"Perhaps you didn't test the right cables, or your preamp creates enough distortion, noise and compression that you dont hear the benefits because they are masked. This is fairly common when using an active preamp. I dont use a preamp, so I dont experience this masking anymore. It's a system after all, so every component and cable matters."
Maybe. But I do hear differences in most everything else I tweak beside digital source and ICs. So I think I have the relative magnitude right at a minimum. I hear a lot of systems and live music and I do not hear any distortion or dynamics issues of significance, but of course we know such things are always in play to some extent in home audio.
Maybe. But I do hear differences in most everything else I tweak beside digital source and ICs. So I think I have the relative magnitude right at a minimum. I hear a lot of systems and live music and I do not hear any distortion or dynamics issues of significance, but of course we know such things are always in play to some extent in home audio.