Adding damping to a resonance paradoxically makes it more audible by widening its bandwidth

Evidence

The key idea being communicated in Figure 4.10 is that neither the amplitude of the peak in the frequency response nor the duration of ringing is a reliable clue to the audibility of the resonances, at least above the transition frequency. It is counterintuitive. Adding damping reduces the Q, and therefore the ringing. It also reduces the amplitude of the peak in the frequency response, all of which would seem to be good. But the peak is now much wider and is therefore more frequently energized by components of the program. This means that it will be more often heard; the threshold ends up being lower—this well-damped resonance is easily heard. In contrast, the Q = 50 resonance is energized only when a musical component is precisely at the right frequency and remains there long enough to allow it to accumulate energy—to build up—which is easily seen in the center column of data. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 385 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Toole and Olive (1988) concluded that at frequencies above 200 Hz the threshold of detection of resonances decreased about 3 dB for each doubling of the Q value. This means that the higher the Q, and therefore the longer the ringing, the less detectable the resonance. This is not an indication that ringing per se is not a problem, rather it most likely relates to the probability of a narrow band resonance being energized by typical music. Consequently, at these frequencies the duration of ringing is not a reliable indicator of audibility-see Section 5. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1645 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Friction acts like rent proportional to the energy an oscillator stores; Resonance connects to the balance between power input and frictional loss; Resonance is universal constructive addition of force-driven velocity — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1012 (+15 more)

Related

• Resonant power dissipation actually grows when damping decreases (similarity 0.94)
• High-Q resonances are rarely heard but catastrophically audible when music hits their exact frequency (similarity 0.93)
• Higher-Q resonances become less audible because music rarely energizes them (similarity 0.93)
• Resonance Q reductions below about 16 are subjectively imperceptible (similarity 0.92)
• Reflections increase sensitivity to low and mid-Q resonances in reproduced sound (similarity 0.92)
• Well-damped low-Q resonances are easier to hear than high-Q ones. (similarity 0.92)
• Lower-Q resonances are more audible than high-Q ones despite seeming better-damped (similarity 0.91)
• Broad, low-Q resonances are the most audible transducer defects (similarity 0.90)
• Reverberation masks high-Q ringing but amplifies low-Q resonances (similarity 0.89)
• Low-Q resonance detection thresholds are remarkably low, making tonal changes easily audible. (similarity 0.89)
• Low-Q subwoofer resonances are audible mainly as spectral balance shifts (similarity 0.88)
• Resonance detection thresholds rise with higher Q and lower frequency (similarity 0.87)
• After Q oscillations the amplitude falls to 4% and energy to 0.19% of original (similarity 0.86)
• Complex high-Q objects multiply echoes while each weakens (similarity 0.86)
• Resonances near anechoic thresholds become audible again in reflective rooms (similarity 0.85)

Broader Connections

• Lower-Q resonances are more audible than high-Q ones despite seeming better-damped #corroborates (0.95) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 385
• High-Q resonances are rarely heard but catastrophically audible when music hits their exact frequency #qualifies (0.80)
• Higher-Q resonances become less audible because music rarely energizes them #qualifies (0.75) — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1645
• Attenuating a resonance’s spectral bump necessarily reduces its ringing #contradicts (0.72)
• Reflections increase sensitivity to low and mid-Q resonances in reproduced sound #expands (0.72)
• Resonances near anechoic thresholds become audible again in reflective rooms #expands (0.70) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 399