Listen and choose the 8th generation digital copy.

[andreasmaaan]

I only listened to the Jennifer Warnes samples, and did it using IEMS (NAD HP20) on my laptop soundcard.

I thought B might have been slightly different, but when I plugged both versions into an ABX comparator and tested myself, it proved that I was unable to discern any difference.

 

[March Audio]

Listening on of course my DAC1, HPA1 prototype and Oppo PM1. A bit tired so will have another go tomorrow to see if I am consistent but

Jennifer Warnes A= Reference
Bob Marley A= Reference
Ry Cooder B = reference
Phil Woods B= Reference
Cowboy Junkies A = Reference

 

[Krunok]

I only listened to the Jennifer Warnes samples, and did it using IEMS (NAD HP20) on my laptop soundcard.

I thought B might have been slightly different, but when I plugged both versions into an ABX comparator and tested myself, it proved that I was unable to discern any difference.

With absolutely no intention to sound ironic I believe we can with 100% certainty claim that B is slightly different than A!

 

[Krunok]

Listening on of course my DAC1 HPA1 prototype and Oppo PM1. A bit tired so will have another go tomorrow to see if I am consistent but

Jennifer Warnes A= Reference
Bob Marley A= Reference
Ry Cooder B = reference
Phil Woods B= Reference
Cowboy Junkies A = Reference

Maybe you need a better DAC?

 

[March Audio]

Maybe you need a better DAC?

Or a cheaper case

 

[Krunok]

Or a cheaper case

LOOL

 

[restorer-john]

It's a little disappointing the low level of participation in this thread. Considerable time and effort was clearly put in by Blumlein 88 to create these samples.

Maybe people are concerned their ticket to the audiophile playground might be revoked if they publicly admit to not being able to identify the 8th generation copies?

 

[SIY]

It's a little disappointing the low level of participation in this thread. Considerable time and effort was clearly put in by Blumlein 88 to create these samples.

Maybe people are concerned their ticket to the audiophile playground might be revoked if they publicly admit to not being able to identify the 8th generation copies?

Or my stuff is still in boxes from the recent move.

 

[Samoyed]

Well, as the senile priest said, I don’t know my mass from a scroll in the ground....

 

[Soniclife]

It's a little disappointing the low level of participation in this thread. Considerable time and effort was clearly put in by Blumlein 88 to create these samples.

Maybe people are concerned their ticket to the audiophile playground might be revoked if they publicly admit to not being able to identify the 8th generation copies?

Agreed, get listening people.

You can read all the DAC tests you like that show they don't have audible problems, but nothing drives it home like hearing how small a problem it is when something like this is done.

 

[restorer-john]

Or my stuff is still in boxes from the recent move.

You are excused SIY.

Moving an entire 'lab' and setting it up at the new place takes a very long time. Many days. In fact, it never ends up being quite right again. I took to taking pictures of my bench and room setup, so I could replicate it. Same after I decided to 'improve' the layout and completely ballsed it up.

 

[SIY]

Half the battle is figuring out what things are in what boxes in what piles. Once stuff is found, I can get set up pretty quickly, but we're absolutely buried in boxes. And I'm behind on three reviews...

 

[Blumlein 88]

Agreed, get listening people.

You can read all the DAC tests you like that show they don't have audible problems, but nothing drives it home like hearing how small a problem it is when something like this is done.

I hope people are downloading and listening in larger numbers. At least they'll hear it for themselves. I didn't have the downloads tracked so I don't know. I've done similar in the past when about a dozen people responded, and had it set up to know the number of dowloads. It was just short of a thousand.

 

[pkane]

I hope people are downloading and listening in larger numbers. At least they'll hear it for themselves. I didn't have the downloads tracked so I don't know. I've done similar in the past when about a dozen people responded, and had it set up to know the number of dowloads. It was just short of a thousand.

It seems that people are much more likely to come up with excuses as to why the test is invalid than to actually attempt a listen.

Are there tools out there for doing focused comparisons? Not ABX necessarily, but something that lets me narrow down and find differences easily, and then to confirm through ABX or another randomized test? I am in the process of making one, but am not above stealing good ideas from others

 

[fløyen]

Listening to the files on my work PC (at lunchtime I hasten to add!) through an Apple USB-C dongle and my Huawei (included with phone) earbuds...nearest to reference:

Ry Cooder, A
Jennifer Warnes, A
Cowboy Junkies, maybe A - I prefer the sound of B - know the album very well, so might be pre-conditioned
Bob Marley, B

Can't play the other one, comes back with a 404 error.

I'll have another go at home, where the background is a bit quieter!

 

[andreasmaaan]

It seems that people are much more likely to come up with excuses as to why the test is invalid than to actually attempt a listen.

Are there tools out there for doing focused comparisons? Not ABX necessarily, but something that lets me narrow down and find differences easily, and then to confirm through ABX or another randomized test? I am in the process of making one, but am not above stealing good ideas from others

I used the foobar comparator to ABX test myself on whether I could discern a difference between A and B (and using my laptop soundcard and EIMs, I couldn't).

 

[Blumlein 88]

Listening to the files on my work PC (at lunchtime I hasten to add!) through an Apple USB-C dongle and my Huawei (included with phone) earbuds...nearest to reference:

Ry Cooder, A
Jennifer Warnes, A
Cowboy Junkies, maybe A - I prefer the sound of B - know the album very well, so might be pre-conditioned
Bob Marley, B

Can't play the other one, comes back with a 404 error.

I'll have another go at home, where the background is a bit quieter!

Oops, I accidentally removed the Phil Woods. I'll put it back shortly.

And update the link in the original post.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Here is the updated link for Phil Woods. Also changed in the first post to this thread.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2pnbm1j0ecyo35h/Phil Woods repost.zip?dl=0

 

[fløyen]

I'd say B is closer to reference on the Phil Woods track.

 

[Guermantes]

Ok, here are my picks:

Ry Cooder and VM Bhatt: A=reference
Jennifer Warnes: B=reference (this was my lowest confidence choice)
Cowboy Junkies: A=reference
Bob Marley: B=reference
Phil Woods: B=reference

I spent a lot of time agonising over the Jennifer Warnes track but the Ry Cooder one was the quickest (so I guess highest confidence). The problem is, I can't really say I had consistent reasons for my choices. In the Marley I was listening to distortion on drums and small details such as channel mutes being switched. In the Cooder and Bhatt track, it was mostly about the sense of the acoustic space. The Warnes track contained the most synthetic elements and I found it difficult to find cues.

EDIT: I wanted to add that I tried to listen to evidence of high frequency attenuation because I thought that might be the main effect of multiple passes, however I found it difficult to discern anything. Listening on Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro headphones out of an RME Fireface UFX.