Analog sound - in a digital world?

[Digital_Thor]

I should maybe just let it rest, but thought there might be a few knowledgeable people in here, that could shed light on this matter - because I'm just way too curious

Browsing in here for inspiration, I stumbled over the upcoming review of the new Aspen FR20, and the only other guy who apparently had a home audition of these speakers, ended up with the Daniel Hertz M7 instead. Who's that guy - my inner voice asked me - and so I found this:

He's super passionate and I like that his general thoughts about using the active approach for the woofer and keeping it rather simple, and also use bigger efficient speakers, for more dynamics.

Then he goes on and on about how he wishes to keep the analog sound alive and circle around the digital sound with some kinda workaround that he figured out. But at the 6:12-6:13 mark... I clearly see a bunch of switch mode power supplies and class D amplifiers modules. Which to me is a bit weird, when he just talked lengths about "steps" in digital sound, "fiddling" with our brain

This is properly just fine, and no one really cares, and it sounds good overall. I just can't help myself thinking - are we paying for a good story and "adventure" here - or for a good product?

 

[Sal1950]

This is properly just fine, and no one really cares, and it sounds good overall. I just can't help myself thinking - are we paying for a good story and "adventure" here - or for a good product?

Just another BS marketing story of the type we've read 1,000 times

 

[voodooless]

he just talked lengths about "steps" in digital sound, "fiddling" with our brain

This seems to be one of the key marketing gimmicks:

Daniel Hertz is the only company in the world that has fully defined the digital problem and created a solution. The solution is called Daniel Hertz C -wave technology. Pure analog audio is based on a continuous waveform. Digital audio is based on a non-continuous (sampled) waveform. Years of testing with advanced computer-based heath diagnostic equipment shows that the human brain is fatigued or stressed by the digital audio waveform. Daniel Hertz C Wave fills in the spaces of the PCM digital audio waveform with original musical information - not sound effects - which enables the brain to respond like to pure analog., with no fatigue or stress reaction.

See: https://danielhertz.com/pages/exclusive-technology

It seems the dude never watched the Monty video...

Seems it was already covered:

News flash: First " new fundamental technology in audio since the 1970's"

I can't find anything about this new technology outside the market speak of Daniel Hertz website. Wondering if anyone here has an inkling what they're on about? "Mark Levinson and his team of Daniel Hertz audio engineers have developed a new class of audio chips with embedded C-wave...

www.audiosciencereview.com

As for the Class D amp: that may be interesting: single IC DAC/DSP and 10-channel amplifier (well, probably only the driver stages). I first thought it may be an Axign chip, but it looks like this one is much bigger.

 

[Digital_Thor]

Just another BS marketing story of the type we've read 1,000 times

I guessed so, but I hardly believe anything anymore, and this forum above anything, taught me to fact-check, research and question a lot more

 

[Digital_Thor]

This seems to be one of the key marketing gimmicks:

See: https://danielhertz.com/pages/exclusive-technology

It seems the dude never watched the Monty video...

Seems it was already covered:

News flash: First " new fundamental technology in audio since the 1970's"

I can't find anything about this new technology outside the market speak of Daniel Hertz website. Wondering if anyone here has an inkling what they're on about? "Mark Levinson and his team of Daniel Hertz audio engineers have developed a new class of audio chips with embedded C-wave...

www.audiosciencereview.com

As for the Class D amp: that may be interesting: single IC DAC/DSP and 10-channel amplifier (well, probably only the driver stages). I first thought it may be an Axign chip, but it looks like this one is much bigger.

Oh yeah, I love that video from Monty

Also... not really sure if they get what they write themselves. 350W in 8 0hms.... scroll down the page to specs. "oh" 200W in 8 ohms
https://danielhertz.com/collections/amplifiers/products/maria-800

 

[Sokel]

As for the Class D amp: that may be interesting: single IC DAC/DSP and 10-channel amplifier (well, probably only the driver stages). I first thought it may be an Axign chip, but it looks like this one is much bigger.

2 x Hypex SMPS,the modules looks icepower 400a2 to me but I'm probably wrong cause the caps are not the usual Rubicons ice uses.

Edit,maybe they are Rubicons after all,they just have some short of cover on top.

 

[voodooless]

2 x Hypex SMPS,the modules looks icepower 400a2 to me but I'm probably wrong cause the caps are not the usual Rubicons ice uses.

No, it's not an IcePower module. Here is a better view:

This looks like a UcD400 OEM module:

The cheap f*ckers...

... and not only are they cheap, they also lied:

Daniel Hertz is the only audio equipment manufacturer that develops its own proprietary Audio IC (integrated circuit) technology beginning from the silicon up. Daniel Hertz created a new generation of audio ICs called the Daniel Hertz Mighty Cat, a visionary technology from founder Mark Levinson. The exclusive Daniel Hertz Mighty Cat Class D Audio Chip is the only audio IC capable of running Daniel Hertz patent-pending software, which provides the sound and feeling of pure analog from digital content, including streaming. Daniel Hertz Mighty Cat provides all the functions of separate components, including; DAC ( Digital to Analog Converter), Preamplifier, Power amplifier with up to 12 channels, crossover, and headphone amplifier.

