What is a CD Audio Buffer?

[chofaichan]

Something like this..
http://www.bursonaudio.com/Burson_Audio_Buffer.htm


What is this? What does it do?
Could anyone explain a bit to me?
Thank you.

[Nanook]

as far as I know... a unity gain amplifier. It is a means to do a couple of things. Basically it has a high input impedance, and a low output impedance. Basically it helps to balance 2 non-compatible impedances, and isolates the input from the output.

By using tubes , a couple of nice side effects can happen:
The buffers often add a little even harmonic distortion (and that is often what folks attribute the "tube sound" to), and if a window is cut into the chassis (if mounted in a closed box, cd player, etc) you get a nice glow in your room.

[analog_sa]

Originally posted by chofaichan
What is this? What does it do?

A good question indeed. Technically, it doesn't do much of value.

Output impedance reduction between cd player and preamp?! Maybe another buffer after the preamp will make it even better.

These type of devices are strictly mid-fi at best in my view. In a high quality reproduction chain they would obviously reduce transparency add distortion and mess up the soundstage.

But they work beatifully with low quality digital sources (are there high quality digital sources?). Just look at the amazing popularity of that most pathetic audio contraption of all times - the X10D.

Would anyone with a high quality preamp want to have a distortion generating, low component quality, inadequate PS device at input?

And i don't believe impedance matching is the main reason buffers sound good in bad systems. They certainly filter some digital noise and add pleasing distortion to put some flesh on the anaemic cd sound.

Of course similar arguments can be made for the use of active preamps as well.

[Puffin]

After 10 years of owning an X-10D, just this weekend I got around to modding it so that you can see the valves working. IMHO they were good for the money. In 10 years it has not been out of my system, between Dac and Pre-Amp

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...ex/BlueX10.jpg

[chofaichan]

Puffin, How does your MF X10d change your music?

[DECKY999]

I had for some time X-10v3 between DAC and amp - one cannot say anything against it - people tend to like the soft tube sound but after a while I realized that everything that I play sounds the same. Do not get me wrong - for some music is awsome but it somehow makes everything soft even the music that is not suppose to sound like that.

Good thing is - I suppose - it can make a bad recording sound good, however, it can make supurb recording sound just plain without dynamics and excitement.

Maybe I am looking at this too subjectivly but you can make very simple dicrete solid state buffers for very little money. The key effect of any buffer should be imedance matching. They are good in isolating pots from the pre-amp output for example.

Check this

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/nuukspot/...ainclone2.html

and scroll to the title - Discrete buffer. Very simple and doable - worth wile experimenting.

[chofaichan]

oic, so in my words, music will become dead fish after passing thou the buffer.
Let me go to some Hi-Fi shops and see if it is possible to listen to that.

[peranders]

Dead fish How did you come to this conclusion?

[Puffin]

chofaican. I would say that it adds a bit of body, but I do not think that it takes away any dynamics or alters the sound. I like the sound it makes, others differ.

[chofaichan]

Originally posted by peranders
Dead fish How did you come to this conclusion?

dead fish means lack of dynamics