2017, Chapter 4:
Deprogramming
Welcome, comrades!
Welcome to this wonderful new age of audio glasnost!
This is a beautiful new era, sure to be heralded as the beginning of a new chapter in the great adventure that is the audiophile hobby!
To help you, dear comrade, prepare for this new age, we have prepared this scientifically-designed and thoroughly-tested deprogramming text. Because, most devoted brother (or sister), we understand that you have endured many years of programming by entities bent on twisting the very way you think. Bent on nefarious aims such as convincing you that yes, everyone should pay for satellite radio to get pretty much the same radio we used to have before they crapped it up with 500% more ads and “personalities” who won’t shut the hell up. Bent on changing black to white, up to down. Bent on…
But we ramble. Please study and absorb the following text, in order to prepare yourself for the new age of audio transparency and plain-speaking. Re-read as many times as necessary, and please share with comrades near and dear.
WARNING: This deprogramming text may challenge what you consider to be incontrovertible audio truths. You may experience strong emotions. This is normal, comrade.
Welcome to the new age.
Deprogramming Part One: Power Poppycock
In the design and application of power supplies, we have found a vein of propaganda that runs deep and wide. It is this vein we will mine first. Please, dear comrade, note this is not a complete compilation of all power-related terms. Please feel free to submit your own to the Ministry of Audio Transparency for inclusion in a future revised deprogramming text.
Following are some terms and their deprogrammed equivalents:
LPS. AKA “Linear Power Supply.” Usually portrayed as a dramatic upgrade from a “switching” supply. However, if the product already uses a linear power supply, and is properly engineered, it’s unlikely that a LPS will make much, if any difference. Also note: another way of saying, “linear power supply,” is “same old power supply used in pretty much everything since the beginning of electronics, and before our tolerance for power-supply noise was exceeded by our desire for tiny stuff with good battery life.” Not very sexy when described like that, right? Also, note that putting “precision” or “audiophile” in front of “LPS” adds absolutely nothing in terms of quantitative description.
Linear Power Supply. See LPS.
Audiophile Power Supply. Like LPS, but says even less. “Linear” is at least a quantitiative descriptor referring to the fact that it is not a switching supply.
Precision Power Supply. Like LPS, but says even less. “Linear” is at least a quantitiative descriptor referring to the fact that it is not a switching supply.
External Power Supply. Often portrayed either (1) as a critical design decision that differentiates the product from proletariat versions which house the power supply and audio circuitry in the same chassis, or (2) as an optional component that increases the performance of the product. Both of these assertions will be addressed separately.
- As a differentiating design decision. Sometimes, designers move the entire power supply outside of the component. While this may have some benefits in terms of radiated noise, it is frequently obviated by stacking the component on top of its power supply. Many transformers have much higher radiated field from the top and bottom than from the sides, so stacking the components eliminates any benefit that might come from separating the power supply section from the audio circuitry. It also more than doubles the cost of the chassis, due to the need for two chassis and interconnection cabling and connectors. It can also be hazardous if the interconnection cabling carries high voltage. It can also result in lower performance if the regulation is done in the power supply chassis, rather than in the audio chassis—regulators are ideally placed as close as possible to active circuitry for best performance.
- As an optional component. Sometimes, you have the option of purchasing a component with a “basic” internal power supply, or adding an optional external power supply, typically with the promise of higher performance. Leaving aside the wasteful nature of having redundant power supplies, ask yourself how poor the design must be if it changes drastically with the addition of an external power supply—especially if it is a line-level component running in Class A, and therefore having no additional peak power demands.
