- Joined
- Jan 27, 2019
- Messages
- 7,327
- Likes
- 12,280
Just curious.
I hear quite often these days (well, actually for years now) that good old Redbook CD files - 16 bit 44.1 kHz - sound better than they have have before due to advances in DACs etc. I see even vinyl die-hards saying things like "just got a new DAC and I can FINALLY enjoy digital sound!"
For my part, I've enjoyed CD sound for decades. I do remember when it first came out my first encounters were "wow listen to that clarity and silence!" but also "boy this sounds a bit weirdly synthetic and sterile." But I can't know from this vantage point if those negatives were not having adjusted to the new sound, or if it was actually something about the early DACs. In any case, in the early 90's I really enjoyed the sound from a Sony CD player as I replaced all my vinyl. I was skeptical even back then about differences between DACs/CD players but still investigated "upgrading" my CD player. I ended up by the late 90's using a Meridian 508.20 CD player which had the reputation for a CD player with "vinyl/analog-like sound." When I tried it in my system it sounded to my ears distinctly a bit different than the Sony player - actually, yes a bit more vinyl-toned. I was also evaluating a Mietner Bidat DAC as well and it too seemed to have it's own "sound" - darker, more lush and bigger soundstage than the Meridian CDP, where the Meridian had a lighter tone, smaller soundstage but more a sense of image focus and density. My skeptical side kicking in I did two sets of blind tests - (using a voltage meter at the speaker terminal I was able to match levels essentially perfectly). I identified each player with essentially a perfect score. I EVEN identified them easily from outside the room!
I ended up keeping the Meridian player (and for a while the Mietner DAC).
Even despite that experience, I maintained a skepticism about the differences between DACs and CD players. If only because it had been drilled in to my head by "objectivists" whom I respected who said any competent CD player/DAC should sound the same, when level matched. I tend to maintain my skepticism, so when it came to replacing the Meridian years later I just picked up a Benchmark DAC1 - good specs, by what seemed to be a straight up, no b.s. company who made professional products. Sounded great to me - I didn't expect otherwise. I haven't bothered upgrading for years and don't really see reason to. And I've seen some hard-nosed objectivists saying that the format was up to snuff since it came out, and one is unlikely to detect a sonic difference from an old competent player from the 80s vs one made now.
Ok, that was something of a winding road to get back to my question:
Does anyone here believe that 16 bit 44.1 playback is audibly better than some time in the past? Pick any time you want since the introduction of the CD. If so, what has improved and how?
(I'm not just talking about played off of CDs, but ripped, streamed etc)
I hear quite often these days (well, actually for years now) that good old Redbook CD files - 16 bit 44.1 kHz - sound better than they have have before due to advances in DACs etc. I see even vinyl die-hards saying things like "just got a new DAC and I can FINALLY enjoy digital sound!"
For my part, I've enjoyed CD sound for decades. I do remember when it first came out my first encounters were "wow listen to that clarity and silence!" but also "boy this sounds a bit weirdly synthetic and sterile." But I can't know from this vantage point if those negatives were not having adjusted to the new sound, or if it was actually something about the early DACs. In any case, in the early 90's I really enjoyed the sound from a Sony CD player as I replaced all my vinyl. I was skeptical even back then about differences between DACs/CD players but still investigated "upgrading" my CD player. I ended up by the late 90's using a Meridian 508.20 CD player which had the reputation for a CD player with "vinyl/analog-like sound." When I tried it in my system it sounded to my ears distinctly a bit different than the Sony player - actually, yes a bit more vinyl-toned. I was also evaluating a Mietner Bidat DAC as well and it too seemed to have it's own "sound" - darker, more lush and bigger soundstage than the Meridian CDP, where the Meridian had a lighter tone, smaller soundstage but more a sense of image focus and density. My skeptical side kicking in I did two sets of blind tests - (using a voltage meter at the speaker terminal I was able to match levels essentially perfectly). I identified each player with essentially a perfect score. I EVEN identified them easily from outside the room!
I ended up keeping the Meridian player (and for a while the Mietner DAC).
Even despite that experience, I maintained a skepticism about the differences between DACs and CD players. If only because it had been drilled in to my head by "objectivists" whom I respected who said any competent CD player/DAC should sound the same, when level matched. I tend to maintain my skepticism, so when it came to replacing the Meridian years later I just picked up a Benchmark DAC1 - good specs, by what seemed to be a straight up, no b.s. company who made professional products. Sounded great to me - I didn't expect otherwise. I haven't bothered upgrading for years and don't really see reason to. And I've seen some hard-nosed objectivists saying that the format was up to snuff since it came out, and one is unlikely to detect a sonic difference from an old competent player from the 80s vs one made now.
Ok, that was something of a winding road to get back to my question:
Does anyone here believe that 16 bit 44.1 playback is audibly better than some time in the past? Pick any time you want since the introduction of the CD. If so, what has improved and how?
(I'm not just talking about played off of CDs, but ripped, streamed etc)