Good article. I agree that the mastering quality is a huge factor in everything. It is more important to the sound quality than any format differences.
I don’t work in a Mastering Studio but my speakers are used by countless audio engineers and studios from Mark Knopfler to Pink Floyd, Tom Petty to Diana Krall, from Rolling Stones to Telarc classical, Sting to Jack White, Coldplay to The Killers to Lou Reed. A large portion of anything you have heard was mixed or mastered on these speakers in studios all over the world:
Thanks Jeremy,
I recognize whose speakers, so I have properly recorded, mixed or mastered on them. My memory on names started to be harder and harder to remember a few years ago.
I have studio speakers myself as well, Audience (USA).
I’m feeling more to have it, instead of regular hifi/high-end speakers
The early SDM uses one 1-bit converter for each channel but modern SDM uses Multi-SDM, the purpose here is to improve the SNR by combining 8 differential converters, noise cancelling can be very effective. The architecture too uses 6 bit with up to 64 levels which is departure from true 1-bit converter. Some said true 1-bit converters produce the best SQ when playing back DSD.
All modern SDM DAC are actually DSD converters, meaning, if one feed a PCM signal, it needs to first convert to from 24 bit to 1 bit, increase the sample rate to at least 256x of 44.1k, do some noise shaping and this goes to the SDM which convert to analog signal. If the input is DSD, then it goes directly to SDM. I would say, SDM is well suited to DSD while multi-bit R2R is for PCM. PCM does not requires noise shaping and it is inherently more quieter.
But it’s a great forum the Roon Community, right?
So it’s open for everyone’s fought’s, ideas and conclusion’s to write her.
Many people who have problems with their products, can get help with it.
The Roon Community works better if we are helping each other, what’s not necessary that we have the same fought, ides or like the same thing except for Roon I suppose that we all love it.
Okay maybe not so much when it’s not working!
As I mentioned above Roon Community is a great forum.
You seem to know a lot of different music formats and DAC’s.
But here’s on the Community, so doesn’t we all do it I’m interested in the stuff that you’re writing!
But is it possible to write it in a more easier way? So everyone understand it?
I’m not kidding with you, because my Mentor in the studio I started to working in 1978! Told me to use my ears and not putting time on reading all facts about it.
“He said you knows enough and you’re using the ears when you recording, mixing and mastering! The most people who have spent their time on reading and learning all facts! They can recording, mixing and mastering, but they do it by the books so it’s sounds worse than crap because they don’t use their ears! So if you want to know any facts ask them who knows everything about recording, mixing and mastering that’s the only thing they are or can be useful in a studio”!
He could everything about the technology that is worth knowing, but he could hear if it was something that could be better in my mixing!
But he couldn’t get a mixing to get life or putting it together like me!
Making the “perfect mastering” was he a Master on and Recording but he the Mixing let him to me!
I agree completely. That said, I use a Meridian Explorer 2 and Oppo PM-3s with my laptop on the road to listen to Tidal Master albums. Roon long-distance is mostly a no-go and I have limited Hi-Res Audio storage on my phone.
I really enjoy the Tidal MQA stuff away from home.
That is one interpretation. Another is that they are starting with one of the same tools and so may have better insight into what the mastering engineer was trying to achieve.
I would enjoy it more at home, too, if I didn’t have HQPlayer to upsample all of my non-MQA music to DSD256 and an Oppo HA-2 to convert the DSD256 to analog!
So Jeff you’re favorite Music Format is DSD!
It’s totally okay for me, I have DSD Music that’s I’m listening to and some of my DSD Music does I love!
I also love some PCM Music!
But my favorite is MQA Music but, not all music that is on MQA!
So it’s not so much difference between us or other people in this discussion!
Some maybe don’t like DSD because they haven’t heard music that is for their taste.
If you had a Dac who was MQA and listening to the music of your taste or one MQA Album, that didn’t sound like you described!
Maybe you would change your mind about MQA
Hi Henry,
English isn’t my first language, so I don’t really get if you make a joke about us maybe me!
Or that you mean with?
Have better insight into what the mastering engineer was trying to achieve!
One thing that I know is that a mastering engineer, often is a engineer who does what the producer wants to achieve!
I have never sent away a recording to a Mastering Studio, if I haven’t made the mastering myself! As a producer or the artist, I’m with all the way!
What you describe Dr Tone!
Is called a Analog Sounds.
If you haven’t had the pleasure to hear it before!
So compared to the Digital Sounds like Cds or PCM.
So can the experience be just like you describe!
