Deciphering Audiophile Jargon

The language that audio reviewers and writers use to describe sound quality can often be confusing. Adjectives such as crisp, delicate, coarse, airy, and others can sound more like a wine tasting event than listening to a stereo system. Understanding these terms and their meanings can help you identify what you like or don't like about the sound of a speaker or component and will help you make better buying decisions. I'm creating a glossary of sound descriptors or terms that will be a permanent feature on the stereos site, and will add new terms regularly. Let's start with the adjectives listed above:

• Crisp: lots of detail in the midrange and treble, sometimes too much.
  
• Delicate: lots of subtle musical details, such as fingers on a string instrument.
  
• Coarse: a granular, harsh sound quality in the mid and high frequency ranges.
  
• Airy: an open and smooth sound quality in the high frequencies; unveiled

Check back often for more sound terms. Good Listening!