Snakeoil Alert: One memory card better than others ......?

[Subob]

How do I know which ones to throw away?

I thought you were supposed to know, since you claim bad ones have electrical noise.

For me, a bad card is simply one that doesn't work, or only works intermittently. I would return those if still under warranty, or throw them away.

How do see or hear this electrical noise?

 

[Subob]

Throw those away: Good quality from brands like Samsung, Sandisk and Transcend can be had at modest price via reputable sellers. No need for pricier UHS-II for most audio applications. As counterfeits exist, I don't buy from random Amazon merchants.

MyMemory own brand cards come with a lifetime warranty. I have never had any issues with any of them that I can recall.

The Sandisk 1.5tb card I just bought from their official store comes with a 10yr warranty I think.

 

[Petrushka]

But non of this influences the sound - assuming they work at all.

Memory and SSDs are so cheap that even on my limited budget, I look for products that have high sales volumes and few complaints. Error correction prevents any non-defective product from affecting the sound on playback.all of my CDs have been copied. I keep three or four copies to protect against failures.

 

[Kremmen]

MyMemory own brand cards come with a lifetime warranty. I have never had any issues with any of them that I can recall.

The Sandisk 1.5tb card I just bought from their official store comes with a 10yr warranty I think.

My experience of SanDisk's warranty is poor.

I bought 2x 200GB Micro SD cards quite a few years ago with very long warranties. They cost £70 each new directly from Amazon for use in two identical MP3 players. After a couple of years one card was barely functioning and produced lots of errors and failed transfers.

Not to worry I thought, I've got a really good warranty on this. I entered the serial number into SanDisk's online RMA form only to be told that the card was an OEM version and I would be getting sweet FA. The fact that it came in a standard, fully sealed, retail blister pack with the warranty information plastered all over it meant nothing. I thought Amazon was an authorised retailer of SanDisk products so I wasn't sure what was going on.

Anyway, to counter this nonsense I try to be very careful when buying cards. I've just purchased three 512GB industrial Micro SD cards (on sale at £33 each) straight from Viofo for my new Viofo dash cams and I feel much better buying direct from the manufacturer.

BTW, I'm sure there are many happy SanDisk customers out there, but I'm not one of them!

Samsung are now my preferred brand and their Micro SD cards in particular have been rock solid, especially the Pro Endurance ones I've been using for many years in my old dash cams.

 

[Subob]

My experience of SanDisk's warranty is poor.

I bought 2x 200GB MicroSD cards quite a few years ago with very long warranties. They cost £70 each new directly from Amazon for use in two MP3 players. After a couple of years one cards was barely functioning and produced lots of errors and failed transfers.

Not to worry I thought, I've got a really good warranty on this. I entered the serial number into SanDisk's online RMA form only to be told that the card was an OEM version and I would be getting sweet FA. The fact that it came in a standard, fully sealed, retail blister pack with the warranty information plastered all over it meant nothing. I thought Amazon was an authorised retailer of SanDisk products so I wasn't sure what was going on.

Anyway, to counter this nonsense I try to be very careful when buying cards. I've just purchased three 512GB industrial micro SD cards (on sale at £33 each) straight from Viofo for my Viofo dash cams and I feel much better buying direct from the manufacturer.

BTW, I'm sure there are many happy SanDisk customer out there, but I'm not one of them!

That's interesting to hear.

For what it's worth, I don't buy sd cards from either Amazon, Ebay or Aliexpress. Quite simply because I have no idea if they're fake or not, and the market in fake sd cards is HUGE!

I've done the vast bulk of my sd card buying over the years from MyMemory, usual their own brand, as I've yet to have a problem, and their prices are competitive.

The 1.5tb Sandisk sd card I just bought was ordered directly from Sandisk themselves. I would hope any warranty on that would be good, although I have no way of knowing for sure.

 

[Kremmen]

That's interesting to hear.

For what it's worth, I don't buy sd cards from either Amazon, Ebay or Aliexpress. Quite simply because I have no idea if they're fake or not, and the market in fake sd cards is HUGE!

