Cable Pathways Between Audio Components Can Affect Perceived Sound Quality

[John Dyson]

Unless I misunderstand, this is ONLY an analog experiment, so doesn't directly apply to USB/ethernet/etc type things.   There is a digital interconnect used, but is not part of the experiment.

 

Given this fact, the results become more likely but still I am so skeptical as to not believe it, and currently assume that there was a missing experimental control.   My mind is open, but incredibly skeptical.  The paper will require VERY careful and strict analysis to understand what was measured/compared and VERY VERY precisely undersand the environment.

 

The paper just might be accurate, but the claim/results might be easy to misunderstand.   I am very frustrated that for me, a careful read must wait until after the weekend.   This is 'interesting'...

 

 

 

 

[John Dyson]

2 hours ago, pkane2001 said:

Fully balanced and single-ended signal paths are sufficiently different internally that any differences could be due to electronics rather than interconnects. The author is, unwittingly, changing too many variables by comparing balanced to single-ended interconnects to make any conclusions about just the interconnects. Different components, different signal path, different processing of the signal between these two cases, possibly different signal levels at the output. All of these are important to eliminate as possible confounds before declaring that interconnects cause the differences. 

 

Also, the fact that balanced vs. single-ended can produce different levels of noise at the output is not surprising, since these were created specifically to deal with noise.

Anecdote -- back in the olden days, in NYC, the TV/Radio networks would pass audio signals between buildings/across town with balanced audio cabling.   Of course, the 'art' of doing that has differences from simple local balanced connections, but does show that with proper techniques, balanced connections can do amazing things WRT noise encroaching into the signal.   Also, the balanced signal I/O HW doesnt' have high common mode rejection, there is some lost opportunity for avoiding noise.  The quality of the driving/receiving electronics has major influence on the results.

 

100's of volts of single ended (or common mode in  case of balanced) noise can appear between buildings, the cause substantially being ground potential issues, yet the audio on the TV/radio stations ended up being reasonably clean.  (I am very sure that it wouldnt' be high fidelity by todays standards, but still the SNR was usable.)  Important hint - if grounding the wire shield on long distance balanced connections, do so only on one side...