Recent content by Ethan Winer

The hiss you hear is from the input stage electronics in the null tester. At that stage it's extremely soft, but then after the null reduces the signal to mere microvolts (or more likely nanovolts), there's 100+ dB of gain. So that raises the electronic hiss enough to be audible. The wires...

Thanks, yes, this video really is the issue, and what I'll address. There are too many comments here to answer them all, but I'll hit the high points. The Paul McGowan challenge is secondary, and he already said he won't debate me. I'm sure we all know why. ;D Not at all. That MIT video is...

Vaughan pointed me to this thread, and I have the answer. :D Absolute polarity per se is not audible, but our ear drums respond differently in versus out. And at louder volumes the disparity increases. So that's really what you're hearing, and I wrote this short article with example files to...

Exactly. This is my job, and I've been doing it pretty well for most of my adult life. Yet when I explain stuff, people who should listen and learn instead argue with me. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but that's how it seems to me! I can tell you (the forum, not you personally) that the Null...

You miss that proper listening tests are not trivial to do, and in particular sighted tests are never valid. I know I'm not wrong because of the Null Test. And I also know why people believe they hear a difference when none exists. But the Null Test provides absolute and irrefutable proof if...

They were testing people's preferences, not speakers. So the article doesn't say the brand and model names, but they do explain this:

Why do you believe that? Have you measured many systems? Do you know in what way audio components vary? Do you know how to relate how specs deviate from accuracy to changes in perceived sound? I ask this not to insult you, but to urge you to examine the basis for your beliefs. It might surprise...

I assume by "digital sources" you mean different devices that have a digital output, as opposed to different music selections. Yes? The problem with your stated position is it's just another religion: "Nothing you say, and no amount of logic or evidence, can possibly change my beliefs." What...

And this is exactly the problem with using imprecise language to describe something as technical as audio reproduction. When a hi-fi magazine review says some piece of equipment is analytical or musical sounding, that's as bad as if a camera reviewer said the photos come out "icky" or "colorful"...

Comments about "mismatches" and "synergy" are meaningless unless you can describe clearly and specifically what is harmed or improved using proper terminology. By "proper" terms I mean words that have a specific meaning that is the same for everyone. For example, Julian said: "mismatches in the...

LOL, I thought I heard my name, from halfway across the world no less! I'm not the leading authority on anything, but I know a lot about how this stuff works. I have to say, it amazes me when people who have very little knowledge about a subject express such strong opinions. I'll get to jitter...

Sure, but with subtle differences, the very first thing to do is establish if there actually is a difference. That requires listening blind while someone else switches whatever it is you're testing. --Ethan

I can think of two things that might be relevant: 1) If S/PDIF is sent down a very long wire, and the sending device can't provide enough output current to drive that much capacitance, the square wave will have rounded edges making it more difficult for the receiving device to lock onto. 2)...

I can't believe you guys are still arguing about jitter. Sheesh! ;D Jitter is a non-issue even with budget converters. Jitter manifests as noise and/or distortion, depending on the cause, and it's typically more than 100 dB below the music. So it's inaudible, even if you play the music really...

Right, and a bookcase doesn't do much either: All About Diffusion --Ethan