John Curl's Blowtorch preamplifier part III

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My friend, with a PhD in electronic engineering (mostly theory) knows more about digital than I do, and he has decided to look into D-A converters. He has found a 'solution' it just does not include delta sigma converters. He is doing it as an intellectual exercise, mostly, although he might patent what he finds. I have a tendency to believe him as I have known him for about 47 years, and he doesn't really even listen to audio. He likes the theory of digital, more than listening. He is the sort of person that I have hired over the years to do what I cannot do.
The Bybee stuff is different, in that you have to listen to it, in order to have any faith in it. I have faith in the Bybee stuff too.
 
Since you seem to value subjective impressions - for what it's worth (not much), I have listened to multibit DACs built with AD1865, PCM1704, and TDA1541A and I found there to be no obvious differences that would be attributable to their converter architecture.
Yes, and there is so many things at work around (clocks, power supplies noise
analog part etc.), with a great influence, that it is difficult to form a holistic opinion.
Worked on all those aspects in my DX2496: the result was day and night with the same DAC IC. And measurements a little better.
 
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Scott,

I mention one of the most important acoustic improvements and you diss it. To me just demonstrates not only how clueless you are but your approach is total nonsense.

Your system description of Sequerra MET7's powered by a 10 watt into 8 ohm $10 amplifier says quite a bit. That would produce a clean listening level below 70 dBa. Pretty sure you don't have a background noise level below 10 dBa. So of course you can't perceive just about anything that folks here discuss.

So I guess it is better if you get a nice big vibration isolation sand bag and stick your head in it.
 
Scott,

I mention one of the most important acoustic improvements and you diss it.

I'll take a poll here on everyone who ran out and applied double-sticky foam tape to everything in their listening space. Charles Hansen came here one day and said the (myrtle) lifters were the single most important thing you could do to improve your system. Enid Lumley suggested damping (literally) on your listening environment. One of the most important, really, your opinion.

BTW personal attacks are against the rules here.
 
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Personal attacks are against the rules? Really Scott, what have you been doing to me for years? '-)
As far as Jack Bybee's advertising is concerned: I hate it, and I have told him so. He really goes over the top on his website. However, listening is what I do, to prove his claims one way or another. Mostly they have been favorable to outstanding!
 
Scott,

The results of eliminating vibrating panels shows up quite nicely in a waterfall plot of time, energy and frequency.

Easily measured.

Now as to wet towels changing things, that would depend on where you live. Too little humidity will increase high frequency attenuation. Dispersion is also affected by humidity.

Many of the reported changes have a base in reality if you know what is the actual cause.

As to your comments...
 
I'll take a poll here on everyone who ran out and applied double-sticky foam tape to everything in their listening space.
What the hell, Scott ?
Long time ago, I had glued lead sheets into my CD player with double-sided tape on the CD mechanic assembly. Measuring the voltage on the tracking motor of the head was enough to see a VERY noticeable improvement.

Pads with Scotch mount or rubber between moving shelves and their support, and, in general, anything that can generate noise when entering vibration on their support, like statues, paintings on the walls etc.
In old houses, it is good to glue the glasses with silicone instead of old mastic. We do this in all the recording studios.
To ensure nothing is producing parasitic noise, a generator is helpful.
It seems obvious, not for you ?
Do you enjoy furniture's vibrations in cars ?
 
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Ed was claiming you can get a measurable improvement in a speaker waterfall plot with a little strip of tape. I find that hard to believe, otherwise people wouldn't be making speakers out of marketainium...


And I'd need a ton of tape to damp my piano and it would no longer work very well as a piano!
 
Actually a lot of tape. But Tourney hit it on the head with the large top of a CD player or similar case being one of the bigger issues.

Yes reducing the loudspeaker case to floor vibrations is a big deal if you don't have carpet under them.

And a big yes to having a piano in your listening space will affect the reproduced sound.
 
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