Assuming you can use a painless returns policy when buying audio gear, if it consistently sounds better than what you're replacing and you think it's worth the money, just buy it. No point in doing double blind tests or listening to pseudo scientific mantras like you find here on "Sound...

My enjoyment of recorded music improved a lot when I changed from the DAC in an Oppo BDP 105 to a Dangerous Convert-2 converter, (both via USB). The improvement in resolution was spectacular. Would be interested in any input as to the possible technological reasons for this difference. EDIT...

Would you happen to know of any easy to follow instructions for using that PEQ training module you linked to?

I play in a band which usually provides its own live sound. Hope do do some amateur recording in the coming 12 months too. Can anyone recommend any good auditory perception training programs for musicians and sound engineers? Don't wish to spend more than $1,000 USD per year if I can help it...

It's very easy for bass guitarists to consistently pick EQ differences between some different models of electric guitar cables. For example some muffle high frequencies more than others. (I used this to good effect when I used to play bass guitar.) To any sound engineers with suitable training...

Fixed. Did all the above (thank you!) then contacted the DAC company from whom clear and easy factory reset instructions were sent. (Labelled for an A/D converter but identical factory reset hardware and procedure for my DAC). Thanks again!

I'm guessing you would find it inconvenient to rip your CDs to your laptop and stream them from there. That would of course give you better sq than using your dvd player as transport.

For some unknown reason my Mac Mini has recently stopped recognising my Dangerous Convert-2 DAC. Have tried switching off both devices unplugging power, disconnecting and reconnecting USB cable in various sequences all to no avail. Any ideas welcome.

Thanks for your input. However I have been advised by the king of mods on the Audio Science Review forum that my current set up is optimal based on a listening test of hiss from the loudspeakers at their current volume setting and at significantly less than their current volume setting: cannot...

Ended up just turning down the volume adjustment at the back of each loudspeaker. Now the slider controls on my streaming apps, YouTube, etc. are much easier to use.

I have the same issue so I hope you find a solution and share it, but for me it's not a major problem. My bigger issue is that my unit, and I imagine all of them, is for all listening levels much more resolving and thus more enjoyable with its output trim bypassed. So when I listen to Tidal and...

So if you don't agree with a poster they need help with something you have a problem with.

I've never perceived any sonic difference between a lossless file from a normal CD and streaming Tidal in HiFi mode. The opposite invariably applies comparing either with Spotify Premium in which resolution of sonic detail is clearly inferior. Based on this ongoing experience - subscribe to both...

This isn't metal, but I just chose a random song to compare Tidal HiFi and Spotify Premium and the difference in resolution is stark: "Alexandra" , the first song on Laura Marling's album Song for Our Daughter.

Agree with all of the above Gregorio.The reason why this is done? I don’t know but can only hypothesise. Product differentiation maybe: for example at AES in New York in 2017 one manufacturer claimed that, regarding their new DAC’s sub 1 picosecond jitter measurement, “.. the interesting thing...

There is also the deliberate removal of the lower mid energy which in real life muddies the mid-mid and upper-mid frequencies: this gives the naive the idea that the increased “clarity” in the midrange means a more transparent DAC. This is of course an old trick which is used by recording...

While I fully agree with the thrust of your post Bigshot, when buying a new piece of playback equipment we can’t all afford to buy multiple products for side by side comparison at home (or in the recording studio) over an extended period of weeks or months. This is where I think measurements...

You will get a larger sweet spot if you toe in so the axes cross in front of your listening position. Then, (assuming they are correctly volume matched), if your head is left of centre you will be more off-axis with the closer left speaker and more on-axis with the further away right speaker...

“Still? That is the requirement for proper testing of small differences. Our short-term/echoic memory is most sensitive. So of course we want to maximize its ability to keep both A and B in memory for comparison.” Amirm, what can you tell me about who “we” refers to. Are you able to provide...

Might be nice for blending the sound of the chainsaw with the soundtrack to Texas Chainsaw Massacre. May need a low power chainsaw to achieve this - need some power left over for the playback.

Thanks for all that amirm. The fact that perceptions of high frequencies at the threshold of high frequency perception were not registered in the fMRI measurements is extremely interesting. However I don’t understand how this has any significant relevance to the enjoyment of music. As you...

References please. (I think you must be confusing me with someone else)

For double blind equipment tests I'd like to know how the following might influence test results a) the equipment used b) the other physical aspects of the methodology (room acoustics, measuring equipment used and measurement methodology) c) social psychological aspects of the methodology d)...

Agree wholeheartedly. And I love the old adage: "There's nothing as practical as a good theory." By the way, there's an article in Nature Communications published 10 April 2018 which could help enhance our enjoyment of music, whether live or reproduced. Google: DOI:10.1038/s41467-018-03660-8...