Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Today we're running a simple listening experiment.
Can you actually hear harmonic distortion when it's only a few percent? How about 5 or 10% Think you can hear that?
In this video I play a series of clips and ask you to decide which one is distorted before revealing the results and exploring what distortion really sounds like when played back through speakers in a real room.
Grab a good pair of headphones if you can and see how you do.
Most of us imagine distortion as something obvious — buzzing, crackling, or harsh breakup. But when distortion levels are low, it can be surprisingly difficult to identify… especially once sound interacts with real speakers and a real listening environment.
Along the way we'll compare clean reference clips, distorted signals, and recordings of speakers in a room to better understand what we're actually hearing — and why distortion measurements don't always tell the whole story about how a system sounds.
Welcome back to New Record Day.
00:00 - Start
02:14 - Can You Hear Me Now?
03:03 - Test Two
05:23 - The Room
07:09 - Bass Overload
08:27 - Results
10:16 - Perception Priority
13:35 - Final Thoughts
If you consider yourself an audiophile or music lover… welcome home.
Check this one out: 👉 youtu.be/mjQ2Wy24wC4?si=HGGrIk6wKvgDRan9
💎💎💎 Speakers reviewed and recommend! 💎💎💎
Bookshelf:
Elac Unifi 2.0: amzn.to/2OrL5RW
Elac UB5: amzn.to/3qo2msU
Elac Debut 2.0: amzn.to/3uVfWar
Elac Debut Reference: amzn.to/2OnQU2W
SVS Ultra: amzn.to/3uXIkZJ
JBL Studio 530: amzn.to/3uVagNL
Floorstanding:
Q Acoustics Concept 500: amzn.to/3ddGkEx
SVS Ultra: amzn.to/3qo2msU
SVS Prime Pinnacle: amzn.to/2MMYt2J
Elac Debut 2.0: amzn.to/3ruZRX7
Elac Unifi 2.0 UF52: amzn.to/3uXJa8P
Elac UF5: amzn.to/3e9ri4F
Triangle Borea Bro 8: adorama.rfvk.net/Ygg9oO
PSB Alpha T20: amzn.to/3uS2swa
⭐️ Follow NRD ⭐️
instagram.com/newrecordday/
facebook.com/NewRecordDay/
twitter.com/nrdreviews
💪🏻 Support NRD 💪🏻
patreon.com/newrecordday
Donate via Paypal: sales@newrecordday.com
Disclaimer: The links provided are amazon affiliate links: I earn a small commission on purchases at no additional cost to you! I use the funds to help grow the channel, investing in better equipment for the reviews and video production! Thank you!
Today we're running a simple listening experiment.
Can you actually hear harmonic distortion when it's only a few percent? How about 5 or 10% Think you can hear that?
In this video I play a series of clips and ask you to decide which one is distorted before revealing the results and exploring what distortion really sounds like when played back through speakers in a real room.
Grab a good pair of headphones if you can and see how you do.
Most of us imagine distortion as something obvious — buzzing, crackling, or harsh breakup. But when distortion levels are low, it can be surprisingly difficult to identify… especially once sound interacts with real speakers and a real listening environment.
Along the way we'll compare clean reference clips, distorted signals, and recordings of speakers in a room to better understand what we're actually hearing — and why distortion measurements don't always tell the whole story about how a system sounds.
Welcome back to New Record Day.
00:00 - Start
02:14 - Can You Hear Me Now?
03:03 - Test Two
05:23 - The Room
07:09 - Bass Overload
08:27 - Results
10:16 - Perception Priority
13:35 - Final Thoughts
If you consider yourself an audiophile or music lover… welcome home.
Check this one out: 👉 youtu.be/mjQ2Wy24wC4?si=HGGrIk6wKvgDRan9
💎💎💎 Speakers reviewed and recommend! 💎💎💎
Bookshelf:
Elac Unifi 2.0: amzn.to/2OrL5RW
Elac UB5: amzn.to/3qo2msU
Elac Debut 2.0: amzn.to/3uVfWar
Elac Debut Reference: amzn.to/2OnQU2W
SVS Ultra: amzn.to/3uXIkZJ
JBL Studio 530: amzn.to/3uVagNL
Floorstanding:
Q Acoustics Concept 500: amzn.to/3ddGkEx
SVS Ultra: amzn.to/3qo2msU
SVS Prime Pinnacle: amzn.to/2MMYt2J
Elac Debut 2.0: amzn.to/3ruZRX7
Elac Unifi 2.0 UF52: amzn.to/3uXJa8P
Elac UF5: amzn.to/3e9ri4F
Triangle Borea Bro 8: adorama.rfvk.net/Ygg9oO
PSB Alpha T20: amzn.to/3uS2swa
⭐️ Follow NRD ⭐️
instagram.com/newrecordday/
facebook.com/NewRecordDay/
twitter.com/nrdreviews
💪🏻 Support NRD 💪🏻
patreon.com/newrecordday
Donate via Paypal: sales@newrecordday.com
Disclaimer: The links provided are amazon affiliate links: I earn a small commission on purchases at no additional cost to you! I use the funds to help grow the channel, investing in better equipment for the reviews and video production! Thank you!
