"Happily" is right, Christophe. No doubt you know of, and have probably heard at any one time, Focal's Grand Utopia speakers. They measure very well, and are to my mind supremely linear top to bottom, and although I value that above evyrhig else, for reasons I cannot explain I didn't much like it. It sounded much like my speakers, yet was just different enough for me not to love it straight off, as I expected to be the case. It does nothing wrong, mind you, yet omehow I never caught it conveying emotion as what I am looking for. It did everything right, yet failed to emotionally move me. No idea why.
And this is not the only time something like that happened, it's happened before to me that I hear a highly regadred device, and can find no obvious fault with it, yet it leaves me emotionally flat. And vice vesra, devices I would never have expected it to happen with did move me emotionally, sometimes even at the ost of some mistakes I know should not have happened.
That's what's so interesting in audio, something may be almost perfectly made in technological terms, yet leave me emotionally flat, and vice versa. That's why my final arbiter are always my ears, never the measuring gear. As far as I can tell, the only masurement which does for most part correlate with my emotions while listening to it is the harmonic decay rate, rather the shape of its decay. THD for example is 100% meaningless to me so long as it's below 0.1% under all circumstances.
I have asked the question here a number of times, and never got any answers: what is the threshold of hearing THD? 0.1%? 0.01%? If we don't actually know this, what the hell are we talking about? How do we play a game of football if we don't knopw where our goal posts are? Even if we are Zinedin Zidane?
Last edited:
Why not, but I use only classical music to evaluate "sound quality". Mostly Beethoven symphonies. Sorry, Lp limited dynamic range is unable to make it, if you ask for dynamics and resolution of big orchestra.
Try to find any Philips 9500 delux series LP-s from 1970-1980. Piano recordings ,string quartets, simphonies etc. with unlimited dynamic range. Some Supraphon LP export series are also good.On the other hand some DG classical records are dreadful. Good results with LP-s are possible but not always present.
+1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSQ6xGYPph4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msd709kRYHc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nC0JdrLzZk
They all sound the same
The second one is pretty surprising, what is this instrument ? A Piano ? Really ?
I have a Abba "Super Trouper" LP, C.K. owned it, I have know idea who that is. A mess up at a party, I assume. Not my cup of tea either, back on the shelf it goes beside Aerosmith and AC/DC
I have a few Morel drivers in various cabinet, I think they are one of the better values out their. Tweeters make or break a speaker system, that is if you are not into full range types. I have blown lots of drivers, not any Morel's however. On par with my Dynaudio drivers!!
I have a few Morel drivers in various cabinet, I think they are one of the better values out their. Tweeters make or break a speaker system, that is if you are not into full range types. I have blown lots of drivers, not any Morel's however. On par with my Dynaudio drivers!!
Ho matter, Christophe, same company, same designrs, chasing the same type and quality of sound. No different than other companies.
A speaker I dearly love is JBL 4312. To me, that's an honest speaker, honest because it lies to you and you know it, but forgive it anyway because it's so full of life end emotion. Like a girl from Pigalle, who tells you in the morning that last night you were the world's best ever lover, you know she's lying but it still feels good to hear it. Exactly like tubes. That kind of honesty. You just forgive it because it has such joy of life.
This is what I find lacking in most modern speakers, most sound somehow cold and detached, as if they are not happy with their job and do it, but reluctantly. Not all, of course, but unfortunately most that I've heard.
The logic "less is more", while not outright wrong, like many other good priciples has been corrupted by the audio industry. The current vogue of miniature speakers said to more transparent than classic big boxes are, in my view, a good part of why the modern kids are not joining the audio hobby. Just look at what they can and cannot do, then compare that with their prices, and it's easy to understand why kids don't want to have to pay thousands of euros, dollars ior pounds for a miniature cabinet, with leather and exclusive veneers, when it eventually comes out pretty cold because it can't go below 80 Hz. They are said to be more revealing, but I think that's really tonal imbalance, they simply need more down there to bring all back into synch. Just give its lost two and a half bottom octaves and they might come on song. They fail to make the big difference to hedphone sound needed to convince the kids to pay a lot of money they don't have anyway.
The only two way speakers I have jeard which did something for me were the old Altec Lansings, with horn tweeters. Otherwise, I think it takes a well desiged three way to make it truly linear at realistic sound levels (e.g. 103 dB SPL at 1 m, or about 97 dB SPL at 3 m).
Quite simply, I think the audio industry has betrayed itself by allowing its greed to lead it rather than their brains. Wrong original (underlying) thinking cannot be covered up by cheap manufacturing in China.
