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Do digital audio players sound different?

Purité Audio said:
Exactly why measurements are so important.
Keith
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...but they don't tell the whole story, at all. It's just as silly to reject consistent subjective findings, than it is to accept measurement-based ones without listening.

This is why Allo Audio offer 2x output stages with their DAC: the "Pure THD" version, which is lowest possible measuring performance, and the "Sound Quality" version. It's also why some extremely talented designers are effectively tuning distortion characteristics to give a subjectively more natural sound.

"Pure THD+N": At -112.9 Thd+n 1Khz A weighted, this stage will satisfy those that want no distortion in music. Board sounds very good.

"Sound quality" stage: 100.5 Thd+n a weighted 1Khz, this board has been optimized for sound quality. While sacrificing some thd+n numbers we found the subjective experience to be, in a word, closer to analog sound."
 
So they have added some distortion and noise , to make a more ‘analogue’ sound and they have provided the measurements, that sounds like the whole story to me.
Have you tried both, unsighted can you hear any difference?
Keith
 
Purité Audio said:
So they have added some distortion and noise , to make a more ‘analogue’ sound and they have provided the measurements, that sounds like the whole story to me.
Have you tried both, unsighted can you hear any difference?
Keith
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Do you think you'd be able to hear the difference between -112.9db THD+N and -100.5db THD+N?
 
Good to see you are still at then Keith, at the end of the day its the potential client that makes the choice not YOU.

'Add distortion' ? sounds like your basic cut and paste sales technique have you actually or can you tell the difference yourself Keith?
 
I'm interested to see how that works out for them. Diluting your brand choices with two options like that usually doesn't help sales. My way or the highway is always the easiest sales strategy.
 
sq225917 said:
I'm interested to see how that works out for them. Diluting your brand choices with two options like that usually doesn't help sales. My way or the highway is always the easiest sales strategy.
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I think I disagree, or maybe it's more that I observe all brands offering options. Such as the many different versions of some shampoos occupying vast swathes of the supermarket shelf, which used to have just one version many years ago. If customers like choice then they can exercise it and you still get a sale.

So, perhaps I should ask why "optimized for sound quality" necessitates sacrifice of the THD+N figure and two "different" products. Exactly what is optimized? Or is it just a subjective opinion pronounced by some guru to address what different customers' think they need through an ultimately meaningless label.

Ultimately maybe the right question is "should digital audio players sound different?".
 
I was thinking more of the raging success of brands who fiercely fought their corner with ideology rather than choice in the 70-90s. Linn, example par excellence
 
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