Biggest myths in audio that tick you off/General things in audio that tick you off. - Page 12

For about half a second

Don't forget the cooker http://www.audioexcellenceaz.com/cablecooker.htm

I wonder what Kal has to say about that claim.

I've heard a few such vinyl recordings and I don't doubt what you here. But the greater range is because of the care put into the mastering and the pressing. Same master and care with CD would yield no worse than equal SQ--better if the original master had more dynamic range than vinyl.

I have hundreds of SACDs and DVD-As. I have a number of the same titles on CD. In some cases, the SACD/DVD-A version sounds notably better, even after level matching (2 channel). In other cases, the formats are indistinguishable. It comes down to the mastering job. Most SACD, DVD-A and recent vinyl pressings benefit from an attention to detail at the mastering stage that allows each format to shine. Sadly, that has not been the case with many, many CD releases in the past 15+ years. That is not, however, a flaw with the CD format but rather indicative of poor decision making for audio fidelity.

I know that vinyl can sound better than CD. It's just that the reason for that better sound lies elsewhere than the vinyl format itself.

I think you should use cold water to get the blood out of your shirt. It is cold water, right? I think hot water causes it to clot and that makes it harder to remove. Try a pet stain remover, it works well on blood.

HAHAHA! They are saying, using spiffy sounding words, that the bell does not actually do anything but make you THINK your system sounds better.

The power of the placebo.

Yes, the mastering process definitely has a lot to do with it. I guess I'm referring to all things being equal. But the nature of analog vs digital is where vinyl can exceed cd's. But I'm referring to the conversion process from the analogue to digital realm. Cd's slice the analog signal into digital bits and you lose a small bit of the signal in the digital conversion. SACD's and DVD audio slice it into much smaller pieces so you retain much more of the nature of the original analogue signal. The big advantage of the of any digital format is the lack of noise from the dirt or hiss produced by the recording media. Although, I don't know how well the ultra expensive record cleaners perform in reducing the pops and clicks from the dirt. I've never been able to afford one!

That's not the way it works and you don't lose anything. Read up on the Nyquist Theorem.

That's the oddiophile line, but it doesn't hold water. Vinyl sounds different not because it's more accurate but because it's less accurate, and adds a lot of coloration. Coloration sounds good. Digital doesn't add coloration, so it's less pleasing to the ear. The simple solution if you want the sound of vinyl from a CD is to record it on vinyl first and then transcribe it to CD. When you do the CD cannot be distinguished from the record. That is, unless you're an oddiophile and are aware that it's a CD. While oddiophiles make claim to having 'golden ears' the reality is that they're the worst when it comes to listening with their eyes...and wallets.

Is this really accurate or is this something that audiophiles parrot? If it is accurate, just how much are we talking about?

I think you can guess it.

Even those who cut the vinyl know of it's limitations.

General things that bother me;
1. People who misinterpret accurate measurements.
2. Companies that publish misleading or "massaged" measurements, and make the accurate "revealing" measurements of others look bad.



Most ID companies can and will provide whatever measurements you desire along with detailed interpretation information, the reason our site, and I'm sure others are not plastered with measurements is for mainly the reasons above, for us anyway.

It's completely inaccurate although I wouldn't call it something that audiophiles parrot but rather a misunderstanding.

Fortunately many of the people that create and record the music you listen to don't agree with you or your ilk.

Wow, brilliant! It even has hex shaped binding posts! Will I need a separate unit to cook each of my cables?

Maybe I'll start off by putting everything in a crock pot overnight, and see how that goes.

Since this is a highly subjective hobby/profession with many opinions both good and bad, 'ilk' in its negative connotation might not be the best fit. So that I can understand better, what are your specific qualifications that lead to your own highly subjective opinion?

If I'm reading this correctly, you believe that the people who create and record music think wires make a difference. Most (those with engineering backgrounds) that I have met do not. They may use expensive wire, but they are usually freebies so that the wire company can mention the use within their marketing materials.

And if you're suggesting that musicians on the whole know anything about audio science, with a few notable exceptions, this is also a false premise. I have a number of acquaintances and friends who are both professional and amateur artists. While most are knowledgeable regarding music creation, few know much if anything about music reproduction.

Unless you have evidence (the first) that wires make a difference, you should rethink your stance as there is plenty of science that supports the other position - that wires don't make a difference unless faulty.

Most of the people who create and record the music you listen to do agree with him and are of his ilk. So are those of us who create the gear that said music is listened to on.

Your not missing that much from the analogue signal. It has to do with calculus and determining the area under a curved line. If I recall correctly calculus can only approximate the actual area under a curve because it cannot calculate it exactly. This is what happens when you digitize an analogue signal. The smaller you carve up the are under the curve the more accurately you can approximate that analogue signal when you digitize it. So the higher the sampling rate, the better the resolution. Whether that's audible or not is debatable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampling_rate

If what you say is true, then certainly you could name some of the recording studios and recording artists that use Home Depot wire.

How about you provide a list of recording studios that bought expensive speaker wires, and the science behind doing so.

Note, that I asked for a list of those who "bought", not those who were "given".

A few things like cable elevators are some of the most insane ideas that I've ever heard. Insane and genius at the same time simply because at anywhere from $24-150 or more...PEOPLE BUY THEM!!!!!

Here's a couple more.

http://www.audiotweaks.com/tweaks/tweak_12.htm

This one looked good until I saw that its uses include putting them under D/A converters and pre-amps. It's a good cheap way for smaller subwoofer isolation if you want that.

http://www.audiotweaks.com/tweaks/tweak_16.htm

Another sand bag tweak. Place the sand bags on TOP of your cd player for...
"gives a "heavier, and more centered" sound, reduces sympathetic vibration of the machine, resulting in decreased percentage of music lost through electron transmission".

Amazing.

http://www.audiotweaks.com/tweaks/tweak_66.htm/
This one uses 35 mm film cans.

"Use the film cans at the ends of the cables. Experiment with some or many." "The application of the film cans lowers the noise floor of the system so there is more detail. They also smooth out the highs."

If anyone wants a good laugh I suggest heading over to that site and have a look at some of the tweaks that are submitted. Some are incredible. I had and idea long ago for audiophile grade stuffed animals to be placed around your room. Sad part about it is, as much of a joke as that is, it would do better than all the other tweaks I just listed because it would help with reflections in the room. Only on very very high frequencies but it would at least do something. I really don't believe that those people realize how fast electricity actually moves.

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/c...-cable-faceoff

Actual measurements between different DIY cables and some store bought. And the winner is...A DIY cable from LOWES! Not by opinion, but by actual measurements.

"Surprisingly the Monster Cables performance was outclassed by extension cord"

My day has just been made. Love it!