It is not, if you have everything under control and well documented. In fact, proper 24bit PC replay is better than almost any red book CD player - but the CONTROL of everything is the necessary condition.
In my experience, software ABX is far better than any HW switchbox.
If you had access to the best (your best) choice of preamp, power amp and speakers but were limited to a source component retailing at say £$1500 maximum (and I'm going to be specific and say that source component is an SA-CD or CD player), would you be able to discern differences in your amplification chain such as changes in passives such as caps, resistors and cabling etc or would the quality of such a source as specified render any differences inaudible (to you) ?
Its very difficult to get a feel for what you (or anyone hears) and how you rate that in importance. That's what I'm trying to get at.
For example, given your best choice of amplification, you might score that today as 100 out of 100. Its the best you can come up with today. If you now replace just the amplifier chain with say the best offerings of Pioneer or Sony or Technics and say in the price range of £$1500 and perhaps from stuff that was around over the last 20 years... how might that reflect in your 100/100 score. Is it that last 5% or 1% that makes all the difference in the world for your "top end" sound as you hear and perceive it, or, would a change like that be disastrous and knock a score right down such that you couldn't enjoy listening to it.
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That was one of the difficulties.See the first two attachments.
I spent some more hours to build a set of cvrs
George
OOOOh, you sneaky guy.. I missed that break...
Well done..
jn
@Mooly ,
I know you asked John, here's my 2c , yes you could, from my experience the speakers are the most important tool when doing evals and a 1500.00 digital would have enuff detail to do proper evals. That being said you will need additional sources (hi-fi market) because you will want to know how it reacts in different situations , if speakers you will use 2-4 different type amplfiers , if amplifier under eval , 2-3 different types of speakers representing different loads.
You have to throw at your product as many scenarios as possible for no surprises in the market place ..
I know you asked John, here's my 2c , yes you could, from my experience the speakers are the most important tool when doing evals and a 1500.00 digital would have enuff detail to do proper evals. That being said you will need additional sources (hi-fi market) because you will want to know how it reacts in different situations , if speakers you will use 2-4 different type amplfiers , if amplifier under eval , 2-3 different types of speakers representing different loads.
You have to throw at your product as many scenarios as possible for no surprises in the market place ..
Yes, I did. You have them also for lower level signals, the distribution of digital artifacts and crossover-like distortions remains similar. This is, IMO, the worst that new technologies are bringing to us. Unnatural, technologically colored sound. You guys should try your test and do not evaluate the impact to sound from graphs only. If you knew, you would see it from graphs, that's what I hoped. These technologies are a way to hell regarding hi sound quality. They only define higher than before standard for masses.
By listening to pure signals of -20, -40, -60 and -80dB with and without artifacts.
I am not playing your games SY, it is time consuming and boring. Rather more work than speak. As the whole thread. Pub chat and egos. No results, no reasoning based on results. That's how it goes over years.
I am not playing your games SY, it is time consuming and boring. Rather more work than speak. As the whole thread. Pub chat and egos. No results, no reasoning based on results. That's how it goes over years.
I wouldn't disagree. Unfortunately, doing things correctly to get reliable results is often tedious, as is detailing them for replication (or having your peers find errors). That's true of any serious discipline.
But reliable, replicable results are their own reward. That's what separates scientists from people who like to play at being scientists. I'd be less skeptical if you (or anyone else) were able to show positive results on the Waslo Souza band test. Or even provided some backup detail for replication when claiming remarkable results rather than just complaining that your claims aren't accepted ex cathedra.
I don't see that you've ever presented any data or analysis. On anything. Ever.
PMA, I can agree with YOU, because I know that you do the very best you can, and you have the capability to do it very well. I do not have this capability yet. I have an OPPO 105, and it is pretty good, BUT it is not as good as I need for an ultimate fidelity source. Therefore, I do my serious listening with selected vinyl recordings.
Everybody else, I am concerned about.
Everybody else, I am concerned about.
From your posts I can see that your concern is more about whether the difference can be heard or not with poor hardware. IMO this is just a matter of who the listeners are (no problem with mercury relay or other switchbox).
The only serious concern actually is whether the poor hardware will affect preference or not.
From my experience, poor hardware tend to affect audibility only and not preference (based on my ears of course). I have found consistency with my preferences in good or bad hardware, except for speakers.
Speakers are usually the weakest link. Worrying hardware but not the speaker doesn't make sense. IME, only speaker change has had change my preference. But with experience I may be able to predict when it may happen.
For example, to my ears class D have been more dynamic but in long listening it is boring or fatiguing. Now what happen if it is listened through a speaker that is non fatiguing? I still haven't tried but I'm open minded.
Also it is rare a speaker that can speak the emotion of the music, instrument or singer. I prefer to call this transparency (not detail or resolution). Without this capability in listening tests, we lost one very important criteria from whatever DUT.
Thanks... its a valid a reasoned argument.
John, what say you ? Put some numbers in for me. Where on the 0 to a 100 scale would top of the range amps from mass market manufacturers slot in if you scored your best as a 100/100 as your reference. Lets say Sugden Class A, not so mass market. How near might that come to your goals, 1% or 10%
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