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Ultimate Audio Playback / Playback Tweaks and Source related subjects / Re: EMI susceptibility of audio and USB clocks
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on: March 12, 2014, 04:46:30 pm
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Hi Nick,
Interesting progress!
We have a saying here: "when you have two clocks you never really know what the hour is...". My take on this phenomenon would still be a 'master USB clock' solution. This will always imply a fixed and identical base frequency yet the clock distribution is likely to introduce different phase noise at the different ends. I'm too distracted to look deeper into this subject, yet it may hold even more potential. At least it lacks the synching of the clocks and the clock source may be decoupled from the source and destination noise sources.
I would not be surprised at all that you will find absolute and relative wandering of the clock frequencies audible.
keep us posted,
regards, Coen
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259
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Ultimate Audio Playback / XXHighEnd Support / Re: SQ of WAV vs M4A
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on: February 11, 2014, 12:37:12 am
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Now that checksum will tell you if they are completely identical. If you're only one sample off (even one byte) than the checksum will not be the same. This is the difficulty, you cannot know how your rip is comparable to the presumably unripped ' cloud' version. They have to be from the same source AND have the same start and end samples. So no padding or truncing allowed...otherwise you'll end up with an unequal checksum even if the music is 100% the same.
I'd say only the CD ripping process gives reproducible results unless there is some smart checksum that is able to match the actual music data with a reference regardless of padding/truncation.
On a more DIY track you could align the two datasets on peak values in a (hex) file or music editor (pick a channel and search for nice extremes) than you can observe if the dataseries before and after the peak are exactly the same. Of course with the absolute sample magnitude. If not: they will not be equal enough to sound the same!
regards, Coen
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260
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Ultimate Audio Playback / XXHighEnd Support / Re: SQ of WAV vs M4A
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on: February 10, 2014, 03:58:02 pm
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Otherwise checksums cannot be the same (accurate rip) But that was about Joachim's own rip of the CD version. Not sure how to check against AccurateRip with a download. And then *still* it doesn't tell much because 10 versions of an album can exist and they will (normally) all be in the AccurateRip database ... Peter check! That would be the most surprising: itunes store and CD from the same source! regards, Coen
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261
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Ultimate Audio Playback / XXHighEnd Support / Re: SQ of WAV vs M4A
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on: February 10, 2014, 03:25:39 pm
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from Peter's link: Apple Lossless files are stored in the MPEG 4 container and have a .m4a extension. The MPEG 4 container is also used for Advanced Audio Compression (AAC), a lossy compression (currently all tracks purchased from iTunes Music Store (iTMS) are AAC).
Have a .m4a file but do not know if it contains Apple Lossless or AAC? dBpoweramp Music Converter is able to show the contents (Apple Lossless or AAC) of an m4a file, by simply holding the mouse over.
Maybe they do lossless in the Apple Store after all... Otherwise checksums cannot be the same (accurate rip) regards, Coen
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263
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Ultimate Audio Playback / Your thoughts about the Sound Quality / Re: SQ of 1.186, best ever! (Again)
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on: February 08, 2014, 11:38:37 am
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Hi Peter,
Thanks for sharing you thoughts and insights. I've not considered speaker tuning in this way myself. Anyway maybe I did some changes crucial to my peception of the music through the different OSses. The speaker filter setup in use has not changed since my xp days, though I've experimented a lot inbetween. Foremost I removed some damping material and changed the remaining with stuff that suited me better. This could have been beneficial for w7 only. Someday I will look into how to realise your f-m approach in my setup and have seagulls floating onbthe ceiling!
Regards, Coen
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264
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Ultimate Audio Playback / Your thoughts about the Sound Quality / Re: SQ of 1.186, best ever! (Again)
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on: February 05, 2014, 03:06:20 pm
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Peter,
Thanks for the elaboration.
I've grown to believe in a "sound character" of components and software, that is that no matter what you tune you can never tune it completely into something else. Eventually you will always hear a certain fingerprint of it on the sound.
To illustrate this with an example, I've used a simple lab supply on various locations in my audio setup and I've always been hearing a consistent "darkening" of the sound. For this the supply has to be in use in the chain, just being on unconnected will not change anything.
So we might have tuned our speakers for Win7, but I am reluctant to accept this as the root for a win7 preference. I've conducted many experiments with my speakers filters and they've always been in a certain margin, affecting only a limited set of SQ parameters (foremost on the tonal balance and spaciousness). Especially I've found the almost subliminal listening ease of win7 not a quality that I can change with speakerparts.
Off course if anyone has an experiment that can or will prove me wrong I will conduct it!
regards, Coen
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265
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Ultimate Audio Playback / Your thoughts about the Sound Quality / Re: SQ of 1.186, best ever! (Again)
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on: February 05, 2014, 11:21:34 am
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Peter,
I am glad you put up the description of the difference between W7 and W8. I think this very much describes the annoyances that I have been hearing in W8 and the naturalness I experience in W7 (...since the beginning). This despite the quite different systems we listen to!
Still some of us report splendid sound from W8 which may tell that there could be something we overlooked.
regards, Coen
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268
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Ultimate Audio Playback / Phasure NOS1 DAC / Re: Questions on Phasure NOS1 measurements thread
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on: February 04, 2014, 08:39:40 pm
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Coen, I'm just pointing out that Peter has stated a slew rate of 650V/µs for the NOS1 in other threads. I'm trying to understand how that equates with the measured 90ns for 2V rise time.
Mani.
Ok, thanks, I missed that! Anyway my calculation isn't really correct, but that doesn't really matter. Regards, Coen
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270
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Ultimate Audio Playback / Playback Tweaks and Source related subjects / Re: Further Isolation of the Silverstone PCIe - USB Card
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on: February 03, 2014, 10:35:45 pm
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Hi Coen, removing the connection of the black wire from the USB receptacle at the power supply's end Do you mean the black wire (or blue in my NOS1) that runs from the USB female socket shield in NOS1 to PE (via a screw to the case in the right leg power supply)? If so yes I did remove that and again made no difference. Paul Yes, as the only means of 'isolating' the USB. YMMV with these kind of tweaks. It all depends on (too) many other factors. regards, Coen
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