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Old 28th Feb 2023, 9:07 pm   #3041
dglcomp
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

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My understanding is that Denon no longer builds in Japan and is not even Japanese-owned these days. However, much like a fashion label, where this year’s collection might be ‘flannel with earthy colours’, Japanese OEMs have long had a tradition of releasing ‘this year’s collection’ with a pseudo-scientific gimmick, but underpinned by R+D integrity under the bonnet (often unrelated to the theme or claim of the year’s collection).
Denon is now part of inMusic brands that includes Akai Professional, Alesis, Ion, Marantz, Alto, Numark and others.
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Old 1st Mar 2023, 12:53 pm   #3042
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

As far as audiophoolery is concerned, Denon's 'analogue mode' ranks pretty low on the quack scale. I find it amusing, in that it suggests that their engineers haven't done a good job at funneling switching nasties away from signal paths. But I don't think I'm their target market...and the logic (excuse the pun) will make sense to many who buy their amps.

I have a couple of latter-day Denon amps on permanent use: one for the dining room, and another in the workshop. The latter one has a 'UK' suffix, where they didn't go as far as to manufacture it in the UK, but made a campaign out of claiming it to be designed in the UK.
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Old 1st Mar 2023, 1:11 pm   #3043
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

There are many products which say "designed in the UK". Top walking gear brands like Berghaus and RAB (I have foul weather gear by both) say they were designed in the UK, but are made in Vietnam and China.

On the same topic, the Swedish compass manufacturer Silva, which used to have "Made in Sweden" embossed into the plastic, first dropped it entirely, and now on the packaging in very small letters say "Made in China".

And so we hitch a ride.

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Old 2nd Mar 2023, 11:00 am   #3044
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

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I posted a link a couple of pages back to a preamp that costs £70K. Do I think any human could reliably A/B/X it against a Self circuit in a Maplin box, based around a pair of NE5532s? No. If you've got the spare cash to buy the £70K preamp, good for you.
There should be a fairly reasonable audible difference between the two.

However, having heard the first example of one of Mr Self's commercial amplifier designs, before he was forced to modify it to make it sound decent, I'd love to know which one people prefer!
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Old 2nd Mar 2023, 11:14 am   #3045
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

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There should be a fairly reasonable audible difference between the two.
Only if you're the one who's spent 70k I suspect.

Alan
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Old 2nd Mar 2023, 1:18 pm   #3046
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Beobloke View Post
There should be a fairly reasonable audible difference between the two.
Only if you're the one who's spent 70k I suspect.

Alan
This is why A/B/X studies are the gold standard for medicine (as I'm sure you know). Audio isn't a matter of life and death (unless a tweaker's removed the earth wire...), but I fail to see why the burden of evidence should be any different. From Wikipedia

Quote:
Shulgin drank the juice and, assuming that the powder at the bottom of the glass was a sedative, fell asleep rapidly. Upon waking he learned that the powder was undissolved sugar. The experience made him aware of the influence of placebos over the human mind.[6][7]
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Old 15th Mar 2023, 12:29 pm   #3047
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

Meanwhile - kit for installing in a computer to reduce digital noise getting into the audio output.

The punch line towards the end of this vid is worth waiting for

https://youtu.be/Bc422iIvCcY

You have to live with a "now from our sponsor", but it is worth it for the audiophile myth debunk. Fast forward to 9m30s for the big reveal.

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Last edited by Craig Sawyers; 15th Mar 2023 at 12:35 pm.
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Old 16th Mar 2023, 12:13 pm   #3048
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

I don't doubt that the 'filter' boards in the video are useless, but one comment I have to make is that he would make a better case against them if he employed calibrated measurement gear. As we all know, a dedicated analyser is typically best as everything is scaled and you get accurate measurements out of the box. But in 2023, modern soundcards are so good that if you spend a little time configuring them so that the values mean something, they're almost as good as deluxe AAs.

Why on earth do so many of the YT pundits not use a simple FFT analyser? The guy in the above video could load a sine sample with known THD+N digitally, connect an AA to the soundcard output - and then he could give actual values as to improvement / degradation of said filter.

I have a MOTU M4 that cost £180. Its THD+N is as good as a Prism DScope. There are other soundcards that will rival the AP or R+S AAs.

(it doesn't have auto-ranging or anywhere near the options that the DScope has, but for simple, 1V in / 1V out kind of tests, it's fantastic)
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Old 16th Mar 2023, 12:36 pm   #3049
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

The clever thing about the YT platform is the comments field. If there's 2,000 comments yours would get lost in the murk, but if there's only 30 they're likely to be read by the producer of the video. They don't always appreciate the feedback, but you'd expect that..

