As a practical matter, we would need to listen to and measure each other's dacs. Someone else could build my dac based on what I have published here (aside from the unobtainium output transformer), but there is no way I could mail one. OTOH, no one can listen to, nor measure for themselves a dac which is a closely held secret.
Not a lot I guess, why then bother to hover here if there is nothing useful to be had. Maybe scan through the threads to find a topic that does interest you.
SilentSwitcher does not require a battery. Any 5-15VDC power source works. I use it e.g. with a 12V linear PSU.
My point in replying to your "team work" suggestion was just this. Your suggestion and the above quote imply that you have an undeserved bias that many seem to share: well measuring stuff does not sound good. Why on earth would that be the case?
No it can be done separately. With cultural differences, different time zones, different ideas.
Been there, done that and still very proud of the cooperation and the result. About 800 members here decided to build a copy.
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I was commenting on the "team work" suggestion but your suggestion is better. Why didn't I come up with that myself?
Over and out.
Weird, I power all three DACs in my system with batteries. I found it cuts out the electromagnetic interference from the national grid.
I used to power my amps with batteries too. When the capacity was below 10% there were some trippy flanger/phaser effects 🫠
I used to power my amps with batteries too. When the capacity was below 10% there were some trippy flanger/phaser effects 🫠
Any of you ever compare results using Deltawave software to see what is different about one DAC vs another? It performs null testing.
I re-ripped the file using Exact Audio Copy. It found no errors. Using WinDiff, the new rip is bitwise identical to the version I put in dropbox, and identical to a download I made from dropbox.
The CD is the year 2000 release version: Warner Bros 9 47772-2
So, it is a bit-perfect CD version, so far as any tests can reveal.
Mark, I have enjoyed several hours today of Dire Strait and not in the mood of the same right now. I like having a library of various artists and albums to suite a specific mood. Incidentally, I cannot recall exactly what I needed to confirm again. It must have been important? I did download it a moment ago.
I don't know what version of the recording you have. The version I have sounds great after its upsampled and converted to DSD256. That said, maybe some dacs don't play 16/44 at its best. Also, different versions may sound different due to different mastering of each release. Moreover CD versus hi res may account for some difference in fine details.
I would guess there is nothing more to say about it as this point.
It would be useful if Deltawave were used to test some ideas in this thread. Parsing out what matters vs what doesn't.
Its not that simple. Producing files to analyze requires an ADC. Errors in the ADC will contribute to errors in the files. Ideally, the ADC should be at least 10 times better than the dac to be sure what is being measured is the dac and not the ADC.
In addition, DeltaWave uses lots of FFT analysis. Few people seem to deeply understand the DFT (and thus the FFT), and the implications of its use. It is a linear integral transform approximation. Useful for a lot of things, yes. But the fact that it involves integration, it to some extent has an averaging effect. A little short glitch may not contribute much energy on average (what would be seen on an FFT -- depending on settings), but in the short time it exists it might still be audible.
The only feature in DeltaWave that attempts to show instantaneous differences between files is the analog difference function, which allows one to listen to the differences. However, that feature is controversial. Why? I expect human bias may have some influence on that. Over at ASR, they believe a theory of Amir claiming that if SINAD is good enough then two dacs are both audibly transparent. However, there is no peer reviewed scientific study in a reputable journal showing any such thing. Yet over at ASR its become an almost Cargo Cult-like belief system. Thus, they find the FFT numbers DeltaWave produces to be to their liking (it confirms their preexisting belief). The analog difference function tells a different story which is contrary to their preexisting belief. Therefore they conclude that the difference function must be in error, and they make up a theory of timing misalignment to explain it to their satisfaction. Now their belief system is no longer in peril.
OTOH, when I listen to the difference signal, I find its pretty close to right-on about audible differences between files. Maybe timing error contributes to some of the difference, but I am very skeptical that it always accounts for all of the difference. My belief system is not in peril in face of such a possibility.
In addition, DeltaWave uses lots of FFT analysis. Few people seem to deeply understand the DFT (and thus the FFT), and the implications of its use. It is a linear integral transform approximation. Useful for a lot of things, yes. But the fact that it involves integration, it to some extent has an averaging effect. A little short glitch may not contribute much energy on average (what would be seen on an FFT -- depending on settings), but in the short time it exists it might still be audible.
The only feature in DeltaWave that attempts to show instantaneous differences between files is the analog difference function, which allows one to listen to the differences. However, that feature is controversial. Why? I expect human bias may have some influence on that. Over at ASR, they believe a theory of Amir claiming that if SINAD is good enough then two dacs are both audibly transparent. However, there is no peer reviewed scientific study in a reputable journal showing any such thing. Yet over at ASR its become an almost Cargo Cult-like belief system. Thus, they find the FFT numbers DeltaWave produces to be to their liking (it confirms their preexisting belief). The analog difference function tells a different story which is contrary to their preexisting belief. Therefore they conclude that the difference function must be in error, and they make up a theory of timing misalignment to explain it to their satisfaction. Now their belief system is no longer in peril.
OTOH, when I listen to the difference signal, I find its pretty close to right-on about audible differences between files. Maybe timing error contributes to some of the difference, but I am very skeptical that it always accounts for all of the difference. My belief system is not in peril in face of such a possibility.
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Of course what you say is totally valid. Few people realise that remix or remaster or even some releases are different from say the original recording. BTW, the Wadia is an old machine from the 80's I don't think there was much better that 24/196 maybe even 16/48 back then, I must try dig up the manual and have a look. It does not have all these modern features like today's stuff.
I am currently listening to Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds. Then I have The Who - Quadraphenia lined up, That will take me to bed time. Are you familiar with these?
I am currently listening to Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds. Then I have The Who - Quadraphenia lined up, That will take me to bed time. Are you familiar with these?
There is more to Deltawave than the FFTs. You get time aligned difference signals to listen to or time aligned files to compare using the built in ABX routine. Besides which the fact not everyone understands hardly means it does not work nor have value. People can learn you know. Any short glitch can be heard as you get to listen to the result.
DeltaWave is what it is; it does what it does. There is not necessarily a problem with that. Usually the problems are with human interpretation of the output. If someone wants to believe dacs with good enough SINAD are audibly transparent, their confirmation bias can be satisfied based on their beliefs and their biased interpretation of the program output.
First we need to see if Amir's theory is really correct. If not, then how do you explain the belief system?
Also, it only takes one counterexample to invalidate a theory. Already some people claim that there are dacs measuring about the same that don't sound the same. Amir should perform controlled listening tests with those dacs to see if his theory is invalidated. He needs to comply with ITU recommendations for such a study.
Also, it only takes one counterexample to invalidate a theory. Already some people claim that there are dacs measuring about the same that don't sound the same. Amir should perform controlled listening tests with those dacs to see if his theory is invalidated. He needs to comply with ITU recommendations for such a study.
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