RE: Link for the above

Posted by Tony Lauck (A) on April 30, 2012 at 11:21:02

In Reply to: Link for the above posted by Bibo01 on April 29, 2012 at 17:22:26:

Why does a difference in the digital file that's bounded at -138.47 dB below 0 dBfs manage to affect a graph around -100 dB?

Perhaps I misread or misunderstood the graph, but I believe this is the nub of the issue. I doubt seriously that people can hear changes in noise that is -139 below peak levels, but I know from personal experience that I can just barely hear sound that's at -97 dB below 0 dB FS, and that's using monitor gain settings that I actually use for one or two recordings in my library (both Mahler symphonies). For solo harpsichord recordings the monitor gain would be turned down another 15 dB and this noise would be inaudible to me in my room.

I suspect some artifact of the DAC is magnifying the small difference and turning it into slightly different noise. (Technically, this is called noise modulation.) If my suspicion is correct, this is a serious indictment of the DACs in question, including mine (as I heard a difference). This calls for a new test of DAC performance.

Tony Lauck

"Diversity is the law of nature; no two entities in this universe are uniform." - P.R. Sarkar

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - Would you please participate to this listening test? - Bibo01 17:20:37 04/27/12 (24)

The beans have been spilled! - Bibo01 21:10:33 04/28/12 (12)

RE: The beans have been spilled! - Tony Lauck 10:00:50 04/29/12 (11)

RE: The beans have been spilled! - Bibo01 16:28:03 04/29/12 (8)

Link for the above - Bibo01 17:22:26 04/29/12 (6)

RE: Link for the above - Tony Lauck 11:21:02 04/30/12 (5)

RE: Link for the above - Bibo01 00:59:19 05/10/12 (4)

Null Test Differences (NTD) are problematic - Tony Lauck 08:40:43 05/10/12 (3)

RE: Null Test Differences (NTD) are problematic - Bibo01 15:15:42 05/10/12 (2)

RE: Null Test Differences (NTD) are problematic - Tony Lauck 15:28:30 05/10/12 (1)

RE: Null Test Differences (NTD) are problematic - Bibo01 15:39:58 05/10/12 (0)

RE: The beans have been spilled! - Tony Lauck 17:15:52 04/29/12 (0)

Please, allow me to disagree - steppe 13:47:35 04/29/12 (1)

RE: Please, allow me to disagree - Tony Lauck 16:28:33 04/29/12 (0)

The result - steppe 21:04:30 04/27/12 (10)

RE: The result - Bibo01 23:53:24 04/27/12 (9)

Mahler 6 - Tony Lauck 07:33:46 04/28/12 (8)

RE: Mahler 6 - Bibo01 16:30:48 04/28/12 (1)

RE: Mahler 6 - Tony Lauck 17:07:41 04/28/12 (0)

RE: Mahler 6 - fmak 08:30:58 04/28/12 (5)

RE: Mahler 6 - Tony Lauck 08:48:59 04/28/12 (4)

RE: Mahler 6 - fmak 10:39:01 04/28/12 (2)

Are you going by the sample. . . - Chris from Lafayette 17:07:01 04/28/12 (1)

RE: Are you going by the sample. . . No - fmak 21:49:31 04/28/12 (0)

RE: Mahler 6 - Mercman 08:58:12 04/28/12 (0)

Follow Ups

RE: Link for the above - Tony Lauck 11:21:02 04/30/12 (5)

RE: Link for the above - Bibo01 00:59:19 05/10/12 (4)

Null Test Differences (NTD) are problematic - Tony Lauck 08:40:43 05/10/12 (3)

RE: Null Test Differences (NTD) are problematic - Bibo01 15:15:42 05/10/12 (2)

RE: Null Test Differences (NTD) are problematic - Tony Lauck 15:28:30 05/10/12 (1)

RE: Null Test Differences (NTD) are problematic - Bibo01 15:39:58 05/10/12 (0)

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