Harman Kardon is set to have a major advantage this year with a new technology called Signal Doctor that dramatically improves the performance of a compressed file being played via one of their products whether it is a receiver, JBL speaker or an in-car Harman Kardon system.
The new technology which SmartHouse was given hands on demonstration of at CES 2014 significantly lifts the sound quality of a file. The US Company who are leader in the development of sound gear is now developing software that they will OEM licence to major device manufacturers.
Harman lifestyle president Michael Mauser said “We know from our research that listeners – even Millennials, who have grown up with compressed music as their reference – prefer the best possible sound quality from every audio source and what we have delivered with Signal Doctor is a giant leap forward”.
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| The new JBL player comes with Signal Doctor built in. |
Harman Kardon said that Signal Doctor improves digitised audio file quality in a number of audible areas, returning all of the authenticity, ambience, warmth, and clarity that compression takes away: it removes unwanted added effects like echo and distortion; it restores the crisp detail and clarity of high frequency sounds like cymbals, which can be muddied in compressed sources; it sharpens dynamic sounds like percussion instruments, which can be smeared or dulled by compression; it takes a flat, compressed vocal and brings back the intimacy of the original performance; it rebuilds the stereo image that is often compromised by compression, creating a natural, wide soundstage; and it restores the musical depth that is lost when instruments and vocals are compressed to the same volume.”
Mauser said “In contrast to competitor offerings, Signal Doctor does not blindly add equalisation, bass boost, or other effects that alter the intended listening experience. Harman has developed a proprietary predictive model that intelligently and accurately recreates the lost information based on the existing compressed content, unlike any similar offering.”
“Signal Doctor works seamlessly and automatically. The technology is always on, and designed to run in the background without any user intervention. In addition, Signal Doctor adjusts the amount of correction it applies based on the quality of the input signal. For example, while it will add no correction to a CD-quality signal, Signal Doctor will add a heavy dose of correction to the most compressed signals, such as Digital Radio.” he said.
