Your SSB HF transmissions are heard muffled on a sound system in the living room regardless of its volume setting. What causes this?

When strong Radio Frequency (RF) signals enter an audio device, such as a living room sound system, they can be unintentionally converted into audio signals by non-linear components (like transistors or diodes) within the equipment. This process is known as audio rectification. Because Single Sideband (SSB) does not have a carrier, the rectified audio usually sounds distorted, muffled, or like a 'Donald Duck' voice. Since the RF energy typically enters the system after the volume control circuitry or is rectified directly in the final amplification stages, the interference volume doesn't change when you adjust the stereo's volume knob. Distractors like harmonics or transmitter filtering issues relate to out-of-band emissions affecting radio receivers, not consumer audio sound systems. Lack of receiver selectivity applies to actual radios, not generic stereo amplifiers.