[Scott_Tarlow]

I won't name names as I dont really want to slander him, but there is a particular audio reviewer on youtube, who is quite popular, but has no idea what he is talking about. This boy(hint) has a lot of a lot of audio equipment, but really doesn't understand what he is talking about. He uses correct terminology, but its difficult to know what those words really mean when he isn't able to contextualize these abstract sound adjectives we often use. 
 
In my opinion the best audio equipment reviews take us through a song and describe what they hear. Its important to do this because all adjectives, especially in audio world, are relative. What really irks me is when the reviewer is blatantly ignoring  science. An amplifier cannot change frequency, it cannot add or remove any sound, it just makes the wave bigger. THAT is all it can do. By the time the audio gets to the amplifier, it is already whole. This reviewer says that his amplifier "cleans up his sound" after he hooks up his headphone amp from the headphone out of a Zune HD. I do not doubt that the headphone amp is built better than the headphone out, but the same sound going through that headphone out is going through that amp. The ONLY reason to use a headphone amp with the zune HD is if you are using headphones that are harder to drive, or you are using headphones that require small gain adjustments. The signal must be the same. Sound abide by the conservation of energy. These are basic laws of physics. People need to be careful with their language or else its hard to take anyone seriously.
 
 
/rant 

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

I won't name names as I dont really want to slander him, but there is a particular audio reviewer on youtube, who is quite popular, but has no idea what he is talking about. This boy(hint) has a lot of a lot of audio equipment, but really doesn't understand what he is talking about. He uses correct terminology, but its difficult to know what those words really mean when he isn't able to contextualize these abstract sound adjectives we often use. 
 
In my opinion the best audio equipment reviews take us through a song and describe what they hear. Its important to do this because all adjectives, especially in audio world, are relative. What really irks me is when the reviewer is blatantly ignoring  science. An amplifier cannot change frequency, it cannot add or remove any sound, it just makes the wave bigger. THAT is all it can do. By the time the audio gets to the amplifier, it is already whole. This reviewer says that his amplifier "cleans up his sound" after he hooks up his headphone amp from the headphone out of a Zune HD. I do not doubt that the headphone amp is built better than the headphone out, but the same sound going through that headphone out is going through that amp. The ONLY reason to use a headphone amp with the zune HD is if you are using headphones that are harder to drive, or you are using headphones that require small gain adjustments. The signal must be the same. Sound abide by the conservation of energy. These are basic laws of physics. People need to be careful with their language or else its hard to take anyone seriously.
 
 
/rant 

I think you might need to read up on the science of amps. They most definitely can and do change the sound in many ways, though not usually to the extent audiophiles claim and not always for the better.

 

[Scott_Tarlow]

Quote:

I think you might need to read up on the science of amps. They most definitely can and do change the sound in many ways, though not usually to the extent audiophiles claim and not always for the better.

 
Fortunately I have taken three different wave mechanic courses including Quantum Mechanics, Electric and Magnetic Fields and Advanced Optics. No two amps sound the same, this is true, but it to say that it makes a cleaner sound after being amped by a terrible headphone out is really a longshot. I dont know how you would remove the distortion caused by the headphone out without turning it back into digital.  
 
Generally double amping adds distortion, so i wasn't contending that amps dont change sound, but generally they add signal and not remove.

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

No two amps sound the same

Yeah, you really should read up on the science of amps.
 
As for cleaning the sound, amps tend to have a very high input impedance (often around 10 kilo-ohms). Amps generate less noise and distortion when feeding high impedances, because they need to output less current. As such, when the Zune is feeding an external amp its own distortion is probably going to be much lower than when it's driving headphones with an impedance of 16-100 ohms. The amp itself should drive low impedances better, having a more robust design and being able to handle higher current (though that's not always the case in the world of snake oil). Output impedance could also be one reason, though the Zune likely has acceptably low output impedance.

 

[Scott_Tarlow]

Perhaps I am in the wrong, but I have taken all the science behind making amps. Without a filter, I see no way of changing the signal. Underpowered headphones sound muddy, but a double amped sound signal at the same gain should sound more distorted than a single amped signal at the same gain. Amps are about amplitude. 

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

Perhaps I am in the wrong, but I have taken all the science behind making amps. Without a filter, I see no way of changing the signal. Underpowered headphones sound muddy, but a double amped sound signal at the same gain should sound more distorted than a single amped signal at the same gain. Amps are about amplitude. 

And harmonic and intermodular distortion, and slew rate, and phase, and output impedance, and noise. I don't know all the specifics myself, but I highlighted a few reasons why the signal from the Zune into the amp (and with a good amp, also from the amp to the headphones) will be more accurate than the signal from the Zune to the headphones. You can ask in the Sound Science forum for a better response.
 
And I'm not saying the reviewer is right. He's probably very much wrong, like many people are about amps. I'm just pointing out the mistakes you make in chiding him.
 
Reading over your first post again, I really don't think Conversation of Energy is relevant to amp accuracy.