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Old 16th Mar 2023, 8:31 pm   #3050
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

I use a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. Both for headphone listening, but also as a measurement source for ARTA and Visual Analyzer.

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Old 19th Mar 2023, 1:07 pm   #3051
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

Following on from the Fairchild 670 that I posted a few pages back (asking price >$200K USD), I have found another one, but this time in the UK. It's £205K and non-negotiable. But you won't pay import duty on it, so strikes me as a bargain.

(hopefully the attachment will show up).

Studios will pay this, simply to have 'Fairchild 670' on their kit list (there are countless modern clones and I doubt many will be able to spot the OG from a clone. Tim de Paravincini was first out of the blocks with a clone in the '80s, where he replaced the all-valve sidechain with one that was IC-driven, but maintaining the valve / transformer signal path). I wonder where it came from... It claims to have Abbey Rd heritage, but not AR. Maybe Mickey Most's RAK Studios around the corner? Either way, they thought that the £205K would be handier than a 1959 valve limiter.
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Old 26th Mar 2023, 1:19 pm   #3052
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

If you get stuck on a broken down train and really need something to read: https://www.diyaudio.com/community/t...-cords.391921/

Predictably, much of the above is based on opinion that's somewhat around the periphery of conventional theory, but I did come across this gem on page 11:
Quote:
IMHO it is the audio equipment's job to take "ANY" power we give it (within commercial reason) and not let it bother the owner. However some ears demand power cleaner than the driven snow.
Subsequent posts denigrated the above for being reductive...

{edit - I should confess that I haven't read the whole discussion... I came across the post on page 11 and thought it worth quoting... If audiophile AC tweaks bring 'improvement', then maybe the device being used hasn't got very good EMC credentials...}

Last edited by knobtwiddler; 26th Mar 2023 at 1:26 pm.
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Old 26th Mar 2023, 2:27 pm   #3053
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

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If you get stuck on a broken down train and really need something to read: https://www.diyaudio.com/community/t...-cords.391921/
Post #874 sums it up quite nicely.

I've not read all 44 pages but I wonder if anyone there has provided a link to this thread?
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Old 26th Mar 2023, 3:09 pm   #3054
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

The good thing is that people exist that buy into the audiophoolery accessories market, the people who make the krappe get to have food and shelter and raise their kids. The people who sell the krappe get to have food and shelter and raise their kids. The people who buy the krappe get to just feel superior. And every one else gets a good laugh: what's not to like!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kentode
Post #874 sum's it up quite nicely.
The only one I read that I could fully agree with.
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Old 2nd May 2023, 10:09 am   #3055
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

I can understand picture discs and coloured vinyl and suchlike to promote bands and musicians, even at the risk of degrading the quality.

But Tears in vinyl…. To quote…
Every Crynyl release is filled with actual tears from the artist. We gather tear samples using sterile collection kits, dilute them into a sonically-optimized solution, then seal them into each record using proprietary Crynylseal technology

The cynic and BS alarm sounded [even louder] when I read …. dilute them into a sonically optimized solution, then seal them into each record using proprietary Crynylseal technology

It begs the question how does a standard stereo 45/45 Degree format cartridge resolve that information

https://www.loudersound.com/news/are...om-their-tears
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Old 2nd May 2023, 10:37 am   #3056
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

What a load of tripe
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Old 2nd May 2023, 11:00 am   #3057
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

I'm crying with laughter!

Hey there's a thought....

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Old 2nd May 2023, 12:54 pm   #3058
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

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Originally Posted by Valvepower View Post
I can understand picture discs and coloured vinyl and suchlike to promote bands and musicians, even at the risk of degrading the quality.

But Tears in vinyl…. To quote…
Every Crynyl release is filled with actual tears from the artist. We gather tear samples using sterile collection kits, dilute them into a sonically-optimized solution, then seal them into each record using proprietary Crynylseal technology

The cynic and BS alarm sounded [even louder] when I read …. dilute them into a sonically optimized solution, then seal them into each record using proprietary Crynylseal technology

It begs the question how does a standard stereo 45/45 Degree format cartridge resolve that information

https://www.loudersound.com/news/are...om-their-tears
Oh FFS!! Hilarious.
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Old 2nd May 2023, 2:06 pm   #3059
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

Tears for souvenirs huh?

There's some much more solid bodily excretion that would be easier to incorporate, me thinks.
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Old 2nd May 2023, 2:32 pm   #3060
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Default Re: The Audiophoolery Thread.

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Oh FFS!! Hilarious.
Is that FFS or FFSS? (sorry, could not resist, even though the latter was not audiophoolery)
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