What and how do we know what IS ‘Better’?
or
It’s all in our heads, or is it?
Part 20 Choke Points revisited
Choke Points -
CP’s revisited
I bring this topic up again, mostly because of my recent experiments with the Akiko sticks and the USB experiments. These changes highlighted the observation that sometimes
CP’s can be found in the most unlikely of places. And these last 2 experiments dealing with reducing the noise floor of the ground and cleaning up the digital signal path have resulted in significant improvements in the overall SQ. This further reinforces my notion of “a cascade effect where EVERYTHING can start to make a difference”. Only now the degree of improvement isn’t slight nor difficult, at all, to determine if it is ‘Better’.
Back in Part #5 I wrote this…
“I’ve been using the term ‘choke points’ but haven’t explained what I mean, until now.
This term refers to any portion of a system that limits the conversion from electrical power, to signal, to acoustic power in an audible way. I have ‘discovered’ several of these limiting aspects in my system to date, but only by negation.
By that I mean as they were removed the overall SQ makes a sudden and obvious improvement. One that is undeniable (well over the ≈10% threshold) and is so gratifying that there is no doubt as to its being “Better”.”
And to make things even more ‘complicated’ there does seem to be a threshold that needs to be crossed before these changes become evident to the point of undeniability.
IOW if the system is ‘clogged’ with ‘choke points’, unless you ameliorate a major clog there is a good chance you may not hear any change, mostly due to masking/smearing of acoustical energy where it doesn’t belong. This is a common observation made by many who try only one ‘upgrade’ like a power cable or interconnect cable, and hear no differences. Of course there is the distinct possibility that the attempted ‘upgrade’ simply wasn’t up to the task, (it wasn’t a sufficiently better cable etc.).
But once one of these ‘choke points’ is found and improved, and it will be VERY obvious when this happens, it will be very hard to deny that not only was there a change, but it was ‘Better’, or not.
“But once this threshold is reached it can initiate a cascade effect where EVERYTHING can start to make a difference. However initially this can lead to further confusion and frustration once a change IS noticed, because now determining if it is really an improvement, or just a change, becomes the deciding factor instead of just IS there any change.
This is, at least in part, why this series of articles is being presented. To help with knowing if a change truly is “Better”.”
And to a certain extent
CP’s can be considered much like veils, in that you really don’t know they are in place until AFTER they have been removed.
And then when their absence is obvious, and the results are most welcome, our very familiar music can be enjoyed as if hearing it for the first time, again.
This trait of hearing our music as if anew seems to be a common enough indicator that can be associated with
CP removal, and when it becomes evident that things have changed, and definitely for the better, that another major choke point has been ‘fixed’.
And sometimes even simple things can yield very significant results, such as cleaning the interconnects, or making sure the ac power delivery is optimized. These sorts of maintenance items which can all to easily be overlooked and neglected, which when addressed can yield substantial sonic improvements, and are most welcome.
And lastly another MAJOR
CP has surfaced, namely in optimizing the digital signal path from the computer, music server, etc. to the DAC. It seems that ethernet can be used quite effectively and it can provide a much more ‘robust’ signal path with less noise and signal degradation.
Which leads to hearing our music as if anew, again.
It also seems to be a Major source of
SuperGlue action. I’ll know in a few days for myself.
JJ
ps I’d forgotten how sharp I kept my pocket knife, but those ropes holding me fast to the mast were no match, and all to quickly became a pile of tatters at my feet. My wallet weeps, but my inner audiophool geek is leaping for joy.
End Part 20
Next up Spikes, Overshoot, and Wonderful.