Toroid Transformer. Often portrayed as a “better kind of transformer,” toroids do look cool. They’re round and kind of retro-futuristic, like a cyber-donut. Some comrades are so programmed that they frantically search, lemming-like, to ensure a component uses toroids, and consider them a “must-have.” In reality, toroids are expensive, may require adjustment to “null” out their radiated noise (meaning more production expense), and are frequently misapplied. For example, the high-frequency response of toroids are better than conventional (EI-core) transformers, which is exactly what you don’t want when specifying a line transformer. You’d much rather have the transformer reject the high-frequency noise from your computer’s power supply, than pass it through. Toroids have their uses, but many times they are spec’d for no other reason than cosmetics. Sometimes potted into cylindrical cans with big stickers on the top calling out various imaginative qualities of the transformer, such as “custom” or “precision”. Again, note lack of quantitative meaning.
R-Core Transformer. See Toroid. Similar idea.
Low noise. Many power supplies are described as “low noise,” with the propagandist’s hopes that the subject (you) will feel a net positive reaction to these words, perhaps conflating it with “low noise from the headphone or speaker output.” In the absence of more information, however, such assertions are meaningless. Low noise in terms of radiated EM field? Low noise in terms of RF radiation? Low noise in terms of no audible hum from the transformer? Low noise in terms of DC output from the supply? Let’s break this down:
- Low noise (EM): all products that use magnetic components (such as transformers or chokes) emit electromagnetic field. Especially if they have aluminum chassis. There are no hard-and-fast standards for this. However, the propagandist was probably not talking about this anyway.
- Low noise (RF): well, we certainly hope so—both the FCC and CE have standards for this. If you don’t meet them, bad stuff is coming your way.)
- Low noise (no audible hum): well, all transformers hum a bit, but it shouldn’t sound like the 50-year-old chest freezer growling away in the corner of your garage.
- Low noise (DC voltage output): this is probably what the propagandist is talking about. However, without numbers, “low noise” means nothing. Good low-noise regulators can get down into the handfuls of microvolts these days. Claims of nanovolts should be met with guffaws. Because physics. And, as an added bonus, even with numbers it may be meaningless—if the power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) of the amplifier stage is very high, even a noisy supply might not matter. Bottom line: the best way to evaluate low noise is in use—do you hear noise from the headphone, or from the speaker at the listening position? If so, then you may need to use products with a lower noise floor. However, this may have nothing to do with the power supply—it may do with the inherent noise floor of the device.
High current. This is a term usually used very similarly to “low noise,” in that it is intended to convey a vague positivity in the absence of numbers. “High current,” used without numbers, is meaningless. Even when used with numbers, the meaning of “high” varies with the product and application. A 1A (one amp) power supply would be considered high current for a preamp, but very weak for a speaker amp. So, even with numbers, you need context to make this phrase meaningful.
- Related term: VA. This refers to volt-amps, a common measure of a transformer’s power output. Large numbers, such as 500VA or 1000VA, are usually used for speaker power amps. This is a reasonable way to get an idea of the overall size of the transformer used in a conventional linear power supply, but it is not a be-all or end-all in terms of system performance. Look at the rated power into different loads—this gives the overall system performance, and is more meaningful.
Fast. Many power supplies are described as “fast.” Again, this is a meaningless term used to convey a vague positive feeling. In reality, power supplies are only as fast as their charging time constant—a number which is never supplied, because it’s probably not very impressive. Nor is speed related to the size or number of components. Two gigantic capacitors will charge just as fast as the same value achieved by paralleling dozens of small capacitors. Again, physics rules.
- Related term: ESR. Sometimes, one encounters claims of “low ESR,” where “ESR” stands for Equivalent Series Resistance, a quality measure for capacitors. If provided with ESR numbers, this can be a helpful metric—however, without numbers, you guessed it…it’s meaningless.
Deprogramming Part Two: Balanced Blather
“Balanced” is another term that many propagandists love. In reading some programming texts on the benefits of balanced components, one may quickly come to the conclusion that balanced is the One True Way, that All Components Should be Balanced, and that Balanced Is the Path of Nirvana.
Wrong. Look at recording studios. Those are all 100% balanced, and they have produced some mightily crap-sounding recordings.
