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Black backgrounds and such

So I’ve been reading audio reviews for 25 years but sometimes the descriptions etc used still don’t make sense or I question what they are really trying to say. What is a black background for example?  Is it the silence that exists when my system is off ?  Curious if there is some glossary or explanation or even better an audio recording which would provide examples of one descriptor vs another.  It’s kind of like wine but at least when someone says has notes of blackberry I have a reference point!
esthlos13
tooblue
1,882 posts
 
Could it possibly be the nothingness between notes? An analogy that comes to mind for me is as a child visiting my grandparents in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma on a 1000 acre ranch, no power and no indoor facilities, if you get my drift, looking up into a perfectly dark sky with the stars sparkling hearing the crickets clicking in another wise dead background.
erik_squires
15,667 posts
 
I think it's both being super quiet, but also letting you hear into the acoustics of the recording. Audibly, it feels as if the wall behind the speakers disappears and you are in a different physical space. 

Kind of related, tape yourself talking in a room, then listen to the recording. Your ear/brain mechanism filters out echoes all the time, to the point you barely perceive them unless they are severe or you are a trained listener. 

Best,

E
xti16
1,525 posts
 
I have to say I always had the same question. It's hard to describe. Once you hear it you'll know. The first time I heard a blacker background is when I added a black box to my Octave V70se integrated. It was like clearer vocals and instruments. The next time was when I went from Dynaudio C1 speakers to Raidho D1's. Even more clarity. A side observation was when the music was playing loud I found myself being able to talk and not raise my voice when having a conversation.
whart's avatar
whart
2,967 posts
 
I heard it when i upgraded my turntable  - from a Kuzma Reference/Triplanar to the bigger, much heavier Kuzma XL with Airline (lateral tracking) arm. There was less a sense of a turntable spinning-- what i'd call a 'halo' around the sound. Not exactly blacker blacks, but when some source of noise/distortion is suddenly absent, you realize it was there. 
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