BAASnotes.com – Bay Area Audiophile Society

PS Audio CEO comes to the Bay Area Bringing Digital

Most audiophiles are familiar with the PS Audio brand, especially given the company’s pioneering efforts in cables and power treatment.

But last Saturday Paul McGowan, leader of PS Audio, shared with us a broader vision – to bring the same performance and value to all elements of the audio chain. He further explained that another key element of the PS Audio strategy is to bring “music-server performance” (e.g., ability to play hi res material) to audio enthusiasts not wishing to connect a computer to their sound system.

And with that strategy in mind, we sat down to a very compelling listening session featuring the ‘PerfectWave’ transport and DAC wherein we learned:

• The sonic differences between 16/44 and 24/176
• The degradation that a sample-rate-converter (SRC) often brings; and
• A comparison of modern reconstruction (‘anti-aliasing’) filters, including the now-popular  ’apodising’ filters

The PerfectWave pair paired perfectly with Audio High’s reference Chord/KEF stack to produce vivid and powerful sonic images – and another great event.

BAAS thanks Paul, PS Audio, Michael Silver, and Audio High. Great job!

“Good enough” is the New “Great”?

- Guest Contribution by Tristan N -

I just read a fascinating article in Wired called “The Good Enough Revolution: When Cheap and Simple Is Just Fine.”

We audiophiles might find the following paragraph more than a little alarming:

Of course, there are those who appreciate the richer sound of uncompressed files, CDs, or even vinyl records (regarded by some audiophiles as the highest-fi format available). But most of us don’t give it a second thought. In fact, there’s evidence that consumers are simply adapting to the MP3′s thin sound. Jonathan Berger, a professor of music at Stanford University, recently completed a six-year study of his students. Every year he asked new arrivals in his class to listen to the same musical excerpts played in a variety of digital formats—from standard MP3s to high-fidelity uncompressed files—and rate their preferences. Every year, he reports, more and more students preferred the sound of MP3s, particularly for rock music. They’ve grown accustomed to what Berger calls the percussive sizzle—aka distortion—found in compressed music. To them, that’s what music is supposed to sound like.

Cheers,
Tristan

Great Classical This Weekend!

Looking for something cool to do this Sunday (9/13/09)?

Click here for tickets to what promises to be a great event.