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Can you review a Synchro-Mesh S/PDIF re-clocker?

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Xulonn

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After adding the iPurifier, I watched the movie again. This chatter was now intelligible and I understood the dialogue immediately, even though this is at very low level.

Interesting! In my case, listening again to marginally intelligible recordings of the human voice allows me to understand them - even without an improvement in fidelity.

What controls did you employ to filter out the "repeating increases understanding" factor? Did you try it with other subjects, some of whom listened to exactly the same dialogue at exactly the same loudness level - with and without the gizmo being used for the first listen?
 
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Empirical Audio

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One thing I have learned over the last 20-30 years or so that there is very poor correlation between expensive and good engineering in the hifi marketplace since before then.
The idea that more that expensive = better, however, persists even though it really isn't necessarily the case.

I couldn't agree more. There are a lot of uber-expensive components and speakers out there that are not worth 1/10 of the price. This is why it is so important to read the reviews from the press and from customers and if possible, audition in your own system.

Many of you evidently feel that my products are expensive, but my customers don't. They understand that when my $10K DAC beats the $50K-75K Vivaldi stack, this is a good value. Lots of posters on the web complain that more expensive cables don't make any difference, but the problem is they have only tried <$300 cables. Good cables, particularly analog start happening around $500 IME. I used to sell them, but not anymore. Same with DAC's. If you have only tried <$1K DACs, you have not heard how good DACs can be.

Steve N.
 

dallasjustice

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also realize that this is a measurement forum
Actually, this forum grew out of a “measurement” sub forum on WBF. This is a “science” forum. There is a big difference between measurements and science. I hope you can appreciate that.
 
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Empirical Audio

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No offset. What effect does it have?

If I rip a file with out offset correction and the with offset correction what difference will I see?

I will do this later and compare sample to sample in audition.

You will see a different number of nulls leading into the starting of music track. This is one of the things that good rippers get right. They verify the offset. If it was unimportant, why does the ripper need to verify this?

At first glance, it seems to be unimportant, but my theory is that the playback software is somehow affected by having the wrong lead-in to the music data. As posted earlier, I will do the listening test again and post the tracks here.

Steve N.
 
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Empirical Audio

Empirical Audio

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No offset. What effect does it have?

If I rip a file with out offset correction and the with offset correction what difference will I see?

I will do this later and compare sample to sample in audition.


BTW, Why don't you send Amir some of your "Ultra low Noise Transparent Interconnect Cables" for measurement.

I'll be very interested to hear cables that don't create noise.
 
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Empirical Audio

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Interesting! In my case, listening again to marginally intelligible recordings of the human voice allows me to understand them - even without an improvement in fidelity.

What controls did you employ to filter out the "repeating increases understanding" factor? Did you try it with other subjects, some of whom listened to exactly the same dialogue at exactly the same loudness level - with and without the gizmo being used for the first listen?

My wife had the same impression the second time we watched the movie.

The way my wife describes reduction in jitter is: "it's like a looking out a window that is dirty. Lowering the jitter cleans the window so you can see clearly"
 
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Empirical Audio

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Agreed, I think he honestly believes that hearing is superior over measurements and that measurements don't tell the whole story.

Total misinterpretation. Your senses must not be working very well. Try reading what I wrote. Measurements and listening are equally important, until we achieve a standard set of measurements that fully characterize and correlate to the way we hear. I don't believe we are there yet.
 
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Empirical Audio

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Did anyone take the listening tests based on reclocking by Mutec and their Ref 10 clock?

Previously, I posted this:

https://www.bonedo.de/artikel/einzelansicht/mutec-mc-3-smart-clock-usb-und-ref10-test/2.html

The reviewer, who holds an MSc in electronics and information theory, writes (Google translated):

“Setup 3 and 4 sound the best. However, the differences are not so huge, you have to listen to it for a while. That nevertheless the REF 10 makes another small, but subtle difference, I would not have expected! Whether this is worth the quite high extra charge, everyone must decide for themselves - the MC-3 + USB, however, in my opinion, but worth every euro”.

Is he on with the conspiracy, or do you hear differences too?

NOTE! There’s a link to a zip container with hi-res files too.

I wonder if the listeners in this test were blind-folded so they could not see? This is one thing I believe is critical for DBT tests. Sight interferes with hearing every time IME. It has to be a pitch-black room or use blind-folds.
 

March Audio

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You will see a different number of nulls leading into the starting of music track. This is one of the things that good rippers get right. They verify the offset. If it was unimportant, why does the ripper need to verify this?

At first glance, it seems to be unimportant, but my theory is that the playback software is somehow affected by having the wrong lead-in to the music data. As posted earlier, I will do the listening test again and post the tracks here.

Steve N.
I know. This has no effect on the actual audio of the track.

So whatever difference you heard was not actually there.
 

March Audio

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BTW, Why don't you send Amir some of your "Ultra low Noise Transparent Interconnect Cables" for measurement.

I'll be very interested to hear cables that don't create noise.

No I haven't. BTW my background is instrumentation and measurement. The cables have an additional conductive layer between the insulators to minimise tribo electric noise.

