opaqueice;190610 Wrote: > It's not as simple as that. It's very easy to fool yourself into > hearing a difference in uncontrolled tests when one isn't there - > that's why I asked about blind tests. PD has just confirmed that none > have been done, so your assumption is incorrect. > > It's perfectly possible - in fact it's impossible to do otherwise - to > design something like the SB using standard EE theory and measuring > equipment. You try to optimize, within the constraints, the quality of > the output - defined by measurements and theory. It's impossible to > design by what sounds best, because the circuit won't produce any sound > until it's been built. At that point you might try swapping one or two > components, but that's just a tweak (and most likely won't make an > audible difference anyway). > > I suspect the Transporter was designed like that - SD tried to produce > something with the least possible jitter at the digital out, the lowest > distortion, etc. - all defined by theory and measured with scopes. My > guess is listening tests played a very small role, because we are > talking about differences typically far below the threshold of > audibility. Whether the end product actually sounds any better than a > stock SB is open to question, and same goes for the SB+ - which is why > I asked Patrick about listening tests in the first place.
While I appreciate that all design should be driven by intelligence (evolution excepted!), to me this is no way to design an audio product. It makes perfect sense if we can measure everything that can possibly be heard, but I suspect this is not the case. I'd much rather trust the designer who measures, yes, but ultimately listens to what he does. I reckon this is one of those tomayto - tomarto arguments, so please flame gently ;) Adam -- adamslim SB3 into Derek Shek d2, Shanling CDT-100, Rotel RT-990BX, Esoteric Audio Research 859, Living Voice Auditorium IIs, Nordost and Anti-cables http://www.last.fm/user/AdamSlim/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ adamslim's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=7355 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=33917 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