A speaker I dearly love is JBL 4312. To me, that's an honest speaker, honest because it lies to you and you know it, but forgive it anyway because it's so full of life end emotion. Like a girl from Pigalle, who tells you in the morning that last night you were the world's best ever lover, you know she's lying but it still feels good to hear it. Exactly like tubes. That kind of honesty. You just forgive it because it has such joy of life.
This is what I find lacking in most modern speakers, most sound somehow cold and detached, as if they are not happy with their job and do it, but reluctantly. Not all, of course, but unfortunately most that I've heard.
The logic "less is more", while not outright wrong, like many other good priciples has been corrupted by the audio industry. The current vogue of miniature speakers said to more transparent than classic big boxes are, in my view, a good part of why the modern kids are not joining the audio hobby. Just look at what they can and cannot do, then compare that with their prices, and it's easy to understand why kids don't want to have to pay thousands of euros, dollars ior pounds for a miniature cabinet, with leather and exclusive veneers, when it eventually comes out pretty cold because it can't go below 80 Hz. They are said to be more revealing, but I think that's really tonal imbalance, they simply need more down there to bring all back into synch. Just give its lost two and a half bottom octaves and they might come on song. They fail to make the big difference to hedphone sound needed to convince the kids to pay a lot of money they don't have anyway.
The only two way speakers I have jeard which did something for me were the old Altec Lansings, with horn tweeters. Otherwise, I think it takes a well desiged three way to make it truly linear at realistic sound levels (e.g. 103 dB SPL at 1 m, or about 97 dB SPL at 3 m).
Quite simply, I think the audio industry has betrayed itself by allowing its greed to lead it rather than their brains. Wrong original (underlying) thinking cannot be covered up by cheap manufacturing in China.
Last edited:
I have a Abba "Super Trouper" LP, C.K. owned it, I have know idea who that is. A mess up at a party, I assume. Not my cup of tea either, back on the shelf it goes beside Aerosmith and AC/DC
I have a few Morel drivers in various cabinet, I think they are one of the better values out their. Tweeters make or break a speaker system, that is if you are not into full range types. I have blown lots of drivers, not any Morel's however. On par with my Dynaudio drivers!!
You need to try harder with Morels.
I built a portable media player, used a PCM2902B USB codec, in order to play with it. I discovered, if I loop the S/PDIF back to itself I can record the stream using WaveLab.
Oops are the copyright police going to be knocking at my door? Is it illegal to have a product do this? Copy protection management?
Sound quality is not too bad, with Jango, not as good as FM IMO. Can't complain, but I have a way better selection of tunes on the FM band. We are so lucky to have a no-commercial radio station nearby, low power, CFGI, which plays great tunes. I must have at least 30 great stations.
From what I have been reading, the "wifi streamer" & sat radio is killing local terrestrial FM radio in the USA.
Rat's!! Maxim discontinued the MAX9729 part on me, does ADI or anyone else have anything equivalent? A mux/volume/tone and headphone amp in one pkg! oh ya i2c too
Last edited:
"wifi streamer" & sat radio is killing local terrestrial FM radio in the USA.
Rat's!! Maxim discontinued the MAX9729 part on me, does ADI or anyone else have anything equivalent? A mux/volume/tone and headphone amp in one pkg! oh ya i2c too
???Virtually all the small local stations here stream, and now I can listen to the independents from all over the country.
Don't know of any single parts to do that.
In fact, the Vbe variation is a secondary consequential effect of the prime cause, which is the Hfe variation.
This can be demonstrated in this simple "thought experiment": in this circuit, the collector current is kept constant to ~10e-3.
The transistor belongs the C group, meaning highest Hfe for minimal current error, and also highest Early effect.
For a 1 to 31V Vce variation, the base current changes from 2.2µA to 1.4µA, while at the same time Vbe changes from 621.5 to 610mV.
26*ln(2.2/1.4)=621.5-610, thus everything falls nicely in place
This is what I originally thought, but I didn't remember whether I verified it, but decided to work on the Early equation since it started making sense to me and to get a different perspective. It's possible I worked all this out in the past and just forgot about it. Maybe I need to keep a theory journal to write this stuff down for reference.
There is a problem here. The BC550C has higher beta and higher Early voltage than the BC337-40 - but has WORSE Vbe modulation WRT Vce.
And other countries. You should give CBC Radio a listen some time (live or podcast). I have enjoyed some jazz station from Paris, I can't remember what it's called.
