Anti-Audiophile Guy, you are wrong!

A friend of mine visited last month, and ironically expressed MUCH enjoyment from a Maraschino demo, then said something like "Nobody has a high end audio system anymore.".

I asked him to elaborate and he responded with the following (he called these facts!):
1. People are too busy to listen to music.
2. Everyone listens to crappy quality audio on speaker phones and earbuds and likes it.
3. Audiophiles are dying off!
4. It's a waste of money, and usually LOTS of money.

I was insulted, but let him go on and on.  He was insulting all audiophiles, and I felt compelled to defend our great hobby.  I call it a hobby, but for some it's much more.

This conversation led to a multi-week debate....  In the end, he backed down quite a bit.  Still, not all the way.  I was confident that my argument was convincing.

I said the bottom line is listening.  Listening to music on a great system is extremely enjoyable.  Having a source of enjoyment is important, but it seems fewer and fewer people realize just how important it is.  Yes, this goes into psychology and even philosophy.

I'll post more about this later, including what really made him back down and admit he was WRONG.

-Tommy O

Dissing DSD?

The subject of PCM vs DSD is huge one, but to summarize, I've havent heard compelling evidence that DSD sounds any better than high rate PCM, plus I was impressed with tracks converted from DSD to PCM.  I also have some technical background here ---- having written algorithms and simulated them to see what happens spectrally with BDM (bit density modulation, a.k.a. pulse density modulation) vs PCM.  Theoretically, there is more information in PCM.  So, if PCM isn't "broken", why fix it?  The BW issue is addressed by high sample rates, especially above 100kHz Fs.  Please, no throwing things, DSD fans!  Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of one-bit, but mostly in the world of A/D and D/A conversion "guts" (nowadays, what happens "inside the chip")....

Audio Enthusiasts and Audiophiles ---- Meetup Group

Well, friends, I've concluded that someone else needs to take over this group:
http://www.meetup.com/Audio-Enthusiasts-and-Audiophiles/

Just not enough time in the day lately to do it justice.

Looking for a volunteer to take over as leader.  The group has 25 members, and could easily be grown with proper advertising.

Thanks.

-Tommy O

Revitalization !

Welcome back, bloggers!

We're getting ready to post about "sticky topics" in audio....  You may have seen our "TRUTH in Audio" thread, one of the most popular threads ever on Audio Circle.  Well, that's what we're talking about!

Stay tuned.

For offers/info on Cherry Amplifiers and other great audio hardware, sign up HERE:


Thanks.

-Tommy O

Does the Cherry Amp sound like tubes?

Customers have said that it sounds much like the smoothness of tubes but with the authority and transient response of Class-A.

One customer said: "While the amp does not posses that warm, liquid, syrupy sound of a single ended triode, it is similar to an ultra linear tube design in sound"

Another said: "I switched my VAC amp back in yesterday, and while it certainly does things that people like tubes to do, the soundstage is narrower and at the same time more diffuse"

And another: "I find the Cherry to be the best compromise I've heard between tubes and SS in my systems"

So there you have it....  Somewhat like tubes, but better.

Other places to get Digital Amp Co. information

We are thinking of transferring the content here to other places. Please feel free to comment....

We have a web site (needs work as of today):
http://www.digitalamp.com/

We have a facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/DigitalAmpCo

We have a circle on Audio Circle:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=174.0

It's a daunting task to manage all these things, so we're thinking of consolidating.

-Tommy O

A word about load dependence...

There is no such thing as "completely load insensitive"...

Also, it takes wrapping feedback around the output filter to REDUCE load dependence, and in our experience, this affects the sonic quality of the amp in a negative way --- no pun intended. In fact that "too much negative feedback" sound (sometimes associated with Class-AB amps) is just what you get with all the phase margin compensation that's required to do so. As long as you're not driving a ridiculously low impedance, a low feedback design sounds so much cleaner than one designed to do better on the bench than into your ears. We can all agree that bench measurements don't tell the whole story. Without writing a book on this topic here, lets just say that we started with a design that was excellent on the bench, then tweaked it over several YEARS to get it to sound the way it does.

I have been designing Class-D amps (and listening to them) for more than 20 years, and these opinions are not based on some fly-by-night theories. There are many misconceptions regarding Class-D technology, and companies that take the risk of designing their own Class-D amps from scratch can easily fall short from inexperience. Same goes for pre-fab module makers. I have seen audio companies employ switching power supply designers that have never designed an amplifier in their life to build their "proprietary amp technology". It is also important to know analog amplifier design in order to make a good "digital" amp. Yes, I know there will be somebody out there to once again point out that Class-D doesn't mean the same thing as digital, blah, blah, blah. I designed my first analog audio amp when I was in grade school, by the way... Designing analog amps is a good way to learn what results in good sonic performance versus good bench measurements. It can be considered a good lead up to digital amp design --- a prerequisite.

-Tommy