Please Educate Me


If I can’t find the answer here, I won’t find it anywhere. 

Something I’ve wondered about for a long time: The whole world is digital. Some huge percentage of our lives consists of ones and zeros. 

And with the exception of hi-fi, I don’t know of a single instance in which all of this digitalia isn’t yes/no, black/white, it works or it doesn’t. No one says, “Man, Microsoft Word works great on this machine,” or “The reds in that copy of Grand Theft Auto are a tad bright.” The very nature of digital information precludes such questions. 

Not so when it comes to hi-fi. I’m extremely skeptical about much that goes on in high end audio but I’ve obviously heard the difference among digital sources. Just because something is on CD or 92/156 FLAC doesn’t mean that it’s going to sound the same on different players or streamers. 

Conceptually, logically, I don’t know why it doesn’t. I know about audiophile-type concerns like timing and flutter. But those don’t get to the underlying science of my question. 

I feel like I’m asking about ABCs but I was held back in kindergarten and the computerized world isn’t doing me any favors. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do. I’ll be using Photoshop and I’ve got it dialed in just right. 
paul6001
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Hey! I got an idea. Let's have a red forum and a blue forum. The reds can be as nasty and condescending as they wanna be and the blues can give it all away with love and understanding (read enablement and coddling). Can't we all just get along?? 
This used to be a more respectful forum. The majority of people on here are polite and very willing to help, my concern is that they will go elsewhere to avoid the criticism and puffery. 

Sadly, this forum is some people’s connection to the outside world. Those are the people I feel for. 

In my opinion, bullies on here are bullies on the street. I’m guessing they badmouth the waitstaff, belittle those they feel are beneath them socioeconomically, and otherwise create senseless friction.

Maybe this behavior is a response to being bullied and/or feeling helpless? I’m not trying to hurt anyone here, but if this post describes you, work on sorting yourself out. Dump the friends that think it’s cute to belittle others, and pick a new crowd. Invest time and energy building your confidence and self esteem. You’ll be glad you did, and those around you will, too.

You can do it, I’m pulling for you.
But VW sound different when played on a NAD CD player than they do when played on a Parasound CD player. Why? Aren’t both players reading the same ones and zeros?
An audio system is at the same times a transfered and translated and transformed information flows from different levels and through different " dimensions"(analog/digital mechanical,electrical and acoustical) to the listening EARS....

How in the world could 2 pieces of gear give the same audible results with so many different factors playing together or one against the others on different levels?

Your question dont adress the problem but turn his back on reality; a cd reader dont ONLY read bits, but work in a chain of multiple gear elements with multiple interacting dimensions... The ears dont listen to "pure" bits, nor to "pure" sine waves, the ears listen to a complex acoustical resulting phenomenon in a specific room called  voice or musical "timbre"....

Think again and your question will dissolve itself in front of the complex reality....All questions have a meaning for sure, but sometimes the question lost his accute meaning when simply confronted with reality.... Your question is there to put ourself face to reality indeed....

My best to you....




«Never ask a question against the wind»-Anonymus Smith

«Always face your wife if asking a question»-Groucho Marx