Digital Drive

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RE: Best processors -but best tech ?

Posted by rogerh113 on February 24, 2017 at 07:36:14:
Interesting discussion, and I will admit that I own and listed to a vintage r-r ladder dac. I am also an EE, so have some understanding of the technologies involved.

It seems to be a discussion between what is more important, the sound or the spec. For me personally, I would not care what is in the box if it provides an improved listening experience. I trust my ears, and at the end of the day pleasing them is all that matters. I am not sure specs would provide any more than a starting point in my selection process.

The human is a strange and wonderful thing, and if anybody thinks they are all the same, then they might want to rethink that. Quality of hearing, sensory impressions, brain processing, all different and resulting in a different end result. A single spec is going to capture what is best for everyone?? Not likely. Specs also are based on effectively capturing a very complex entity, like a noise component, with a single measurement. At best a gross approximation, but most likely a basic starting point. Most useful to eliminate a potential component that falls above a particularly high threshold, but certainly not a selection criteria between close units.

I imagine the pure technologist sitting in front of their spec selected system convincing themselves - 'it sounds good, it sounds good, the specs say so', while their ears are violently disagreeing.

The proliferation of the low production cost units is a genuine problem. It makes it difficulty to even get a listen to a composite, high end, ear selected systems to serve as a baseline. I wonder if the technologists arguing here have ever heard one. If so, perhaps they could provide the details of that system and the 'high spec' system that sounds noticeably better. That would probably help provide perspective. It is simple to hear a high end, high spec system, as stereo stores have them to listen to. The others are rare as hens teeth, as many of the components to put them together are either vintage and very hard to find, or current and very expensive ($ 31K for a dac).

Of course, at the end of the day it is all about what sounds best to you.

regards -- Roger