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Music servers and other computer based digital audio technologies.

RE: Because some transports sound better than others

I am asserting that transports "sound" only through the DAC and, to the extent that the DAC input, clock and power circuits are fully up to snuff, the transport will have no sound barring problems with downstream amplifiers. (This is the ideal, and to the extent that this ideal is not attained, one does not have a true reference system.)

With a well set up system, there are existing DACs where the remaining transport differences are small, making it a matter of opinion whether differences are worth worrying about. If they matter, then there is a good chance of improving the sound by adding isolation devices between the transport and the rest of the audio system. These include various devices in the signal path such as reclockers, USB to I2S or SPDIF converters, USB hubs, some with optical isolation or other forms of galvanic isolation. These also include isolation devices in the power wiring and providing noise isolation between digital devices and analog devices. Similarly, careful attention may be needed to signal and power cabling. Even something like moving components or changing the cable dress may affect sound, and if so this is a strong indication of an unstable system.

I am also saying that if one experiences an "unstable" system it is not an indication of a superior system that is somehow more "resolving". It is an indication that something is wrong that warrants fixing. Steps taken to reduce susceptibility to interference in DACs and amplifiers are of benefit even if the digital transport emitted zero noise, because there are other electrical devices that generate interference.

I am also saying that the subjective and objective testing and reviewing of audio equipment should include operating in noisy environments that show the equipment in the worst possible light, thereby driving manufacturers to produce products that deliver their full performance in all realistic electrical environments.

I am not saying that "bits are just bits". I am saying that bits should be just bits and that this ideal can be approached ever closer if the market demands this.


Tony Lauck

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


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