Audiophile mythology: fact or fiction

[wgscott]

There seems to be quite a bit of audiophile folklore, ranging from tautological platitudes to some stuff that just can't be true.

Let's examine a few potentially plausible examples. Here are my nominations:

(1) Class D amplifiers. Some suggest they are inherently inferior. Does this have any basis in fact?

(2) Linear Power Supplies: Many claim these are inherently superior to switching power supplies, and make all sorts of modifications of computers, etc.


Thoughts?

 

[Blumlein 88]

Devil in the details of course. The fellow who makes the Trinity DACs (mucho expensive) also makes a fantastic measuring phono preamp. Noise is at SOTA levels well below any other phono pre of which I am aware. He used a switching power supply because he couldn't get noise that low at such tiny signal levels with linear supplies. Bruno Putzeys has some amps that are SOTA in terms of noise levels which also are switching amps. So sure lousy switching supplies or switching amps have issues, but nothing inherent in them being worse. Done well it may be quite the reverse.

 

[amirm]

As an owner of a class I amp (Harman's interleaved Class D), I can say confidently that there is no drawback in high performance implementation. Once there, their higher efficiency and power means better performance especially in US where we are saddled with low mains voltage.

 

[Ethan Winer]

There seems to be quite a bit of audiophile folklore

Ya think?

The only thing that matters is fidelity, and that's easily measured. If an amplifier is inferior that will manifest as more noise or distortion, or a skewed frequency response. If a power supply is inferior that will impact the performance of whatever it's powering. This is not as complicated as some believe, and it certainly is totally knowable.

--Ethan

 

[Purité Audio]

Implementation definitely Class d certainly has no inherent advantages pertaining to sound quality, there is an interesting talk by BP where he discusses , their advantage is low current draw ,small size and efficiency .
I believe a properly designed switching power is actually better than a linear, I again believe it is more difficult to design out the 50Hz ( over here ) induced noise.
FYI when Dietmar introduced the new Trinity range they were enclosed in relatively modest cases, but his HK dealer said they were ,'too light and too cheap' solid aluminium cases and a three x price rise later....
Keith.

 

[Purité Audio]

This is the inside of the Trinity pre amp, showing the p/s.
Keith

 

[Liberal Democracy]

umm where is the $32000
should be in the joke thread imo

 

[Purité Audio]

Are they really $32k we had to pay Euros 2000 each to have the boards of our 'old case ' units transplanted into the new solid aluminium, you did get a flight case thrown in though.
When I operated the preamps remote, the light on the piano would switch off !
Keith.

 

[Liberal Democracy]

yea and put a few old DAC chips in it and its $60k

 

[Blumlein 88]

Yes, but those are the most special old DACs chips. Which I do believe you can order extras of them put in for even more than $60k. I am still waiting for the cycle to roll around so my old original delta sigma devices are considered the old, musical, real sounding methods, not like the ones current in the future. You know when DSD 2048 is considered harsh and unmusical sounding.

 

[wgscott]

We need more myths:


Here is one of my personal favorites:

Files having identical md5sum/sha1 checksums can nonetheless sound different when played back under identical conditions, depending upon their copying history, presence of a noisy power supply during processing, etc.

 

[amirm]

That is a good one. It was triggered the most by that article in Absolute Sound.

 

[wgscott]

This really isn't much fun with no one here to defend the palpably absurd with appeals to idiot-logic and mystical yet-t0-be-discovered fundamental physical forces, supported by anecdotal evidence and conspiracy theory.

 

[amirm]

I hear you . But many will be reading these threads in the future. I like to collect them and do thorough job of analyzing them and making a solid reference for the undecided to read.

 

[Blumlein 88]

This really isn't much fun with no one here to defend the palpably absurd with appeals to idiot-logic and mystical yet-t0-be-discovered fundamental physical forces, supported by anecdotal evidence and conspiracy theory.

You really miss Alex that much? Wow I don't know whether to be surprised or impressed. Well respected engineers indeed. I could send you two photos that are bit identical yet look different if you wish.

 

[wgscott]

I miss the stalking, and the threats to complain to my employer about my flat-earth, closed-minded world-view and its corrupting influence on innocent students the most.

But please don't worry about me. Somehow I will manage to gather the strength to face the new day.

 

[Opus111]

The linear power supply thing in computers seems to me to be about common-mode noise. Switching supplies in computers generate it and because audiophiles mainly prefer single-ended connections, there's the problem of high frequency noise currents running through the screens of their ICs.

 

[dallasjustice]

I have to admit that I intentionally baited Alex and his circle of confusion over to Amir's Regen thread on WBF. I purchased the Regen he tested solely for the entertainment I thought it could provide. I got some big laughs out of that one.

I miss the stalking, and the threats to complain to my employer about my flat-earth, closed-minded world-view and its corrupting influence on innocent students the most.

But please don't worry about me. Somehow I will manage to gather the strength to face the new day.

 

[wgscott]

Another one I like:

Tuning your system using expensive speaker wire, unusual USB cables and interconnects, audiophile fuses, tiny, audiophile-grade electrons, uni-directional wires, etc. is good.

Tuning your system using room measurement/correction software is bad.

 

[tomelex]

above +1

also, I love it how every year your ears are degrading and yet every upgrade results in blacker blacks, bigger in every way soundstages, more extension and air, etc eccceeetraa.