[Avatar86]

Hi All

I’m sure you all have experienced different sounding media players.

Some music players produce a ”warm, soft, open” listening experience.

Other players sound more ”analytical, hard, sharp, thight, attack, snappy”.

What determines this?
1. What factors of the software kan be tweeked to get a harder/sharper sound?
2. What gear (hardware, DAC, amp, isolation aso.) produce the music with most attack/ sharpness.

The tightest sound i’ve experienced was a CocktailAudio X40 media streamer (integrated DAC, amp and mediaplayer). This device felt like it whipped my eardrums with each beat in the music! My brain hurt after this musical fight club (figuratively speaking) i love it for digital music like Dubstep and Chiptune.

The sloppiest, softest, most retarde,d sound was from av external DAC connectet to my phone via UAPP (player). This setup made the music warmer (Nora jones sounded more alive), but my Chiptune music was just un-listenable. Weak, soft and laggy. Horrible!

I hope I’ve made a clear understanding of what I’m looking for, and what I mean

Please, if you would, share your experience of sharp/hard/snappy/tight/cold/attacky mediaplayers (DAPs, Streamers, software players, settings, source media and more)

Thanks!

 

[dunring]

I have the SMSL SP200 amp and Topping d10b DAC and it's a tight, on point sound. The Drop 789 had a more relaxed sound stage and different drum hits sounded more distinctive as a comparison. The setting that can change it is the filter setting if a DAC has one, or a Sound blaster G6 in direct mode has several to pick from and they change the sound.
The most sterile/dry combo I've had was the Topping L30 and E30 which has 5 filters to pick from. The combo I have is maybe too lean for some who would like the more relaxed drop 789 thx. I really like how faint details are so clear and noticable, just sold the drop 789 and don't regret it.
The attack/decay of the amp, and DAC filter options can effect it.

 

[geek707]

I think you are in the wrong place.
Maybe one of the Source forums or Members Lounge.

 

[71 dB]

The more control the amp has over the headphones, the sharper and precise sound. The less control, the softer and more loppy sound.

The amount of control comes from damping ratio. An amp with low output impedance is likely to have a "shaper" sound.

 

[bigshot]

If you're hearing differences between digital players, one of them is probably defective.

 

[Avatar86]

Thanks for your input guys
Interesting thoughts. This has given me some more to read up on.

Yeah a straight way without too many filters would seem appropriate for getting an directer soundscape.

 

[gregorio]

What determines this?
1. What factors of the software kan be tweeked to get a harder/sharper sound?
2. What gear (hardware, DAC, amp, isolation aso.) produce the music with most attack/ sharpness.

1. Audio compression causes what you described, so disable any. Likewise, replaygain, Apple’s Sound Check or the other loudness normalisation processes applied by many/most streaming services will cause the perception of this effect on music that was mixed and/or mastered with a great deal of compression/limiting. So turn that off where possible.

2. With a few pathological exceptions (NOS R2R DACs for example), all of them produce music with most attack/sharpness. Some DACs have user selectable filters. In general these different filters make no audible difference but some remove a bit of high frequency that maybe audible to young ears and in a few cases there maybe a filter that removes more high frequency, to “emulate” a NOS DAC for example. So don’t select those filters or get a DAC without user selectable filters. Headphones can produce something like what you described, if they present a load that the amp was not designed for.

G

 

[71 dB]

Some DACs have user selectable filters. In general these different filters make no audible difference but some remove a bit of high frequency that maybe audible to young ears and in a few cases there maybe a filter that removes more high frequency, to “emulate” a NOS DAC for example.

G

My NAD C565BEE CD-player has selectable filters and I can hear (very) small differences between them. The difference is in spatial width of the sound. The effect is similar to moving speakers apart from or closer to each other an inch or two. On heaphones the differences are even easier to hear and affects how wide the sound appears. However, I can only hear these differences when 44.1 kHz processing is used. In 96 kHz or 192 kHz upsampled modes all the filters sound exactly the same to my ears. It is all about how the high frequencies are filtered I guess.

 

[old tech]

My NAD C565BEE CD-player has selectable filters and I can hear (very) small differences between them. The difference is in spatial width of the sound. The effect is similar to moving speakers apart from or closer to each other an inch or two. On heaphones the differences are even easier to hear and affects how wide the sound appears. However, I can only hear these differences when 44.1 kHz processing is used. In 96 kHz or 192 kHz upsampled modes all the filters sound exactly the same to my ears. It is all about how the high frequencies are filtered I guess.

I have the exact same CD player as yours, though it hasn't been used for several years now. I could never hear a difference between the different filter settings or the upsampled modes. Maybe I'm getting too old.

 

[bigshot]

I have the exact same CD player as yours, though it hasn't been used for several years now. I could never hear a difference between the different filter settings or the upsampled modes. Maybe I'm getting too old.

Or you aren't as focused on spatial placebo.

 

[gregorio]

My NAD C565BEE CD-player has selectable filters and I can hear (very) small differences between them. The difference is in spatial width of the sound.

I don’t know exactly what filters that CD player has. As it has a NOS mode, it’s certainly possible that one of the filters has a HF roll-off starting low enough to affect your perception in some way, including possibly positioning or stereo width of certain mixes.

However, it would be surprising if more than one of the filters has audible artefacts. I’m not saying it’s impossible, just surprising, as whenever I’ve seen selectable filters, there’s only been one that would likely be audible with anything apart from test tones designed to highlight the filter response.

G

 

[Avatar86]

Maybe this could be one of the factors I’m sensitive against in playing back digitally produced chiptune and electro music.
If the stereo seperation is too wide, this creates an slight off sync in the audio.
Mainly it might not be audible in symphonic or acustic music, but in sharp digital music it is more perseptive? Idk.

 

[Avatar86]

YES!!!
This is might be it!!!

I just unplugged ONE of the headphones of my HD650 and lo and behold, the music was as tight as ever!

Stereo separation and synchronisation! (Phase)
Some players might add stereo separation to apply the effect of a wider sound scape, selling it as a good thing!

But for playing back music that wants to be Exact, this just makes the music image out of synch and feel ”off”.

Thanks for this!!
It might not be all, but is certainly makes a lot of sense! Thanks.

 

[Avatar86]

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