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Can the digital "signal" be over-laundered, unlike money?

Pretty much what is implied by the title. 

Credit to @sns who got me thinking about this. I've chosen a path of refrain. Others have chosen differently.

I'm curious about members' thoughts and experiences on this? 

Though this comes from a 'clocking thread' by no means am I restricting the topic to clocking alone.

Please consider my question from the perspective of all ["cleaning"] devices used in the digital chain, active and passive.

 

From member 'sns' and the Ethernet Clocking thread [for more context]:

 

"I recently experienced an issue of what I perceive as overclocking with addition of audiophile switch with OXCO clock.  Adding switch in front of server, NAS resulted in overly precise sound staging and images."

"My take is there can be an excessive amount of clocking within particular streaming setups.

...One can go [to0] far, based on my experience."

 

Acknowledgement and Request:

- For the bits are bits camp, the answer is obvious and given and I accept that.

- The OP is directed to those that have utilized devices in the signal path for "cleaning" purposes.

Note: I am using 'cleaning' as a broad and general catch-all term...it goes by many different names and approaches.

 

Thank You! - David.

david_ten

Showing 4 responses by lalitk

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,082 posts
 

“Can the digital "signal" be over-laundered, unlike money?”

@david_ten,

Yes!!! And this is not limited to audio :-)

As with anything else in life, striking a ‘balance’ is the key. IME, careful selection of fewer high quality components and ‘sensible’ tweaking will always yield to superior sound vs. plethora of sub par components and ‘band-aid’ tweaks.

I subscribe to everything matters philosophy so efficacy of any single component or tweak squarely depends on rest of your system. A high quality ethernet switch or external re-clocker device is not going to magically transform your digital streaming if as an example there is a laptop, node 2 or mac-mini type of component ahead in the chain.

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,082 posts
 

@sns,

Nope, I wasn’t referring to you or your mac-mini setup. I’ve been approached by few with similar setups seeking advice on how to improve the sound. So my comment in previous post ‘if as an example’ was in that context.

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,082 posts
 

+2, @richtruss 

In addition to high quality Ethernet switch with LPS and Filter (passive or active), a streamer or server designed specifically for audio is just as important. 

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,082 posts
 

@sgreg1 

Does it sound good? - Yes

What sound are you looking for - The artist and mastering engineer originally created in the recording studio. 

Since you jump to the end, here is what you’ve missed….

“ A really good Ethernet switch with attention paid to the PSU and the clock improves the natural timbre of voices and instruments, along with a general increase in clarity. Adding a top class Ethernet Filter to remove RFI and stop it getting into the ground plane of the downstream electronics lowers the noise floor of the music, giving more fine detail and dynamics and a larger soundstage with more air and space around instruments.”

It’s not about changing the sound of what originally recorded but rather a pursuit to hear the music as close to the original in our homes. 

 

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