What is conventional? Define.
IMD measurements are very low and it shows up better that way than THD or straight harmonic distortions.
If there is a choice between which is better, choose IMD. But using a current sense resistor, put a distortion analyser there too. Oh yes, there is stuff that can be measured and there are choices to be made.
If you mention LR4 as conventional, then the difference is between well-designed smooth speakers versus one that makes music interesting and imaging that goes well outside the box and tonal purity, layering etc.
The Orpheus Apollo loudspeakers sold the best part of one thousand pairs at a very competitive price. The company ended up, for financial reasons, putting unusually expensive drivers in that design. It got them out of difficulty at the time, but most did not know the inside story. At the end of its production and selling cycle, I acquired a pair from them directly. I wanted to do just one change only as I already knew the drivers. I only redesigned the crossover and nothing else. It was formerly LR4 acoustic and many said it was a very good speaker and particularly for the money. It was a solid performer!
The designer was Brad Serhan and we go back around thirty years. He knew what I was up to and gave the go-ahead to put a very different crossover into it. He knows my crossover methods but does not copy them, but we talk and share.
I got a few people to listen to it and they thought they were OK, very smooth, very low distortion etc. A decent speaker.
One month later I invited them back. "That's not the same loudspeaker" and "does the crossover make that much of a difference" and the answer was of course "yes."
Smooth and boring had become an engaging and an interesting speaker, no artificial brightness, but so much more suave and delineating. And the imaging came out of the box.
Now both designs would be "low distortion" on the THD side, the individual certainly drivers are, but with IMD measurements they sure did not measure the same, here one was a lot cleaner than the other. It is the crossover that is making a difference and I can point to mechanisms as to why. But here I am not allowed to mention back... impedance.
One key, find drivers that are very linear and low inductance!
Orpheus Loudspeakers - Apollo
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I rarely do complete system distortion measurements, but I know from the ingredients what they are going to look like.
Last edited:
Okto dac8 Stereo D/A processor | Stereophile.com
Other than a minor issue on the SPDIF input which may or may not be audible this looks to be a rather well performing ESS implementation with lots of filter choices and DSD for those that like that.
Not a product I'm in the market for ( I have my eyes on the 8 channel model as a possible irrational upgrade) but not silly money for the performance (audible or not)
Other than a minor issue on the SPDIF input which may or may not be audible this looks to be a rather well performing ESS implementation with lots of filter choices and DSD for those that like that.
Not a product I'm in the market for ( I have my eyes on the 8 channel model as a possible irrational upgrade) but not silly money for the performance (audible or not)
And not only that, it covers the same topics repeatedly....(ducks....)
And all of this repetition is why I am only interested in equating what someone claims to hear to some sort of unbiased third-party validation...a thing some call measurement. If someone says what they hear can't be measured, I hope they mean using existing tools...in which case it is up to THEM, not the rest of us, to come up with a way to measure or confirm it. I will never deny they think they are hearing something, but since it is THEM hearing it, they are the ones that have to investigate what it is...how can I verify it if I am not the one hearing it? Am I just being dense here (don't answer, I have my wife for that sort of comment...)
Life is short....I have been having fun participating in the design of new studio setups. It can be quite challenging, but helps one acknowledge the efforts of Western Electric engineers and major label audio engineers in the 1900s... Rules regarding routing AC power conduits, grounding methodology and the rest. Closer to home, the new isolation transformer type I had a small part in designing is working extremely well in more than 10 installs so far...studios are an application of power/isolation transformer technology with very unique requirements.
Cheers!
Howie
Sorry for deleting that post you responded to. I suggested left/right localization accuracy might have been the complaint.
In reality, I know there is more that could sound unpleasing to some. Saw pics of the inside of that dac, recognize the circuit, layout looked pretty good compared to some. IME it could be made to sound better, but IMHO its true that figure of merit measurements as seen over at ASR can be fine. That, despite some remaining audible imperfections.
Last edited:
To everybody? Or only to a selected cabal of natively talented listening experts with ears honed in long, uncontrolled, listening sessions?
Or maybe it just didnt do enough for the $ outlay - and he wanted to recoup before it's too late, take the remaining $ in a different direction.
Value investing in audio components is like playing the stocks; it can go in any direction, usually down. I did one once - stayed flat for over a decade, while other pieces head to the stratosphere...
There was a guy on '24Hrs in A&E' on TV last night that had drunk 1 litre of cider and then decided to ride his bike home and ended up in a ditch.
I think he only remembered the last litre of cider he had drunk, and not the 4 or 5 just prior to that
Few stitches to the lip and then he tried to walk out but the doc put him on a stretcher and told him to sleep it off.
Ah, the NHS. Bless 'em!