DDF
Addicted to Fun and Learning
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2018
- Messages
- 617
- Likes
- 1,373
- Thread Starter
- #41
I'd like to address the several risks raised against using the digital loss.
Intersample Overs
Benchmark identified this as a generic problem within the ESS DAC chips, which are nearly ubiquitous. AKM provides only 2 dB headroom. Only Benchmark and RME have stated that they have a workaround. If there are others, it would be a useful list to compile. Go for it guys, we'd be thankful. I also don't think there are many 30 year old CD players that can stream.
Peak Music Levels as an Indication of Risk
Digital music is mastered to be very near 0dBFS, either exceeding CAudioLimiter (-0.12 dBFS) or if not, providing no where near enough headroom for intersample overs. Examples here, here, here, mastering advice to exceed CAudioLimiter here, "Many mastering engineers choose either -.1 dBFS to -.3 dBFS as the level at which the highest peaks should remain at or below" here....etc
System Gain and Noise
Using 4 dB digital loss could only be a system gain issue if the pre-amp gain needs to be operated within 4 dB of absolute maximum volume, without the 4dB digital loss present. That would be quite unusual. If that happens the unfortunate solution short of buying another pre-amp with gain properly matched to the system's needs is to remove as much digital loss as needed and then live with the clipping risks clearly laid out in the OP. For the other vast majority of us, its a non issue
Using 4 dB digital loss could only be a system noise issue if the pre-amp is so noisy and its noise is dominated by input stage noise or the DAC is so noisy that the extra 4 dB analog pre-amp gain needed to over-ride the 4 dB digital loss causes the extra preamp analog noise to suddenly exceed the audibility threshold in the room, where it didn't before. That would be very rare, requiring extremely efficient speakers, extremely quiet amplifiers and a meh pre-amp or DAC just on the edge of the needs of the system. The solution would be again to remove the digital loss and live with the risk, or to use a pre-amp properly matched to the high efficiency speakers. For the other vast_vast majority of us, its a non issue.
As for the supposed added noise that's created due to loss of less than 1 bit, I outlined the solution in the OP, run the DAC and Windows at 24 bits. Its a non issue.
Intersample Overs
Benchmark identified this as a generic problem within the ESS DAC chips, which are nearly ubiquitous. AKM provides only 2 dB headroom. Only Benchmark and RME have stated that they have a workaround. If there are others, it would be a useful list to compile. Go for it guys, we'd be thankful. I also don't think there are many 30 year old CD players that can stream.
Peak Music Levels as an Indication of Risk
Digital music is mastered to be very near 0dBFS, either exceeding CAudioLimiter (-0.12 dBFS) or if not, providing no where near enough headroom for intersample overs. Examples here, here, here, mastering advice to exceed CAudioLimiter here, "Many mastering engineers choose either -.1 dBFS to -.3 dBFS as the level at which the highest peaks should remain at or below" here....etc
System Gain and Noise
Using 4 dB digital loss could only be a system gain issue if the pre-amp gain needs to be operated within 4 dB of absolute maximum volume, without the 4dB digital loss present. That would be quite unusual. If that happens the unfortunate solution short of buying another pre-amp with gain properly matched to the system's needs is to remove as much digital loss as needed and then live with the clipping risks clearly laid out in the OP. For the other vast majority of us, its a non issue
Using 4 dB digital loss could only be a system noise issue if the pre-amp is so noisy and its noise is dominated by input stage noise or the DAC is so noisy that the extra 4 dB analog pre-amp gain needed to over-ride the 4 dB digital loss causes the extra preamp analog noise to suddenly exceed the audibility threshold in the room, where it didn't before. That would be very rare, requiring extremely efficient speakers, extremely quiet amplifiers and a meh pre-amp or DAC just on the edge of the needs of the system. The solution would be again to remove the digital loss and live with the risk, or to use a pre-amp properly matched to the high efficiency speakers. For the other vast_vast majority of us, its a non issue.
As for the supposed added noise that's created due to loss of less than 1 bit, I outlined the solution in the OP, run the DAC and Windows at 24 bits. Its a non issue.
Last edited: