Answers for YOUR Questions: DSD vs PCM, what to upgrade, and more! | Audio Support Q&A #1
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- čas přidán 13. 07. 2024
- We answer 11 of YOUR questions about everything audio! How is DSD different to PCM? How can you find out your ideal sound signature? What about FLAC? And what's the weak link in your chain?
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00:34 How can you find your target sound?
01:49 What's the difference between WAV and FLAC?
03:05 What's the likeliest weak point in my audio chain?
04:05 How do I stop buying stuff?
05:05 How do tell and amp is good for current or voltage?
07:06 What is timbre and where does it live?
08:52 DAC SINAD and digital volume control
09:43 Strengths and weaknesses of the best headphones
09:55 Why hasn't anyone measured 'dynamics?'
10:27 How much can sound gear affect sound signature?
11:51 What's the difference between PCM and DSD? - Zábava
For high level quality playback the order of importance is as follows: 1. High Quality recording (the old garbage in garbage out). 2. Speakers/headphones 3. Source (transport cd/streamer/turntable set up {cartridge, arm, phono stage}) 4. amp 5. DAC/preamp. The one major caveat is that for a hi-fi speaker system extensive room treatment is essential, unless it's a desk top near field (3-4'). Just the opinion of this 63 old audiophile with 44 years into the addiction. By the way, I just love that the headphone show has graduated to speaker based system. I know you guys will do great, your headphone gear analysis as a team is excellent.
'DSD = Flappy Bird' might be the most abstract but accurate piece of audio science I've ever heard. Love it!
Absolutely best explanation.
The SOURCE is most important!!!
I came here to learn about PCM vs DSD and was not disappointed.
Doing the testing and comparing yourself is the only way to really know what's up, I agree. There are many reviewers I really appreciate, but the words they use and opinions they have were very different from mine until I had tested dozens of headphones and began to understand what they mean. Now I can translate they're thoughts to mine and it makes good sense now.
A more in-depth analysis of PCM vs. DSD is probably warranted. Quantization noise, in particular, is an important topic.
This kinds of videos are very interesting, lots of information in a few minutes and also this guy is so good explaining with very few words, thanks man.
Very nice series, thank you Golden Sound.
Excellent job of answering these questions. You explain the technical details with sound advice in a very approachable way as not many others do. Thank you. A+
more video like this please, remebering the basics is always good
Very nice video - especially your explanation of the term 'timbre'...!!! Greatly appreciated & enjoyed - kudos...!!!
Beyond brilliant. Thank you.
Great video.
This was an awesome video! I learned a ton as a "newbie". I loved the flappy bird analogy.
YES finally a best ever headphone face off. I’m looking forward to this.
amazing video!! thanks! learning things while enjoying my gears and music, what more could I ask for??
I'm ready to watch Golden's lecture about audiophiles!
In terms of scientific information and ability to convey that information, you are one of the best additions to any serious audio channel. Keep up the great work GS.
Cheers!
Except that most of his dac/amp talk and "time domain" is bullshit
@ you made me re-watch that section and no, the time domain isnt bullshit, the envelope, or how a mechanical wave changes over time is a fact, its ruled by classic mechanics and thermodynamics, and he points that time domain to instruments and how they sound in a distinctive way, he didnt mention time domain for amps or dacs because it makes no sense to talk on those terms for neither of those contraptions, amps and dacs are true to the recorded signal or not, and thats it.
Listening at work 😉
the flappy bird analogy was so good..
Succinct, great analogies. I wish this had been around 20 years ago when I was a newbie as it would have sped up my learning. Then again, you would have had to have been even more precocious.
2:00 well, there is a possible difference because flac needs to be decompress first, and making any gear to extra work, in theory produce extra noise. personally I could not tell any difference in my Qtest with Jcat PSU, but you need to try for each DAC to determine if it does or not a difference. I just prefer wav so I don't have to worry later.
I recently got a Stabilized ZMF Caldera. Best Planar I've ever heard and I've heard most of the HIFIMAN line
Senior or Junior? J/K I've never heard them. That's another level HP. I'd take the Caldera over the Susvara though as they are very close... and the fact the Caldera are much easier to drive and cost less make it the better choice for most
Which one?
