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Re: The Burwen Bobcat Revisited

Posted by Jim F. (A) on January 2, 2007 at 07:50:07

In Reply to: Re: The Burwen Bobcat Revisited posted by DBB on January 2, 2007 at 04:12:10:

> I tried the Burwen Bobcat software but could not
> tolerate it. On my system it seemed to remove or
> mask the natural high frequency overtones. . .

On my system, the high-frequency overtones come through
crystal clear. They may, in fact, be slightly accentuated.

It's the glare (or screech) area that's attenuated --
say, a few kHz centered round about 3 kHz.

I believe (though I certainly do not know) that the
equalization involved is dynamic -- adapted in real
time to the incoming signal.

> It may be that it works best with DACS that have
> a digital glare that needs to be tamed. . .

Sigh. Look, here's an example of something I've had
in my collection since the late 80's or early 90's:

Sir Adrian Boult, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Elgar, Enigma Variations, Pomp and Circumstance Marches Nos. 1-5
EMI CDC 7 47206-2

I've listened to this disc on every DAC I've ever
owned or auditioned, including CAL Alpha 24/96,
Bel Canto DACs 1 & 2, Camelot Uther v.2 Mk. 4 (24/192),
Channel Islands VDA-2, Audio Note Signature 4.1x,
Audio Aero Prima DAC, Tube Technology Fulcrum DAC64.
And the DACs in the E-MU 1212M card. I've listened
non-oversampled, oversampled, and upsampled. I've
listened through the Genesis Digital Lens, the
DTI Pro32, and the Perpetual P-1A.

Through all of these DACs and processors (and which of
them has "a digital glare that needs to be tamed"?
None of them? All of them? They're all stuck with
processing 16-bit 44.1 kHz PCM.), that EMI disc has
some downright painful orchestral crescendoes where
the sound becomes congested, seems to lose low
bass, and takes on an ugly glare.

Through the Bobcat, this disc sounds almost decent.
**Almost** -- there's still a hint of the trouble with
the source. But it's a big step in the right direction.
(It's amazing how Bobcat seems to un-congest those
crescendoes and add a balancing bottom end.)

And it seems to do this without ruining the sound of
my best-recorded and best-transferred CDs. Does it **change**
the sound of the best CDs? No doubt it's changing them
in the direction of how Burwen thinks they ought to sound.
But that doesn't seem to be a bad thing.

BTW, I've been sticking to the Basic settings on the
Big Bobcat menu. Some of the others seem to change
the tonal balance far more radically.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Kimber Kable

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