2. misc-audio
  3. 132932-84906

Lowering the noise floor

I am coming to the conclusion that success in home audio reproduction is largely about lowering the noise floor. There are so many different types of “noise”, from so many different sources, that we only really “hear” by their absence.

Those components, cables, accessories and tweaks that SUCCEED at lowering the noise floor, can, and do, dramatically increase sound quality. Sometimes the type of “noise” dealt with is controversial, or not (yet) widely recognized as being a problem. Sometimes the explanation of how a product works is dubious. Sometimes the way it is marketed reeks of “snake oil”. Sometimes the reviews singing its praises go over the top. While these things will certainly put off some prospective purchasers, they do not negate the audible results that are there for anyone open to hearing them.
tommylion

Showing 3 responses by cleeds

cleeds
6,087 posts
 
georgehif
90% of systems these days have enough gain from the source and in the poweramp so a passive pre can be used, this get’s rid of a large source of noise, the "active preamp"
If your active preamp is a "large source of noise," you really need a better preamp.
cleeds
6,087 posts
 
willemj
No it is not. FM has serious limitations, even if internet radio has as well,
Most of FM's "serious limitations" aren't inherent - they exist because of the execution. Internet radio is much the same. That’s why it’s silly to argue that:

there is nothing really you can do to get it close to the quality that can now be achieved by e.g. internet radio.
There’s no argument that Internet radio can sound very, very good, btw.
cleeds
6,087 posts
 
willemj
FM radio is terrible with typically perhaps some 70 dB S/N, and there is nothing really you can do to get it close to the quality that can now be achieved by e.g. internet radio.
That's silly. There's no way that low-resolution, lossy-compressed Internet "radio" can compare to the resolution of the best FM radio. Of course, the fidelity of the best Internet "radio" can be better than an awful FM signal. But the best FM signal - on a good tuner with a proper antenna - can offer incredible fidelity. That so few stations achieve this degree of fidelity accounts for the misguided notion @willemj states here. 
More to discover