 >>pounds each. The sound from the Jensen speakers I used was excellent. Today >>the sound from Bose speaker cubes about two inches on all sides is unreal.

I built an eletrostatic speaker once. Since then, I have never been able to even come close to its sound with a conventional speaker. But the stat was huge, tortorus load for amp and extemely directional in the highs. You have to be sitting directly between them to apprectiate the sound quality. Just not practical.

Tom