tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post6816148454146403076..comments2024-03-28T12:32:39.927-07:00Comments on <em>Archimago's Musings</em>: MUSINGS: Zen and the Art of High Fidelity Audio. On transparency, in response to "Measuring Emotional Connections to Music".Archimagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-59420278959027301552020-03-08T18:51:28.245-07:002020-03-08T18:51:28.245-07:00"...the aim of audio equipment when it comes ..."...the aim of audio equipment when it comes to its basic function of achieving "high fidelity" is to preserve what is on the recording, nothing more."<br /><br />And how about looking at it from a neurological point of view? Your claim above is just an attempt at a logical explanation of what actually goes on, namely the releasing of endorphines in the brain/hormone system. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-54985149185285530772018-08-09T08:39:26.023-07:002018-08-09T08:39:26.023-07:00Great work with the measurements, Bennet.
LOL. Yo...Great work with the measurements, Bennet.<br /><br />LOL. Your analogy with gemology made me laugh :-).<br /><br />Imagine going into the local jeweller with a diamond you bought for your future wife hoping to get an appraisal of "value" for insurance purposes... The guy doesn't use the standard AGS/GIA scale. The guy takes the stone and puts it to uncontrolled incandescent light, Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-46747374040344253132018-08-09T04:06:46.979-07:002018-08-09T04:06:46.979-07:00Thanks. Needless to say I am always skeptical abou...Thanks. Needless to say I am always skeptical about manufacturer claimed specs. The AP logo is not very meaningful to me unless I also have an AP myself. I measured the output of a cheaper X-Fi XtremeMusic (SB0460, $128, DA: CS4382, AD: WM8775) using the input of X-Fi Titanium HD PCIE card released in 2010 (SB1270, $170, DA: PCM1794, AD: PCM4220)<br /><br />https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-29438812417882498992018-08-08T20:30:59.100-07:002018-08-08T20:30:59.100-07:00Thanks Dtmer!
You are a fount of computer audio c...Thanks Dtmer!<br /><br />You are a fount of computer audio card knowledge. Great to review those results from back in the day.<br /><br />Particularly enjoy the <em>ixbtlabs</em> comparison of AP results with what they got using the loopback!<br />Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-37559837147910726262018-08-08T11:43:10.269-07:002018-08-08T11:43:10.269-07:00Hey Juergen!
Hope you're having a good summer!...Hey Juergen!<br />Hope you're having a good summer!<br /><br />Thanks for the note. It really does along with Dtmer's post and links above remind us of the quality of DACs these days and how far technically we have achieved already in the last 15-20 years or so since the advent of hi-res audio from the early days of SACD/DVD-A to now.<br />Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-45200549480507835462018-08-08T03:18:27.801-07:002018-08-08T03:18:27.801-07:00Hi Archie. The CS4398 is a surprisingly good DAC c...Hi Archie. The CS4398 is a surprisingly good DAC chip that still holds against a lot of actual chips. Yes actual high end chips have a bit lower noise floors, but the CS4398 behaves very good in the transition between delta sigma and multi bit modulator, has a good balance with a mixture of linear phase and minimum phase filter, with good behavior concerning intersample overloads, with low THD inJR_Audiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00547557948411188806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-84177461529314887452018-08-07T05:51:54.060-07:002018-08-07T05:51:54.060-07:00CS4398 is the DAC chip used in Creative's X-Fi...CS4398 is the DAC chip used in Creative's X-Fi Elite Pro (2005). iXBT (the maker of RMAA) has a very detailed review of it:<br />http://ixbtlabs.com/articles2/multimedia/creative-x-fi.html<br /><br />It contains measurements from Audio Precision and self-loop (ADC: AK5394AVS). The results are great even by today's standard.<br /><br />X-Fi Elite Pro is a PCI card with breakout box. The Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-40152003939145176942018-08-07T00:12:22.219-07:002018-08-07T00:12:22.219-07:00Well boys, this is interesting...