Source: https://danielhertz.com/pages/exclusive-technology
Clearly there is zero amplifiers in this that chip, not even the driver stages. It's probably just a relabeled Sigma DSP chip..

 

[StigErik]

Sure - the amp modules are Hypex UcD400's.

 

[Sokel]

No, it's not an IcePower module. Here is a better view:

This looks like a UcD400 OEM module:

The cheap f*ckers...

Yep,as cheap as it gets
For 30k I wouldn't expect Purifi's in there as the scale don't fit to the economic model but this is close to shame.

 

[wwenze]

Switched mode? Analog? Digital?

 

[StigErik]

Both the Hypex SMPS and UcD400 class-D amps are 100% analog.

 

[voodooless]

It's probably just a relabeled Sigma DSP chip..

Nope, it's this one:

D2-74083 - Intelligent Digital Amplifier and Sound Processor

Advanced DAE-6 digital audio engine device with complete system on chip audio processing.

www.renesas.com

The pinout seems to match if I look at the photo

The power and GND pins are at the right spot. In some places, they claim it's co-developed.. I doubt that.

The lettering they did not replace on the marketing material gave it away. I'm not sure how they hook this up to the UcD though? It will not like being fed PWM signals. So possibly they convert the PWM to the analog equivalent, and then drive the amps? Probably the performance of this is so poor, the UcD400s are enough to keep up.

 

[Golf]

»Hand Made In Italy«? That would be a fair warning after all – at least in my ears.

 

[Palladium]

Just another BS marketing story of the type we've read 1,000 times

Welcome to consumerism: Once tech becomes good and cheap enough, the hucksters start appearing to peddle solutions for problems that don't exist.

 

[JiiPee]

There is no such thing as "digital sound". What humans perceive as sound is an acoustic analog wave.

 

[SSS]

I should maybe just let it rest, but thought there might be a few knowledgeable people in here, that could shed light on this matter - because I'm just way too curious

Browsing in here for inspiration, I stumbled over the upcoming review of the new Aspen FR20, and the only other guy who apparently had a home audition of these speakers, ended up with the Daniel Hertz M7 instead. Who's that guy - my inner voice asked me - and so I found this:

He's super passionate and I like that his general thoughts about using the active approach for the woofer and keeping it rather simple, and also use bigger efficient speakers, for more dynamics.

Then he goes on and on about how he wishes to keep the analog sound alive and circle around the digital sound with some kinda workaround that he figured out. But at the 6:12-6:13 mark... I clearly see a bunch of switch mode power supplies and class D amplifiers modules. Which to me is a bit weird, when he just talked lengths about "steps" in digital sound, "fiddling" with our brain

This is properly just fine, and no one really cares, and it sounds good overall. I just can't help myself thinking - are we paying for a good story and "adventure" here - or for a good product?

Watched the video and where I agree is that loud and impressive bass needs big speaker chassis like the M1 has or a big horn like Klipsch. Although it is way out of my financial reach.
I don't like the small tiny speaker which cannot create real strong bass. On the electronics part of course Mark Levinson knows what he does with the experience during his careers. Also there the eqipment is overprices compared to other class-D amps.

 

[Schollaudio]

I enjoy a good 12" two way however with those pricings the company should be called Butt Hertz.

 

[mhardy6647]

There's already a thread on this here at ASR, FYI & FWIW.

News flash: First " new fundamental technology in audio since the 1970's"

I can't find anything about this new technology outside the market speak of Daniel Hertz website. Wondering if anyone here has an inkling what they're on about? "Mark Levinson and his team of Daniel Hertz audio engineers have developed a new class of audio chips with embedded C-wave...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Speaking of FWIW:
I cannot see the name of this company (is it a company or a cult?) without thinking of Mister Rogers' Daniel Tiger

and, of course, the mythical Richard "Dick" Hertz.

 

[Digital_Thor]

There's already a thread on this here at ASR, FYI & FWIW.

News flash: First " new fundamental technology in audio since the 1970's"

I can't find anything about this new technology outside the market speak of Daniel Hertz website. Wondering if anyone here has an inkling what they're on about? "Mark Levinson and his team of Daniel Hertz audio engineers have developed a new class of audio chips with embedded C-wave...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Oh... I must admit that I just searched on Google, and not much came up - that's why I started this thread - since most homepages have terrible search results - IME. But I must admit that I have to think differently with this forum, since it actually works pretty well, now that I test it more.

When I look at your link, someone else searched for exactly the same as me - just 1 year ago
And a bit later.... another one too - just misspelled:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ones-that-understand-digital-vs-analog.43843/