One remark on the piano piece: you can hear clearly a pumping effect on the background hiss....
This recording was analog with noise reduction or digital with compression!
😉
This recording was analog with noise reduction or digital with compression!
😉
I thought you would all like that one. I won't reveal which is which yet. Interesting to see how you arrive at your conclusion and what you all look or rather listen for in a piece 🙂
Yes, I noticed that as soon as I listened critically to the opamp files. In fact I thought "great", is that going to invalidates things but as it is present on the master recording it doesn't.
Between a, b and c, I definitely hear more noise in b and c, and c sounds somewhat more harmonically rich. C also seems louder than A or B. I vote for B, as it sounds more like the original.
It is much easier to listen to short samples than a three minute piece. I would vote for 15 seconds or less for each of your "fruity" series, and leave the too-loud violin piece out.
It is much easier to listen to short samples than a three minute piece. I would vote for 15 seconds or less for each of your "fruity" series, and leave the too-loud violin piece out.
For most of the people in this test it isn't a problem, but as a sound engineer it irritates me........
Thanks for trying them all out Ron.
Would you all like another poll for this 741 vs OPA134 test ?
Would you all like another poll for this 741 vs OPA134 test ?
I have it as a -20db (used here), a -40db and a -60db file. Its from the early days of CD and was deemed "useful" in evaluating how DAC's performed at low level.
It is and I haven't an answer to that with my limited knowledge of all the processes involved. When I imported the files into Audacity to do a level chack (as in the picture earlier) the levels seem similar. I don't know what process is at work or where in my chain the difference can occur.
Hahahahhahhhhhha.....
Analog recording with noise reduction........
My ears pick up those things easier than the difference between opamps!😀😀😀😀
After making my selection, I have played with audacity - and it seems B and C are both about 6dB louder than A.
A little more playing - I would amplify A (or cut B and C) by ~5.25dB and ask people to redo their choices.
A little more playing - I would amplify A (or cut B and C) by ~5.25dB and ask people to redo their choices.
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All will be revealed.... at some point
That's strange.
I suppose one way might have been to look at the level on a scope from the master file (using the analogue out of the CD player) and then tweak the gain of the opamp chain such that when its digitised and recorded with Audacity the exported WAV file also plays back at the same level.
Choosing between B and C should be straightforward as both were recorded one after the other, the only change being the opamps.
Now that I amplified A, it seems harder to tell differences. Time to bust out the good 'cans instead of these dreadful earbuds.
Other than the level difference I can't hear anything obviously different. Though they sound "nice", in all honesty they have a sort of processed sound that would mask any differences, i.e., they sound like they already went through a platoon of 741s somewhere earlier in the process. Maybe that's too harsh, but I'm not getting the emotional involvement I referred to in an earlier post.
I think this would be vastly more useful if the comparison samples were recorded live with a good large diaphragm condenser mic, maybe in mono.
I think this would be vastly more useful if the comparison samples were recorded live with a good large diaphragm condenser mic, maybe in mono.
Okay here we go...
This one is harder but from previous experience I think I will make it.
First I looked for differences between B and C. After I knew I blind test twice and I succeed.
In previous test, I like both banana and orange even tho orange has the worst distortion. In this new test, I can only hear slight difference in distortion, and I tried to avoid the characteristics of the orange.
And opposite to Pano and Ron, I found B has more distortion, and I like the sound of C, even compared to the original (not because A has lower spl!).
Honestly I don't know how to do it with headphone because the clue I think cannot be revealed by headphone but a real speaker.
So C is my favorite, an OPA134 🙂
This one is harder but from previous experience I think I will make it.
First I looked for differences between B and C. After I knew I blind test twice and I succeed.
In previous test, I like both banana and orange even tho orange has the worst distortion. In this new test, I can only hear slight difference in distortion, and I tried to avoid the characteristics of the orange.
And opposite to Pano and Ron, I found B has more distortion, and I like the sound of C, even compared to the original (not because A has lower spl!).
Honestly I don't know how to do it with headphone because the clue I think cannot be revealed by headphone but a real speaker.
So C is my favorite, an OPA134 🙂