How much difference does it make?

[Ralf11]

DSP, masterings - along with speakers - are the biggies

 

your "%" will change as $$ increases

[Ralf11]

16 hours ago, Rexp said:

Actually back in the day when Linn were at the forefront of high-end, they and other UK Manufacturers always advocated spending the majority of budget on the source. With digital isn't it the same? 

 

no

[Ralf11]

a suitably energized person could calculate the extent to which shielding around USB cables acts as a waveguide for transmitted EMI - pick a couple of freq.s for boundary conditions and let 'er rip

[Ralf11]

41 minutes ago, shtf said:

 

You can always tell the ones who subscribe to Stereophile magazine.   

 

I don't, muffy

[Ralf11]

there are scientists, and there are ignoramuses

[Ralf11]

9 hours ago, shtf said:

your claim that performance is tied directly to cost?

 

I never said that.  Please work on your reading comprehension.

 

or ask your mom to help explain the big words

[Ralf11]

2 hours ago, rando said:

So where do you conceive advancements?  

 

You, like many others, could fill pages with equations depicting how oversimplified assigning a percentage or any other absolute sounding number is.  Stabbing a finger towards one field lagging behind may lead to more insightful debate. 

 

I intend this in the physical realm where USB devices can be made to quiver and, as a for instance, sizeable appliances cannot behave similar to smaller ones.  The space they fill is required to produce more impactful results.

 

I will bet on transducers.  For the consumer, that means speakers (and their boundary conditions).  DSP is a biggie and I look forward to Kii 3 type performance at lower price points.

 

Digital audio has reached a point of diminishing gains, not that no improvement is possible but that it will cost a lot and/or take a while.  I do look for higher SQ at lower price points in DACs.

 

For analog electronics (amps), we may see further reductions in Xover distortion (after the Benchmark exclusive license runs out), as Ga makes its way down to Earth from satellites, and etc.

[Ralf11]

Definitely.  Where is Meridian when we need them?

[Ralf11]

I'm picking up good vibrations...

 

[Ralf11]

Have you considered the possibility that you haven't the slightest understanding of terms like experiment and science ??

[Ralf11]

1 hour ago, shtf said:

There’s an abundance of hacks, bush-leaguers, and also-rans in every industry but these types aren’t even that.   Hacks, bush-leaguers, and also-rans are usually genuine and well-intentioned but lack the talent and/or tools to perform a sufficient or better job.  These are more self-delusional parasitical charlatans taking their brains out for a joy ride to demonstrate some form of perverted supreme intelligence that actually works to some extent when conversing amongst themselves and some newbees that come along.

 

In this case it seems at least Jabbr was cognizant enough not continue our meaningful monologue, I mean meaningful dialogue as he probably realized he can’t win because of his own admissions.  I particularly got a chuckle out of Jabbr’s earlier response as the entire thing was nothing more than a diversion while attempting to gracefully bow out pretending to let me off his hook while still trying to flex a brain muscle or two.  Can’t say the same for Ralfy11, who continues to struggle thinking one day he might walk away a winner.

 

But make no mistake.  This is the real snake oil being peddled everywhere throughout high-end audio and a colossal waste of everybody’s time including their own.  As I like to say, the mind is a terrible thing to waste, especially on others.

 

I just like to poke a finger in their eye once in a while but like a plague they are everywhere.

 

 

 

you seem to have some bad vibes in your  lateral ganglionic eminence

[Ralf11]

measurements can never tell the whole story if you are making the wrong measurements or making a non-comprehensive suite of measurements 

[Ralf11]

On 6/21/2019 at 9:09 AM, gordec said:

I have learned a lot of great information from the CA/AS community since joining. I went completely network based frontend and started to use better cable and power supplies. After playing with a lot of streamers and linear power supplies, I came to the conclusion that, to my ears, software, power supply, connection interface (network, USB, optical) and cables make up about 10% difference in overall sound quality. Headphone/speaker probably make up 30%-40%, amp 20%-30%, DAC 15%-30%. I have absolutely no problem spending a lot to get the most out of that 10%, but perhaps the best value is spend on the down stream components that could make a bigger difference in the overall sound quality. 

 

Do others feel that their frontend makes significantly more than 10% difference to their overall listening experience. If so, how much. I'm talking about sound quality alone, not the software/user interface. 

 

I hate to get back to the original topic, but...

 

if the frontend includes the mastering, and the delivery format then it can be very significant

 

if just electronics, then a very decent frontend can be had for a kilobuck or less

[Ralf11]

25 minutes ago, SJK said:

I’m doing some scientific testing on the most suitable means of isolation from micro- vibration.

 

This is with the correct medium to “float” my DAC to ensure those bits and bytes don’t get contaminated by any vibration whatsoever.   

 

These are the results so far.

 

Hot Lava:  I really thought one of those space blankets from Army Surplus would do the trick to keep the DAC away from the molten rock, but jeeze louise, what a freakin’ mess that made.

 

Magnetic Levitation:  I very cleverly removed the electrical meter, bored a hole through the back of the housing into the house and installed a 200 amp bypass to a levitation coil I wound around a hardwood form in the living room. In all fairness, I would have to call this an unmitigated and abject failure.  The cats hated it.  The buzzing was so loud you couldn’t hear anything else and the fridge ended up in the loving room. 

 

Cirque de Soleil Solution:  Ropes!  What could be simpler?  Should have thought of that in the first place!  I crawled up into the attic, drilled holes through the drywall into the living room and dropped down four 1/2” wire ropes (stainless of course) clamped to the rafters.  I then suspended a platform from the wire ropes to support the all important DAC.  Did not make one bit of difference.  Wife is upset with the mess in the living room.  She just doesn’t understand.

 

Pool of Mercury:  You know, I think I just might be onto something here.  Get a big tote, fill it with liquid mercury and just float everything in that. Yeah, I know, it’s toxic, but i wasn’t planning on drinking the stuff.  I “took” all they had from the local high schools but that just isn’t very much. I hear they use the stuff in Alaska mining for gold.  Got a trip booked for this weekend to check it out.  

 

Stay tuned.....

 

 

how about parking a Tesla in the rooom?

 

its suspension can suspend the DAC, and will provide a clean low noise battery power source to run the DAC too