I'll say it right here: there are quite large differences in sound amongst CD transports. Yes, even when you only use the digital output, still you can hear differences in speed, attack, fluidity.
Audiolingo can be very confusing. People can mean different things when they talk about musicality and the same goes for many more audiophile words to describe how a component sounds.
Just like the old analog versus digital matter or Mac versus PC, Balanced versus Unbalanced and/or XLR versus cinch connections is a discussion in which many people seem to have a definite point of view
In order to assess a high-end digital cable, one needs to refer to a standard. But what defines the baseline? And how do USB and Ethernet cables compare to the traditional S/PDIF and AES/EBU cables?
With solid, silver-plated connections up to 50 mm2 and 0 AWG Massive OFC internal conductors, large contact areas with pneumatic high contact pressure for the lowest possible impedance and a complete absence of undesired inductive parts, the Doepke DFS-2 offers uncompromised quality. At 600 euros, does it justify its cost? Read on to find out!
Electrostatic speakers and Magnetostatic speakers both are planar dipoles, and they both tend to be flat and large. But there's a lot more to know about the technical principles behind these speakers. Some interesting reading, I promise!
Basics of normal (serial) and star-wired power extension blocks Most normal (serial) power extension blocks have two or three internal brass strips that connect the inlet to all the outlets in a single run. This means that all outputs are in normal, series connection. This does not have to be a bad thing, though; it […]
Despite all I've learned about audio, I haven't yet been able to fully tackle this last barrier. In this article I'd like to share what I have learned so far.
SACD promised even more perfect sound forever. It was hoped that it would replace CD and revitalize the music market. Alas it did not, but the DSD format is still around. Here are my thoughts on the subject.
Among audiophiles there is a common school of thought which says that signal paths only add distortion and noise and degrade performance and as such should be kept at minimum length. This is sane enough thinking and also true to a large extent, but it is also relative. One might think that long cables inside audiocomponents […]
Don't commit the tragic mistake of interchanging your instrument and speaker cables. It's a complete waste of energy and you end up spending more for replacements.
Power cables can have a significant influence on the perceived sound of your system. But did you know that the phase and position in the extensionblock also matters?
There are a couple of methods for sending audiodata over an usb cable. Here's an explanation of the principles behind them and the advantages of one over another.
WAV or AIFF files may appear to have tags when they are accessed through applications such as iTunes and Winamp, but in fact the data may only reside in these apps' database, because they don't actually write tags to these files themselves.
A pair of KEF’s or IMF’s, wired with bell cable to any old Pioneer, Marantz or Kenwood amp used to sound awesome. Never did we feel the urge to upgrade, unless we wanted more knobs. Or more lamps and indicators, that was always cool. But I digress. Go to a second hand store and get […]