A Look at ADC Noise Limits and Distortion - Or "How much difference does the...
I received a few questions as a follow-up to last week's post about the E1DA Cosmos APU basically around the question: "When do I need a pre-amp/notch filter like that if I have a high resolution...
View ArticleMUSINGS: The hunt for -150dB THD with the Victor's 1kHz Oscillator; A look at...
I like a good challenge ;-). A few weeks ago, in my post on the E1DA Cosmos APU, in the comments, MG discussed achieving THD -155dB on the Victor's Oscillator! In my original post, I showed a picture...
View ArticleREVIEW: S.M.S.L. DO100 DAC (dual ESS ES9038Q2M) [Part I - Overview, Filters &...
Over the last number of years, we have seen a proliferation of DACs from Chinese manufacturers offering models of increasingly better resolution - higher fidelity - and greater feature set. These days,...
View ArticleREVIEW: S.M.S.L. DO100 DAC [Part II - PCM Resolution]. (And on MQA's...
As we continue to evaluate the S.M.S.L. DO100 DAC, let's spend time today delving into the resolution that this machine provides as a PCM DAC (see Part I last week for filters and jitter performance)....
View ArticleNotes on DAC DSD (1-bit PDM) measurements going forward...
In the early 2000's, we witnessed the battle over hi-res audio in the form of SACD vs. DVD-A. SACD, the brainchild of Sony, utilized a 1-bit Pulse Density Modulation (PDM) method they called DSD (an...
View ArticleREVIEW: S.M.S.L. DO100 DAC [Part III - DSD, Subjective, AMPT Recording, and...
As you can see, the SMSL DO100 displays DSD samplerate in the form of DSD64 (64 x 44.1kHz = 2.8MHz), DSD128 (5.6MHz), DSD256 (11.3MHz) and DSD512 (22.6MHz).Okay audiophile friends, let's finish off the...
View ArticleHi-Res THD(+N) vs. Output Level Measurements (ESS "HyperStream" vs. AKM vs....
Notice last time as I ended off the post, I showed what I think is an interesting "high resolution" graph of THD(+N) vs. Output Level for the Topping D10 Balanced which uses the ESS ES9038Q2M chip....
View ArticleREVIEW: Beelink SER4 Ryzen 7 4700U (8C/8T) MiniPC - A small, quiet, fast,...
These days, if we look around most homes, I think we'll see all kinds of computers used for different purposes in the rooms. I've talked about my main Workstation, the Server machine, even my Gaming...
View ArticleREVIEW: MeLE Quieter3Q (Celeron N5105, 8GB DDR4, 256GB eMMC) MiniPC: Fanless,...
Yeah, that's an old XBOX 360 Kinect camera back there! Hey, there are cool things you can do with this as a 3D scanner...Greetings ladies and gents. In the posts for both the MeLE Quieter2Q post as...
View ArticleSummer Musings: On Stereophile's "Quackery, Gullibility, and...
Well ladies and gents, I guess it's official. Stereophile, at least in part, is not a journalistic venture based on a recent "My Back Pages" article. In the opening 3 paragraphs of "Quackery,...
View ArticlePacific Audio Fest 2022 (PAF 2022) - Day 1
Hey there everyone, it's Pacific Audio Fest 2022 time here in Seattle! Since it was just a 3-hour drive from home in Vancouver, I figure it would be fun to check out the inaugural PAF this year. The...
View ArticlePacific Audio Fest 2022 (PAF 2022) - Day 2
The elevators heading up to the 13th & 14th floors of the PAF, and a view from elevator. Glorious hot 25-30°C weekend. IMO, we who live in the N.W. / Western Canada should never complain of the few...
View ArticlePacific Audio Fest 2022 (PAF 2022) - Concluding observations and thoughts......
Well, the first PAF 2022 is now in the record books (see Day 1 and Day 2 for context). I honestly hope that the organizers, companies showing off their goods, and attendees all had a great time. I...
View ArticleREVIEW: iFi GO Bar - Portable DAC / Headphone Amp (Cirrus Logic DAC, Balanced...
My friend AudioPhil is really into his headphone gear. Recently he acquired the product above and asked if I might want to play with this for a few days... Sure, this looks interesting!This is the new...
View ArticleREVIEW: Sabaj A20d 2022 Version DAC (ESS ES9038PRO) [Part I] - Hardware,...
[Disclosure: Most of the products I review have been purchased personally or loaned from friends. On occasion, a manufacturer or seller will contact me about a device which I might have an interest in....
View ArticleREVIEW: Sabaj A20d 2022 Version DAC [Part II] - Resolution & Distortion....
Let's continue our discussion of the Sabaj A20d 2022 today as we dive into the core of the DAC's PCM resolution characteristics. You might want to review Part I as I had discussed much about the...
View ArticleREVIEW: Sabaj A20d 2022 Version DAC [Part III] - DSD, Headphone Out, AMPT,...
Okay, we're in the final stretch of my measurements/review series on the Sabaj A20d 2022 DAC. This time, let's finish with some measurements around DSD performance, the headphone amp output quality,...
View ArticleAs We Hear It: An audiophile comments on the Taiko Audio computer. The Mark...
German "ear horns" circa 1917.It's great to look inside my mail bag and post comments or questions here from readers once awhile. I must say that the clarity of thought and insight from readers have...
View ArticleRETRO: Beyerdynamic DT 990, 600Ω, classic open-back circumaural headphones...
This week, I thought I would do a "retro" measurement of and listen to a headphone from the days of the Cold War. ;-)Above, you see the 600Ω impedance Beyerdynamic DT 990 (forefather of the current DT...
View ArticleMUSINGS: Regarding the MoFiGate class action document, the love of analogue...
There are "hot topic" debates that stand the test of time, never truly resolved as it were. Typically, these debates are arguments of subjective ideologies (thus never fully resolved even if some...
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