Sustainable computer audio
Posted 11th June 2011 at 01:18 AM by abraxalito
Updated 8th September 2011 at 03:14 AM by abraxalito (Added new link to interesting article on semiconductor process development)
Updated 8th September 2011 at 03:14 AM by abraxalito (Added new link to interesting article on semiconductor process development)
I'm wondering how many guys and gals out there on diyaudio are interested in sustainable computer audio? Let me unpack what I mean by this phrase for a moment....
Computers on their present course are obviously not a sustainable proposition. I've already posted about the demise of Intel but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Even if all CPUs move over to ARM A9 or A15 tomorrow there's still a huge unsustainable industry supporting the current wave of computers. There's the drive towards smaller feature sizes in memory which is going to hit a brickwall sooner rather than later. Increasing sizes of memory are like a drug that everyone's got addicted to. Remember Bill Gates' original prophesy that '640k will be enough for everybody'? He really meant it at the time. So I can't help but ask 'do we really, really need all this memory?'. My gut tells me not but to prove it requires some innovative thinking.
One of the things that got me thinking along these lines was the issue of noise. Smaller semiconductor feature sizes are inseparable from more electrical noise, and noise is enemy number one for digital audio design. So a more sustainable computer audio will also have positive effects on the sound. Ecological digital audio is also great sounding digital audio.
Anyone up for a dialogue here to explore the options 'outside the box' ? If so please post up your ideas in the comments.
OK, so no comments yet - here's an article to spur your thinking a bit:
https://www.eetimes.com/electronics-n...-D-integration
Computers on their present course are obviously not a sustainable proposition. I've already posted about the demise of Intel but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Even if all CPUs move over to ARM A9 or A15 tomorrow there's still a huge unsustainable industry supporting the current wave of computers. There's the drive towards smaller feature sizes in memory which is going to hit a brickwall sooner rather than later. Increasing sizes of memory are like a drug that everyone's got addicted to. Remember Bill Gates' original prophesy that '640k will be enough for everybody'? He really meant it at the time. So I can't help but ask 'do we really, really need all this memory?'. My gut tells me not but to prove it requires some innovative thinking.
One of the things that got me thinking along these lines was the issue of noise. Smaller semiconductor feature sizes are inseparable from more electrical noise, and noise is enemy number one for digital audio design. So a more sustainable computer audio will also have positive effects on the sound. Ecological digital audio is also great sounding digital audio.
Anyone up for a dialogue here to explore the options 'outside the box' ? If so please post up your ideas in the comments.
OK, so no comments yet - here's an article to spur your thinking a bit:
https://www.eetimes.com/electronics-n...-D-integration
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