Is computer audio a bust?

"That being said, can you state in specific terms what measurable variables are responsible for the improved SQ you perceive?"

Differences in digital sources are primarily due to jitter in the digital source, however reduction in common-mode noise and RFI can impact the DAC or interface indirectly by adding jitter. To fix the latter, one needs either common-mode filters like the Short-Block or galvanically isolated interfaces like many XMOS USB interfaces.

Galvanic isolation is not a panacea however. To do this, you need separate power for the input section of the USB interface, either power from the cable or another isolated AC supply. If this power is not really perfect (di/dt, regulation and noise), then it may actually sound worse than the non-galvanically isolated interface. I have experienced this myself. Therefore, with my new Off-Ramp 6, which is based on XMOS, I will be offering a "Long-Block" combination linear Hynes technology power supply and filter. The long-block can improve the performance of virtually ANY XMOS interface with galvanic isolation.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

"there is a 600% to 1000% mark-up on the retail prices out there anyway"

That may be true from a few big companies, but most of these high-performance cables require huge investments to get the first batch made or they are completely hand-made and very labor intensive. Exotic materials like silver and expanded Teflon are generally not available in off-the-shelf cabling from any manufacturer. Certainly not in a USB cable. I know because I have looked. The designer must actually custom order 10,000 feet just to get these made. Fabricators will not even touch a 1000 foot order.

Computers are not obsolete either by any means. I actually use a win2000 workstation now for 15 years with the same hard-disk drive. The likes of Intel and the PC makers would have you believe that you MUST HAVE the latest technology and operating systems. They actually have marketing/development groups dedicated to developing apps and uses that require more powerful CPU's, more memory etc.. in order to get you to upgrade your PC.

The fact that most peoples PCs are fine for what they use them for and therefore they are not upgrading is a testament to the fact that they are not obsolete. This is precisely why PC sales are down.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

AGear, yes, correct...I only have 15 DSD128 albums BUT they sound so good, i want to hear them from time to time and CDP is useless for that.

Also, it went without saying that the implementation of BOTH would be top notch, otherwise it would not be a fair fight.

As for upsampling, again, I would recommend and did specify a top notch application like HQ Player with adjustable parameters.

Sorry, but its not pleasant to descend for the HiRez bubble to RBCD land and no my collection is at most 80% RBCD. LoL

Native DSD128 rules! Hehehehe

@ Audioengr, Hi Steve, your last post about computers was really what you do, most people buy, as you said, the newest greatest whatever computer, then, like I said, when they go to walk out the store, another computer is better before the door hits them in the ass, however, my desk-top computer works great for me, kinda old, your intel chip you developed is one tuff proccessor, it's the Intel core 2,,, you did have a hand in the development of this proccessor??, of course I am running windows 7 on it instead of the vista that was on it originally.

Audiolabyrinth - I was a design team lead on the Pentium 2 many years ago. It was a "slot 1" processor.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio