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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
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,393 posts
 
Hiss produced from the components means you dont have a black background. There's nothing wrong with hiss from an old analogue recording. The fact that you can hear the hiss means your system has a low noise-floor, or black background.

xti16
1,525 posts
 
Another example that really shocked me was when Lars K from Ansuz came to my home with a prototype power cable. Up until then power cables mattered but not to what I heard next. Before putting in the cable he pushed the volume to where the speakers popped. Then we replaced the power cable. Note my integrated remembers all settings after a power cycle. When we played the same track and the music sounded much clearer and even more dynamic. Then Lars turned up the volume until the speakers popped again. It didn't get quite twice as loud but very close to that. How could that be I asked after all it's just a power cable. Lars explained the power cable had a new circuit that shifted noise out of the audible band. It's just like the same circuit that the Navy uses to be able to hear a ping from a submarine that could be 100's of miles away. So what that does is let the integrated amplify more music and without noise. It was noise I didn't realize was even there. Ansuz calls it D-TC and have added that to almost all of their cables. Also because of that I heard more layers of resolution with the instruments and vocals.
esthlos13 OP
90 posts
 
So this is all very interesting information. The one that caught my eye was from lowrider around hiss. Open to ideas how to, within financial reason, reduce that with the below in mind.
- I have 3 dedicated 20amp circuits which are connected to a box about 20 feet away. Box itself is a 200 amp box and I have a second one next two it. 
- lexicon RX-7 amps each have own circuit, a shunyata defender plugged into the empty, and are using shunyata viper zitron power cables
-marantz 8802a and Oppo bro-105d plugged into Panamax pm-5300. Marantz plugged into Panamax with shunyata viper zitron power cable. Panamax plugged into third 20 amp circuit. 
- balanced interconnects used throughout, audioquest Mackenzie 
-speaker cable is audioquest slip 14/4 with 15 foot runs going through the corner wall for about 6 amp inches. Revel studio 2s are biamped and crossed over at 110hz. 
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