[dstrimbu]

PCM, or those digital, are pulses, it created by A/D convertor and then back to analog by D/A convertor, how to do it correctly to make it same as the signal before convertion is something important. We live in pulses, say heart beat, mechanical watches, motion pictures by film ... etc ...

I re-reference the best explainer I've seen yet:

 

[Ohno Schiitizen]

I re-reference the best explainer I've seen yet:

I am a subscriber of Audio University. Thanks anyway ~~

 

[dstrimbu]

.... Melz in your amps, not in your hand ....

 

[Ohno Schiitizen]

Again, back to the early days at SONY showroom, when the digital age starts, together with the shop manager and some clients, we discussed a lot about digital/analog .... digital is I and O, so is a mechanical on off switch at an electric device a digital format but operated in an analog way?

 

[Dr. Cube]

I searched again and cannot find concrete evidence (I am having difficulty reading and posting, sorry!) of a new Valhalla 3. It must surely be in the works?

ORT

It's not done until it's done, of course, but it's clear that there was, at the very least, some development work on it in the last quarter of 2023.

As of last November, it was expected to use the same types of tubes as Valhalla 2:

Same as Valhalla 2.

In early December, he was working on a transformer for it and had a fairly clear idea of the design goals:

I'm still finalizing Valhalla 3. Hopefully the new transformer will be spot-on and then we can get it scheduled.

As far as features, let's make sure this is (a) really 100%, and (b) not a beeelion dollars. I think you'll be pretty happy with where it goes, though.

An important note on price. As I've noted before, there are two possible responses to increased production cost, AKA inflation:

1. Decontent to hold the price point.
2. Enhance the product to make it worth a higher price.

You're gonna be seeing us using both strategies. We can decontent via chassis and transformer, and move things down to the Corpus production line, while still delivering better products for lower cost than ever. See Midgard and Magni Unity.

Aaaand we can make things better and move them upmarket, like Lyr+. So don't be surprised if the new Valhalla 3 doesn't keep the same price point. Because if it's worth it, it's going upmarket. (Not ridiculously. We're not assholes.)

At the end of December, he was aiming for this summer to release it (subject to Jason's Law, of course):

Where We’re Going

Oh gawd, what can I tell you without sounding like a cult leader or shill?

That 2024 promises to be the most insane year ever? Yeah, if everything works out. But we all know about how things have a tendency not to work out. So let’s start with what I can promise:

• Aegir 2. We already previewed this at the Schiitr, and soon it’ll be ready for prime time. A bit-more-powerful version of Aegir, now with Halo!
• Valhalla 3. Yeah, I know. It’s wayyyyyyyyyyyyy past time for The Fully Modern Tube Amp. Expect to see it by summer. Not sooner.
• Stjarna. Tube phono preamp. Limited run. Probably. Also by summer.
• Gungnir 2. Hello, Singularity Converter™. Our own high-bit-depth, high-rate delta-sigma modulator, based on our own math, our own filter, combined DSP/FPGA architecture, Unison USB—is this the first DAC ever by any manufacturer using 100% their own tech, USB to output?

I think the easiest way to search for stuff like this question is to use the "advanced search" option, enter the search string, select "Jason Stoddard" specifically as the user to search, and then order results by date at the bottom of the form. Sometimes there are posts that don't get indexed, so this approach won't work 100%, but it tends to be pretty good.

 

[Ohno Schiitizen]

I re-reference the best explainer I've seen yet:

More cylinders in an internal combustion engine means smoother, higher frequiency of the escapment in a mechanical watch means finer "second hand" movement, like contour lines, finer is smoother, same as in 3D printing.

How fine we need?

 

[Paladin79]

.... Melz in your amps, not in your hand ....

Per usual your wordplay is exceptional.

 

[Erratic Gravy]

Introducing some other type of music ~

Perfect !!

 

[Ohno Schiitizen]

Perfect !!

Glad you like it ~

 

[theeclone]

He is leaning into the whole FAKE premise of "stair steps" in digital, when in fact all of those "steps" are just undefined values and arent stair steps at all. Better illustrated with a lollipop graph, and like you said "doesnt need fixing" indeed.

Here's the thing though. Those stairsteps, or at least stairstep‐like waveforms do exist at one point within a DAC as the conversion to analog is happening. It's just that they get smoothed out by the analog low pass filter before being output. You sometimes see them in white papers about DAC technology.

But, since it's rare for DACs these days to have a full-on brickwall low pass filter, I guess Mark might have a point that there tend to be certain artifacts of these stairsteps left behind (again, not to say he's not dangerously in BS territory with this stuff). And the more brickwall-ish the filter, the more you may introduce other kinds of artifacts.

 

[Paladin79]

Today’s listen is on 180 gram vinyl thanks to @Godaisan. A two record set of Neil Young.

 

[OldRoadToad]

It's not done until it's done, of course, but it's clear that there was, at the very least, some development work on it in the last quarter of 2023.

As of last November, it was expected to use the same types of tubes as Valhalla 2:


In early December, he was working on a transformer for it and had a fairly clear idea of the design goals:


At the end of December, he was aiming for this summer to release it (subject to Jason's Law, of course):


I think the easiest way to search for stuff like this question is to use the "advanced search" option, enter the search string, select "Jason Stoddard" specifically as the user to search, and then order results by date at the bottom of the form. Sometimes there are posts that don't get indexed, so this approach won't work 100%, but it tends to be pretty good.

Thank you!

ORT

 

[Ableza]

Here's the thing though. Those stairsteps, or at least stairstep‐like waveforms do exist at one point within a DAC as the conversion to analog is happening

Only conceptually if you choose to visualize a series of values as a "stair step." Digital information is never a wave form; it is a series of switched numbers.

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

…slew, bounce, noises from induction, reflection and other sources…

Only in a simulation do you get a stair step pattern on the output of your DAC chip. The real world is far too messy for idealized models like that.

Unless you're a DAC engineer, I'd say that you should just trust your ears, not overly theoretical white papers or overly simplified YouTube videos. If your DAC sounds good to you, enjoy it. If not, sell it and get something you like better.

 

[Godaisan]

Today’s listen is on 180 gram vinyl thanks to @Godaisan. A two record set of Neil Young.

I’m glad it made it to you safely . Enjoy!