Are CD players really digital...

Originally posted by julian2002
this is called jitter and is well undertood.

I understand what jitter is, I did all the theory on digital systems when I was at university years ago. I'm not trying to draw a parallel between what he writes, and what Mr Belt dreams, but it does seem rather silly on the one hand to dismiss a technically biased article on the grounds that the errors aren't significant, and to welcome with open arms people's opinions on how a mains cable can improve your system, based purely on opinion and not any measureable difference.
 
It maybe well understood, but it is not taken care of completely by the manufacturers, and this article explains quite well the causes and the possible cures... :newbie:
 
tom,
my main objection is that this isn;t a technically based article. he builds an argument on the supposition that information above 2khz is incompletely stored on the cd, this may be so (i doubt it but you never know even a broken watch is right twice a day). even if it is so he doesn;t explain WHY it's so (in his opinion) and so we move into the realms of unsubstantiated beltism.
also you picked the wrong person to fire the 'wires' argument at, i'm a naimie so i use 6 quid a meter speaker cable and power cables and i/c's that come free with my kit. although i've heard cables make a difference in others systems i've not heard anything (yet) that improved mine in all areas that made me want to spend money. therefore i (and probably most others here) know that the 'wires' stuff bandied about at ZG is purely subjective and system sensitive.
i am unashamed to admit that i am a total subjectivist when it comes to hi-fi as it is so much more than the creation of pressure waves in the air. the emotion the person listening feels is totally unique so at the end of the day while measurements are useful for manufacturers to maintain consistency and for marketers claiming high power or low distortion, for the consumer it';s more about how the kit sounds to him than anything else. all imho of course.
cheers

julian
 
I tried the putting a CD on top of the one you want to play trick and the transport made a sort of crunching noise and spat it out. Not recommended...
 
I did that once with my CDP, I was very drunk at the time, it played fine.
 
Originally posted by julian2002
my main objection is that this isn;t a technically based article. he builds an argument on the supposition that information above 2khz is incompletely stored on the cd,

snip

also you picked the wrong person to fire the 'wires' argument at, i'm a naimie so i use 6 quid a meter speaker cable and power cables and i/c's that come free with my kit.

snip

i am unashamed to admit that i am a total subjectivist when it comes to hi-fi

Hey no problem, I understand what you're saying. I don't doubt that some of what he writes is conjecture, but I think there are some valid points in there that deserve discussion. Also, in my experience (I'm a tv sound recordist), most recording studio environments are filthy flea-pits, and I'd be surprised if as much attention was paid to the care of studio kit as should be. This is where I think you can add weight to his argument. Studios are incredibly noisy environments (electrically).

I'm not firing arguments at anybody :D It was a general comment. I use naim amps too (nac42.5, nap90, snaps)

I believe in the subjective argument of hi-fi, but only so far as blindfold experiments. I don't believe that anybody, no matter how 'golden' their ears may be, can accurately tell between mains cables on their equipment, or other exotic interconnects, when wearing a blindfold, and with no idea what they're listening to - cheap stuff or expensive stuff. The trouble with audiophiles (the very word has bad connetations) is that most of them base their arguments on half-truths and rumours, and not any factual evidence.

You sir, are an exception to that generalisation, and I take my hat off to you :)

*bows and scrapes* :D
 
tom,
no need for genufletion ;)

i must admit that i've never tried listening whilst blindfolded however the mains cables i've heard on my amplifier (during a bake off) did produce subtle changes to the sound, however as i and others present interpreted these changes differently i'm willing to believe that they were psycosomatic and would therefore be eliminated by blind testing. this is at the root of my 'subjectivity' in that there are other factors at play when you actually slap down the cash for something.

i would have thought that the balanced nature of most of the kit in a recording studio would keep rfi contamination down however as you say the environment would not be a good one for cd players and other digital replay and recording devices unless countermeasures were used. i'm not against these 'tweaks' what i am against is someone trying to explain them, purporting to put forward a scientific argument, when in reality they are building castles on the sand. the sugestion that people should try putting 2 cd's into their draw is a bit dangerous, not only for the kit but, with the speed cd's spin at, it could actually be physically dangerous.
cheers


julian
 
The trouble with audiophiles (the very word has bad connetations) is that most of them base their arguments on half-truths and rumours, and not any factual evidence.

Like Julian, I generally use my ears. I've always found this to be the best way of judging equipment.
 
Originally posted by Robbo
Like Julian, I generally use my ears. I've always found this to be the best way of judging equipment.
Well of course you do. We all do.

If we did a survey of all ZG's members and asked them whether they used their ears to judge their equipment, how many would say: "No, I only use my ears as a last resort after I'm sure that the objective measurements are up to scratch. Moreover, if the equipment isn't highly recommended in the hi-fi press I won't listen to it at all."?
 
Hi 7V,

Well, it seems to me that there are few guys on here that seem to be more interested in double blind testing and theorising about equipment, rather than trying to extract the maximum potential out of their systems and then getting on with enjoying the music!
 
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