Nostromo;188689 Wrote: > To be clear, I still believe that good quality DAC's and CD player's > sound different. I believe that the Transporter sounds better than the > Squeezebox. But I'm not sure. I'm just saying that the question is > worth investigating.
I think it may be setup dependent, and on top of that a matter of personal preference. For one, I can hear a clear difference between the build in SB3 DA stage and the external one I use - and that is after extensive testing with an upgraded power supply and excellent cardas cables from the SB3 to my amp. The external DA performs better to my ears. Whether it is more *accurate* and would perform better in measurements is another question. With that said, and given the fact the Transporter has a much enhanced DA stage, I am sure the sound out of the box if I connected the Transporter dirfectly as a source to my amp, compared to a SB3 connected direcly... well, it'd be very disappointing if the Transporter wouldn't prove the superior source. Whether it'd make for the superior source against the SB3 with an external DA... that's where, measurements aside, personal listening preference may make all the difference. I haven't heard a Transporter yet, though, but I'd be very interested. Nostromo;188689 Wrote: > The whole hobby is a minefield, filled with charlatans, crooks, honnest > but ignorant people who put forth pseudoscientific theories. You know > as well as me that some people claim that their 100K$ cables sound a > lot better than 60$ Radio Shack cables. "Just listen and be convinced." > Which is complete BS, AFAIK. I agree with the first part, there are alot of charlatans out there. But that is not an audiophile specific phenomenon - every technology industry has that, where people in search of a niche or differentiation will go over the top. Then again, if they find a ready market, more power to them for good marketing. I do disagree with the second part, though. For those who hear a difference, be it fact or psychology, it doesn't matter. If it makes someone's listening experience more pleasurable, it's all the justification it needs. It *is* an emotional hobby, and it makes little sense to reduce it to measurements. Some people are more scpetical, and thus will not be receptive to any of the more esoteric stuff. Good for them. But then again these are the same people that probably get told they're crazy by some friends if he told them how much he's spend on those scientifically sound audio components, so it's all relative... :-) Nostromo;188689 Wrote: > :lol: funny guy. I wish that perception was always that simple. Don't > understimate how much our expectations and our preconceptions can > influence what we perceive or not, or what we think we perceived or > not. You stand above perception every time? I doubt it... This will always be about diminshing returns, dramatically so, from a certain point on. And these days that point starts pretty early, one can get awesome sound for less $ than ever. People get pished beyond that for many reasons... and most are emotional. A purely rational cost-benefit analysis doesn't justify most of our gear, I think. -- pablolie ------------------------------------------------------------------------ pablolie's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=3816 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=33368 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
