darrenyeats;264715 Wrote: > My opinion is that as long as a signal is digital or electrical a > component doesn't have to "achieve" anything other than passing the > signal along without distorting it. > > Soundstage, microdynamics, detail, bass extension, danceability, > chocolateyness etc are all human descriptions. If the component doesn't > distort the signal then that component is not the problem (the original > recording might be the problem, or the listener, or the mixing > engineer). > > Microphones and loudspeakers have a much tougher job because that is > the moving air / electrical interface. For example, loudspeaker > designers have to make assumptions about the size and nature of the > room, the positioning of the listeners etc. So there isn't a single > "correct" design of loudspeaker not even in theory if zero distortion > were possible from the drivers. > > However, there is a theoretically "correct" design of a source with > zero distortion (because sources aren't affected by those additional > things loudspeakers must take into account). > > The point being, that a lot of modern sources have very low distortion > and that is all we need of them. That's why, for example, we don't > expect a Transporter, a Linn DS or some future perfect source to > provide previously unheard dynamic range in an Oasis recording: Oasis > recordings are just compressed. What do we expect a million dollar > source to achieve? > > The point becomes more plain if we imagine a million dollar binding > post on a speaker. What can that achieve? At best it can sound as if > there were no binding post. If a reviewer said it cured his prominent > mid-bass I would be suspicious. It isn't the job of binding posts to > cure prominent mid-bass, that is the job of room treatments, or > loudspeaker designers, or EQ correction. > > For me binding posts and sources are the same in that I expect them to > have a minimal distorting effect on the signal (even when Dr. Hook is > playing). Of course taste comes into home audio but tweaks should be at > the speaker or room end (or with EQ facilities) not with sources or > binding posts. > Darren
Yes oh yes oh yes... finally someone else gets it :o) (Ok I know Darren isn't the only one!) Oh - and I want chocolateyness - that has v high WAF...unlike my suggestion to remove the outer walls of the house :o( Straight wire with gain is the target for everything apart from Speakers (and cartridges). However, all equipment - even old Quad gear, God rest Peter Walkers soul - is voiced to some extent. Naim gear - good case in point. It's voiced to sound "fast"...however, their recent gear is voiced slightly differently. Linn too. No-one ever comments on the fact that either it wasn't accurate to start with or it was, but now it isn't. They all say "Naim=good"...and you know what - they are right. I don't like the old Naim sound - but that's personal preference. I love Linn speakers (but only the expensive active ones) - lots of people hate them with a passion. This all crystallised for me when I was told I had to replace the "rubbish" PSU in my all-digital TACT. $600. So I did a little test. I cannot hear ANY difference at all when the bypassed TACT is in or out of the digital chain. The PSU is doing electrically teh same thing when bypassed or not bypassed. So, am I going to upgrade the PSU so it sounds better? - am I hell. How can it possibly sound "better" than not being there at all? By the way I quite like Dr. Hook (or rather, I think Sylvia's Mother is a great track - and a couple of others from their early years - not the syrupy ballad cr*p) -- Phil Leigh You want to see the signal path BEFORE it gets onto a CD/vinyl...it ain't what you'd call minimal...SB3+Stontronics PSU - Altmann JISCO/UPCI - TACT RCS 2.2X with Good Vibrations S/W - MF X-DAC V3/X-PSU/X-10 buffer (Audiocomm full mods)- Linn 5103 - Linn Aktiv 5.1 system (6x LK140's, ESPEK/TRIKAN/KATAN/SEIZMIK 10.5), Townsend Supertweeters, Kimber & Chord cables ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Phil Leigh's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=85 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=38815 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
