Talk:Wideband audio

Relaxing the bandwidth limitation in the audio frequency range from 50 Hz to 7 kHz or higher

50 Hz is pretty low. Increased response in the bass frequencies can be problematic if not controlled. If it gets too loud, it can lead to distortion of the whole audio range or overpower the eardrums. Not enough bass is only a slightly better situation, with the audio sounding thin and tinny.

Given the various sensitivity of assorted headphones and loudspeakers to the low frequencies, I would like to see cellphones with Wideband Audio capability provide a few selectable low-frequency cut-off settings to help the users match their headphones and loudspeakers for maximum comfort. For any cellphone, there are thousands of possible headphones with different frequency responses that might be plugged into it, so being able to select a low-frequency roll-off from the cellphone user interface would be beneficial.

For voice communications, booming bass qualifies as "poor fidelity." Loudspeakers with more efficient low frequency response will produce wideband audio that is too bassy unless the low frequencies are attenuated. Conversely, there is no shortage of earphones and headphones that are lacking in bass response. Being able to adjust the bass output of the cellphone so the received voice sounds "normal" would enhance the enjoyment that higher fidelity Wideband Audio capabilities can provide.

Regarding the increased availability of trebles in Wideband Audio, I've never seen a "treble cut" that provided benefit. More effective is a variable bass response, which can also act as a de-facto treble adjustment. If the trebles are too loud, the volume can be reduced and the bass boosted (or bass-attenuation reduced) for a net decrease in treble. If the trebles (where the fidelity lies) are not loud enough, the bass can be attenuated and the volume increased for a net increase in trebles.

Epilogue: I'm tired of "communications quality audio." When I heard cellphones would have gigahertz to operate in, I thought we'd finally get some good sounding communications. Instead, the fidelity got worse. Finally, it's like a technological breakthrough that fidelity might get boosted to 7 kHz. Remember that frequency response specifications are meaningless without a dB-down number to indicate flatness. We may not be able to quantify the flatness of our Wideband Audio phone calls, but being able to adjust the low end for best sound would be quite sufficient. I leave it in the hands of the engineers to choose effective boost/cut levels to cover all the variable bases (no pun intended).

75.110.98.103 (talk) 23:35, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

Hz ranges dont line up with the accompanying text in the first section

The table at the top of the page shows several frequency ranges, but the last line of that section gives different values. Do we know which is correct? "Wideband codecs have a typical sample rate of 16 kHz. For superwideband codecs the typical value is 32 kHz." BeardyMike (talk) 15:47, 24 January 2022 (UTC)