Once again, you've provided a thoughtful, insightful and interesting response - thank you!
This is exactly the kind of discussion I was hoping for and you've raised some really good points that I cannot respond to (which is great).
My current lay person's understanding is that, in a complex musical signal with many superimposed frequencies, the precise timing of an upswing or downswing in the waveform is not necessarily as cleanly predictable as an individual frequency in isolation. It has been my understanding that the upsampling process and WTA filters are intended to better resolve these details in time. As I said though, I don't have the foundations to suggest that my understanding is right - it is just the understanding I was working with. I am thrilled to be able to explore this further. Thank you.
Hi - a lot of what I’m about to say has been said elsewhere, but I thought perhaps it might help to give you (a reviewer with influence) the perspective of someone on ASR who has previously invested heavily in gear and upgrades over many years. Mostly on the back of subjective reviews and my own flawed home demos.
I currently have a Devialet Expert 440. It’s expensive kit, but I appreciate now that I could achieve similar a similar sonic outcome for much less money. That said it sounds great, the flexible functionality serves me well, it works with Roon and I like the aesthetic (others don’t).
If I really wanted a Devialet I could in fact have purchased a 220 at half the price , but my home demo convinced me of tangible improvements - did I level match the comparison - no, did I do the side by side in a reasonable timeframe - no.
The two box solution must be better, just intuitively - right?
My big wins have come from dealing properly with the room and speakers. This has been cheap to do and the results are measurable.
I think it might be unattractive to some ‘audiophiles ‘ because
1. It takes an investment of time to measure and understand. It not a quick box upgrade that makes you feel better because it cost more .
2. It may compromise the aesthetic of your room and your domestic arrangements!
3. It has no kudos / pride of ownership / show factor to impress your HiFi friends
As a reviewer you have influence and I would implore you to encourage your followers to address the things that make most difference to their listening .