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RE: At least two questionable files if you're following....

Posted by Tony Lauck (A) on February 13, 2015 at 13:03:01

In Reply to: RE: At least two questionable files if you're following.... posted by Bob_C on February 13, 2015 at 12:16:44:

"Would you make changes in your system on the bases of a file? I hope not."

Dozens of files.

The classic case going back to the 1960's or before is that some recordings are made brighter than others. If a system is voiced to make a bright recording sound natural then other recordings will sound dull. If a system is voiced to make a dull recording sound natural then a bright recording will sound unnaturally shrill. (Some audiophiles will call this "hi-fi" while others will call it "resolving".)

Another example is recordings that employ lots of compression. These will obscure musical details and homogenize the sound, disguising the ability to hear differences between equipment. One of the reasons for compression is that it makes inadequate underpowered equipment sound better. Again, there will be tradeoffs in setting up a system, particularly on a budget, because being able to play loud peaks cleanly may conflict with ability to play quiet portions cleanly.

In the case of digital converters there are similar issues with respect to filtering. The optimum filters used in playback need to be matched to the filters actually used in recording. Unforutnately, the necessary information is not available unless one is making one's own recordings or doing conversion transparency tests. HQPlayer does not create files, but it does (tend to) substitute its own filters for ones in the DAC. This may or may not be an improvement depending on the particular filters, the particular recording and other aspects of the playback chain. Suffice it to say that the Miksa's filters are particularly good and the stock filters in SABRE chips are not. But it's more complicated, because the playback filters relate to the recording filters and the optimum set of filter also depend on the musical instrumewnts used in the recording, etc... This is why audio is a practical art as well as a science.

I voiced the bass of my system (and integrated the sub woofer) primarily by using a calibrated microphone and RTA. However, when it came to the high frequencies I adjusted the cross-over controls by ear so that a collection of several dozen reference recordings all sounded musical, some a bit mellow, some a bit bright, but none dull or harsh. I did this using my experience of what live acoustic music sounds like from a variety of positions in a variety of concert halls and jazz clubs.



Tony Lauck

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

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