Computer Audio Asylum

RE: RPi5 - the first month

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This Post Has Been Edited by the Author

In Reply to: RE: RPi5 - the first month posted by ivan_terrible on December 27, 2023 at 01:08:07

"different types of SSDs were causing different sound signatures." Sorry this is just manifest rubbish.
Not for the first time, soundchekk is right. Not only can different SSDs sound different in otherwise idential audio replay circuits but, contrary to perceived wisdom, my experience is that a 'spinning rust' HDD typically sounds better for audio than the several SSD I've tried. SSDs are very noisy beasts.
I stress "replay" because the output from such devices is, by definition, real time. If you don't know why that matters in audio, I'd respectfully ask you to do some homework before belittling others.
Different makes of HDD also sound different: for example, a Seagate 'Momentus' 2.5" HDD (NLA new but easily found 'reconditioned') sounds better than other make I've tried, perhaps in part because its power draw is about 0.5a at 5v compared to most makes which typically draw about an amp. (They're pretty slow data-transfer-wise but easily fast enough for audio replay.)
How do the electrons know the difference between one path or another?
Very droll but, to pinch a phrase, "manifest rubbish". There's a wealth of literature on the effect of electronic noise on audio performance though, sadly, rather less seeking to correlate the nature of such noise with how it affects perception. It's a difficult topic to research and probably beyond the resources of manufacturers, let alone hobbyists.
All these effects are purely imaginary.
I researched SSDs vs HDDs in the audio replay context a year or two back but didn't report what I found on AA precisely because I couldn't face the tedium of dealing with the likes of the above.
But, for those who care to experiment, I'd recommend trying Elfidelity SATA filters. Also, try powering an SSD or HDD not from the system's 5v line but from its 12v line with a decent in-line 5v Vreg such as a 'New Class D' device. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Dave

Edits: 12/27/23

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