I believe computer audio (CA) digital passed vinyl in terms of sound quality some years ago. Without the coloration of vinyl the accuracy and resolution of CA reveals exactly what is on the recording, and if it is a very well made recording, it simply gets more of the recording quality passed through . The atmosphere, the ambience ; good CA and good recordings let you hear this, especially in a good system that can do 3D imaging well (think DHT preamp).
Sure vinyl can sound excellent, but take a really good vinyl recording, say something recorded in the 60's , get hold of the master tapes, copy them in hi-rez digital and play back through a high quality CA system and you will be amazed at the fidelity.
BUT. There is still something to be said for vinyl/analog. Yes the CA will have better resolution, be way more accurate, closer to the recording, but the vinyl, despite its coloration and noise has a sense of realism, and "tone" that can be very nice sounding- the terms beautiful and beguiling are often used.
The audiophile world often gets divided into two camps- those that insist in truth and those that insist in tone. Accuracy versus musicality. Digital versus analog.
I dont think it is as clear cut as that, but sure, listening to really good digital is like listening to the recording. Listening to really good vinyl is like listening to a really nice, interesting INTERPRETATION of the recording.
And it sure can sound nice, however I'm the sort of guy that generally prefers things as they really are. I like to listen to vinyl, but its a retro thing, something for fun.
A few months ago, a CA program called AudiophileOptimizer was getting rave reviews from the CA guys, just about without fail, anyone who used it was convinced it was a significant increase in sound quality.
The AudiophileOptimizer (AO) basically optimises a computer so it becomes a digital audio transport only, it shuts down unused computing systems and maximises the audio quality.
Nothing new about that , other products do the same thing , with varying degrees of success. JPlay is another similar program, quite contentious with many claiming it did nothing for the sound, and the media player program JRiver even belittling it publicly.
Others loved it and claimed it was very good.
I tried JPlay and thought that it did provide a slight increase in sound quality, but the cost of using it- a level of bugginess that drove me crazy, was too high for me.
AudiophileOptimizer brought a new game to town. Although it is usually used with a single computer , it can also be used in a dual computer setup. One computer is the "control" - it handles the music files, and the playback process . A media program like JRiver selects the music and can be controlled remotely using iPad or phone or whatever you like.
The "control" computer is connected to a second "audio" computer , preferably by ethernet cable, although wireless can be used.
The "audio" computer uses a different operating system. Instead of Windows 7 or 8 it uses a windows operating system named Windows Server 2012.
Its more basic than 7 or 8 and is designed for specific applications, and it turns out that used as a platform for audio it is much better than the more general use Windows 7 or 8 and Mac OS.
The AO program further refines the operating system for audio use , optimising it to levels of your choice, through the use of different modes.
Highest sound quality is claimed to come from core mode , where the audio computer is completely shut down to all uses apart from passing the audio stream to a dac. Blank screen and controlled by DOS manual input.
Other modes are GUI mode ,which gives a screen and normal computer mouse operation.
The remaining mode is minimal server which is a cross between core and GUI.
Core and minimal-server require a fair bit of computer knowledge and being able to work in DOS language- with the help of a IT guy I was able to try all 3 options and was relieved to hear that GUI mode was my preferred sound. DOS is tricky, CA is hard enough without having to go there.
The dual computer system requires JPlay to be installed on both computers, not so much as for sound quality issues, but as a means of transferring the audio from one computer to another with lowest latency (I think) .
There is a lot of networking to be done. Its not simple and its not a job for the average computer user. I believe the AO program used in a single computer is much simpler, but you still need to know how to install Windows Server 2012 and set it up.
I was grateful to have help from an audiophile IT guy and would have been lost without him (Thanks Tuyen)
So instead of a single computer running Windows 7 and outputting via USB into a dac we have two computers, the control used for selecting the music files and connected to the audio computer which outputs pure audio via USB to a dac.
Seems like a lot of trouble, is it worthwhile?
This what AO claims for sound quality on the website:
- Analog sound quality rarely heard before on computer audio systems
- Bigger soundstage, holographic imaging, more 3D-effect
- Very well defined bass, deeper and more powerful
- Lifelike, fluid and very precise sound reproduction
- Natural air, timbre and image density
- Ability to fine-tune the final sound presentation (through Sound
Signatures and Digital-Filter modes) to achieve outstanding balance
- Sound Signatures and Digital-Filter modes are 100% bit perfect
- Minimizes harshness in digital sound
- Very low noise floor / blacker backgrounds
And its true! Very rarely do claims as strong as this live up to the hype, but the moment I first heard the dual pc set up I was bowled over by the immediate and pronounced lack of "digital" sound. It sounded like vinyl, but even better. Amazing resolution, but sweet, a naturalness that made listening a pure pleasure. Now I had all the accuracy and resolution of a hi rez recording but the inviting, pleasurable experience of vinyl sound.
I've been listening to the dual pc for a while now and still amazed at the new experience of listening to my digital music collection as if for the first time. 16 bit, 24 bit, 44.1, Hi-rez , DSD , even mp3's sound significantly better
And there is the possibility of even better sound- there are a great number of fine-tunings possible with the dual pc system, the AO has Sound and Digital filter choices I haven't investigated yet, and JPlay also has quite a few adjustments to try.
I was so impressed I convinced others to try it.
