Puzzled by the difference in sound between coaxial and optical connections

[Mart68]

It's because he's never experienced it. Like you, I have (perhaps sadly)

well if someone is convinced that they are a rock steady and infallible appraisal device...and not a bunch of chemical and electrical impulses, often operating randomly and usually well out of specification...

 

[Deleted member 48726]

On the other hand - for me:

I have 4 subtley different house curves set in the 4 settings of my MiniDSP flex. I can tell the difference if I switch between them.

Sometimes I am listeing though and think bass is lacking - or too much. Do I have the wrong curve selected? No - doesn't seem so. Just some days or times (Perhaps 10% of my listening) I perceive the music as not sounding as good. Other times it sounds sublime.

For me these perceived differences are more significant than the house curve differences, and I assume they are to with my physiology (tiredness, comfort, alcohol consumption etc) or state of mind (calm, stressed etc). Certainly nothing in the room or system changes.

There is - I conclude - no way I can tell just by sitting down and listening if the actual sound has changed since yesterday - or if I am just feeling different.

I get what you mean. But usually I'm in the same mood as last time I wanted to sit down and listen to music. I don't sit and listen to music when I'm not in the mood for it. When I listen to music I'm almost always sober and have the house to myself. I have mostly arranged my life so I'm not stressed nor tired and when I am I don't want to listen to music.

 

[ahofer]

I get what you mean. But usually I'm in the same mood as last time I wanted to sit down and listen to music. I don't sit and listen to music when I'm not in the mood for it. When I listen to music I'm almost always sober and have the house to myself. I have mostly arranged my life so I'm not stressed nor tired and when I am I don't want to listen to music.

I suspect it would take quite a bit more than that to achieve a mindset ”control” in an experiment.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

I suspect it would take quite a bit more than that to achieve a mindset ”control” in an experiment.

Perhaps. Perhaps not.

 

[Mart68]

I get what you mean. But usually I'm in the same mood as last time I wanted to sit down and listen to music. I don't sit and listen to music when I'm not in the mood for it. When I listen to music I'm almost always sober and have the house to myself. I have mostly arranged my life so I'm not stressed nor tired and when I am I don't want to listen to music.

Likewise I only listen to music when I really feel like it. Most stressful thing I do these days is cross a busy road.

I still can't quantify my own mood and say 'It's exactly the same as last time.'

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Likewise I only listen to music when I really feel like it. Most stressful thing I do these days is cross a busy road.

I still can't quantify my own mood and say 'It's exactly the same as last time.'

I guess humans are different or I'm just extremely stoic.

 

[Mart68]

I guess humans are different or I'm just extremely stoic.

Possibly, as I am only about as stoic as Batman. You are probably at 'Spartacus' level.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Possibly, as I am only about as stoic as Batman. You are probably at 'Spartacus' level.

I know at least that I'm about the same mood every single time I sit down and listen to music.

 

[antcollinet]

I get what you mean. But usually I'm in the same mood as last time I wanted to sit down and listen to music. I don't sit and listen to music when I'm not in the mood for it. When I listen to music I'm almost always sober and have the house to myself. I have mostly arranged my life so I'm not stressed nor tired and when I am I don't want to listen to music.

It sometimes amazes me how different people are. And sometimes we just assume the way we are is the way everyone is.


I tend to listen to music based on what else I am doing at the time. On the net - musics is playing - like now. On my (pedal) bike - musc. In the car - music.

I rarely just sit and listen - doing nothing else.


It is not something i'm in or not in the mood for. Normally it will improve my mood, whatever it is/was when I start listening.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

It sometimes amazes me how different people are. And sometimes we just assume the way we are is the way everyone is.


I tend to listen to music based on what else I am doing at the time. On the net - musics is playing - like now. On my (pedal) bike - musc. In the car - music.

I rarely just sit and listen - doing nothing else.


It is not something i'm in or not in the mood for. Normally it will improve my mood, whatever it is/was when I start listening.

Yes it is something to look out for when discussing and measuring people in general.

I sometimes listen to music when I'm out running. Not much anymore because I tended to have the volume a bit too high and I'm running more than an hour so it could be in issue in the long run. -But of course I wouldn't be able to discern the different house curves if I could switch them while running. But at home I can because I'm present and attentive.

 

[antcollinet]

Other times it sounds sublime.

Like now. Oh the Gods!

 

[Paperkite]

@Paperkite,
Your Marantz has RCAs and both S/PDIF types of inputs (coax/opto).
Now then: To make any kind of more meaningful comparo [warm/cold? more/less? highs/lows? close/far? but NOT apples/cats], ALL you would prey for is that either your iFi or your TV has both S/PDIF types of Outputs to compare ... again in a more meaningful way.
Otherwise, it seems like all bets are off!

Hi, thanks for your thoughts. As I said in my last post, I've made a double test with the same flac on both TV and iFi and found no discernible difference. So I was wrong, comparing apples with cats. Youtube's compression algorithms favored the voice frequencies somehow and they sounded more forward to me, so I mistakenly concluded that it was because of the different connections. It wasn't.