I read an interesting article the other day by an Engineer who was working for Sony on the early days of digitial and the mistakes he made trying to sell the new technology. When he came years later to do the same for video he had learned his lesson and explained digital video as 'a different canvas'. I think the analogy works well comparing analog to digital mixing. You start from a different place.
Well, in my book, little Harmonic distortion is not so bad in itself. (As indicated by his name)But hey, you're the one who is not convinced that 0.00001% vs 0.0003% should be audible. Is that why you mentioned IMD? But IMD will not too far away from THD. Why, you're not surprised that I don't look confused?)
It's an integral part of any musical instrument.
I have often read that people like adding a few of even harmonics through the tubes. (And even odd ones for the horn sections).
It adds some consistency, some presence, to the sound of instruments*.
A pure frequency is painful to listen to. Try to create a bass line with a frequency generator.
IMD is an other story. The addition of uncorrelated frequencies blurs listening. Like when you double an instrument.
*This, may-be, explain my preference, when I record singer's voices, for my 'magical' very old Newman mic and my taste for some old tube gears to sculpt some instruments ;-)
[edit] about 0.00001% vs 0.0003%, every sound engineer knows how high he need to push a mixing fader to make an instrument discernible, fighting with the mask effects.[/edit]
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Right, and very interesting in correlation with psycho acoustic. People were used to the flaws of analog. Still today many people, (J.C included) are not used to the absence of the distortions and noise added by various analog processes. They found digital "sterile".
I think i had change my 'canvas' with digital and time on it. A very different way to focus on sound reproduction. mostly focused on 'envelope'.
About distortions, it is the same thing. Looking at the signal in an oscilloscope, when an (fast) attack is slightly saturated, you can see obviously your dynamic is reduced. Listening to it, you can have the feeling to get more. We use-it a lot for drums and percussions. With parsimony.
Having experimented all this during my (long) life, that, may-be, explain why I'm so doubtful about what makes a good audio gear. Certainly not numbers on measurements, and why i prefer to 'trust my years'©. With all the uncertainties that the erratic functioning of our perceptions leads ;-)
Dan i’m a little ‘off’ too......it’s not a bad thing, it was more a reference to how people dismiss things due to preconceptions.....I appreciate your help (and the baggage that comes with)
I actually have a decent volume pot in my stuff box, source would be my elac discovery streamer.....it has output adjustment(app based) but not full volume control.
Like all carbon resistors, most volume pots are a little "grainy". You should prefer-it if you find your system too "liquid". But, most of the time, we are looking for the opposite. Then, to prefer stepped metal layer resistances.
It is all about "voicing".
just to see if my problem lies in the preamp or amp section of the Hint.
It’s actually one of the same model alps control that’s in the Hint now......so if it sounds the same it’s either in the amp or the volume control itself.
If it does end up sounding the same I can try a better quality volume control.....if then it still sounds the same my problem is more than likely the amp section.
And when I say ‘problem’ it’s more of a preference in sound than a actual problem......just a problem for me!
It’s actually one of the same model alps control that’s in the Hint now......so if it sounds the same it’s either in the amp or the volume control itself.
If it does end up sounding the same I can try a better quality volume control.....if then it still sounds the same my problem is more than likely the amp section.
And when I say ‘problem’ it’s more of a preference in sound than a actual problem......just a problem for me!
DACT audio attenuators are good.
DACT audio attenuators
I use 10k version. Hint uses 100k pot and it is too large resistance. Inserts noise and freq response inaccuracy.
DACT audio attenuators
I use 10k version. Hint uses 100k pot and it is too large resistance. Inserts noise and freq response inaccuracy.
I think every 'audiophile' should familiarize himself with the 'sound' of non GNFB amp (member vzaichenko has one). After the application of feedback your amps will sound 'similar'. Yes, similarly wrong
You will actually have various characters but the farther from that 'open loop character' the farther you have lost. My opinion of course.
Bob does not have Hint6, but Hint, the preceding model and it has 100k Alps. Bob posted the photo in the BT thread.
OK found a few mins to run through the claire samples. This was with Etymotic in ears off a cheap DAC I use at work. So nothing high end. I know I went into this knowing what the differences were. But I cannot really tell 2 &3 apart. 1 does sound different. I really didn't want it to but it did.
I will note a typically 'linn' sound similar to their Diana Krall albums but an oddity in the sound stage on headphones which collapsed it more to mono than usual. At home I would be jumping for the stereo width control.
I will note a typically 'linn' sound similar to their Diana Krall albums but an oddity in the sound stage on headphones which collapsed it more to mono than usual. At home I would be jumping for the stereo width control.
Thank you for trying the samples, Bill. They are all in mono, 1 channel files, so if you will listen through speakers, I assume the only space information you get would be your room reflections. However, you may get some feeling of depth information.
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You are good to go, try your streamer connected to the direct ins, the streamer volume control should be fine enough to determine where the sound that you don't like is.....ie Hint preamp stage or power amps.Dan i’m a little ‘off’ too......it’s not a bad thing, it was more a reference to how people dismiss things due to preconceptions.....I appreciate your help (and the baggage that comes with)
I actually have a decent volume pot in my stuff box, source would be my elac discovery streamer.....it has output adjustment(app based) but not full volume control.
Dan.
I’m pretty sure that’s what’s in it now.......not linear at all (and they advertise as non linear) the volume doesn’t go up fast until 2 or 3 o’clock.
Kindly annoying......
Dan that streamer output control works in LUFS and from what I can tell is more a leveling thing (even though it does change Vout) and it’s a pita to change (very deep in the app) I’ve got the alps might as well use it as I really don’t trust straight wiring the elac to the HT bypass......there would be no fast way to turn it down.
We should probably refrain from the Hint issues here and keep it at the BT thread.
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It is OK, it is technical and on preamps. I have no problems with it. We have already said important comments on the test music samples.
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