A system for enhancing tonal quality for ringback signals in a telecommunications network by adjusting audio processing during an alerting interval of a telecommunications session (e.g. during a telephone call). The system may be embodied in a telecommunications switching device and include a ringback manager process that provides the ability to adjust audio processing (e.g., by signaling to in-path equipment) which enhances the tonal quality of the ringback signal. As an example, a telephone system (e.g. equipment associated with establishment and operation of telephone communications sessions) can disable or attenuate operation of voice quality enhancement processing such as echo cancellation, noise reduction, adaptive level control, and the like, during the ringback or alerting interval or period of a telephone call so that the ringback tone provided to the calling party is not distorted by such processing.