I'm bothered by a new term entering its way into our general audio lexicon and audio reviews. That term is black background. To me, a black background is a coloration, not a goal to be aspired to. This black background obscures in part the differences between recordings. When I hear live music, it is open and clear and has no color associated with it. That is unless I'm attending a concert at a terrible live venue such as Town Hall in NY.
When I read a review where the reviewer describes and touts the gear's black background, I immediately think of the distortions characterizing the early generations of SE tube amplifiers. Or some of the early Classe gear such as the DR6. I'd also be listening for some upper octave rolloffs or suckouts in the upper mids. To me, this black background is desired by those who have some sort of upper midrange brightness, room aberrations, harshness, etc.
What's everyone's thoughts?
When I read a review where the reviewer describes and touts the gear's black background, I immediately think of the distortions characterizing the early generations of SE tube amplifiers. Or some of the early Classe gear such as the DR6. I'd also be listening for some upper octave rolloffs or suckouts in the upper mids. To me, this black background is desired by those who have some sort of upper midrange brightness, room aberrations, harshness, etc.
What's everyone's thoughts?