Have you tried my Synchro-Mesh re-clocker with your transport on that Yggdrasil DAC? I cannot figure out if it has re-clocking on the S/PDIF input or not.
State-of-the-Art Digital
- Thread starter Ron Resnick
- Start date
Have you tried my Synchro-Mesh re-clocker with your transport on that Yggdrasil DAC? I cannot figure out if it has re-clocking on the S/PDIF input or not.
Yes, I think that must be the one regret that probably digital engineers have who were involved in that compromise decision at the time. In the industry at the time a sampling frequency of 48 or 50 kHz was standard, and as I understand it, the 44.1 kHz was only chosen because of the video recorders at the time, apparently allowing for quick scale up of production. Why could Sony and Philips not have spent a few million dollars on the production and distribution of 48 kHz recorders? Their billion dollars profits from CD would hardly have been impacted by that. Filtering would have been so much easier in terms of proper technical implementation.
The Yggdrasil indeed uses proprietary custom filtering. The algorithm was developed in collaboration with mathematicians who worked with Mike Moffat at the time, back in the Theta days. It is the same in the Yggdrasil, but apparently (see Robert Harley's TAS review), the filtering now runs on an Analog Devices SHARC DSP, with much greater computer power than used in the old Theta days.
Last edited:
I don't know where the re-clocking in the Yggdrasil takes place either, but it does have a re-clocking system. As for the Synchro-Mesh, let's go to PM.
My fault in writing the words "quite acceptable", that can be interpreted as good enough, but not very good. The point of the whole text is that the RD60 along the spectra is very good for most rooms and rooms do not need special treatment to sound optimum if we pick the proper equipment. Surely if people prefer the type of sound professionals want in their control rooms sound treatment is needed.
Although I have small experience with great treated listening rooms, my great audio experiences were always in not treated, but adequate size listening rooms, build more than 70 years ago.
A friend has a room that I always thought of being acoustically much "friendlier" than mine. Turns out that extensive treatment improves the sound dramatically there as well.
My sense will be a little different - I think we are in a golden age of audio mainly because statistically much more of the existing recordings can sound great and we are not confined to the usual list of great sounding or greatly recorded recordings referred in the famous approved lists. Although the world is not perfection and poor recordings still exist, currently I can approach recordings in a much more confident way, knowing I will listen what were the sound engineer intentions and not depending on the characteristics of my equipment to complement the "tricks" needed to supplement the characteristics of vinyl.
In one aspect we are not in a golden age - our knowledge of the mechanisms behind quality of sound in the high end is still primitive.
I agree with this and would only add that I think working to optimize the set up, from speaker position, to listening position, to furniture placement, to equipment supports, all matters, and when optimized can better allow the listener to hear the potential of the system. I had thought the room was critical, but I now think great rooms are great, and terrible rooms are detrimental to sound quality, but many ordinary rooms can work quite well without any, or very limited, acoustic treatments. Larger helps.
Interestingly, if you had a top system in the late 1950s or early 60s you might have heard pretty well the superb quality of many of the recordings from that time (Think JBL Hartsfield, Marantz amps and a Studer R2R Or Garrard TT). Especially the source and speakers could have been quite competitive with today’s serious high end stuff.
A top of the range Linn LP12/Naim 4- or 6-pack/active Linn Isobarik or Naim DBL system from the 80s/90s would be right up there. It was the system that got me into the high end.
The other thing that was missing from the equation in the 50's and 60's was all of the RFI from cell-phones, portable phones, WIFI and all of the digital appliances in the typical modern house. The theory is that all of this disrupts the natural Schumann Resonance that humans and animals have been exposed to for millennium. Components were all tube as well, so this reduces some unpleasant distortions, while maybe adding others.
You're reminding me I used to listen on open reel machines, Telefunken, Teac, Studer, Revox and another I'm trying to remember - even if the rest of my system wasn't up to modern standards sonically, the source component sure was. The tapes were a fuss and the commercial ones in particular expensive, though. I'm thinking back to it every time I realize I haven't listened to my favorite Georg Kreisler live concert in decades, hoping in vein that it would be available in some other format, which never happened. How I loved those songs, the biting sarcasm… "Zwei alte Damen tanzen Tango", "Sport ist nicht gesund", "Tauben vergiften im Park" etc. & etc.
And yes, the Marantz amps and tuners, memories…
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
I actually remember that some "OLD GUYS" had the big JBL's. At 10 or 12 I thought they were amazing, but never associated them with music. I was too busy watching the Beatles on our B/W TV on the Ed Sullivan show. That was music to me at that point in time
We are about the same age then
I've been listening to 90's R&B lately. Quite a lot of the popular albums were performed and recorded very well. Like you, I was pleasantly surprised. Better when you do't see the clothes in fashion then LOLBack on topic, I think we all have the ability to listen past or listen through all kinds of sonic sins. I think we all agree however that when we have our special listening time, being critical and less forgiving is harder to avoid compared to casual time. I think I am at a point where listening past these has become much easier. I feel it is a combination of the gear and my continuing improvements in flicking the switch on and off. For fifty days I lived with an impromptu set up. Digiital only. Set up in the living room, the whole family took turns manning the control tablet. I'm not saying I could live with it, I'm saying I actually did.
That said, we get back, I fire up the big rig, get it stable, listen to some of the playlists we made while away and to be honest, had a blast.