The reality is, there is little magic in balanced for balanced’s sake alone. It’s in the implementation. And that’s something the propagandists don’t talk about so much. There are also many other things they don’t like to talk about, like how many balanced components aren’t really balanced, how all inherently balanced components need to sum the balanced output to single-ended for best performance in SE, and how many components convert the signal for every input.
The reality of not-really balanced. “Balanced” is a lovely word, since it implies all gear that isn’t balanced is a bit off, a bit, well, unbalanced. The siren call of “balanced” has led many propagandists to apply it to all manner of gear, even if the gear is not really balanced. Unfortunately, doing balanced properly is expensive. It requires more components, exotic components, and/or exotic circuit topologies to do it right. So, it’s much easier to do one of two things:
- Hang balanced connectors on the box and ignore the inverted balanced phase entirely. Yes, this happens. And it is a convenient way to get balanced connections when you need them. But it is in no way truly balanced.
- Convert balanced to SE for internal processing, then SE to balanced at the output. This is a common way to do it, since it eliminates the need for exotic topologies, lots of parts, and exotic components like 4-gang potentiometers. However, in this case, the signal is going through two conversion stages (many times with IC op-amps), which is something the propagandist is usually loathe to discuss. If the product has balanced connectors and a 2-gang volume pot, it’s either ignoring or converting.
The reality of summing. Summing is the process of converting a balanced signal to single-ended, such as on the front end of a product using #2 above. Summing preserves the common-mode rejection ratio of balanced operation, and causes common-mode signals such as correlated noise to fall out of the signal. Summing, therefore, is the right way to derive a single-ended signal from a balanced signal. Some inherently balanced products use summing to derive single-ended outputs as well. Ironically, the propagandists are silent on summing when it is used to convert balanced to SE on the input of a non-balanced “balanced” product, but may try to use it as a negative when it is used on the output of an inherently balanced product. The reality is that the non-balanced “balanced” product has two conversion stages—twice as many as the second example.
The reality of conversion. Even if the product is inherently balanced, how does it interface with single-ended signals? Again, this is something the propagandists don’t want to discuss. Some products use an inexpensive “phase splitter” IC op-amp to derive the second balanced phase. Other products use inherently balanced, differential stages that can only output a balanced signal when presented with single-ended input. Bottom line: It’s good to know how your balanced gear is implementing balanced.
So, how best to choose balanced gear, in this morass of confusion? Choose it if it sounds good to you, and works with your system. Don’t worry about interfacing it with single-ended gear—remember, great sound is the goal, not matching interfaces.
Deprogramming Part Three: Classless Claptrap
We have gone through extensive deprogramming with respect to amplifier classes in previous texts. A fast refresher: propagandists try to apply Class A to everything, even if it is clearly not Class A. When faced with Class A claims, narrow your eyes and ask how they are defining Class A. And if you’re faced with clearly propaganda-driven constructs like “Class A-D,” remember, it’s D in the end.
Deprogramming Part Four: Damping Drivel
Progandists like to blather on about “damping,” even when it is criminally misapplied—and, of course, there are never any numbers to back up the claims. There are many classes of products where damping is absolutely critical—products such as speakers, headphones, and turntables. In other words, products that move.
When something moves, damping becomes an important metric. You wouldn’t want to have a speaker made out of 22-gauge sheet steel, because they’d literally ring like a bell and sound awful. Similarly, you wouldn’t want a turntable platter made from carbon fiber, because you’d rather have a lot of mass to smooth out any variations in speed, as well as to help provide an inert platform for the record. That’s why you tend to see thick walls on speakers, internal damping applied to headphones, and massive turntables. Damping is important for these products.
For a product that just, well, sits there? Not so much, comrade.
Putting a DAC in a CNC lead billet enclosure will do approximately zero for its performance. Wrapping that same DAC entirely in sorbothane (a damping compound) again, will do pretty much nothing. Same goes for an amp, a preamp, or pretty much any kind of electronic component. Despite this, propagandists frequently go on about features such as “isolation feet,” or “CAD-designed nonresonant chassis.”
