Computer Audiophiles Are Anti-Computer

[tmtomh]

We get it, you like the place and want us to join you in that. But manipulation isn't going to achieve this...

No, you don't actually get it. I simply think you don't have an accurate view of that site - and to that I would now add that you also have an inaccurate view of my intent and motives with my comment, along with an inaccurate view of your own reading comprehension and inference skills.

 

[Xulonn]

Another thing I hate with Windows is even if it's not updating you fire up the PC and it takes much longer than the boot up time before you can use all it's resources.

Like others in this thread, I am aware of the Computer Audiophile website, and have visited it a couple of times when a Google search took me there. However, I prefer ASR because it is less tolerant of the audio woo and voodoo of pathological audiophilia.

As a former coporate desktop and network computer guy (20 years ago) I still have a decent set of PC setup and configuration skills. Both my desktop and laptop completely finish booting Windows 10 in 15-20 seconds. At today's prices, anyone still booting from a mechanical hard drive rather than an SSD is bding foolish and asking for frustration. The technical advances since my first IBM PC with a pair of full-height 360k floppy drives is remarkable - it's been an amazing ride. With today's cloning utilities and external HDD adapters, the upgrade is simple and fast for anyone with modest computer skills - and for those less skilled, a friend or local technician should be able to do the cloning cheaply.

I have no complaints about Windows 10. I can download 2Gb movies in less than five minutes. With low-cost internet service that gives me 70mbps down and 10 up and 70ms latency - shared with four rental units, even here in the remote mountains of western Panama, the world is at my fingertips.

However, although I have a general purpose mini-pc for use as an HTPC, it doesn't run Windows. I played with full-on Linux, but even Linux Mint requires far too much command line meddling to fix problems and overcome stock OS deficiencies. So instead, I use dedicated linux-based A/V platforms - Daphile for audio and LibreElec/Kodi video files - via a dual boot configuration. And both take longer than my Windows machines to boot up, but play all of my hodge-podge of media files of various formats just fine. Using a VPN, I can even watch some U.S. sporting events on free European TV internet broadcasts. Life is good!

 

[Hypnotoad]

Like others in this thread, I am aware of the Computer Audiophile website, and have visited it a couple of times when a Google search took me there. However, I prefer ASR because it is less tolerant of the audio woo and voodoo of pathological audiophilia.

Never been there.

I have no complaints about Windows 10.

Where all different, that's what makes the world go round.

Both my desktop and laptop completely finish booting Windows 10 in 15-20 seconds.

We put a blank SSD in my wife's old i3 Toshiba laptop and installed Ubuntu 18.04 LTS from a CD, it was painless and it boots from turn on and is ready to use in 15 seconds. Can't complain about that, and were not even that computer literate. You couldn't pay her to go back to Windows now.

 

[Sal1950]

Works for me.
My NY computers are scheduled to update at 1AM on Sunday when I am in CT.
My CT computers are scheduled to update at 1AM on Wednesday when I am in NY.

Problem there is you have to keep your computers alive and internet accessible.
I wouldn't trust a Windows install to keep my grandkid's homework secure.
I only have a small partition with Win 10 loaded on it to run Quicken and a couple other Windoz only applications, only used a few hours a week. The rest of the time I run Linux.

After browsing CA for several months to get a feel for the place, I certainly don't and I don't appear to be alone in that regard.

What I noticed over at CA was a overwhelming number of people hell bent on over-complicating something that is trivial for a general purpose computer to perform, that being the playback of digital audio. As a software engineer with decades of experience, that's not something that I'll ever feel camaraderie towards...

You'll notice a few of us here are cross-site active there. But for the most part we are universally hated over there, known as those damnable objectivists who are always trying to spoil their fun. What nerve we have to ask if they've DBT'd that $1,000 6" SATA cable or $5000 power cable they wrote 4 paragraphs of flowery praise about the sound of. LOL

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

I'd like to tone down a bit the anti CA tenor of my posts. There are a few good people there. People who posts sensical things: our own Mitchco for example or DallasJustice ... Else most of what I wrote, remains: They, now, Audiophilestyle.com pander to "everything-makes-a-difference" audiophiles.

Slightly different topics:
On Windows. it is pretty straightforward to schedule updates. A google search will lead in the right direction. Win 10 connects to everything I have tried with with no issue. To the extent I have forgotten about fighting with ASIO things. It seems they just come in line with no fuss. I like Win 10. JRiver seems to be a great app, I had it but it seems also bloated and convoluted to the extreme... Not an easy app to learn or navigate. I hope ROON doesn't go there. They are getting a bit bloated IMO.

I am also not saying that Apple products are better for Audio. They aren't. IMO Windows wins on this front. Apple tries too hard to lock people within their ecosystem. I don't use iTunes at all. ROON , SPOTIFY and foobar are my music software. I am however saying that Apple interface philosophy is a step in the right direction. Apple is further in the way they have their devices or services interface with the user.. however maddening it might be at times... An example is Whats'App call or Facetime call (I haven't paid attention for Hangout ) on an IOS device , it sees a call as a call and that's that... a call from a cellular number doesn't preempt the Whatsapp or Facetime call... My fiancee' phone is a current Samsung Galaxy and it does prioritize cellular over everything else ... Not IOS ... seems trivial but nothing more maddening than losing an important call because another but cellular is coming.. Perhaps it is somewhere in Android settings to tune that .. Apple does it by default ... a huge difference for many
I still hate iTunes

As for Linux. It is customizable to the nth degree , can be made to be brought to the last word in stability, can be tuned to work wonders on a Pentium 3 ... It is however NOT a consumer OS. It is a geek OS. You have to know your way around it to make it useful. Drivers are not easily found. And IMO its main weakness the interfaces suck. Yes some people have made Linux boxes with incredibly user-friendly interfaces, way beyond those available on any general purpose machine ... These were made by Pros not by the usual, casual audiophile; these products usually carry a price tag to gag . Some audiophile with IT skills can make their own Linux boxes and make it purr .. still , Linux is not for the faint of heart or the ignoramus in things IT.
Conclusion : For most audiophiles. Windows 10 is the best solution. <$400 Laptop with Win 10, the latest i5, 8 GB of RAM, ROON with SSD which have dropped in price ( 1 TB SSD for <$200 is common fare) should provide trouble-free music to the audiophile .... All that IMHO, YMMV , etc ...

