Delta Sigma: An Inconvenient Truth

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by k4rstar, Jun 21, 2020.

  1. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    We aren't normal consumers of music. My sister is a normal consumer of music. The same applies to gamers. I care more about what an actual player thinks than what a theorycrafter thinks, because actual gamers express how they feel rather than trying to tell me why they feel it.

    Theorycrafters can sometimes be extremely valuable. Some of them are very intelligent and make cogent arguments. Some even go on to become successful game developers (remember how I started as a theorycrafter?).

    The problem comes when someone trusts too much in the theory and not enough in reality. As an audiophile, if you trust too much in what you've trained yourself to believe, you lose sight of reality.

    For what it's worth, I still prefer to listen to music via R-2R despite using delta-sigma for the past year or two. There are tradeoffs, but I've found them worth it.

    More importantly, what kind of ice cream?
     
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2020
  2. SSL

    SSL Friend

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    I thought you wanted to address the "audiophiles are idiots nonsense", not reinforce it.
     
  3. winders

    winders boomer

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    Baskin Robbins Pralines and Cream
     
  4. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    Exactly.
    I'm glad k4 is back, but this risen from the dead, higher than thou shit is pretty hilarious.

    99% sure k4 never owned convert 2. He owned source and didn't like it. He didn't like solaris either and now thinks DS is just bad in general.
    He came to this conclusion listening to old grungy Brit-pop on garage built head-amps, and entry level jbl horns running off old vintage amps in his mum's basement. But he won't list the specific gear, or talk about the pros and cons specifically because he is measuring purely based on his listening habits, which I actually respect. Usually.

    k4 your emotional state is probably a more important variable than the quality of the dacs in your system. Seriously, I'm glad you are getting better but if you want to come in here speaking from a position of ultimate experience even expecting people to defer to you, I'm going to have to bring you down a notch.

    You have a strong bias towards mush and are reaching conclusions based on your biases. We all do that, but you are avoiding listing the specifics because it becomes very apparent you don't value resolution, clarity or dynamics in the least.
     
  5. SSL

    SSL Friend

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    This thread is dumb.

    Supposedly the intention was to spark discussion, but no material is provided to fuel actual discussion. Mostly just platitudes and points that have already been hashed to death.

    Not surprising that anyone with actual knowledge to contribute hasn't bothered.
     
  6. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    I think it is because it is akin to direct drive vs. belt driven, solid state vs. tube, film vs. a CMOS sensor, front wheel drive vs real wheel drive...

    Gross generalizations are made, which are simply dangerous, (especially here). Then there is personal preference. And there are good and bad designs of each.

    That said, the TDA1541 has it's place, but the non-linearity, especially in the bass region, has done it in for me. And the fact even the Modi 1, with the AKM4896 had more detail retrieval, it made my Adcom CD player sound seriously veiled and syrupy in comparison. Even my Denon PCM1702 DAC leans dark, but at least not quite molasses.

    The Mega Combo Buritto filter I have to belive works. It is just a time domain filter that is messed up in the frequency domain. So the DSP is needed to massage it for smooth FR past conversion.

    No system is perfect and easy design presents unique challenges. Even discrete ladders are not perfect and each design is not the same. What DS chip can accomplish on one dye chip these days is pretty seller. And very unique and forward desigs of things like even Bifrost 2 for what they can do.

    There is enough love to go around for both. You don't have to be exclusive.

    It is true what I said in my review of Modius at what a value it is and how great it is, but if SPDIF only and unbalanced, I'd still prefer a Modi MB everytime.
     
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2020
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Well, the TDA1541 does have a certain sound which is pretty distinctive. And yup, as I mentioned in an earlier post Convert-2 could have fooled me if anyone told me it was R2R. Probably one or two DACs I can think of which I feel has just as natural timbre.

    The TDA1541 does come in different flavors, binned like CPUs for single crown and double crown with respectively lower THD.
     
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2020
  8. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    when you just want to talk about DACs and people come out with the personal attacks, misrepresenting your musical and sonic preferences and all the components in your system :(
     
  9. Xecuter

    Xecuter Brush and floss your amp twice a day

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    Not a personal attack. Just an inconvenient truth you need to hear.

    If you want to talks Dacs, list your gear, give us photos and talk specifics like source and material. You are making MASSIVE claims without actually putting anything of value on the table. Rambling about the ps audio DAC you've never heard. Come on..

    You are laying down views as gospels on dacs you've never heard based on architecture.

    You didnt just want to talk dacs, you wanted to say sbaf has been led astray and you have found a new and better path. You were preaching..

    Plenty of great places to talk about Dacs here but you wanted your own pedestal.
     
  10. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    It has been many years since I have heard a dac; r2r, nos, d/s, whatever, that sounded so bad that I couldn't enjoy the shit out of a good song. Music reproduction outside of a live performance (and even most of that these days) is all "parlour tricks," as the OP put it. OK.
     
  11. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    Alan, your posts don't warrant a sincere response from me as your intentions are insincere at best and malicious at worst. I have spent wee hours of the morning voice chatting with you and when people you think of as your friends now talked shit behind your back in Discord (constantly, not one-offs) I defended you more than once and tried to convince them you weren't such a bad guy.

    What I get in return is you peeing in my thread, mis-characterizing me and all for what - to impress others who relish in the same toxic behavior you do? To act like you know stuff about me I haven't been forthcoming about? you don't know me, my system or my taste in music at all. I haven't spoken to you in over a year, and for good reason. This behavior I would attribute to people who are still mentally and emotionally stuck in high school is exactly why.

    it's very disappointing the thread devolved into this and I didn't get the discussion I was hoping for, partially my fault for sure. preaching, having a pedestal, etc. = not my intention. it comes off that way because I have strong opinions and passion about audio. I won't defend myself to you though, go f**k yourself.
     
  12. beemerphile

    beemerphile Friend

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    It looks like civility is gone from the entire world. Even at SuperBestAudioGoFuckYourselves.

    I miss it.
     
  13. dark_energy

    dark_energy Friend

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    Continue with the discussion then. Stop being a bunch of pussies. He said this he said that, ignore people who go OT and continue. I am not going to bother backtracking this stuff. I was hoping to see relevant discussions here.
     
  14. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    here is a bear eating apples very patiently and civilly

     
  15. dark_energy

    dark_energy Friend

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    Moronic drama. Am I going migrate to DIYAudio in the future? Maybe. f**k your drama. This technology and how stuff works. If people can't handle anything and staying for their ego what is the point. No one cares about our opinion too much anyway. Everyone wants to have the discussion and see people inside the tech and talking about exciting stuff. De-escalating.
     
    Last edited: Jun 29, 2020
  16. dark_energy

    dark_energy Friend

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    Does this dude give a shit what you think about him. Not really.
     
  17. RobS

    RobS RobS? More like RobDiarrhea.

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    With an R2R DAC you can hear the subtle volume gradations of the juicy crispness of an apple bite by the bear. With a DS DAC you hear an imitation of a crunch sound at 96kbps.
     
  18. dark_energy

    dark_energy Friend

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    I am not migrating to anywhere. Just saying. So bored of seeing people being triggered and wasting time over nothing. Grow up guys.. We create the atmosphere here. Id rather be part of a that cool club. Keep it calm.
     
  19. RobS

    RobS RobS? More like RobDiarrhea.

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    ^ don't see the problem. K4 doesn't think he's posting in good faith and not obliged to provide a response.
     
  20. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    This thread makes me sad.
     

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