So after updating my list of terms I’d use to rank on for my dac comparison pt2, I figured I’d also partially rewrite them to hopefully give greater understand of what I’m thinking, will post them here just for reference but also if something seems off or doesn’t make sense please let me know (that’s really mainly why I’m posting lol), I figure it would just be something good to do now and make it easier on myself later on lol
Macrodetail/Surface Level Detail: How much upfront clearly apparent information can something pull out of the source?
Microdetail/Low Level Detail: How much lower level and more nuanced information can something pull out of the source?
Speed: How fast can something respond overall to quick changes in music?
Separation: How well can something differentiate sounds happening at the same time, and accurately portray that space between things in three dimensions?
Control & Grip: How tightly can something follow the music and how much force can it also exert while doing it?
Impact & Slam: How well can something give visceral power and punch to things while keeping moderately composed overall?
Midrange Texture: How well can something represent perceived tangibility and feeling in the midrange?
Bass Texture: How well can something represent perceived tangibility and feeling in the bass?
Treble Extension: How far can something extend into the treble while remaining refined and composed?
Bass Extension: How far can something extend into the bass while remaining refined and composed?
Microdynamics: How well can something convey quick low level changes in volume while remaining audible and apparent, not being overwhelmed by more prominent information?
Macrodynamics: How well can something convey large changes of volume and scale while remaining audible and apparent, not feel limited or out of control?
Background Blackness: How well does something create a sense of nothingness between instruments, it’s ability to recreate empty space without the feeling of something being present when nothing should be? (Note, this is not noise floor aka background hiss)
Stage Width: How far can something extend in creating it’s space while still remaining coherent enough?
Stage Depth: How deep can something extend into the stage, how much range something has inside the stage inbetween the farthest and closest aspects?
Stage Verticality: How high or low can something go in it’s three dimensional space?
Stage Boundary: How sharply/clearly can something define the boundaries and limits of the stage, and how well do they shift depending on the source?
Placement Accuracy: How accurate is something at creating a convincing overall stage, accurately representing the location of sounds in space and time with precise definition?
Presentation Organicness: How realistic is the overall balance of something (all combined aspects), in a way that leans closer to live?
Presentation Openness: How open and expansive does something present within it’s boundaries?
Timbre: How accurate is something at creating the characteristics of an instrument or sound, other aspects that don’t directly focus on tonality, the general nature of the sound, how true does the instrument sound to life?
Tonality Organicness: How balanced is something in frequency response and how well does it prevent things from being masked or overwhelming each other throughout the entire range?
Tonal Density Quantity: How much weight and meatiness/thickness does something place on notes?
Tonal Density Quality: How well does something vary it’s weight to be accurate to the recording, and it’s ability to control the weight and prevent it from affecting other aspects?
Smoothness: How smooth and non fatiguing does something portray it’s sound, potentially blending together sometimes?
Softness/Roundness: How rounded and softened does something represent sharp attacks, potentially blunting or dulling them?
Liquidity: How well does something handle the natural flow of music without adding or subtracting things, flowing through without imparting any extra texture or sound of it’s own?
Coherency: How well does something portray a sense of unity and seamlessness overall?
Forwardness: How close does something bring the sound from where it should be, how much things are pushed toward you more than they normally would be?
Energy & Incisiveness: How directly, clearly, and energetically does something represent sound?
Forgivingness: How forgiving is something of both bad synergy with other components and bad source material, the ability to make even lesser recorded or poor matches sound more enjoyable?
Overall Treble: How capable, polished, and complete does the overall treble range sound on something?
Overall Midrange: How capable, polished, and complete does the overall midrange sound on something?
Overall Bass: How capable, polished, and complete does the bass range sound on something?
Overall Subbass: How capable, polished, and complete does the subbass range sound on something?
If there’s an aspect of sound that you think isn’t represented here, would really like to hear about that lol, tried to think of any ways to represent sound as I could without resorting to too many specific or combined terms