Whats causing this?

[Natural Sound]

I've been streaming a few jazz radio stations through my gear lately. I'm noticing that when people talk in-between songs there is a "ringing." Its almost like when you walk into an empty room and talk. Perhaps echo is a better descriptor. I haven't done any of the room treatments that are on my "to do" list. Is it likely that what I'm hearing is reflections off the walls?

BTW I tried two different amps and two different computer/DAC combinations and the result is the same.

[fullheadofnothing]

Sounds like digital compression artifacts. It's probably happening in the music as well, but it's a bit less noticeable there because there is more going on as things decay. You could verify this by listening to the analog and digital versions of a local station.

Are these real radio stations, or someone "broadcasting" out of their house? I'm asking because an on air studio will be quite acoustically dead, but an internet station might have less effort put into such things. Even the 300watt giant I worked for had a near silent broadcast studio.

[Paul Joppa]

If you have some large expanse of parallel walls facing each other, there could be some "slap echo" which sounds like ringing in a domestic-size room. The test is easy - stand near one of the walls and clap once, then listen to the decay.