This was a big issue in accelerometer measurements I used to make in harsh environments. Not a big issue in domestic hifi, but still. They have good shielding. The benign electrical characteristics means they are transparent.

Just solid fit for purpose engineering and no foo.
 
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Krunok

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As much as you may disagree with him, I am as certain as I can be that Empirical Audio is not trolling. If that's who you were referring to I think that you are being unfair

Ok, "trolling" was maybe not the best word I could have used but then maybe you as a native english speaker can suggest a better word for a person who is presenting his subjective impressions as facts in a very stubborn way and constantly avoiding to accept any rational arguments?
 

SIY

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Ok, "trolling" was maybe not the best word I could have used but then maybe you as a native english speaker can suggest a better word for a person who is presenting his subjective impressions as facts in a very stubborn way and constantly avoiding to accept any rational arguments?

"Huckster."
 

Krunok

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I'll be very interested to hear cables that don't create noise.

Oh, so now you are hearing noise from cables as well?

That adds up nicely to hearing jitter, difference between FLAC and WAV and my favourite - difference between platinum and copper ethernet cable. :D
 

Blumlein 88

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You will see a different number of nulls leading into the starting of music track. This is one of the things that good rippers get right. They verify the offset. If it was unimportant, why does the ripper need to verify this?

At first glance, it seems to be unimportant, but my theory is that the playback software is somehow affected by having the wrong lead-in to the music data. As posted earlier, I will do the listening test again and post the tracks here.

Steve N.
This is a ridiculous idea I've heard before now. If the few lead in samples altered the sound of an entire track think of what that would mean. It would mean mastering guys would happen to leave just the right amount to sound good or most often leave a number at the lead in that would hurt the sound quality. It is likely this effect if real would react differently with different DACs and software. If true the results would be chaotic from all the variables and no consensus could be achieved.

Someone making this claim needs some very good and solid corroboration it is happening. Something well beyond "I hear it and it is so".
 

Frank Dernie

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I couldn't agree more. There are a lot of uber-expensive components and speakers out there that are not worth 1/10 of the price. This is why it is so important to read the reviews from the press and from customers and if possible, audition in your own system.

Many of you evidently feel that my products are expensive, but my customers don't. They understand that when my $10K DAC beats the $50K-75K Vivaldi stack, this is a good value. Lots of posters on the web complain that more expensive cables don't make any difference, but the problem is they have only tried <$300 cables. Good cables, particularly analog start happening around $500 IME. I used to sell them, but not anymore. Same with DAC's. If you have only tried <$1K DACs, you have not heard how good DACs can be.

Steve N.
I haven't bought anything without an extended home demo for years, except speakers - getting speakers set up which weigh 300lb each isn't easily arranged.
When I first compared cables I used a Spectral SDR2000 Dac, DMC20 preamp and DMA180 power amp into Sonus Faber Extrema speakers.
The second time I used a Goldmund Mimesis 22/ Mimesis 20/ Mimesis 29.4 monoblocks, for speaker cables only.
Both these evaluations at home.

When I chose my current speakers otoh I travelled all over the place for a couple of years. By then I was using Apogee Divas and was keen to hear the original Wilson Audio WAMM and the dealer I had bought my Goldmund Reference turntable from was the French importer for so I went to Paris to listen to them.
He also had Goldmund Apologues and Analogues which I felt had a much more realistic instrumental timbre and looked much nicer.
To cut a long story short my final audition was between the Goldmund Epilog and the Bowers and Wilkins Nautilus. I chose the Epilogs even though I loved the styling of the Nautilus and have been contentedly listening to them ever since.
I used to make recordings (of classical music) too, so have several original master recordings of my own I can play.
Things I can certainly hear differences between:-
Microphones
Microphone position.
Tape recorders.
Pickup cartridges - I use an Ortofon A90 mostly but like the Decca super gold a lot - more fun than accurate...
Pickup arms
Record decks
Record deck supports, and where they are located.
Speakers.
Power amplifiers.

Things I have tested carefully and did not discern a difference on the type of music I listen to:-
Interconnects, except the ones like Goldmund and MIT with filters in.
Speaker cables - ditto
DACs, I compared a Linn Klimax, Resolution Audio Cantata, Weiss DAC202 and Metric Halo recorder. I thought there may have been a tiny bit more detail on the sound of the pianist pressing the pedals with the Cantata on one piano recording, but minimal and I am sure blind I wouldn't consistently get it right - so for me a requestably good approximation to no difference.

Things I haven't carefully tested but a quick check showed no difference:-
Preamps - I changed the Spectral DMC 20 which I loved for the Goldmund Mimesis 22 because it stacked nicely despite not hearing a difference.

I am a believer in simple recording and for me it is a fact that the recording quality makes a much bigger difference to sound quality than any change in properly engineered hifi equipment, and it is an obvious difference.

I am a music lover, had a good system for at least 5 years before I got my first car and have actually never owned a car costing as much as my hifi, ever. I own a Ferrari I bought new.

My conclusions after over 50 years as a music lover and engineer.
 
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