A while ago I picked up a Logitech "Squeezebox Duet" (mostly for the remote), which comes with a pretty good selection of streaming radio pre-installed, but I was pleasantly surprised that when I clicked on Radio there was a submenu called "Local" with all the local FM stations streaming. I am dumb enough that impressed me, it knew where it was and found local stations! I was also able to install an "app" for CBC, which gathers the main CBC stations from all time zones together, plus podcasts.
And other countries. You should give CBC Radio a listen some time (live or podcast). I have enjoyed some jazz station from Paris, I can't remember what it's called.
A while ago I picked up a Logitech "Squeezebox Duet" (mostly for the remote), which comes with a pretty good selection of streaming radio pre-installed, but I was pleasantly surprised that when I clicked on Radio there was a submenu called "Local" with all the local FM stations streaming. I am dumb enough that impressed me, it knew where it was and found local stations! I was also able to install an "app" for CBC, which gathers the main CBC stations from all time zones together, plus podcasts.
I'm with you, Dejan, as you would expect,
. Don't have that one, but do have the first, the original Abba CD, every song on it is a "hit" - I put it on but rarely, because it's like sampling a very rich chocolate cake - tremendously full sound, the energy just keeps powering - amazing stuff ...I see your point with streaming that it opens the doors to much more content, but I still am hearing of folks complaining in the US about local FM getting worse instead of better, but understand that there are many reasons why, even with IBOC. Do you have any experience with FM IBOC performance?
Thx for looking Scott, I guess I will have to go with a multi-part solution.
So far, I figure I can use the Max9723 and have to figure out on a mux. I realize that relays can be used but are expensive, takes way more area and draws more power unless I use a latching type. Presently I am working with a 5 & 3.3V DC supply. Any suggestions, it does not have to be i2c controlled?
Actually MAX14778 looks pretty good!! but is expensive at $7.23 single qty
Like to try and stay away from a negative V supply, even though I do have one available, for my LCD bias, now using a TC7660, but will eventually cost reduce and replace with a PWM pin from the Atmel xmega MCU.
Thx for looking Scott, I guess I will have to go with a multi-part solution.
So far, I figure I can use the Max9723 and have to figure out on a mux. I realize that relays can be used but are expensive, takes way more area and draws more power unless I use a latching type. Presently I am working with a 5 & 3.3V DC supply. Any suggestions, it does not have to be i2c controlled?
Actually MAX14778 looks pretty good!! but is expensive at $7.23 single qty
Like to try and stay away from a negative V supply, even though I do have one available, for my LCD bias, now using a TC7660, but will eventually cost reduce and replace with a PWM pin from the Atmel xmega MCU.
Talking of radio, was in the car a couple of days ago, and while exploring the dial tuned to a station which usually is immediately skipped - but, was just then streaming blues. Hour after hour, zero talk, zero ads, every track hugely different from the previous one; was exploring every variant and diversion and era in which blues was recorded ... this was brilliant, magic listening ...
On that subject, would you happen to know of a reference for viscosity vs normal pressure recommendations? I've looked to no avail. Trying to come up with an engineering basis for oil viscosity on bearing surfaces in clocks.
jn
What do I think about 24/96 ?.
I have only a few recordings in 24/96 and on cursory listen to me they do sound better than 16/44.
I am awaiting mail delivery of a USB isolator/DC injector board, so when I have it I will take a closer listen and form better judgement.
Streaming feeds are out of the question for me as my internet connection is via portable wireless connection with limited data allowance, 12G/month.
For now my 16/44 setups work perfectly well with all the clarity, instantaneous dynamics and emotion anybody could want.
I am doing some special tricks in my system which bring out quite stunning source sounds separation, side and depth information/imaging, rock solid pin sharp centre imaging, and timbre realism.
In other words, every instrument/effect in a recording has it's own space and can be discerned and followed perfectly easily.
Some recordings are a special delight as regards individual/overall sounds quality and production values such as interesting placements and panning effects and depth effects etc.
Some older rock/pop recordings that I could not stand can take on a new life and become enjoyable, really enjoyable.
Mic placements are perfectly discernable, so is absolute polarity of individual sound sources.
SY seems quite proud of one of his home recordings..a guitar soloist, Peter Mulvey - Knuckleball Suite.
Perhaps I hear it differently, but to me it's hopelessly wrong.
The vocal and guitar sounds are overly distant, far too much room sound with some peaks/resonances, and a disturbing early reflection that intrudes strongly on one channel.
Overall to me it's also lifeless, and leaves me bored/cold.
In contrast when listening to my system with other recordings, I often catch myself unconsciously tapping my feet...overall I get exciting involving immersing sound, no falling asleep !.
Soon I will take a closer listen to 24/96 and report back.
Dan.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.