[bigshot]

I'm afraid I didn't read that blog carefully because statements like this tipped me off to the real world application of all that tech speak...

The lowly Apple Airport Express was measured by Stereophile to have a "respectably low 258ps of jitter" in the spdif output. Thus in real life, I think the relevant measure is intrinsic jitter in which the Wolfson part excels at 50 psec

If it is inaudible at 258 ps, it isn't going to be any more inaudible at 50. This is the pursuit of numbers for numbers sake.

 

[leeperry]

If it is inaudible at 258 ps, it isn't going to be any more inaudible at 50. This is the pursuit of numbers for numbers sake.

Talking from first hand experience here?
 

I'm sorry, but I've supervised sound mixes for TV, CD and rock videos and I have never- repeat NEVER- seen an engineer put on cans to check a mix. The only time cans are used is when the talent in the booth is tracking and getting playback- in other words isolation. NEVER for sound quality reference. Dub stages have carefully calibrated monitor speakers that are the sole reference for sound quality.

I'll repeat that... 20 years supervising audio production and post and I've never seen headphones used to check sound quality. They just aren't balanced enough for mixing with, even the really good ones.

 
The spoon doesn't exist:
 
I'll repeat that... The spoon doesn't exist.
 
Hint Hint, the MDR-CD900CBS and ST were created for recording studios and sound engineers. They're widely used all over Japan, and I've owned them too. They're utterly uncomfy but they sound as dead flat and unforgiving as can get...some ppl like them better than very pricey phones like the O2 and so. This is monitoring grade put to the extreme, and I personally don't understand how one's could enjoy music through those things.
Anyways, I wish you good luck in this thread

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

If it is inaudible at 258 ps, it isn't going to be any more inaudible at 50. This is the pursuit of numbers for numbers sake.

I actually don't mind that.  I think its pretty cool.
 
Of course I wouldn't go around saying it does anything useful but give me peace of mind or satisfy irrational urges...

 

[bigshot]

Photographers always make the guy at the console wear cans in publicity photos. Notice how the cord goes past the controller and between his legs? He isn't even patched into the board.

 

[Prog Rock Man]

Quote:

So let me get this right
 
http://hifiduino.blogspot.com/2010/02/programming-wm8804.html
 
Inject 5UI of jitter and the WM884 ends up with 51.7psec, inject that amount of jitter into a competitor and you get 334psec and an ipod in normal conditions measures at 258psec.
 
So, when would you get 5UI of jitter in the first place and are we supposed to be able to hear the difference between 51.7 and 334 psec of jitter, when an ipods 258psec is considered 'respectably low'?

 


Quote:

I'm afraid I didn't read that blog carefully because statements like this tipped me off to the real world application of all that tech speak...

Quote:

The lowly Apple Airport Express was measured by Stereophile to have a "respectably low 258ps of jitter" in the spdif output. Thus in real life, I think the relevant measure is intrinsic jitter in which the Wolfson part excels at 50 psec

If it is inaudible at 258 ps, it isn't going to be any more inaudible at 50. This is the pursuit of numbers for numbers sake.

So I take it the answer is no and the MM884 is doing an amazing job making the inaudible more desireable

 

[skeptic]

 
Quote:

That result is consistent with all blind comparison tests. Here is another where the top DAC was the most expensive, just pipping the least expensive to first place.
 
http://www.stereomojo.com/Stereomojo%20Six%20DAC%20Shootout.htm/StereomojoSixDACShootout.htm
 
I cannot find an ABX test of DACs.

Thanks for sharing that link PRM.  Based on this and nwavguy's listening challenge, it does seem like listeners have (or at least believe they have) some ability to differentiate between various dacs which, excluding the nuforce, fall into the category of properly conceived/designed gear.  However, Nwavguy's method of keeping score (his total points column) seems a lot more telling to me than the single round elimination style A/B tests documented by stereomojo.  Being able to look at a ratio of listener preferences at the end, where the same media sample has been played through each device, is really cool.    
 
I would love to see a similar test, with a much larger number of listeners, which included permutations where the listeners were informed they might or might not be asked to compare back to back playback from the same dac, and would be asked to whether sample A and sample B differed at all.  I think this has a lot of value in assessing whether the stated preferences of the listeners have any validity at all.  Freakonomics did a great podcast on wine tastings where Steve Levitt used this trick (but undisclosed) to seriously embarrass some of his academic colleagues who claimed to have extremely discerning pallets.  
 

 

[upstateguy]

Quote:

So I take it the answer is no and the MM884 is doing an amazing job making the inaudible more desirable

Do you mind if I steal that......
 
 

 

[Prog Rock Man]

Of course, to be quoted is an honour

 

[upstateguy]

Quote:

Of course, to be quoted is an honour

My pleasure.