Revelation or Lost The Plot?
Posted by: pm on 09 March 2002
The system runs through the computers soundcard, a Midiman 2496 Audiophile, bought originally for making quality CDR archives.
The possible revelation is this; I automatically assumed that the best CD replay I would get was to use my Rotel RCD965BX (getting on but respected in its’ day) coax outlet to the cards SPDIF input. The sound was ok but then, months later; just out of curiosity I tried the CD-ROM on the computer……… WOW!!!
I mainly listen to vinyl, but I do have a few duplicate CD/vinyl albums in my collection. One such album is The Colour of Spring by Talk Talk. It’s brought a huge smile to my face doing a three-way comparison on this second system. The internal CD-ROM vs Vinyl is very close indeed. I hate to say it, but the CDROM has it, just for surface noise alone. The external Rotel v CD-ROM is a no brainer.
I’m not given to over react, but the difference was amazing and not subtle. CD had just found bass, attack, ambience and a whole host of other things my English isn’t good enough to describe. I would like to understand why?
I don’t understand enough about what happens in the digital domain to theorise and would appreciate anybody else’s (best) guess I to why I hear these changes. I say possibly lost the plot, because what I may be listening too maybe extremely coloured??? What I do know, is that sat in front of that system, I much prefer it. My only wish now is that I could get rid of the computer fan noise, because I would love to play it through my main system so that I could do an AB comparison with my main Linn/Naim system.
I thought that when the digital out was used that the player was just extracting noughts and ones and lets the DAC do its’ magic. Ditto the CD-ROM. So what is the difference? What is happening in the Midiman’ DAC via the computer data bus compared to the SPDIF input to the DAC? Is it possible that the CD-ROM is just that much better at extracting those digits? And as a result I’m hearing a less “error corrected sound?”
Any input gladly welcome. This vinyl addict has had his terra firma shaken slightly but I’m still smiling! Good God! I’m now listening to CD’s I’d consigned to the top shelf!
