Home Computer Audio Asylum

Music servers and other computer based digital audio technologies.

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Computer Audio Asylum ] [ Return to Search Results ]
[ Alert Moderator ]

The problem is the method used to evaluate DACs and digital sources

The entire discussion of sound quality of streamers results from the poor way that DACs are evaluated by audiophiles and reviewers in their listening tests (and measurements). The assumption behind these tests is that the computer, streamer, or digital transport contributes to the sound quality (or phrased negatively, if not "audio grade" subtracts from sound quality). The issue isn't whether or not this happens. The issue is where the credit or demerit goes. The credit or demerit should always go to the DAC, not the streamer. It should not be necessary to listen to any digital transport, just verify that it is putting out a signal that is within the specifications for the output interconnect (e.g. USB), that is no bit errors at the DAC end of the digital interconnect.

While it is annoying and distatasteful to be told, "You have not heard XYZ, therefore you have no business commenting on it" or, "You haven't heard XYZ, therefore you are not aware of the state of the art" with many types of components these are sometimes appropriate comments. In the case of digital sources such as "streamers" being discussed in this thread, such comments are never appropriate. If a digital source imposes any character on the sound the listener hears (or measures) it is an indictment of the DAC that allowed this to matter, not the source.

I am interested in "bad sounding" digital sources, because they can be uniquely valuable as a way of exposing poor quality DACs. I would expect DAC designers and reviewers to have an array of "bad sounding" digital transports in their arsenal of reference components. A preliminary review of a DAC should be conducted with the entire arsenal of these sources and the final review conducted with the particular source or sources that make the DAC under test sound (or measure) as poorly as possible. No DAC should be rated above Mid-Fi unless its sound quality is completely stable as digital sources are changed. The present approach of testing high-end DACs with high end transports is fundamentally bogus and accounts for the lack of progress during the 20 years since two box digital sources first hit the market.



Tony Lauck

"Diversity is the law of nature; no two entities in this universe are uniform." - P.R. Sarkar

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  Analog Engineering Associates  

Follow Ups Full Thread
Follow Ups
FAQ

Post a Message!

 Forgot Password?
Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
  Remember my Moniker & Password  (What's this?)    Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:
Message:   (Posts are subject to Content Rules)
Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:  Automagically notify you when someone responds.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]