Summit

I do not think so. No filter is totally transparent, but that dosen't mean that the accuracy can't be tested between different models and types.

If that is the case a NOS DAC would be the most accurate…

That is great when you may apprehend my question and attempt to discuss filers more objectively . Which filter sounds/measures most accurate and why?

@Superdad seemed to believe that one filter type is clearly better than the others. I don’t think so. It is easy to hear the difference between gears and filters. But it is not as easy to tell which one sounds correct, because both has there flaws. This is especially true when we discuss different filters where you literally have to choose between plague (ringing) and cholera (phase error). The same applies if we measure the filtering effects on ringing or phases instead. Which is most correct?

The question is which filter sounds/measures most accurate? Not as obvious.

I use the cables that I think sound best and not what the companies market as best.

Okay Taiko Extreme seems like quite an upgrade to what you have now. Which DAC, amp and speakers are you going to use with the Extreme, if you don’t mind me asking?

What kind of server do you have?

Okay, you cannot use pure copper because it will oxide within a few days. Copper oxide is a bad conductor and has lower electrical conductivity than rhodium. The same with silver it will also oxide even if not as fast as copper. Many connectors are gold coated to prevent the copper from oxidizing. Gold is a good electrical conductor often used in connectors, but is very soft.

I don’t think so. Rhodium is chosen because it is the most durable metal. http://www.furutech.com/technology/ (scroll to bottom)

I really liked the sound of the Snell Type Type A III back in the mid-90s. I had the Snell Type E ll at that time and lusted for the A III which was heads and shoulder better. A couple of years later I heard the Polk Audio SDA SRS 1.2 and bought them. I still own them today. At this time (late 90s) Thiel made the 6 and 7, which to my ears sounded better than both the Type A III and SDA SRS 1.2, if properly amped. Thiel 6 become my favourite speaker from that time and money. The Apogee Diva and Infinity IRS Beta was super nice, probably better too, but costed way to muck for me so I never directly compared them to my SDA SRS 1.2 or the Thiels.

All components are slowly changing over time. Some components are changing considerably more than others in their initial lifetime. This initial rapid change in SQ is known as the break in or burn in time or phase. Electricity (e.g. electrons) always try to find the shortest way between two points. Cables and many other components are made of material that is made up by “Metallic bonding”*. The delocalizing is higher in new gear there the metallic bonding haven’t reached its optimum yet. The metal is slowly changing its structure on an atomic level so that the electricity (electrons) can run faster and smother. *Metal bonding is the type of chemical bonding characteristic of metals. In a metal, the valence electrons of the metal atoms do not form pairs, as they do in non-metallic covalent bonds. They are also not located to specific atomic nuclei but move freely around the entire structure. This is not a completely random movement since the electrons are affected by mutual repulsion and these electrons are said to be "delocalized". This can be likened to an "electron cloud" that surrounds a giant structure of positively charged metal ions. In a metal, the orbitals available to the valence electrons are so large that they surround the entire structure and the energy levels of the different orbitals are so close to each other that the energy difference can be neglected. Thus, the electrons can move "freely" without significant energy supply across the different orbitals and it is therefore usually said that the electrons move in energy bands. The free electrons constitute the cohesive force of the bond in the metal, and are behind several of the characteristic properties of the metals such as e.g. very good electrical conductivity, special luster and luster, flexibility and malleability etc.

If been used it's vintage tubes/caps. NOS = new old stock; meaning that they have never been used.

Testing for listener preference is one thing, it can be done by A/B test, ABX test, DBT, blind testes etc. To test for BIAS is another thing. How would we know if the test group or some in the test group really liked one gear over another or if it was because of confirmation bias? All type of subjective tests have an effect on the results, not only blind tests. I see that you find my reasoning to be misconceptions and unsubstantiated arguments so I will not post here anymore.

I don’t know which to get, but believe that Network optimization will enhance your sound no matter which one you ultimately choose. The improvement on SOTA source goes fast and therefore I would choose one which the company say it will upgrade and/or that you can change vital components in like in the Taiko Audio SGM Extreme.