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Simple systems are best

Posted by Tony Lauck (A) on November 18, 2014 at 06:34:08

In Reply to: RE: Sorry fmak, Ryelands, etc. posted by Thorsten on November 17, 2014 at 09:52:17:

I think you hit the bull's-eye with the phrase "complex systems". If it's complex there are too many ways for things to go wrong, so simpler is better. All the unnecessary equipment needed for listening to digital music can be unplugged completely (power and signal) and if battery powered switched off. Equipment that can't be switched off such as cell phones can be Faraday caged (e.g. in a microwave oven that's unplugged). All circuit breakers other than the one needed to power the audio system can be pulled. Then one has a manageable problem, i.e. a computer, DAC, amplifier and speakers.

Tweak this simple system first and get it to sound good. If necessary, then the missing components can be added back in, one at a time. If you can't get the simple system to sound good then at least there are a small number of places to look.

Unfortunately, so long as reviewers continue to use all of these measures in giving expensive equipment good reviews, we will continue to get products that are unstable and require tweaking. This represents a fundamental error in testing methodology. Products should be evaluated under worst-case conditions, not best case conditions. This is the only way to get valid results. Later, if one wants to actually use these products one can use them with confidence that they will perform even better. This applies to all types of products, not just audio.(With some products such as automobiles, some of the worst case testing can be actually dangerous and illegal if done on public roads, but is still necessary for proper reviewing.)

WARNING: when done testing don't forget to restore circuit breakers, remove cell phones from the microwave, reconnect necessary appliances, etc... Failure to do so can have serious domestic consequences or worse. Been there. Done that. :-(

Tony Lauck

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

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