A) If bits = bits and that's all that matters many companies are pulling the wool over thousands of consumers' eyes by providing
Yep - there are many companies pulling wool over consumers' eyes. But it's not just related to computer audio - every corner of audio has it's share of snake oil.
Remember when green pens made a "night and day difference that you could instantly detect, every time"? What about GSICs, magic dots, shakti rocks. The list goes on.
So I certainly hope you're using green pens on your source discs too - or else you're wasting all your money on Server Optimiser Pro or whatever it is.
high quality music servers/PCs and offering USB/SPDIF converters. If it all sounds the same (bits are bits) why spend thousands of $ (other than a feature or three)? Answer - because they all sound different, some better some worse.
STOP RIGHT THERE.
You're going way off track here.
Firstly - do you understand the difference between:
a) Bits of data forming the music "file".
b) The requirement to clock that data prior to conversion
c) The conversion process
It's fine if you don't, but you need to do some research.
You've got no argument from me on B) and C). Converters and data clocks all sound differnet. Because of jitter and many other factors.
They sound different because, in this case, it is NOT "just bits" - it is accurately timed and synced bits, in the correct order.
That is very different to what computers deal with. Computers deal with just A).
If you call yourself an audiophile and you've got your computer dealing with B) and C) then you are not an audiophile, no matter how much you try to optimise things (and yes, optimisation may make a difference in this case).
An SPDIF converter is essentially a clock - it takes the computer data and clocks it into the timed S/PDIF format. If the SPDIF converter contains a better, more accurate clock than the USB interface of your DAC then yes - it will sound better. But there's many other factors there also - none of which involve the computer's ability to deliver the data. We all know what jitter is and we all know it affects sound quality. It's just that jitter doesn't exist in unclocked data.
If (like in the example that you gave to Gordon above where you suggested the Aurender X100), you are using your computer as a data repository to pass bits to an audiophile clocking and conversion device, then there can be no difference in any component prior to the clock - so long as the computer is configured to deliver bit-perfect audio (not butchered by EQ or truncation) and the computer can do it fast enough for seamless playback (ie. any computer produced in the last 15 years).
B) As someone said earlier on this thread, it's not just about the bits, it's about noise from the PC's power supply, DC-> DC converters, cheap components, shared rails etc, less fluid/glitchy sounds from overactive CPU. To use the bits = bits argument is, to be frank ignorant. Google music server optimization for more details.
Again - why?
Don't just say fancy words - explain why these things have an impact on the sound of your music.
What does the DC->DC converter do to your music?
Has the DC>DC converter or shared rails affected the accuracy of your typing that I am quoting?
If not, why do you think your computer is magically accurate when dealing with text, but inaccurate when dealing with FLAC files (or whatever)?
Let's break it down: The converter (DAC) has an impact on sound quality because it is making the analogue waveform that you are listening to.
Moving back along the chain, we know the clock has an impact on sound quality too - because if the signal (digital bits at this stage) are not timed properly then this impacts on the converter's ability to convert accurately.
But the DC->DC converter or shared rails? How does this impact on the data that the converter sees? How? As I said prior - if you don't believe me, checksum the output of different computers.
As far as your compare, I've already done it.
And what was the result of your checksum? Identical? No difference?
It's more than bit matching, it's about noise
What is "noise" when talking about digital data? What is a bit mismatch? How does it manifest? How does it affect your music? How does it affect digital data that the computer is passing to the converter?
Is all that "noise" and bit-mismatches affecting the accuracy of your banking records too?
If so, I damn well hope my bank is using $2,000 Audioquest USB cables to enter my data!
I wouldn't want a bit-mismatch or some extraneous CPU activity making my $1,000 deposit turn into $100.
You still haven't said - what does all this do? How does this make the music sound worse or better?
To use the bits = bits argument is, to be frank ignorant.
Me ignorant? Sorry - It's the reverse. Think about what you're saying.
You are saying that the output of a computer will vary depending on the CPU load.
You are saying that the output of a computer will vary depending on what type of USB cable is connected to it.
You are saying that the output of a computer will vary depending on type of power supply.
That is profound!
If you really think computers are not fit for the purpose of mainipulating data - if you think data output from computers can vary depending on "overactive CPUs", "shared rails" or "DC converters" then that's unthinkable.
It is more than a profound statement. It has far-reaching consequences for our entire economy, safety and sheer existence. Banking details would be incorrect. Planes would be crashing because of an overactive CPU in the ATC centre. Nuclear reactors would be blowing up because someone used a cheap USB cable in the control systems. The stock market would crash because someone was running an extraneous process somewhere and didn't optimise the system.
That is quite frankly ridiculous.
While the notion of tweaking and optimisation carries over from the vinyl and analogue days, it doesn't apply to computers. Some audiophiles obviously let old habits die hard. Computers just doesn't work that way.
And btw - even USB cables matter, I've tried 1/2 dozen - they all sound different.
Easy then. As I said before, checksum two identical files that have been transferred over the different USB cables. That will unequivocally tell you whether they alter the data going through them. But geez - I really do hope my bank is using expensive USB cables - I wouldn't want my accounts messed up.
As above (one more time), i
t has nothing at all to do with jitter!! Jitter does not exist before the 44,100 kHz conversion clock. Unless the bits sit on your hard disk jittering away magically.
Keep the clock outside of; and independent of; the computer, and the computer will be jitter-free no matter how you configure it (by definition).
