Yes, you can't expect a disk to reproduce music properly if it's never been exposed to live culture.
No, strawberry with crispy bits. Of course it was Greek yoghurt. You think it's not enough to be told I've got a closed mind and cloth ears, you think I want people should think I'm some kind of food philistine too?
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I love the Taz stuff myself, I've made my own from scratch a few times, draining the best yoghurt I could find in a cheese cloth, brineing the cukes, fresh herbs, great stuff.
Evening.
I've built up the same circuit that SandyK posted earlier, which supplies a clean 5V supply to a USB stick, as I wanted to give it try.
I ripped some tracks to the my PC hdd, then again to standard USB, and then again to the same USB stick, but fed from this PSU, which uses a JLH power supply add-on
The tracks stored on normal USB sounded better than the HDD, but when comparing HDD to USB fed from this PSU, the difference is more pronounced.
Things like busy bass lines in rock music were mush easier to follow, with better texture. I also noticed more details like strings being fingered prior to playing, drum pedals etc.
I don't really need to know why it sounds better, but I do know that it does to me.
Try it, you might like it!
I've built up the same circuit that SandyK posted earlier, which supplies a clean 5V supply to a USB stick, as I wanted to give it try.
I ripped some tracks to the my PC hdd, then again to standard USB, and then again to the same USB stick, but fed from this PSU, which uses a JLH power supply add-on
The tracks stored on normal USB sounded better than the HDD, but when comparing HDD to USB fed from this PSU, the difference is more pronounced.
Things like busy bass lines in rock music were mush easier to follow, with better texture. I also noticed more details like strings being fingered prior to playing, drum pedals etc.
I don't really need to know why it sounds better, but I do know that it does to me.
Try it, you might like it!
If you know it sounds better then you've obviously carried out ABX tests or similar. Please post your results for all to see.
Hi Slipstreem,
I'm afraid I employed no scientifically rigorous tests (not being a scientist, just a lapsed electronics tech) to this, but this is how I did it.
I ripped (used EAC) several familiar tracks to HDD, then USB stick and then USB stick powered by external PSU. I then lined up the tracks in my playback software and listened to the music, looped so that the tracks repeated. Each track was named the same. After a few loops, I soon forgot which track came from which source. With the differences in the replayed track, I noted the track number. After my notes were finished, I checked where each track came from, and compared with my notes.
The track from the PSU powered USB had the best sound to my ears.
No ABX, no blindfolds or anything else, as that's not how I listen to my music.
All I've done is detail a method which has brought me greater musical enjoyment.
Anyone predisposed to be sceptical is completely free to dismiss it, anyone intrigued is free to try it.
I'm afraid I employed no scientifically rigorous tests (not being a scientist, just a lapsed electronics tech) to this, but this is how I did it.
I ripped (used EAC) several familiar tracks to HDD, then USB stick and then USB stick powered by external PSU. I then lined up the tracks in my playback software and listened to the music, looped so that the tracks repeated. Each track was named the same. After a few loops, I soon forgot which track came from which source. With the differences in the replayed track, I noted the track number. After my notes were finished, I checked where each track came from, and compared with my notes.
The track from the PSU powered USB had the best sound to my ears.
No ABX, no blindfolds or anything else, as that's not how I listen to my music.
All I've done is detail a method which has brought me greater musical enjoyment.
Anyone predisposed to be sceptical is completely free to dismiss it, anyone intrigued is free to try it.
Woodenhead
Not sure if you were comparing rips or different playback media. Or both at the same time?
Not sure if you were comparing rips or different playback media. Or both at the same time?
Hi Analog_sa
One rip to HDD, one rip to USB, one rip to PSU USB, all of the same tracks.
All files compared across the different media, using exactfile, and checksums the same.
One rip to HDD, one rip to USB, one rip to PSU USB, all of the same tracks.
All files compared across the different media, using exactfile, and checksums the same.
Seems like you misunderstood my question. I don't care much how the rips were created. Playback, though is a different matter. Did you play them back from the original media? How do you know you are comparing exctraction media and not playback media?
It seems I am misunderstanding your question.
If you mean original media to mean the location they were ripped to, then they were played back from that same location that they were ripped to, without being moved.
I did not compare to playing the music direct from the dvd-writer I use, or my cd player/dac.
Hopefully I've understood your question better this time, if not, lets give it another go.
If you mean original media to mean the location they were ripped to, then they were played back from that same location that they were ripped to, without being moved.
I did not compare to playing the music direct from the dvd-writer I use, or my cd player/dac.
Hopefully I've understood your question better this time, if not, lets give it another go.
Right, playback and ripping are not the same. So you may well have been testing playback, not the ripped file itself.
I strongly suggest that you get the ABX plugin for Foobar.
foo_abx
This will give you a real blind test. You can set up the test (by moving the files or not) to test for audible differences in the files, or the playback medium.
We look forward to your results!
I strongly suggest that you get the ABX plugin for Foobar.
foo_abx
This will give you a real blind test. You can set up the test (by moving the files or not) to test for audible differences in the files, or the playback medium.
We look forward to your results!
Since we're going to go here, I thought I'd comment:
Better is a matter of opinion (unless you ABX different recordings against the original instrument played live in your listening room - THEN the one that sounds more like the live instrument is arguably better). What ABX can determine is whether two things sound DIFFERENT.
No, I think you are too lax in your requirements - you need the whole band or orchestra in your listening room. You can't possibly make a judgement based on a single instrument played by a different person. In fact, I believe you need to assemble the original players & the acoustics of the original recording venue & any other pertinent surrounding circumstances, otherwise you are simply fooling yourself & it's all BOOGA BOOGA as SY would have it!
And all joking aside, and with some very deliberate relaxation of the above requirements 😛 that is why any music loving audiophile should go to a live concert once in a while so that they know roughly what the music genres they like sound like performed in a real space and on real instruments.. 😀 Obviously this works best if you are listening to unamplified acoustic instruments, but you'll get some considerable value out of most good electric bands in small venues as well (limited or no house PA).. You may (or may not) find that you remember more than you think after the fact.
I think you are leaving yourself open to being accused of fundamental mistakes about sonic memory & it's reliability. This surely can't be any basis for comparison, can it? We all have memories of bands & sound - I remember the famous Pink Floyd concert in the Montreal Olympic Stadium in 1976 - I remember the sound as well as the incidents! I remember when they turned on the amplification the system sounded like a jet had just flown overhead
I have memories of acoustic sessions in small venues from Paul Brady, Don McLean, etc. but these were in 1976 too! Does this qualify 🙂
I have memories of acoustic sessions in small venues from Paul Brady, Don McLean, etc. but these were in 1976 too! Does this qualify 🙂
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Exactly. So can any other double blind test format (e.g., repeated paired preference, triangle, sorting...). Establish that A and B sound different and which is BETTER then becomes a matter of opinion and taste and can't really be argued.
The "original instrument" argument is beyond ludicrous.
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