Doug Sax on wire
On Fri, 02 Nov 2007 22:02:22 -0400, Scott Dorsey wrote:
Okay, this would be a Magnavox player with the original first generation
chip set. Because Philips couldn't make a real 16-bit ladder converter,
they used a 14-bit ladder and a digital filter with 4x oversampling to
get 16-bit resolution.
The end result was a converter with better linearity and lower group
delay than the competition... and better linearity and lower group delay
than the second generation chipset tht Philips replaced it with.
I believe that is correct.
My mind is a bit fuzzy but I do remember something about the 14 bit and
4x oversampling.
Anyhow, the unit was a real sleeper, for the time.
I am surprised. I am surprised that the Philips didn't blow the doors
off the Sony. What kind of speaker system was being used?
I believe they were using KEF, maybe 105's or B&W 80x at the time.
I do not remember which one. If it was the B&W, it was the models prior
to the ones with the 'eyeball' on top.
I bet it sounded clearer... and that clarity was artificial too, I bet.
I'm not surprised that the difference was first noticed on a fairly
uncompressed recording with a lot of transients like Tubular Bells. I'm
surprised, though, that it wasn't even more obvious on orchestral
percussion.
Yea I was as well.
And yes, it did sound clearer or if you look at it the other way, the
Magnavox sounded fuzzy with less 'ring' to the bell.
Best I can describe it is like a pure sine wave vs a sine wave on the
verge of clipping.
Whenever anything sounds brighter and clearer, I am immediately
suspicious that something bad is going on. This may be due to some sort
of innate skepticism or maybe too many bad A/B tests in my youth...
--scott
I don't have as much experience as you do Scott, but when I hear MAJOR
differences in what is perceived to be high end equipment, I am
suspicious.
The BOSE dog and pony show was one such experience.
They ran a Tascam/TEAC 3440 15ips tape of Manhattan Transfer live through
901's and of course it sounded great. When I started poking around the
desk at the rear of the room they chased me away. The tape was obviously
"juiced" somehow because I had that same album (a cutout BTW) and I never
heard it sound like that, nor had I ever heard Bose anything sound like
that. At the time I was running a Mcintosh amp through some Allison One
speakers.
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