lexor
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2015
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Can anyone give a plausible explanation of how the SD card, whose digital output is exactly the same regardless of manufacturer, could possibly affect the final analog signal?
Can anyone give a plausible explanation of how the SD card, whose digital output is exactly the same regardless of manufacturer, could possibly affect the final analog signal?
After much thought, and consideration about this Gas problem (gear acquisition syndrome) I've contracted,
I thought I'd ring the Sony shop, big mistake the guy tells me there's only one left for order, (whether he is a good salesman and there's a big pile behind him, I don't know) so like a fish on a hook, I'm reserving this thing.
(a friendly warning to others don't read these forums it is a trap,
get out while you still can)
Hey don`t worry about it, the fear/risk is overblown. I should know, I`ve been a patient in the Astell&Kern thread for months. GAS is treatable, if you really feel you need to. I have found that through managing my GAS, I can live a normally healthy lifestyle. The key is to balance your GAS with POOP*.
(*POOP : Pride Of Ownership Placebo)
Can anyone give a plausible explanation of how the SD card, whose digital output is exactly the same regardless of manufacturer, could possibly affect the final analog signal?
EMI/RFI getting picked up by various circuits in the system. The card will generate noise as well - all cards have microcontrollers in them. Software doesn't have to obey physical laws but hardware does....
Its not placebo, I have actually blind tested myself (with help of someone) and passed 5 for 5. I have compared about 20 sd cards, and I chose the two with most different sound to use in the blind test, just to make sure I win lol, but still shows that I can consistently hear the difference between sd cards blind
Well I have a few micro SD cards around, I may bite and try this myself at some point. Don't suppose the Lexar was one that you tried? I think it's one of the rarer ones because it had a premium price until recently.
While I would definitely put SD card audible difference into the placebo box, I decided on the Lexar 128GB SDXC as not only is it fast for copying the files to it (95MB/s) but it comes bundled with a USB 3 reader which is handy.....and currently half price in the UK on Amazon. (oops must have ordered one of the last ones, now only sold by 3rd party sellers)
Ok, so the running in aspect of the ZX2 is not a load of crap at all. I was very sceptical about this, but I have been proven wrong. I am naturally a sceptic and I get very disturbed and wound up by the industry that promotes that even short expensive HDMI cables can improve your pictures, or even worse, after a running-in period!!
I received my ZX2 yesterday and immediately compared it to my ZX1 which of course is well "run in". I held off posting yesterday because I was a little disappointed. Firstly I noticed some kind of background static (I am not referring to the noise when you first plug-in the headphones), admittedly only audible when no music was playing and secondly, I was almost having to convince myself there was a real difference between the two.
I left the ZX2 running overnight so, it's had about 12 hours of continuous use. And then repeated the same comparison with the same tracks. I was expecting to find the same, underwhelming difference with my AKG 3003 IEMs, but to my astonishment, the background static had completely gone and the sound signature had changed. I realise now it is pointless for me to post any kind of sensible review until more hours have passed.
However, I will say this for a 12 hour comparison. I will sum up the difference as the ZX1 sounds lazier, or to use a more audiophile term (joke), thinner. I know this is a strange word to use, but imagine like you are only giving 80% to a gym workout. The dynamics are a bit less, the fullness is a bit less, the bass extension is a bit less. I am not noticing much or any difference in separation or soundstage yet, but to be honest, in previous "high end" equipment auditions I have found this much more related to the headphones than to the source/amp equipment.
The net result of this improvement with the ZX2 over the ZX1 is I find my mind drifting off to issues with work or home much less and my attention remains engaged on the music.
I was going to sell my ZX1 next week, but now this "running in" thing has got me intrigued , I am going to hold out a bit longer so I can do another comparison after some more hours are clocked up on the ZX2.
Out of interest, has anyone found any good articles on why POSCAP or similar types of capacitors do change as they age?
I think it hits a "dumb phase" between 20-50 hours. Starts showing it's stuff around 100 and IMHO full break in @ 150-200 hours... then compare