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

 

128x128delmatae

@jji666 but they can hear the difference.

😊

sometimes I feel audio is like selling water:

seller: this is from mountain x, only 100 bottles a day, the purest

buyer: this is a plastic box with H2O  

@soix 
You are right to understand that audio is a simple signal for electronics. Look at even simple video is a much more complex signal, a few dozen years ago some manufactures put video parts into audio equipment and the specs went up exponentially, they sold lots of upgraded microphones to real recording studios who didn't understand the scam. 

You are right to understand that audio is a simple signal for electronics. Look at even simple video is a much more complex signal, a few dozen years ago some manufactures [sic] put video parts into audio equipment and the specs went up exponentially

@donavabdear Of course!!! Video parts for better audio! Why doesn’t everyone else know this breakthrough info?!?  First, what does this have to do with the price of tea in China?  Second, I never said audio was a “simple signal” so don’t know if you’re day drinkin’ or whatever.  Third, what are these prized and superior video “parts” that magically sound better than those designed specifically for audio cause I’d love to know as probably would the audio designers out there who’ve obviously missed the boat here. What’s wrong with them??? It’s so obvious! 🤭🤪🙄

@siox
//Audio (even hi-res) has so little information content relative to the mega and giga bit communication and processing speeds (bandwidth, BW)//

Doesn't that mean the audio signal is simple comparatively? The audio signal is simple the frequencies are nice and long and the timing is easy.  I'm not drinkin', I thought you had an engineering or physics background based on your OP but I'll bite, one of the biggest microphones in recording is the AKG 414 it was and is standard in every studio but for many years this microphone was modified with video op amps with much higher bandwidth video amps that were completely not necessary but they sold because they were "better" completely a scam because you can't hear frequencies that high and the rest of the equipment the mics were plugged into weren't designed for that bandwidth either. Just one example of many in the professional sound world of the 80s and 90s, people in the audiophile world have no technical background and are making the same mistakes.