I understand that one of the conditions of the Shannon-Nyquist theorem for a band limited signal requires frequencies 2x above the frequencies we want to capture to be removed. If the ADC already does that, why is a filter also required at the DAC end? For example, if I play a CD all...

Hi I'm thinking about purchasing a NC wireless headphone to replace my Bose QC wired. I mainly use it for air travel (though there isn't much of it at the moment) but also would like to use it for TV and occasional music. I've narrowed the choice down to the Sony product, either the current...

Looks like revenue from sales of vinyl will soon overtake that of CDs (well, at least in Australia), but revenue from both is a tiny fraction of that for streaming services. Indeed the days of the CD were numbered over 20 years ago when digital audio no longer required a physical format, so...

I've been following the thread in the link below regarding the reasons why some CDs produced in the 80s and early 90s sound thin and trebly. We already had discussions about some of the early CDs with pre-emphasis which won't sound right if played on a player that does not do de-emphasis, or the...

A good read article in the link below on crushed recordings, mixings and masters, https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/ca-academy/dynamic-range-no-quiet-no-loud-r643/

This is probably a naïve question, but one for audio science. If reproduction of sound consists of amplitude and frequency (and frequency is the same as time), then what accounts for differences in timbres for notes that are the exact same amplitude and frequency?

Came across an excellent article comparing sound cards based on good science with proper testing methodology, including blind testing. The conclusion, the difference between a $2 Realtek ALC889 codec and the $2,000 Benchmark DAC 2 sound card is features, not sound quality...

I came across this write-up in a vinyl focused website. I expected the usual vinylphile ****fest but surprisingly it is a fairly balanced viewpoint. In fact the website generally is pretty good without resorting to myths and psuedoscience like most do. I don't agree with the author's opinions...

I decided to fire up my old legacy stereo the other week. It has been sitting in a cabinet doing nothing for over a year, but still cabled up and hooked up to power. Anyway, when the volume is turned up - and I mean loud, the left channel violently cuts in and out. Otherwise it works fine, no...

On some CDs I can hear a glitch at random points but usually at higher frequencies. It is sort of like a bird chirp, or the sound when you hit the FF/scan function on a CD player but just one chirp for a fraction of a second rather than a series of them. The chirp sound can be heard on rips...

Looks like Steve Hoffman has re-opened an old thread where he claims that DSD and vinyl sound closer to an analog tape source than CDs. I like most of Steve's mastering jobs but seriously, his technical credentials and testing methodology are very questionable when he makes these sort of...

Just wondering why very few stereos, software or amps have a balance control these days. I found this function very useful when constrained to an off centred listening position. The loudness knob seems to have gone in the same way as the loudness button. I know the latter is despised by...

Just wondering if someone could provide a rebuttal to this article from a studio. https://theproaudiofiles.com/dither/ I'm always keen to learn more about dither, ie how it eliminates quantasion errors and self dithering in analog devices (ie random noises introduced by errors in...

In case you missed it, the article Archimago wrote for Computer Audio. He also discusses this on his blog. https://www.computeraudiophile.com/ca/reviews/mqa-a-review-of-controversies-concerns-and-cautions-r701/

I thought you guys might have a chuckle over this. A friend of mine in Sydney is in the market for a CD/SACD/music streamer and came across this Arcam unit at a supposedly well known retailer. Right on the information page for that streamer there is a FAQ on the "vinyl and digital debate"...

Latest installment from Archimago. Some excellent analysis here. http://archimago.blogspot.com.au/2018/02/musingsmeasurements-on-blurring-and-why.html#more

Just having a laugh watching this audio woo thread below on the Hoffman site, it is abit like visiting a astrology or homeopathy site. You can tell their more grounded members have to word their posts very carefully so it doesn't get deleted like some were earlier on because they also posted...

Just wondering what is the science behind playing records wet? I've never tried it myself and many wouldn't recommend it while others claim it improves the sound and any risks are well worth it if playing for a high quality needle drop.

Interesting latest The Mastering Show episode, with Ian Sheppard interviewing Eelco Grimm. Apart from the background studies resulting in Tidal being the latest service to decide turning normalisation on by default, which hopefully will hasten the end of the loudness wars. The surveys were...

I was wondering if anyone from a technical or production background can resolve a discussion I had with a colleague regarding stereo imaging and the extent that it can be influenced by a recording format. The claim is that LP playback imparts a better stereo image and a wider soundstage than...

In case anyone here is interested in participating, Archimago has put up a blind test on the internet. The results should be interesting. http://archimago.blogspot.com.au/2017/07/internet-blind-test-mqa-core-decoding.html

Hi I've run into an issue trying to split two flac files, one has side one of the wall and the other side 2. The two files and the cue sheet are in the same directory. All seems fine, open cue file and it populates the fields correctly. I then split the files, again all goes as it should and...

Hi   I recently obtained Alan Parsons I Robot and Turn of the Friendly Card DVD A recording from a friend as computer files.  The files are listed by track and are in DSF format.     The question is how do I convert these files to Flac (preferably retaining the sound quality)?  I have tried...

So I got into a debate with a friend regarding digital streaming.  Most of my music is streamed from a NAS to either a Naim or Bluesound streamer wirelessly.  My friend claims that I should go to a wired connection as it may sound better because the streamer(s) is not receiving a maximum...

I'll admit that I have never been right into headphones. Not that I mind them, it is just when that I do get time to simply listen to music I have a listening room with fairy good sounding gear. Lately I find that I'm using headphones a lot when I am at my computer. I have access to all my...