They heard the results immediately and commented:
"I took your advice and created a separate partition on my Toshiba laptop and installed Server 2012 with AudioOptimizer. Even though I have only the simple SinglePC setup running the Server 2012 GUI Edition, I heard the difference immediately. You're right, it is excellent and sounds just like analog, without the ticks and pops. My guess is that it reduces and/or changes the nature of the jitter.
Now I need to get a second laptop so I can upgrade to the DualPC setup running in Core mode."
"Last night brought over my windows 7 jriver laptop to compare against my friend's dual pc jplay/jriver windows server 2012 core mode setup (similar to yours. but he hasn't got AO though). Improvements with the later setup was quite pronounced. More coherent, organic, natural, dynamic and less 'noise'."
This is without doubt the best digital transport available - I haven't heard the ridiculous priced digital ststems, the DCS etc, but I doubt they can compete with the sound of the dual pc, Audiophile Optimized Windows Server 2012 system.
It is incredible sounding, the biggest advance in digital I've heard. At last we can hear what digital really sounds like, and it is beautiful. And at the progress digital is making, hang on to your seat!
The unfortunate thing is that the installation and maybe even the operation of a dual pc is beyond the ability of the average audiophile- you need a certain amount of computer skill or at least the help of someone who understands networking and OS installation.
I'm confident that, because the result is so profound, someone will bring out a music server that contains two operating systems in the one box and will be ready to go very soon.
My control pc is an ordinary late model Toshiba laptop, its used mostly for audio, but is also used for downloading music etc.
The audio PC is a bit special, its a fanless high speed, high power super-duper computer that was especially built for me as an audio only PC. But it only really came to life with Windows Server 2012 and AO.
There is some retro in this system, although I have very good 32 bit/384Khz dacs , with the dual pc I just love the sound of my "old" TDA1541 dac, although it has been modified for USB-I2S input and has the formidable AD844 I/V output.
http://www.highend-audiopc.com/optimizer.html
( not involved in any way with highend-audiopc)
AMARRA Symphony with IRC
While I'm here I'd like to also tell you about my other digital system, which uses Amarra Symphony media player program, incorporating Dirac's IRC room/speaker correction system.
The Windows Server/AO system referred to above is used with a set of active monitor speakers, they are quite accurate and they couple well with the room, I found no real need for room or speaker correction with them, and they sound so good with the AO system that I'm loathe to change anything.
However my hybrid Martin Logan electrostatics are a different kettle of fish. They have had the passive crossovers removed (passive crossovers are very dynamic limiting) and are connected from a DHT tube pre to a DEQX digital active crossover, and then into a high power Carver Sunfire 5 channel power amp. 2 channels for bass drivers, 2 for the stat panels.
Because the passive crossovers are gone there is no level adjustment for the bass driver/ stat panel combination, and as the bass drivers are higher efficiency they sound louder than the stats , giving an unequal bass heavy response. The obvious way to balance this is with DEQX's active crossover level adjustment.
And indeed doing this and using some DEQX equalisation very good sound can be produced. With the passive crossovers gone Martin Logans can be VERY dynamic, they can play very loud and very clean, great for recreating a live performance, with the electrostatic capabilities of detail and slam.
Electrostatics are quirky by nature and getting them to couple with a room well can be challenging. Stats really lend themselves to room/speaker correction. But the results are not always convincing and often the price to pay is too much to bear , with indifferent results.
The Ammara IRC room correction is one of the latest DSP room correction products and it is very good. Not only does it do frequency correction, it is phase linear and gives near perfect impulse response. Its a big step up from outdated digital correction.
I left the levels of bass and stat drivers unchanged and measured the combination of room and speaker.
On the image below the white lines are the measured response of left and right channels.
It looks a bit wobbly but this total response of speakers and room isn't actually too bad,
although it couldn't be called accurate.
The orange line is the target, what we want the speaker and room to sound like. Its not flat, with a falling response, but this is what gives the most realistic sound in this room, with this speaker.
Below 30Hz has been excluded as I use a separate sub-woofer with DSP EQ to control sub-bass room modes.
The difference in sound with target on and off is remarkable, not only is the frequency response much improved , but the imaging, sound-staging is also much better, no doubt due to the improved impulse response which is a result of the IRC's very sophisticated filters.
Again, its just closer to realism.
This system doesn't have the breathtaking resolution and fidelity of the Windows Server 2012/ Audiophile Optimizer but it has an immediacy and dynamic integration that is exciting to listen to. It really brings the best out of "difficult" and quirky speakers and lets them give of their best.
I have some horn speakers coming soon, and expect Amarra's IRC to work very well with them.
The orange line is the target, what we want the speaker and room to sound like. Its not flat, with a falling response, but this is what gives the most realistic sound in this room, with this speaker.
Below 30Hz has been excluded as I use a separate sub-woofer with DSP EQ to control sub-bass room modes.
The difference in sound with target on and off is remarkable, not only is the frequency response much improved , but the imaging, sound-staging is also much better, no doubt due to the improved impulse response which is a result of the IRC's very sophisticated filters.
Again, its just closer to realism.
This system doesn't have the breathtaking resolution and fidelity of the Windows Server 2012/ Audiophile Optimizer but it has an immediacy and dynamic integration that is exciting to listen to. It really brings the best out of "difficult" and quirky speakers and lets them give of their best.
I have some horn speakers coming soon, and expect Amarra's IRC to work very well with them.
