07-20-2020, 11:15 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-20-2020, 11:15 AM by TheOldPresbyope.
Edit Reason: typo
)
@Leviathan
I noticed you said
That's the problem with audiophilia. You can get so wrapped up in chasing the optimizations you forget to "enjoy the music." This isn't a test you somehow have to pass.
Ay, there's the rub! You don't get to listen to the sound of a Redbook CD. What's on the CD is a string of bits.
You listen to 1) what the recording engineer decided was the right mix of microphones, signal preprocessing, and digitization techniques followed by 2) what the DAC engineer decided was the right mix of conversion techniques and filtering followed by 3) the effect of the rest of your audio chain. (The basic process of reliably extracting the bits from a line of craters "dug" in a layer under the surface of a rapidly rotating circular disc is itself an art.)
At every step, engineering choices have to be made trying to balance the demands of conflicting requirements. It's possible for a DIY'er to change the resulting balance. So, naturally, folks do.
Be happy making these changes costs nothing and undoing a change is easy. Imagine if each change cost the same as the magic speaker cables some feel compelled to buy.
Regards,
Kent
I noticed you said
Quote:but am struggling to hear any significant difference between this and leaving SOX disabled.
That's the problem with audiophilia. You can get so wrapped up in chasing the optimizations you forget to "enjoy the music." This isn't a test you somehow have to pass.
Quote: I am still struggling with the concept that anything can/should improve the sound of (say) a redbook CD at 16 bit/44.1 KHz.
Ay, there's the rub! You don't get to listen to the sound of a Redbook CD. What's on the CD is a string of bits.
You listen to 1) what the recording engineer decided was the right mix of microphones, signal preprocessing, and digitization techniques followed by 2) what the DAC engineer decided was the right mix of conversion techniques and filtering followed by 3) the effect of the rest of your audio chain. (The basic process of reliably extracting the bits from a line of craters "dug" in a layer under the surface of a rapidly rotating circular disc is itself an art.)
At every step, engineering choices have to be made trying to balance the demands of conflicting requirements. It's possible for a DIY'er to change the resulting balance. So, naturally, folks do.
Be happy making these changes costs nothing and undoing a change is easy. Imagine if each change cost the same as the magic speaker cables some feel compelled to buy.
Regards,
Kent