I've done the vast bulk of my sd card buying over the years from MyMemory, usual their own brand, as I've yet to have a problem, and their prices are competitive.

The 1.5tb Sandisk sd card I just bought was ordered directly from Sandisk themselves. I would hope any warranty on that would be good, although I have no way of knowing for sure.

I've already unwittingly bought fake SanDisk memory off eBay and complained. I ran various software tools on them due to the errors I was getting so that's how they came up as fake. The seller took them straight back and fully refunded me but I must say that the quality of everything else about them was staggeringly good, particularly the packaging. The damn things are everywhere!

With regard to MyMemory, I did buy some difficult to obtain computer RAM from them many years ago and everything went well. I'd totally forgotten about them so from now on that's where I'll be going for my Micro SD cards. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[Subob]

I've already unwittingly bought fake SanDisk memory off eBay and complained. I ran various software tools on them due to the errors I was getting so that's how they came up as fake. The seller took them straight back and fully refunded me but I must say that the quality of everything else about them was staggeringly good, particularly the packaging. The damn things are everywhere!

With regard to MyMemory. I did buy some difficult to obtain computer RAM from them many years ago and everything went well. I'd totally forgotten about them so from now on that's where I'll be going for my Micro SD cards. Thanks for the reminder!

Re: My Memory. Their cards are stamped with their name. For all we know they most likely come out of the same factory and production line as well known brands. I have a vague recollection of one of their smaller cards eventually going tits up on me. They offer a lifetime warranty, so I simply sent it back and they just sent me a replacement, hassle free. All the other numerous cards I've had from them have been flawless to date.

The only reason I didn't buy this 1.5tb card from them is because they had nothing to compete with the £95 price I paid direct from Sandisk.

 

[kemmler3D]

Not all SD cards are created equal and they do fail, but the idea that they could affect sound quality in some subtle way is flat-earth-level stupid, showing ignorance of how SD cards work, how digital audio works, and how audio in general works.

 

[Gitfiddle]

Not all SD cards are created equal and they do fail, but the idea that they could affect sound quality in some subtle way is flat-earth-level stupid, showing ignorance of how SD cards work, how digital audio works, and how audio in general works.

I imagine any audible difference is going to be like listening to music through a cable that is so broken it is probably a fire hazard. If you're lucky it wont play at all due to corruption.

*CRACK* *POP* *HISS*

 

[Subob]

Not all SD cards are created equal and they do fail, but the idea that they could affect sound quality in some subtle way is flat-earth-level stupid, showing ignorance of how SD cards work, how digital audio works, and how audio in general works.

I tend to agree, but would first be interested to hear of any measurements of this 'electrical noise' and then, if there's found to be any, if it's audible.

In the meantime, I'll buy any future sd cards I may need with absolutely no regard to any supposed sonic differences, just as I always have done.

 

[kemmler3D]

any measurements of this 'electrical noise' and then, if there's found to be any, if it's audible.

Noise introduced during data transfer would flip bits and create noise. However, this would also have to overcome the error correction built into the card, and also be continuous, and also somehow not cause the entire transfer to fail. This is why you never see measurements of this type of interference, because it would be really exotic and rare.

As far as I know, this (adding noise) is the only kind of change to sound quality that's even theoretically possible from problems with moving bits from one place or another.

An effect on tonality or dynamics like in OP's quote is impossible. You can't improve bass or whatever by randomly flipping bits any more than you can fix a car by throwing tools at the hood.

If this sounds doubtful to you, consider that images never get lighter, darker, greener or bluer, bigger or smaller due to digital errors. Why would audio be different?

 

[Subob]

Noise introduced during data transfer would flip bits and create noise. However, this would also have to overcome the error correction built into the card, and also be continuous, and also somehow not cause the entire transfer to fail. This is why you never see measurements of this type of interference, because it would be really exotic and rare.

As far as I know, this (adding noise) is the only kind of change to sound quality that's even theoretically possible from problems with moving bits from one place or another.

An effect on tonality or dynamics like in OP's quote is impossible. You can't improve bass or whatever by randomly flipping bits any more than you can fix a car by throwing tools at the hood.

