2. digital
  3. 190027-170711

why expensive streamers

@soix and others

I am unclear about the effect on sound of streamers (prior to getting to the dac). Audio (even hi-res) has so little information content relative to the mega and giga bit communication and processing speeds (bandwidth, BW) and cheap buffering supported by modern electronics that it seems that any relatively cheap piece of electronics would never lose an audio bit. 

Here is why. Because of the huge amount of BW relative to the BW needs of audio, you can send the same audio chunk 100 times and use a bit checking algorithm (they call this "check sum") to make sure just one of these sets is correct. With this approach you would be assured that the correct bits would be transfered. This high accuracy rate would mean perfect audio bit transfer. 

What am I missing? Why are people spending 1000's on streamers?

thx

 

delmatae

Showing 3 responses by mashif

mashif
367 posts
 

For those interested in an authoritative technical explanation of noise in digital audio, here's a link.

https://audioxpress.com/article/audio-electronics-is-digital-jitter-really-a-problem#:~:text=Noise%20from%20the%20power%20supply,it%20can%20still%20be%20measured.

mashif
367 posts
 

Many aspects of music perception are not measurable. But when it comes to altering electrical properties in any way, there should be something the designer used to decide how to alter the electrons that is subject to measurements. If claims are made based on electrical engineering, the engineer should be able to describe the electrical changes and why it improves sound quality, even in a theoretical way. I can decide for myself, by listening, whether I like the change but I don't accept that something meaningful is happening without a reasonable scientific explanation. I believe in the mysteries of music perception but not electrical magic. Give me some kind of science.

mashif
367 posts
 

Jitter WAS an issue in early digital audio that has been solved. It was primarily an issue with digital recordings where things have to happen in real time. In reproduction, buffering allows the time for error correction. Any serious manufacturer can use off the shelf components to make jitter a non issue. 

That being said, every piece of electronics will sound different for other reasons. Circuit design, components, quality control, all can make streamers sound different from each other. Whether different is better is an opinion. We all have one.

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