Measurements vs. what I hear. I have struggled with this as a difference. I have had quite a few DACS and I don't understand how I can quantify for example why my Pontus II sounds so much better than my VMV D1se. The D1se likely measures cleaner with a higher SINAD, but the Pontus II sounds so much more real for me. I haven't found anything to help me understand the difference. I really appreciate your videos and you seem to really have a great grasp on the technologies. I also appreciate your explination of test tracks, they have helped me to find a lot of great music that I have otherwise probably not have found! Keep it up.... P.S. did you record this in your main listening room? I would love to see what you have in your rig and setup philosophy for speaker positioning as they look pretty Asymetrical (that may be just the camera angle though).
hi, best budget dac/amp for tygr300R?what about zen air dac and air blue? whats the difference between the two? i dont wanna pay much more than 100euros, the lower the better, thanks:)
I finally discovered that the Meze 109 Pro is my sound! Don't care what the frequency response curves are, it's just perfect for me! I listened to it at CanJam over the weekend and I was just in awe. So, I ordered one! I do love planars too, but the warmness and smoothness, the mids and the comfort of the 109 are just my perfect. I tried all of the heavy hitter headphones I could, and these were the winners by a good margin - except for maybe the HE-1. That's basically on another planet to me, but it's not really a practical option 😅. So, definitely try to get to a CanJam someday. I think I genuinely found my End Game there.
Great choice, I really liked that one as well and you'd have to go way up on price to beat them.
I'm either too old(likely) or too young(not likely) but until now, I'd never heard of flappy bird. Guess its basically "Joust". And yes, great analogy!
What’s the best Portable DAC to connect to/enhance a Apple iPod Classic?
New Subscriber🙏
One question I have is:-
Can I use Y Shaped Double RCA plugs to utilise 2 Different Sources from the Back of my Amplifier?
I think an analogy that helps understanding the PCM x DSD difference is like comparing AM to FM in (analog) radio transmission. In AM you change the amplitude of the electromagnetic (EM) wave at the broadcasting frequency according to the audio signal, pretty much as PCM does at a given sampling rate (the bit word length is the resolution of your amplitude discretization), whereas in FM you make comparative small oscillations on the EM wave's frequency around the broadcasting frequency to carry the audio signal, just like the DSD 1-bit stream does, while keeping the amplitude constant. For the same reason as DSD compared to PCM, FM broadcast frequencies have to be much higher (about 100 times) than AM (medium-wavelength) ones in order to faithfully encode wave information in the audible frequency spectrum (whilst allowing for different broadcasting frequencies), but the ensuing audio quality is better.
Analog analogies (...) to digital are incorrect in principle and can be misleading.
@@razisn Could you please tell me why _this_ particular analogy is incorrect / misleading?
This topic goes brrrrr
Thanks GoldenSound. How good is aptx lossless codec compared to real lossless?
As per wiki, aptx hd supports upto 24bit resolution and 48khz sampling rate. Any more than couldnt be streamed. The term 'Lossless' can be of various bit depths and sampling rates.
Can You please review the system behind You? :)
Is that a dts20 in the corner there behind your focals, G-S? Xx
It’s like we went back in time 60+ years 😔
do all this magnificent Knowledge live in a Book
I'm new to this. Any headphones made in USA besides Grado? Thx.
Yes. Audeze is one
Wait it’s you. You’re this guy
Sorry, the weakest point in any audio chain is the listener.
LMFAO
Yea. I tried a bunch of hifimans this weekend to compare to audeze and figured out that hifiman sound signature does not work for me.
What about the Hifiman sound didn't you like? I like the Hifiman 400i 2020 version I bought months ago. I compared it with an original Grado SR 80 headphone. The 400i was around 70% better. The only thing I liked better about the Grado was it had noticeably better mid and upper bass definition. The 400i goes way deeper but it could be a little quicker in the bass. I guess that's what the Sundara model is for. The 400i is warm. I was expecting spotlit and bright. It has such great clean and extended treble. Great detail. Sounded great on vocals right from the start. I improved my sound and now fo like the 400i on piano; which I didn't before. Increase synergy and lower distortion is key.
@Chronometa Hello, what were the caveats you've felt about Hifiman's sound signature at those sessions?
In answer to the Hifiman 400i question. I own them and have been listening to them for months. They have bass that is deep and it is pretty well defined, but I've heard a little better def. Especially in the upper bass. The midrange is clear and clean as can be, but it's revealing nature will reveal flaws in flawed recordings more than non planars. It has wonderful tone colors due to it's ultra low distortion and purity. The highs are it's high point; so quick detailed and clean. It should be illegal at that price point. A very transparent revealing headphone. My only real caveat might be If you go more than slightly loud, it can start sounding a bit strained. My associated equipment has a lot of bass; that might be it. I might be advertising them for sale in US Audio Mart, together with a former top of the line Magnavox cd player and a former top of the line Luxman integrated amp for less than $1,000. I am going to explore higher up in the Hifiman line. I like their vivid house sound. The 400i is a great headphone.