Looks like I mi...Well boys, this is interesting...<br /><br />Looks like I might have to get myself a Topping D30 to hear/see what's going on with this device.<br /><br />Admittedly, it's a rather old-skool Cirrus CS4398 DAC first released in 2005. Not exactly a highly desirable device in the face of many other good DACs out there!<br />Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-20160562275638442632018-08-06T16:08:50.598-07:002018-08-06T16:08:50.598-07:00You're entitled to your opinion. You're no...You're entitled to your opinion. You're not entitled to your own facts.jsrthetahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09471258641340325875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-63639306058775233972018-08-06T16:00:44.736-07:002018-08-06T16:00:44.736-07:00"This is Science 101. This is why drug compan..."This is Science 101. This is why drug companies must test under double-blind conditions, and the same goes for listening tests."<br />this ends it, I have never seen so much nonsense in one sentence. Andrzejhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02468830968130726439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-8265618815547994932018-08-06T11:57:37.619-07:002018-08-06T11:57:37.619-07:00As a matter of proper testing, sighted listening (...As a matter of proper testing, sighted listening (where you can see the components under test) are of no (or quite limited) value. If you and your friend could see the DACs, and know which is which while testing, your test is invalid. <br /><br />This is Science 101. This is why drug companies must test under double-blind conditions, and the same goes for listening tests. Unless your test was jsrthetahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09471258641340325875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-64690483843771227552018-08-06T09:55:45.620-07:002018-08-06T09:55:45.620-07:00Now we ware getting somewhere: you did not read or...Now we ware getting somewhere: you did not read or comprehend what I wrote.<br />I wrote that two specific DACs that, according to ASR, measured the same did not sound the same. Very different, and not even at the same logical level, as the statement that all DACs that measure the same must sound the same. <br />What I wrote is not a generic statement. I, and the owner of Topping D30, were Andrzejhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02468830968130726439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-62531945913556420992018-08-05T16:59:48.833-07:002018-08-05T16:59:48.833-07:00I'm not making the claim that DACs with identi...I'm not making the claim that DACs with identical (or close enough) measurements will sound different. That's an extraordinary claim, so the burden of proof is on you.jsrthetahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09471258641340325875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-89383511233050313822018-08-05T16:48:15.465-07:002018-08-05T16:48:15.465-07:00Jeff Ryan, you realize that your expectation that ...Jeff Ryan, you realize that your expectation that if two DACs measure the same they will sound the same is pure faith. You do not have statistically significant sample of DB tests showing that the DACs that measure the same sound the same. It is hard to be condescending and right at the same time. Try harder. Andrzejhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02468830968130726439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-43272985039614386952018-08-03T10:07:52.683-07:002018-08-03T10:07:52.683-07:00SBAF is a joke. And yes, if the Bryston and the To...SBAF is a joke. And yes, if the Bryston and the Topping measure the same, I expect a DBT will confirm they sound the same. Sighted listening tests are as useful as homeopathic medicine. With which they share a lot, btw.jsrthetahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09471258641340325875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-59302419188237685802018-08-03T10:04:45.346-07:002018-08-03T10:04:45.346-07:00Comparing ASR to SBAF is like comparing astronomy ...Comparing ASR to SBAF is like comparing astronomy to astrology. SBAF is a fansite for Schiit acolytes. jsrthetahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09471258641340325875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-87153189576725485792018-08-03T09:49:26.447-07:002018-08-03T09:49:26.447-07:00Thanks for the note Andrzej :-).
Ultimately, it i...Thanks for the note Andrzej :-).<br /><br />Ultimately, it is about the listening of course! The hardware serves the listener and hopefully the listener/audiophile is educated enough that he/she can pick and choose what is best for him/herself based on the underlying intent which is personal and even philosophical as noted in this article.<br /><br />Intriguing debate about the Topping D30 in anyArchimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-83708775278649407272018-08-02T17:01:34.496-07:002018-08-02T17:01:34.496-07:00"Topping D30 measures well but sounds like &q..."Topping D30 measures well but sounds like "ass". Okay. Will have to keep an eye out and see if I can find one locally to check out."<br />That would be actually great. You seem to have a great middle of the road approach: spend time on measurements and even more time listening. <br />Folks on ASR do a lot of measurements but they make an impression that they do not listen to Andrzejhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02468830968130726439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-24916723584244076332018-08-02T05:19:33.119-07:002018-08-02T05:19:33.119-07:00I have to make a correction. SBAF did not shitcan...I have to make a correction. SBAF did not shitcan my post, they moved it to a pre-existing thread which comprises numerous members expressing themselves on the same subject. It's pretty funny; it starts out with people being a little worried about where IF might be going, but cautiously retaining some optimism. As time goes by, and the direction becomes well and truly clear, the posts get julian67https://www.blogger.com/profile/07325927579957539098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-68680431071662385592018-07-23T15:40:05.662-07:002018-07-23T15:40:05.662-07:00This tread reminds me of my early listening days, ...This tread reminds me of my early listening days, 10 band a side equalizer, DBX expansion, Click and Pop machine, trying to create my own sound, regardless of what the engineers had intended. Then when digital hit and the early CD's sounded so good, we all went neutral, Flat, and gave up on equalization. Maybe with modern Loudness wars, we need to go back to waveform modification again? Glen Rasmussenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09687832195951743594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-48610187425365777432018-07-21T08:46:03.630-07:002018-07-21T08:46:03.630-07:00Fascinating also these days with all the propagand...Fascinating also these days with all the propaganda around these extremely priced filterless DACs or old-skool R-2R designs.<br /><br />I guess what's old is new again and it's never hard to have a few people subjectively opine that "rich, warm, neutral" are characteristics one can own with a fistful of bucks.Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-67284270964750396192018-07-20T08:08:32.629-07:002018-07-20T08:08:32.629-07:00The problem is as far as I know standard FLAC enco...The problem is as far as I know standard FLAC encoder does not support 32 bit integer encoding. I always use original encoders when possible. OptimFrog I discovered recently, know its compatiblity is very limited, but has foobar plugin and compresses 32 bit integer very nicely.Honzahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08793049319792036050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-32271522301297438442018-07-20T08:05:58.209-07:002018-07-20T08:05:58.209-07:00The FLAC format supports up to 32-bit samples. Sin...The FLAC format supports up to 32-bit samples. Since it's lossless, you can encode floating-point by pretending the values are integers. It doesn't compress quite as well as it could, though, and there's no way of indicating that you've done this.Mans Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079233294599701785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-9765713305235492692018-07-20T06:30:45.184-07:002018-07-20T06:30:45.184-07:00FLAC doesn't support 32-bit float. I have read...FLAC doesn't support 32-bit float. I have read that in theory the FLAC format could support 32-bit integer, but no such encoder exists.<br /><br />https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,83520.0.htmlHonzahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08793049319792036050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-49444512282617543422018-07-20T02:08:18.801-07:002018-07-20T02:08:18.801-07:00Flac autocorrects to flag :-(Flac autocorrects to flag :-(julian67https://www.blogger.com/profile/07325927579957539098noreply@blogger.com