Here is a very interesting article on "Why digital circuits influence the sound quality" by Hans Beekhuyzen
This article is on why digital switches (routers/switches) affect sound quality, but it applies equally to any source/medium, like a DAP, Transport, cables, clocks, power supplies, etc.
The core learning (for me) is that digital data is different from digital audio.
- Data can be transported accurately, regardless of timing/jitter/noise. For Data, it is true that "bits are bits". This is the technical rationale, that as long as this is true, then there can be no difference attributed to sources, cables, network switches, etc. i.e. If the bits received is the same as the bits transmitted, then nothing else can matter, and there can be no affect on audio. This is the simplistic view, and it sounds so logical that it is hard to refute. But things are not that simple....
- Audio uses the data, but the end result, even though the data is perfect, can still result in a different sound, due to timing/jitter, noise, etc., and how these can affect the translation of those bits to music.
You could describe the situation as:
Data is 1 dimensional, and much easier to do than Music, which is 3 dimensional, and depends on attributes that do not matter to Data. (No, this is not science, just my simplistic way to try to understand this complex area)
So the above is something to think about, as long as the mantra of "bits is bits" has not hardened your mind to any other possible complexity when an old Data Transport medium is used for Audio, which it was not designed for.
And if the thought that Audio can be affected by different sources gives you heart failure, then by all means disregard this.
The hobby is about enjoying music, and as long as you are doing that.......
Oh, and I've found a cheap MicroSD card (Sandisk High Endurance 256gb) which sounds excellent. But that subject is even more divisive, so please disregard. One heart attack a day is enough......
