Following on from previous posts where I found that various damping materials
affected the sound of my Pioneer CDP used as transport only (I have an outboard
DAC), I've found the same with the CD-Rom I'm now using. I went over to the
CD-Rom because the build was more sturdy and there seemed to be a better sound
in it, which started to happen when I swapped the switch-mode power supply for
a normal toroid PSU. That's the story so far
Latest step was to bolt the CD-Rom down to a 10mm slab of aluminium 9.5" by
6.5". This after seeing the Flatfish which is exactly that. It's sitting on the
carpet as I write - haven't tried any fancy feet yet!
Well, the sound is very noticeably clearer. A CD-Rom vibrates quite a bit in
your hand, so I guess this is dampening it usefully. The most noticeable thing
is that louder passages are less congested and shouty - they have soothed out
audibly.
Now I have no idea why resonances affect CD transports, but this is without any
doubt what I'm hearing - change the damping, change the sound. I suppose this
is back to the debate whether 'bits are bits' or whether the signal is complex
and affected by other factors.
Since it isn't hard to try, maybe somebody else would like to replicate bolting
a CD-rom down to a 10mm slab of alu? I wonder if the measurements would be
different on any parameters. Andy

=== Andy Evans ===
Visit our Website:- http://www.artsandmedia.com
Audio, music and health pages and interesting links.

Andy Evans wrote:

Following on from previous posts where I found that various damping
materials affected the sound of my Pioneer CDP used as transport only (I
have an outboard DAC), I've found the same with the CD-Rom I'm now using.
I went over to the CD-Rom because the build was more sturdy and there
seemed to be a better sound in it, which started to happen when I swapped
the switch-mode power supply for a normal toroid PSU. That's the story so
far Latest step was to bolt the CD-Rom down to a 10mm slab of aluminium
9.5" by 6.5". This after seeing the Flatfish which is exactly that. It's
sitting on the carpet as I write - haven't tried any fancy feet yet!
Well, the sound is very noticeably clearer. A CD-Rom vibrates quite a bit
in your hand, so I guess this is dampening it usefully. The most
noticeable thing is that louder passages are less congested and shouty -
they have soothed out audibly.
Now I have no idea why resonances affect CD transports, but this is
without any doubt what I'm hearing - change the damping, change the sound.
I suppose this is back to the debate whether 'bits are bits' or whether
the signal is complex and affected by other factors.
Since it isn't hard to try, maybe somebody else would like to replicate
bolting a CD-rom down to a 10mm slab of alu? I wonder if the measurements
would be different on any parameters. Andy


No doubt these will be available soon from all good snake oil outlets.

IAn

--
Ian Bell

No doubt these will be available soon from all good snake oil outlets.


We're talking engineering here - Fays metals, Chiswick. The difference is quite
audible, as I said, so I'm interested in knowing how resonance dampening
affects CD transports. Andy.

=== Andy Evans ===
Visit our Website:- http://www.artsandmedia.com
Audio, music and health pages and interesting links.

On 05 Nov 2004 22:27:54 GMT, ohawker (Andy
Evans) wrote:

No doubt these will be available soon from all good snake oil outlets.


We're talking engineering here - Fays metals, Chiswick. The difference is quite
audible, as I said, so I'm interested in knowing how resonance dampening
affects CD transports. Andy.

Perhaps you need two transports, two identical CD-Rs, and a bit of
time to try a DBT, before rushing off on what's likely a wild goose
chse.
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering

In article ,
Andy Evans wrote:
We're talking engineering here - Fays metals, Chiswick.

You're talking engineering *materials*, not engineering.

The difference is quite audible, as I said, so I'm interested in knowing
how resonance dampening affects CD transports.

It can only have an effect if the transport is subjected to external
vibration sufficient to make it miss-track in some way.

--
*Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

The difference is quite audible, as I said, so I'm interested in knowing how
resonance dampening affects CD transports.

It can only have an effect if the transport is subjected to external vibration
sufficient to make it miss-track in some way.(DP)

Why not internal vibration? This is considerably larger than anything external.
As I've said, the effect of damping the motor vibrations by fixing it to an alu
slab is most audible in highly modulated passages. This should give a clue to
something. Andy

=== Andy Evans ===
Visit our Website:- http://www.artsandmedia.com
Audio, music and health pages and interesting links.

In article ,
Andy Evans wrote:
It can only have an effect if the transport is subjected to external
vibration sufficient to make it miss-track in some way.(DP)

Why not internal vibration? This is considerably larger than anything
external. As I've said, the effect of damping the motor vibrations by
fixing it to an alu slab is most audible in highly modulated passages.
This should give a clue to something.

The only clue it gives me is that you're endowing digital apparatus with
analogue symptoms.

--
*Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how it remains so popular?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Andy Evans" wrote in message


The difference is quite audible, as I said, so I'm interested in
knowing how resonance dampening affects CD transports.

It can only have an effect if the transport is subjected to external
vibration sufficient to make it miss-track in some way.(DP)

Agreed.

Why not internal vibration? This is considerably larger than anything
external. As I've said, the effect of damping the motor vibrations by
fixing it to an alu slab is most audible in highly modulated
passages. This should give a clue to something. Andy

All we know right now Andy is that your listening evaluation procedures are
highly-flawed.

Andy Evans wrote:

No doubt these will be available soon from all good snake oil outlets.

We're talking engineering here - Fays metals, Chiswick. The difference is quite
audible, as I said, so I'm interested in knowing how resonance dampening
affects CD transports. Andy.

It doesn't ! CD transports are designed to tolerate such stuff ( vibration et al ).
How on earth do you think one can work in a car otherwise ?


Graham

CD transports are designed to tolerate such stuff ( vibration et al ). How on
earth do you think one can work in a car otherwise ?

Hello there - I never said it didn't work - that's not the issue. Also the
changes are subtle, and not something you'd have a hope in hell of hearing in a
car. As I've constantly said, this is quite paradoxical.

=== Andy Evans ===
Visit our Website:- http://www.artsandmedia.com
Audio, music and health pages and interesting links.