So, here’s the quick summary:
- For products that move: damping is important. Manufacturers know this, and may be able to provide quantitative data on how they have damped their products. If not, the informal “knuckle rap” test on speakers to hear how “dead” they are provides some information about damping. In terms of turntables, physical and material construction provides clues—heavy metal platters and plinths usually are better than thin plastic, for example.
- For products that don’t move: damping is not important. This includes products that are moved, such as portable devices. If they don’t have a spinning or vibrating component, damping doesn’t really matter.*
*Really. Even though some ceramic capacitors can have piezoelectric properties (that is, they generate voltage when vibrated or squeezed), the magnitude of this effect is tiny in proportion to the voltages involved, and will be obviated through the impedance of the overall power supply, as well as the circuit’s inherent PSRR.
Deprogramming Part Five: Magnitude Madness
Finally, dear comrade, let us discuss the propagandist’s greatest vice: hyperbole. To listen to the propagandists, you may have been led to believe that changing from one component to another is a life-changing experience. To read their texts, tears will stream from your eyes at the sublime beauty of your recordings, finally revealed in their ultimate glory. You will bask in the warmth of all-encompassing love as you are transported in ecstasy.
In reality, the magnitude of changes is relatively small, unless you’re talking about two things:
- A transducer. Speakers and headphones sound markedly different. Nobody ever compared Audeze LCD-2s to Grado GS1000es, and said “Hmm, I really can’t tell any difference.
- A broken component. If your amp or DAC are literally broken, then yes, they may sound so different that the propagandists’ terms are correct.
Now, comrade, “relatively small,” does not mean, “inconsequential.” Some small differences can make your listening experience subjectively much better. You may be highly attuned to these small differences, as well, and perceive them as being much bigger than the average listener.
However, if you don’t hear marked differences, don’t panic. We are all different human beings, with different perception.
A Final Warning
Be aware, comrade, that this deprogramming guide cannot cover every permutation of the propaganda you have been exposed to. It also cannot counter decades of indoctrination. We apologize if you feel distressed or upset, but we assure you: deprogramming is the first step into a shining new age of audio.
Also, please be aware, dear sister (or brother), that forces still conspire to skew your senses, to re-program you into accepting that Only the Finest CNC-billet Chassis with Balanced Teflon-Oxygen Interconnects, Selectively Damped by Hand-Selected Holographic Materials, with Optional External Ultra LPS with Low-ESR Capacitor Upgrades is the Only Way to audio nirvana. These forces, known as “marketing,” are pervasive and, unfortunately, outside the scope of this deprogramming document.
Again: read, re-read, and share.
Author’s note: Yeah, this was brought about by having to hear the acronym “LPS,” said in a non-ironic way, for about the one trillionth time. It was also prompted by seeing a transformer in a box (like Cthulu, but 6X the price) described as something truly life-changing.
Consider that Cthulu could be described such:
“Integrated, High-Current Precision LPS. An audiophile power supply that dramatically redefines your audio experience. Offering fully 562% more electromagnetic-based energy reserves than a standard Schiit Wall Transformer, Cthulu provides the power needed for amazing bass extension, effortless musical crescendos, and unsurpassed impact—while delivering smooth, linear AC for all your Schiit wall-powered devices. Thrill to the finest details of your favorite musical pieces with Cthulu, your indispensable Schiit Linear Power Supply. Order now and be one of the first to experience this marvel for only $124!”
And yes, sure, I can write promo copy. I certainly did when I was in marketing. I also got very good at making things sound really, really good, while promising nothing. Go back and re-read that paragraph. It does not claim a single audio benefit from using Cthulu…but it certainly implies it, right? Because many times, if you expect a difference…well, there it is.
(And, conversely, if you expect
no difference…well, there it
isn’t.)
