DDF
Addicted to Fun and Learning
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- Dec 31, 2018
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I brought this up in an earlier thread but wanted to raise up to start a conversation on it.
I still wonder what all the focus on SINAD and THD/noise comes to? The measurements are very appreciated and great for filtering out complete junk, but reasonable vendors are now chasing meaninglessly low noise and distortion numbers (performance well below audibility or applicable in only very niche situations) but the stuff that really matters now gets nowhere near the attention it needs from suppliers. Too many products are still "junky" in these areas that greatly reduce enjoyment more than an extra shifted digit on the SINAD could ever compensate for, and they remain unspeced and except for channel balance, not 3rd party measured:
I think the extreme focus on thd/noise unintentionally diverts the consumer's gaze and gives vendors a place to hide behind and ignore scrutiny on these things that really matter.
I still wonder what all the focus on SINAD and THD/noise comes to? The measurements are very appreciated and great for filtering out complete junk, but reasonable vendors are now chasing meaninglessly low noise and distortion numbers (performance well below audibility or applicable in only very niche situations) but the stuff that really matters now gets nowhere near the attention it needs from suppliers. Too many products are still "junky" in these areas that greatly reduce enjoyment more than an extra shifted digit on the SINAD could ever compensate for, and they remain unspeced and except for channel balance, not 3rd party measured:
- channel balance vs volume (see nasty result for L30 just posted by Wolf)
- ground isolation (risk of ground loops)
- for DACs, driver quality and robustness (custom driver? what are benefits? Standard xmos driver?....)
- how it deals with dropped samples (overshoot/undershoot and how audible). I've had dacs sound very different in how the deal with this.
- reliability cuts corners (what brand caps and what are temp ratings?)
I think the extreme focus on thd/noise unintentionally diverts the consumer's gaze and gives vendors a place to hide behind and ignore scrutiny on these things that really matter.
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