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Another Sample Of An Audio Component That Doesn't Measure Well, But Sounds Great.

Posted by thetubeguy1954 (A) on November 7, 2006 at 09:17:55

I've been thinking quite a bit lately about audio components. Specifically how can it be possible that one audio component can measure poorly, yet sound more realistic when it replicates music, than another audio component that measure better yet, sounds less realistic when it required to replicate music? I don't think that anyone who accepts this idea is automatically an anti-science, voodooist, knot-tying, fluoride sniffing type who's constantly trying to twist science to fit their beliefs. Instead I believe these people, like myself, know that scientists haven't as of yet fiqured out what things to measure that correlate how the human ear/brain combo decides what is and isn't realistic sounding. I'm postive that in the end when scientists discover what to measure when the human ear/brain combo and NOT a machine is used to determine what is and isn't realistic sounding, when that day arrives, science will verify that those who use their ears as the final arbitrator have the more "accurate" audio components. You of course are free to believe as you will. These are MY beliefs, I don't require or ask that anyone else agree with them. I'm postive scientists will one day prove me correct!

When it comes to tubes and SET amps I personally believe they are capable of and usually give the most realistic replication of live music I've ever heard. Others here would say the SET amps are just adding euphonic colorations to the music. Personally I don't care which side or POV you hold. In my house I only have to please myself and my ears. So far IMHO SETs do that better than any other amplifier technology I've ever heard. But because of the: "it sounds more realistic, not it doesn't' it's euphonic colored" back and forth arguement that never goes anywhere but endless repitions of it sounds more realistic, not it's euphonic colored. I looked around for another example of this type of measure poorly yet replicate live music more realistically audio component and found it! Or at least I believe I have in the Zanden, 47lab, Audio Note use Kusunoki-style DACs. These DACs have no oversampling, no upsampling, no digital filter, thus you'd expect poor measurements. However these companies which use the Kusunoki-style DACs ---(Kusunoki published the original research paper on why there are sonic benefits when DAC's are made without the then popular brickwall filter altogether)--- believe that the measurable distortion from their approach isn't audible but that the pre/post ringning from the other approach very much is. So because they believe thier approach produces a more "accurate" DAC, when replicating live music is the standard, they manufactuer a DAC that will measure more poorly that the more traditional type of DACs will.

Seems we have yet another example of an audio component that doesn't measure well, yet replicates music more realistically than other components of it's type (but not same technology) does! Once again, in the end, we discover that when the human ear/brain combo and not a machine is used to determine what does and doesn't sound realistic, many music lovers discover the component that measures poorly, does indeed replicate live music more realistically! Whatever you believe, whatever your POV on this issue is, doesn't really matter to me. I was simply looking for an audio component that would measure poorly, yet while replicating music, would sound more realistic. Apparently I've now found such a component in the Kusunoki-style DACs.

Thetubeguy1954

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