Just when you thought that the high end audio press could not get any more ridiculous TAS (The Absolute Sound) has taken that leap from the ridiculous to the sublime.
Starting with issue #218 (December 2011) TAS began a four part series entitled "Computer Music Audio Quality" co-authored by Charles Zeilig, Ph.D. and Jay Clawson. I have no idea who the authors are or what makes them "experts" on computer music audio quality since no biographical information on the authors is provided. I was going to write this post after reading part one of the series but after reading part two in TAS issue #219 (January 2012) I'm glad I waited. To put things bluntly these gentlemen are completely out of their minds. To go over each and every one of the numerous misconceptions and complete nonsense contained within just the first two parts of the series would make for very long post so just let me hit upon some of the more outrageous claims. The basic premise of the series is that there is a way to measure and improve the digital bit stream being fed by a computer into an external DAC, in other words a way to make the ones more "one" and the zeros more "zero". Of course since Zeilig has a Ph.D. the whole is presented in a very serious matter with detailed descriptions of the methodology and lots of charts, tables and graphs. Wow I'm so damn impressed! Part one of the series basically served has an introduction and it is only with the publishing of part two that one gets to read first hand just how off the wall the authors actually are. In part two the authors do a detailed survey of various playback software, sample rate convertors, CD ripping software, CD burning software and even blank CDRs. Again, has I stated, it's only serious with lots detailed tables and even a convenient "Sound SCore" scale, which kind of reminds me of that famous guitar amp in "This Is Spinal Tap" which plays louder well because it goes to eleven. What makes all this so crazy is that the authors claim that it is not just bit perfect transmission to the DAC which is important but that the various software programs can somehow make the music sound better and not just a little better but measurably better, enough so that a sound Score can be given to each program. Of course the "measurements" are not via any type testing equipment but by the author's golden ears alone. I'd love to go on but to really appreciate how great this stuff is one needs to read the series for oneself. And as an added bonus issue #219 also contains TAS's Product of the Year awards where the $549/meter AudioQuest Diamond USB cable is given "Digital Cable of the Year" honors. I guess this cable also manages to make those pesky one and zeros somehow less pesky. Since this is the audiophile section I fully expect someone to post something along the lines of how can I be so dismissive without having heard what effects the various items in the article actually do have on sound quality and to which I answer because I understand the basic principles of binary computer data and one and zeros are just that: ones and zeros not super ones and zeros. -- ralphpnj Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels -> Snatch -> The Transporter -> Transporter 2 (oops) -> Touch 'Last.fm' (http://www.last.fm/user/jazzfann/) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ralphpnj's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=10827 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=92168 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