What is DSD bit perfect?
"EQ can fix nothing". "EQ temporarily puts a Band-Aid on sonic flaws." (according to Dave the honest audiophile in his recent rant video) most people can get great results from of EQ. Personally the poorer the headphone/IEM the better the results I can get using EQ.
What is he missing?
Does he need to closely follow Resolves how to EQ videos.
Does he have a mental block. Maybe get him on the live stream sometime so you can give him some EQ re-education.
Hmm, something tells me that that Dan Mellnger person knows the difference between PCM and DSD already.
4:36 Whats the name he says before SMSL ?
singxer sa-1
Well $300 is a lot of money for many people though!
That is a rather surreal scenario For one, if one don’t have fund for a better can, how could that person afford better chain to fix that less capable can? For two, there are barely perfect can, making a dedicated chain crucial. To say a chain can’t fix a can at all is simply a statement showing no empirical experience and ownership of good enough front and rear ends.
I can’t tell the difference between FLAC and 320. Both sound the same to my ears no matter what gear i use
Is GS on THS the best audiophile content on the internet? Might be...
I’m 41 and while I’ve been listening to music all my life am quite new to the Audiophile world in which I gotten into in the last year or so, which I’ve purchased many Closed Back and Open Back headphones Such as the Focal Clear, Celestee, Elegia, Sennheiser HD 660s, HD 599 and many other dynamic driver headphones which is too many to mention which I use on my daily exercise walks and I have a couple of questions, first I’ve been wanting to get into planar Headphones but heard you can’t take them outside as it would ruin the drivers and I was wondering why as I go for my daily exercises and would like to use them portably, I hear they have better detail and separation for the music images than dynamic headphones and better bass extension. Also how do I know if I’m feeding my dynamic driver headphones too much power is there a sound they make like a crackle or pop. What is midrange in music and what does a warm, neutral, dark or bright sound signature mean. What is the difference between Mid-Fi and Hi-Fi headphones with their sound, does Mid-Fi sound worse, what is Summit-Fi headphones, all these questions I'm asking because I've been quite confused and frustrated in getting a good portable listening experience but am never satisfied as my PC's sound card which is an SB Audigy sounds so much better, richer and dynamic even with cheap headphones than the more expensive headphones which I've purchased with some midrange DAPS, and my Iphone XS with some dongle DAC/AMPS for portable outside listening.
Golden calling the SU-9 affordable 💀
It is.
Unless you live in a incompetent country.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 I just so happen to do :)
Please do some proper blind testing, you have the resources.
He won’t because he exactly knows that there won’t be a difference
Blind testing headphones is pretty difficult. Speakers are even harder and rooms are the most difficult.
I do it for source gear all the time and definitely recommend it. Most will be surprised how subtle the changes are.
You are one of the very best explainers of things audio. Nice video! I would say how much you spend should depend on just what's out there in the marketplace. If there is a superstar performer at a certain price point in some category of equipment, that means you can buy it and put more of your money into other things. Price alottment strategy really should have something to do with what is actually available in the market, and how good it is. Has anyone ever tried a good but cheap headphone into something very costly for a headphone amp versus a very expensive headphone with cheap electronics? Tell us about it! I know inexpensive speakers often sound amazing, being fed something truly top notch as far as electronics. Frequency response in the lows, dynamics and often scale is superior with bigger more expensive speakers. Someone who listens to folk music, string quartets and acoustical music where those qualities are not as important, should seek refinement of sound, and putting more $ into electronics than transducers, might be wiser. If you're a headbanger type listener like the guy sitting in the chair in the old Maxell tape commercial, well; for you refinement might not be top priority, and big speakers with a lot of bass and dynamics might be the right ticket for you. You're going to get one or the other; either more refinement of sound or a more dramatic sound, depending on how much of your money is spent on what. For me personally, it's refinement. Getting the cleanest source and electronics possible is like making sure you have a good foundation. Bookshelf speakers and a sub (if really needed) works out great, until you can afford your dream speakers. If I was a beginner, I would rather listen to a more refined non-fatiguing sound, until I could afford the expensive transducers, I would want to eventually get. Product models do get discontinued, and that could play a factor too. The same with price increases or price drops.