 

[watchnerd]

with tubes sticking out of it like a paper flower from a clown's arse

Wow.

That's typically not part of a clown show where I live.

Do they do children's birthday parties, too?

 

[watchnerd]

I am negative on “computers” for audio too, but for entirely different reasons: not sound quality but the complexity of general-purpose machines. I think we will move to small, single-purpose devices. Of course they will have compute capability inside, but when everything is smart and connected, talking about “computers” will be as quaint as a hotel advertising “Color TV”. I have expanded on this perspective in the Roon forum:
https://community.roonlabs.com/t/th...purpose-devices-wonkish/39644?u=andersvinberg

You win the Necro Award for 2019 year to date.

 

[watchnerd]

No, you don't actually get it. I simply think you don't have an accurate view of that site - and to that I would now add that you also have an inaccurate view of my intent and motives with my comment, along with an inaccurate view of your own reading comprehension and inference skills.

Ehh, I dunno....I'm with the others on this and feel that the engineering type signal is mostly drowned out by the noise of people bloviating about USB scrubbers, reclockers, digital cables, or how much better insanely high resolution digital sounds.

 

[Ron Texas]

We are obviously so far apart that debating is meaningless.
Instead, let’s make a bet.
I bet that in 2050 there will be 100s of billions of smart and connected devices, billions of them “computers” in the classical sense (desktops and laptops and servers including cloud), tens of billions personal handhelds, and the rest “ambient”, and that the median bill-of-materials cost will be below $1.
You state your bet.
And we meet up here in 2050 to compare.

I bet in 2050 I will be dead.

 

[Tks]

I bet in 2050 I will be dead.

;(

 

[Blumlein 88]

Ehh, I dunno....I'm with the others on this and feel that the engineering type signal is mostly drowned out by the noise of people bloviating about USB scrubbers, reclockers, digital cables, or how much better insanely high resolution digital sounds.

+1

 

[FrantzM]

Ehh, I dunno....I'm with the others on this and feel that the engineering type signal is mostly drowned out by the noise of people bloviating about USB scrubbers, reclockers, digital cables, or how much better insanely high resolution digital sounds.

Me 2
+ If you want information about the sound of Ethernet Cable, CA is the place to frequent. This is one of many examples of such . The person had tried various Belden Ethernet Cables and did arrive at the conclusion that the WireWorld Cat 8 Diamond is ...

 

[SIY]

Well, have you listened?

 

[Blumlein 88]

I suppose discussing another forum is probably not really a good use of time.

I could choose many examples. Some who say I'm starting this thread and want an explanation, but don't any objectivists reply with the usual explanations I don't want to read them. So what are they wanting? I heard it so it is so explanations.

Anyway, here is one example of someone who didn't limit responses, but you can see how it unfolds. Someone is making glass CD's which are far better sounding than polycarbonate CDs. Oh and these CDs will cost you a cool $2k plus each. They are asking for a possible explanation after hearing a demo at the Munich High End Audio show.

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/56374-glass-cds/

 

[Tks]

Glass CD's ...

 

[RayDunzl]

I bet in 2050 I will be dead.

Dead or Alive, I'll be 97.

 

[SIY]

Dead or Alive, I'll be 97.

You old, Grandpa. I'll only be 96.

 

[Hypnotoad]

Someone is making glass CD's which are far better sounding than polycarbonate CDs. Oh and these CDs will cost you a cool $2k plus each. They are asking for a possible explanation after hearing a demo at the Munich High End Audio show.

Yeah well when we download HiRes audio aren't we bypassing the whole laser/reading thing?

And Super High Material CD's have been around for years, making them from glass seems like just another step up on the snake oil ladder:

"SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) is a superior quality CD fully compatible with all CD players. SHM-CD utilizes a polycarbonate material originally developed for LCD screens, and the enhanced transparency of the SHM-CD results in more clarity, depth and definition of sound, bringing the listener ever closer to the music of the original master."

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/feature/shmcd_allabout

 

[RayDunzl]

You old, Grandpa. I'll only be 96

Me too, for part of the year.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Yeah well when we download HiRes audio aren't we bypassing the whole laser/reading thing?

And Super High Material CD's have been around for years, making them from glass seems like just another step up on the snake oil ladder:

"SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) is a superior quality CD fully compatible with all CD players. SHM-CD utilizes a polycarbonate material originally developed for LCD screens, and the enhanced transparency of the SHM-CD results in more clarity, depth and definition of sound, bringing the listener ever closer to the music of the original master."

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/feature/shmcd_allabout

Are you looking for the real answer or the answer that makes a glass CD worth $2000+? A glass CD is on some level we can't determine making the signal profoundly better. If we are downloading and using ASYNCH USB we'd think nothing could beat it. So in some way a glass CD is even better than that.

Does that make sense? No. Is that what is happening? Almost certainly not. The demo guy said he'd sold over 50 of the discs btw.