From: trevor@rageaudio.com.au   
      
   On 15/06/2024 4:28 pm, The Running Man wrote:   
   > On 15/06/2024 11:00 Trevor Wilson  wrote:   
   >> On 11/06/2024 10:30 pm, The Running Man wrote:   
   >>> I'm personally a proponent of SD-card audio players, which have no moving   
   parts, no lasers or servo's to break down or go out of alignment, no spindle   
   motor, no speed deviation.   
   >>>   
   >>> I'm both horrified and amused with all the technical solutions   
   manufacturers are advertising that supposedly improve "sound quality". The   
   gist is that you're essentially trying to digital samples. And samples could   
   be stored a variety of ways, on    
   hard disks, flash disks, SD cards and tape if you so desire.   
   >>>   
   >>> Systems with no moving parts are obviously the best and most reliable.   
   >>   
   >> **Indeed. However, several points:   
   >>   
   >> * The most critical aspects to good sound reproduction lie with the DAC   
   >> and the output stages. The best DACs are generally regarded to be R2R   
   >> types. These types of DACs tend to be much larger than the more popular   
   >> Sigma/Delta types.   
   >   
   > I don't agree on this. I have a cheap delta-sigma DAC which I built myself   
   based on a PCM5102 which sounds better than anything I heard from any CD   
   player yet costs only $9. Also, DSD is based on delta-sigma and its sound   
   quality far surpasses that of    
   any CD player.   
      
   **You can agree or disagree with me, if you wish. You'll still be wrong.   
   A GOOD quality R2R DAC is still the best.   
      
   Why? You may ask.   
      
   It's really simple: A sigma/delta DAC operates by successive   
   APPROXIMATION. It can only ever approximate the original musical signal.   
   It can never be bit perfect. OTOH, an R2R DAC is cable of reproducing   
   the original musical source in a bit perfect way.   
      
   FWIW: I still own a Marantz CD80, mulitbit, CD player. It sounds better   
   than any one of the several dozen sigma/delta DACs/players I've had in   
   my system. My outboard R2R DAC is even better.   
      
   >   
   >> * RAM based players are not immune from failure of the RAM itself. The   
   >> type of RAM used has a finite life-span.   
   >>   
   >   
   > A defective RAM would immediately lead to distorted sound or crash the DAC   
   or chipset. So I don't think this is an issue.   
      
   **Well, it sure as Hell would be.   
      
      
   --   
   This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.   
   www.avast.com   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)