@@Edgeanglepaul at ps audio has a great video on how he blind tests the gear they develop, it can work quite well
I challenge all youtube audiophile people: Make a video in which you load up an actual song that is natively DSD, and play it through an actual stereo (using whatever components you want, but with loudspeakers)
What's the challenge, exactly? To see if they perceive any difference?
DSD isn’t that amazing at say 64x, the standard for Super Audio CD.
But use an upsampler like HQPlayer and a capable DAC that can at least do DSDx256, and then you’d understand why DSD is amazing. It sounds very lifelike and the realism of the instruments can be heard.
Expose these silly external 10mhz clocks!!! Go deep!!
Hahahahahahaha 😅
Over 95% of the music ever made is in PCM format
I'd say power amps aren't comparable to headphone amps in value and impact on sound. With speakers a budget of 50/50 can make sense or even more to the amplifier (sure there are good 5% on amp and 95% on speakers combos as well). Most headphones benefit very little from better amplification and the value calculation often breaks then as well.
Its really the fact there are way way more speaker designs and specification requirements than you'll see from a headphone. Speakers can range from 12 ohms, which are incredibly easy loads for any conventional amplifier, all the way to 2 ohms, which is absolutely brutal. The susvara, in comparison, doesn't require even a tenth of that capacitance.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 Yeah, but even with some easy basic speaker like a Monitor Audio RX1 I had a long time ago I could drive them fine with any amp, but slapping on a Hegel that cost six times more than the speakers transformed them completely and upgrading the speakers to 2k$ Revels added far less in comparison. I don't really see that with headphones unless it's exactly something that is categorically unable to drive them.
@@hartyewh1 a susvara really requires a speaker amp in my opinion. In fact, there isn't any TOTL planar except the meze's that doesn't benefit from the massive enormous increases in capacitance and slew rate discharge that speaker amps must be designed for in the far harder application of driving speakers. You can save yourself a lot of money over an unnecessary headphone amp if you dont have dynamic drivers in your collection (which would be damaged by a speaker amp in most circumstances). I do find when it comes to tube amps that things below the $1000 simply have too many compromises over their equivalent solid states. Its only really once you get to crazy money do you find tube based headphone amps that have all the benefits of both subjective qualities. Thats a place were spending a lot can pay off, they can 'transform' your experience of a certain headphone. But even at the audio shows I've been to to hear them, its still very subjective on whether I even like what it's doing.
It's not that new audio consumers aren't scared about asking questions It's the fact that there's so many of these online audio guru's that simply cannot be trusted with there reviews. 40 year's ago when I started getting involved with HiFi and home theatre and audio systems you could trust these people. Not now there all on the take with there own agenda's and companies feeding there products to these people free! Now it's my opinion home theatre and audio sellers and reviewers just cannot be trusted! There scammers
Dear Golden Nuggets, I think I speak for all of us on 2 points: 1) you are an audio yoda and we thank you for your wisdom and guidance and 2) please buy another jumper. You deserve it. You work hard, seem like a jolly nice chap, very helpful, and I’d guess you can afford it what with all the audio shizzle you are running these days. So, to avoid being accused of possibly being an AI and to significantly increase the “dynamic range” of the threads you running, drop some coin on a 5 for the price of 4 t-shirt bonanza next time you snagging earl grey from M&S. Love and hugs, the internet.
As a certified member of all of us, I agree on 1 if it's all about wisdom (but note that GS is a better communicator and is more honest about his blind spots). Disagree on 2 insofar as idc and think it looks fine - you do you, GS. If youtube comments offer sartorial advice you find useful go ahead but some of us don't mind either way
What's a good open back for Satan worshipping heavy metal music from the late 80s to mid 90s?
why every big brain uses samsung galaxy fold 😏
Saying how much to spend on what, making it like a math formula sounds ridiculous to me. It doesn't take into account just what products are out there in the marketplace, what kind of music you listen to, and what are your sonic priorities and preferences, which would precipitate totally different choices. A ridiculous overgeneralization. If you want to have grainy sound with lots of bass, then put most of your money in the speakers or headphones. That's not what I would do.
i listened to celine dion both PCM(flac) and DSD. DSD sounds much better. the space for voice and instruments are very well separated and wide. they have their own room/space. it sounds bigger, not heavier. i'm not sure if i'm using incorrect term for it.. it sounds 'analogous'. it's like looking at a painting, touching it instead of looking the same picture on screen. problem is, not so much of my favorite tracks in DSD(.dsf .sacd) available in the market.