If this sounds doubtful to you, consider that images never get lighter, darker, greener or bluer, bigger or smaller due to digital errors. Why would audio be different?

All of that makes complete sense to me.

I'm just trying to give any 'electrical noise' believers the opportunity to respond with measurements. I don't think there'll be a response, and you've set out clearly why that's likely to be the case.

I have to say, as an aside, I'm very surprised to read about Sony here. Bizarre!

 

[JSmith]

JSmith

 

[Soria Moria]

View attachment 470372

View attachment 470375

View attachment 470376




JSmith

Why does it have a Minecraft heatsink? And how much does this cost?

 

[kemmler3D]

I'm just trying to give any 'electrical noise' believers the opportunity to respond with measurements.

This is very fair of you, but I also don't think there will be any response. The people who believe in these kinds of things also tend to think their ears can hear things that never appear in a recording.

 

[JSmith]

Why does it have a Minecraft heatsink?

They must be MC fans? *shrug*

Audiophile SSD

APACER TECHNOLOGY INC. The NVMe M2 audiophile SSD is a unique and innovative storage solution designed specifically for digital audio devices. It caters to both beginners and professionals, offering flexible power options and advanced noise reduction features. This product stands out as the...

www.taiwanexcellence.org

The NVMe M2 audiophile SSD is a unique and innovative storage solution designed specifically for digital audio devices. It caters to both beginners and professionals, offering flexible power options and advanced noise reduction features. This product stands out as the world's first of its kind, providing unparalleled storage for digital audio. With its professional hardware and software design, it delivers a sound quality that rivals traditional analog or vinyl records, delivering a pristine listening experience. Marketed towards audio enthusiasts and professional gamers, this high-end SSD emphasizes superior sound quality, premium audio output, and high-capacity storage. Targeted marketing campaigns are employed to reach the intended audience and promote the product's exceptional features.

Price... unclear.


JSmith

 

[kemmler3D]

View attachment 470372

View attachment 470375

View attachment 470376




JSmith

The normal emoji just isn't big enough for this one...

 

[wwenze]

People don't realize cables and memory cards do have quality differences, simply because of how much the digital system can resist any error.

And people don't realize the "audiophile" versions can often be worse performing, just hidden away by the previous statement.

Diy USb Cable With pure silver sound crackle, noise plz help

Hello All, Iam doing some small project now with usb cable for dac to pc computer. Strange Thing Happen. 1. When I use all 4 cable from pure copper multi strand 24awg signal +, Signal - , 5volt , Ground so 4 copper cable all the sound is perfect no problem 2, When I use all 4 cable...

www.head-fi.org

The performance class of memory cards and SSD can be objectively verified, simply due to the countless combination of components that is put into different end products. Some combinations are objectively better than others. Again, information not known to the layman, as well as the "audiophile" peddlers who don't know any more either.

And here's how you know the whole "audiophile" thing is a farce: The layman cannot tell whether a SSD is good or bad just from the BOM (as well as the FW). So it makes no sense to sell an actual good SSD. Instead, marketing effort is done to produce what the layman THINKS makes the SSD better, using their confirmation bias.

 

[antcollinet]

SD card quality can make a difference, to ensure error free transfer from SD card to DAP memory buffer.
Probability of error free transfer is higher with better quality SD card.
Once the data is inside the DAP memory buffer, not sure how the different type of SD card can affect sound quality, unless the DAP doesn't do memory buffering at all.

If memory cards can't transfer data error free all the time, your computer would be crashing all the time.

Any card that cannot is fundamentally broken.

 

[boxerfan88]

If memory cards can't transfer data error free all the time, your computer would be crashing all the time.

Any card that cannot is fundamentally broken.

And why would a memory card (typically not used as root drive) transfer error/issue cause the computer to crash? Hmm…

I have encountered flaky card occasionally, my computer never crashed because of flaky card. All I see are disk retries then error. No crash. No BSOD. No PANIC.

I must have been super duper lucky. Maybe you’re unlucky to encounter computer crash because of bad memory card.