Oaky. Let’s imagine for a moment that you are seeing photos projected onto a screen. The screen is in perfect focus and the images are colorful and sharp. Now, introduce some noise into the AC line that causes a transformer in the projector to hum and vibrate. Now the images displayed still look good but they have lost some of that sharp focus they once had. None of the bits have changed but the end result looks different and arguably not as good.
The problem above has nothing to do with the digital process. The digital side of the process did its job perfectly. The problem was on the analog side.
The same crap happens with the analog audio in the digital to analog conversion process. The digital side is almost always perfect. But, if something messes with the analog side, the sound changes. A not perfect USB implementation is affected by electrical noise and cable specs. Anything that affects the signal getting to the USB chip can change the analog audio coming out of a DAC.
The question is: how is Roon (or any software player) affecting the signal “getting to the USB chip” from one version to another?
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Bill_Janssen
(Wigwam wool socks now on asymmetrical isolation feet!)
124
Overstating things a bit here. Only has to be competently engineered, not “perfect”. USB is designed (by experts) to use differential signalling, just to make sure it’s not susceptible to electromagnetic interference. Yes, you do have to use a to-spec cable; using, say, a piece of wet spaghetti instead is likely to cause problems.
In addition, your analogy is flawed. Presumably there’s a bad transformer in the projector which causes vibration which causes the light source to wobble, thereby causing the projected image to wobble as well? Or throws the lens out of focus?
Again, overstated. Not anything, only some things, and there’s no evidence even those occur frequently, if at all.
That’s a fair bit of imagining and frankly I’m coming up short. Is it the effect of physical vibration that we’re looking for or some other manifestation of the noise? I seem to remember that old skool film projectors had it all going on and they weren’t bad
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Bill_Janssen
(Wigwam wool socks now on asymmetrical isolation feet!)
126
Yes, this only applies to projectors with with bad transformers, where the laminations have separated and the AC causes them to shift back and forth. Bad component problem.
It does when You’re talking about a rotation hard drive vs an ssd for storage. The concept that they could sound different is beyond unreasonable.
Also your theory comes from a position that components aren’t designed to reject such noise. ASR often deliberately test adding mains noise to a component, and invariably it never shows up on the analog output.
It’s just a weird neurosis that audiophiles like to
Hook onto as it justifies crazy purchases.
Facts are facts. You cannot have your own version of facts. I’m An audiophile, but I care about things that actually matter. Like speakers and room, not imagined noise coming in over a mains cable, or the differences between storage mediums.
This just shows you don’t understand the technologies. Not that you’re right.
I’ve been working in professional IT, broadcasting, telecoms and networking for over 22 years. I’ll trust my education, experience and knowledge over your “opinion”. Perhaps you should also listen to those with better knowledge and gain some perspective rather than assuming things based on anecdote and flawed listening tests.
In theory (and often in practice, certainly for cables, switches, …) an AB(X) test would settle things.
Now, unfortunately, when you mention blind testing to Golden Ears, they first turn livid, then engage in a bit of spluttering, execute a few mental contortions to deny the validity of any objective testing method, and then do some more huffing and puffing before slamming the door as they exit the forum discussion.
It’s all rather silly.
So: Golden Ears – do some blind testing because: either put up or shut up.
So you have been an IT professional for a mere 20 years. I am glad I did not need your services. I have been the same for almost twice that, but it is very much nothing to do with this topic.
I will not spend more time on this discussion. I have Roon to enjoy music, not to spend time on nonsense. And it is certainly not you who decides on my freedom of speech or opinion.
