Greetings, an Anecdote, and Several Questions

[PeterSt]

Sadly, yeah I saw this coming. Of course it is not so per definition that only high priced equipment sounds good, but sadly a bit of better sound is costly. Well, in general.

 

It can be otherwise though, but this is only theory;

With lots of effort I created a system around me which I consider the best sounding of the planet, and all the elements I participated in (meaning : they are all twisted to my likings and are consistent within the chain) *and* they are all commercially available. This is speakers, main amps, DAC and software player (only the DAC and software is sold by myself). The whole lot would set you back for USD 17K which is completely peanuts if you'd only dare to consider that best system on the planet.

 

This is theory because

a. nobody is going to believe anyone claiming to have the best system around (so why would you);

b. the speakers are too oversized (horns) for your room.

 

I am not telling this out of self interest or whatever, but only because I started out with a system comprising of well over USD 100K (all commercially available products) but over time I wanted to do better and started swapping pieces one by one BUT had influence on them (think of smaller companies who are willing to listen to you, and adjust something in their equipment for the better). It took years of my own time just as well (mainly the trimming of xovers on loudspeakers is very time consuming), but then you really can end up with a system that good, against a so low price.

Oh, I forgot those other years working on the software. :-))

 

Somewhat more useful information perhaps :

 

When you perceive sound as "loud" this is because of distortion. Don't think in the area of half tearing loudspeaker driver diaphragms, but merely about harmonic distortion which can have many causes.

 

A good example for solving things yourself for the better may be your car stereo; When you play louder and things really start to distort (and now I do mean those diaphragms half tearing :-) try to think that 10:1 this will be the amplifier not being able to control the speakers. It's not the speakers, although you will logically think they are the cause.

 

Another example is in the area of impedance mismatches. And, for home stereo, this is the very first cause to make a system sound loud, too loud S'es and harsh. Not knowing the system, your first idea will be the loudspeakers being bad again, but usually loudspeakers are better than you think (I dare say). Much much more can be squeezed out of loudspeakers, if only the rest of the chain would be better (yeah, I know, everybody will say it the exact other way around).

Impedance mismatches mean that e.g. the amplifier might be very good, the speakers being very good as well, but they won't talk to eachother the proper way (also keep in mind a speaker talks back to the amplifier).

 

Loudspeakers will become pricey when much time has been spent on just the above, but now merely within itself. This is the crossover area, and -when not careful- the one frequency responding differently than the other, and while the speaker may be capable of presenting both frequencies correctly, the amp will respond differently to both frequencies and the sound will not be "even" the least.

Sidenote : amps like Tripaths are very prone to let loudspeakers suffer, just because the xovers in there didn't take the way a Tripath works into account.

 

Same thing happens at the preamp talking to the main amp (if you have a pre amp of course), and while the one manufacturer will have arranged for this properly, it certainly may not be so that you want both these parts. Nope, you go for the NAD main amp and the Rotel pre. This is allright by itself, but now it is up to you to do the proper matching. This by itself is not the most difficult (as a rule the output impedance of one device should be 1/10 of the input of the other), but when things don't match BUT each of both elements is superp to your ears in another chain, you should be able to change the impedance of either.

And this is a bit in the area what I referred to : find yourself a (smaller) manufacturer who is willing to do this for you, and half of your system is already there.

 

At the DAC side towards the pre- or main amp - the same applies. Sadly, this is so so crucial (because everything is amplified behind it) *plus* that no DAC manufacturer (unless DIY) will start tweaking this because of inherent (then) inconsistensies, that it is here where most can be gained. Not that this by itself will help you, but it is the area to put the most attention to.

 

A little bit following from the latter, is the "drive" a device like a DAC must have, or IOW enough current to "control" the device behind it. By itself this is the impedance again, but in this case things may get a little more complex because this is usually solved by, well, a pre-amp. Now part of the fun starts, because a pre-amp destroys sound anyway. Active or passive, it does, and it does that to the greatest extend. This is funny, because when you leave it out, your first cost reduction is there ...

... which leaves you with the problem of the necessary "drive". This can be solved by a unity gain buffer (a kind of preamp which does not amplify) and although a decent solution for drive (hardly degrading sound), it may mean that the output of the DAC is just too low to have enough SPL (sound pressure level) in the room.

 

You can start feeling the circles now, because this puts requirements to the main amps, and when you're coincidentally into SE tubes, it puts requirements to the speakers (which solve the problem just by having a very high sensivity).

 

Hoping you're not in a knot by know, you maybe can see that at taking into account all these things carefully, you are able to select the individual devices of which you know are good and not so pricey. This is "just" what I did, but as said, it takes years to get there.

Key elements are

- software player (not because so cheap or free, but just because it is better than any existing CDP)

- no pre-amp

- a DAC that can cope with the latter

- high sensivity speakers.

 

When the speakers are done right (like the 115dB in my case) you 100% sure end up with horns.

No, horns do *not* sound like horns, or at least not mine when - and only when no spurs of harmonic distortion are there. This by itself can only happen when the DAC doesn't show bad THD+N figures in the first place including the area above 22KHz !!

 

Why the latter ? because otherwise chances are fair (if not 100%) your amplifier (or preamp if you have it) chokes on the high frequency content coming from THD. No, you can't hear the high frequencies, but the amp (etc.) gets disturbed by it, and here you have your loud sound again.

 

Now, might you trust my own system to be rather good the least, you can also trust yourself that it is all not that super difficult, once yo dive into these matters. You already know what you will be doing it for.

Of course I have to add that while you will get away with a software player easily (takes some listening and experience) you most probably won't be able to dictate your own DAC. So in the very end it may make sense to, say, copy my system - which of course should be auditioned first. Now, though, the circle is there, because your listening room will be too small for the speakers (btw definitely not soundwise, but for looks -> bass horn shells are 70cm diameter).

 

Well, tried my best, and I sure hope this may get you somewhere !

Peter