Pre-echo artifacts from digital filtering are easily unmasked and subjectively disturbing.

Evidence

Interestingly, particular methods of digital filtering are particularly bad in this respect because they result in time domain artifacts that precede the main signal in their output. These artifacts are easily unmasked and so become subjectively disturbing. Again, the effect is to require that the filter cut-off be set beyond the value that one would expect from a simple consideration of the frequency range of the instruments. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 2397

Categorization

• SHARE: A precise, nerdy fact for an audio-engineer friend who would immediately recognize the pre-echo phenomenon.
• XREF: Connects to the masking material earlier in the book, since unmasking is what makes these artifacts audible.