Then, I decide it's time to cue the deck and put a needle on the record. What can I say except the heavens opened up and angels started singing.
I guess, aside from groovewear, excessive tics and pops, warpage/wow (fortunately not a problem I have
) Analog sins are easier to live with than those of digital. Somehow bad analog may hurt my ears, bad digital hurts my brain. Sometimes almost literally.
Great description Jack.We are about the same age then
Back on topic, I think we all have the ability to listen past or listen through all kinds of sonic sins. I think we all agree however that when we have our special listening time, being critical and less forgiving is harder to avoid compared to casual time. I think I am at a point where listening past these has become much easier. I feel it is a combination of the gear and my continuing improvements in flicking the switch on and off. For fifty days I lived with an impromptu set up. Digiital only. Set up in the living room, the whole family took turns manning the control tablet. I'm not saying I could live with it, I'm saying I actually did.
That said, we get back, I fire up the big rig, get it stable, listen to some of the playlists we made while away and to be honest, had a blast.
Then, I decide it's time to cue the deck and put a needle on the record. What can I say except the heavens opened up and angels started singing.
I guess, aside from groovewear, excessive tics and pops, warpage/wow (fortunately not a problem I have
I'm just going through my old stuff like Marillion, Madness, A-ha, Dire Straits, Talking heads all much better than the crud of today
And if you went out and bought it now it'd still be very good.
It's never been cool to like Linn or Naim IMHO but both those speakers fed right were really good. Where did they go wrong?
formats are no longer the problem, or even music production approaches or distribution. it's now mostly whether you enjoy the actual music.
and.......whether our social media tuned attention spans can sit still long enough to allow the musical connection involved in new musical horizons. and for some that new horizon is the 'golden age' of analog. for other it's the 80's.......or whatever.
no boundaries unless you make them.
+1 the mediums are no longer the issue if music is actually the focus. When sound is the focus the mediums become a clear issue of preference.
Some people are into sound... so some people are then into analogue... and some people are into digital... and then some are just into music. It’s always fairly easy to see who are who in this. None of this is good or bad, it’s just preference.
Well, I'm in the happy place of getting my analog to fully match up to my digital (going the extra mile w Stacore isolation under my tt, bespoke LPS to Straingauge cart, and crazy detailed attention to setup), and my digital to match up to my analog (by chance serendipity find of possibly the cdp w greatest flow and tonal discrimination out there short of spending stupid big bucks).
So, analog taken decades to optimise right, and digital decades to find the right brand.
And now I have the challenge of trying to get streaming into this zone quicker than decades Lol.
Right now I know I could bypass a very painful learning curve going straight to Extreme. However my bank statement would then feel the pain (strain?).
So, I can honestly say I am format agnostic right now. I love Porcupine Tree on vinyl. And the extended SE cut on cd. Both equally in many ways. I still have the greater tactile thrill of lining up an lp. But I totally look fwds to playing cds on my Eera.
I'm genuinely hoping that a choice like eg Innuos Zenith/Aqua La Voce S3 gets me as close in the pleasure zones I'm already in with as little "format remorse" as possible.
Because I cannot deny the thrill of 93m albums on Tidal/Qobuz and Roon to help me navigate this ocean.
So, analog taken decades to optimise right, and digital decades to find the right brand.
And now I have the challenge of trying to get streaming into this zone quicker than decades Lol.
Right now I know I could bypass a very painful learning curve going straight to Extreme. However my bank statement would then feel the pain (strain?).
So, I can honestly say I am format agnostic right now. I love Porcupine Tree on vinyl. And the extended SE cut on cd. Both equally in many ways. I still have the greater tactile thrill of lining up an lp. But I totally look fwds to playing cds on my Eera.
I'm genuinely hoping that a choice like eg Innuos Zenith/Aqua La Voce S3 gets me as close in the pleasure zones I'm already in with as little "format remorse" as possible.
Because I cannot deny the thrill of 93m albums on Tidal/Qobuz and Roon to help me navigate this ocean.
Great description Jack.
I'm just going through my old stuff like Marillion, Madness, A-ha, Dire Straits, Talking heads all much better than the crud of today
If you look back through the nostalgia haze of prior decades, you'll find a whole heap load of crud then too. There is a lot of great music produced today-- just not in the mainstream (as it's always been).
Loved Talking Heads first two albums, in particular!
Last edited:
Similar threads
Members online
- agisthos
- thekong
- adamaley
- onur
- Robh3606
- RickS
- Massimo66
- MarkusBarkus
- Pichler
- davros
- AudioLibertarian
- Ovenmitt
- keithc
- Folsom
- jnovak
- TheAudioAssociation
- Mabutu
- rspyder
- Gregadd
- Inline Six
- joeling
- Cesar Miranda
- Thundersnow
- Aries Cerat
- transience
- Tlay
- bonzo75
- 7ryder
- TLi
- Ron Resnick
- Juko
- Ampman
- JayT
- rrobz
- Downtheline
- bbill
- Zarir
- andolink
- andromedaaudio
- Azjya
- Duke LeJeune
- the sound of Tao
- Wavetouch
- Zdude
- tonytsui
 | Steve Williams Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator |  | Ron Resnick Site Co-Owner | Administrator |  | Julian (The Fixer) Website Build | Marketing Managersing |