ABR Frequency Response

Reference closeness lab
Original WAV comparison · ABR roll-off · single ABR boost

How do the ABR builds compare against the original WAV?

This ABR page focuses on extracted DeltaWave aligned-spectrum curves for the ABR report set. It compares historical ABR builds, the optimized ABR build, and the single ABR boost level against the same original WAV.

It is a technical lab view rather than a listening test. The goal is to show where ABR builds diverge from the original WAV in the upper band and how the single ABR boost variant behaves.

View ABR chartsView ABR metricsView ABR speed/sizeRead method

The short version

The ABR rows diverge earlier in the upper band than the cVBRb/VBR rows, so they need their own chart scale and interpretation.

The optimized ABR build and ABR boost row are best read together, because ABR has only one boost level in this dataset.

The ABR boost result is slightly larger in output size while runtime remains very close to the unboosted optimized ABR row.

This is not a listening-test verdict. These are extracted DeltaWave aligned-spectrum curves, useful for illustrating behaviour against the original WAV rather than proving subjective transparency.

ABR response and single boost level

The ABR report set includes a single boost variant. This section applies the same aligned-spectrum extraction and derived-metric approach used for the VBR/cVBRb frequency-response page.

Historical ABR frequency response progression against the original WAV
Historical ABR progression. The earlier ABR builds show stronger high-frequency loss, while the later 3.99.5-to-3.101b3 family stays noticeably closer together.

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Modern ABR frequency response comparison including the single boost variant
Modern ABR overview. This tighter view shows 3.99.5, 3.100, 3.101b3 cVBR ABR, the optimized ABR row, and the single ABR boost variant.

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ABR boost versus unboosted optimized ABR against the original WAV
ABR boost versus unboosted optimized ABR. In this dataset there is only one ABR boost level, and it sits slightly closer to the original WAV through parts of the upper band.

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Deviation from original WAV for modern ABR rows
Modern ABR deviation view. Lower curves indicate less upper-band loss against the original WAV.

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ABR grouped bar chart showing 3 dB, 6 dB, and 12 dB drop points
Modern ABR drop-point summary. This uses the same y-axis range as the VBR/cVBRb drop-point chart so two-window comparison is easier.

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How to read it: the ABR data only includes one boost level, so this section is narrower than the cVBRb section but follows the same method.

ABR bar chart showing average loss versus the original WAV in the 18 to 21 kilohertz band
ABR average loss in 18–21 kHz. This uses the same 0–45 dB scale as the VBR/cVBRb upper-band-loss chart to make side-by-side comparison easier.

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ABR derived response metrics

Series3 dB drop6 dB drop12 dB dropMean loss 18–21 kHzMean loss 19–22 kHz
3.95.1 MinGW ABR16.01 kHz16.03 kHz16.77 kHz35.66 dB37.95 dB
3.96.1 MinGW ABR16.01 kHz16.16 kHz18.00 kHz36.73 dB38.41 dB
3.97 MinGW ABR16.00 kHz16.01 kHz16.03 kHz36.88 dB39.20 dB
3.98.4 MinGW ABR16.00 kHz16.01 kHz16.04 kHz36.79 dB39.16 dB
3.99.5 MinGW ABR16.00 kHz16.02 kHz16.75 kHz35.43 dB39.06 dB
3.100 MinGW ABR16.00 kHz16.02 kHz16.75 kHz35.43 dB39.06 dB
3.101b3 cVBR MinGW ABR16.00 kHz16.02 kHz16.14 kHz36.06 dB39.11 dB
3.101b3 cVBRb Optimized ABR16.00 kHz16.02 kHz16.14 kHz36.01 dB39.04 dB
3.101b3 cVBRb Optimized ABR boost16.00 kHz16.01 kHz16.17 kHz35.92 dB39.19 dB

These ABR metrics are derived from extracted aligned-spectrum curves, using the same approach as the VBR/cVBRb frequency-response page.

ABR output-size and speed summary

SeriesMiBElapsed secondsMiB/s
3.95.1 MinGW ABR13.4548.4801.587
3.96.1 MinGW ABR13.3448.3201.604
3.97 MinGW ABR12.9958.7301.488
3.98.4 MinGW ABR12.9946.8001.911
3.99.5 MinGW ABR12.9826.4202.022
3.100 MinGW ABR12.98212.2301.062
3.101b3 cVBR MinGW ABR12.8739.9001.300
3.101b3 cVBRb Optimized ABR12.8745.7402.243
3.101b3 cVBRb Optimized ABR boost13.1765.7602.287

This is a simple summary of the ABR benchmark CSVs. It is kept here as context for the single ABR boost result rather than as a full performance study.

Method notes and limitations

The ABR response charts on this page are extracted from the embedded DeltaWave aligned-spectrum SVG plots in the ABR report set. The dashed reference line is the original WAV, while the solid lines are decoded ABR outputs.

The charts use the IBM Carbon data-visualization palette for categorical series, with a neutral dashed reference line for the original WAV.

The derived metrics include 3 dB / 6 dB / 12 dB drop points and average loss across the 18–21 kHz and 19–22 kHz bands. These are approximate because they come from extracted plot geometry rather than direct FFT exports.

ABR has only one boost level in this dataset, so the ABR boost section is intentionally narrower than the VBR/cVBRb frequency-response page.

FAQ

Is this a precise frequency-response measurement?

No. The charts are extracted from DeltaWave aligned-spectrum images, not from raw FFT exports. They are useful for comparing ABR behaviour, but they are still extracted visual data rather than lab-grade response measurements.

Why is the ABR drop-point chart scaled differently?

The ABR rows diverge much earlier in the upper band than the VBR/cVBRb rows on this sample, so the chart needs a lower y-axis range to avoid clipping the bars.

How many ABR boost levels are included?

Only one ABR boost level is present in the supplied dataset.