Waiting for the Truth

[Barry]

No worries Adrian,

I am genuinely intrigued by the 'Truth' as I do admire the Miesian philosophy of "the less is more" or "keep it simple stupid" when it comes to circuit design (though since my own gear uses balanced circuitry throughout, it is not as simple as it could be).

The difficulty I have with the Truth is that as far as we understand it, it uses some form of opto-coupler in the circuit: devices not known for either their linearity or for their sample-to-sample matching, and as such, need much additional circuitry. Yet by all accounts it sounds 'better' than a resistive attenuator or a tapped transformer.

[Firebottle]

Photocells are ldrs (light dependant resistors)

[Barry]

Photocells are ldrs (light dependant resistors)

The original photocells (quaintly called 'magic eyes') were vacuum tube devices using the photoelectric effect. They were thus directional (diode).

There was also the germanium OCP71 photo transistor - essentially the glass encapsulated OC71, wherein the black paint was removed from the glass envelope. They are photo-diodes, which I suppose could be loosely classed as light dependent resistors.

[farflungstar]

Barry I totally get it, I've been the same this last week - order of events when I received it last weekend were, first listen - gobsmacked followed by further sessions where I sat trying to figure it out rather than listen. Today, all afternoon and evening I just listened to my favourite albums - gobsmacked again. I don't know how it's done, and this thread isn't about me promoting it, but it does what those who have it says it does - vanish, completely from the chain - and in the process revealing subtleties, heck even backing vocals, percussive lines etc that simply weren't discernable before.

Like you I need to understand how something works to explain the result - but after today I'm just going to enjoy it and stop questioning it. I initially bought it because I wanted the most transparent attenuator for my system - I have it, without a doubt.

[struth]

Barry I totally get it, I've been the same this last week - order of events when I received it last weekend were, first listen - gobsmacked followed by further sessions where I sat trying to figure it out rather than listen. Today, all afternoon and evening I just listened to my favourite albums - gobsmacked again. I don't know how it's done, and this thread isn't about me promoting it, but it does what those who have it says it does - vanish, completely from the chain - and in the process revealing subtleties, heck even backing vocals, percussive lines etc that simply weren't discernable before.

Like you I need to understand how something works to explain the result - but after today I'm just going to enjoy it and stop questioning it. I initially bought it because I wanted the most transparent attenuator for my system - I have it, without a doubt.

as it should be Adey

[Barry]

Amen to that!

[Light Dependant Resistor]

Photocells are ldrs (light dependant resistors)

But quite different to the encapsulated variety , like accepting a horse, is a cow because it has 4 legs, type of difference.

[Light Dependant Resistor]

Barry
I totally get it, I've been the same this last week - order of events
when I received it last weekend were, first listen - gobsmacked followed
by further sessions where I sat trying to figure it out rather than
listen. Today, all afternoon and evening I just listened to my favourite
albums - gobsmacked again. I don't know how it's done, and this thread
isn't about me promoting it, but it does what those who have it says it
does - vanish, completely from the chain - and in the process revealing
subtleties, heck even backing vocals, percussive lines etc that simply
weren't discernable before.

Like you I need to understand how something works to explain the result -
but after today I'm just going to enjoy it and stop questioning it. I
initially bought it because I wanted the most transparent attenuator for
my system - I have it, without a doubt.

Due to what I am developing , you might change your mind.

[anthonyTD]

My personal opinion on this particular piece of equipment, and its creator is not important in this thread, or dare I say, it would not be ethical from a trade point of view to portray it.
However; I would like to make a few points and observations as far as Audio equipment, and their associated electronics.
First of all, any device [be it semiconductor, Thermionic Valves, resistors, capacitors, switches, connectors etc] within the signal path will have an influence, however small, on the signal being passed through it, therefore; it is obviously desirable from a design point to limit the affect on the original signal by any devices, contacts, switches, connections etc within the signal path to the absolute minimum in order to achieve a desired outcome by the designer.

So, armed with this fact, any rational thinking mind should now be under no illusion that any piece of equipment is going to tell the “absolute truth” as far as the original signal it has been fed is concerned.

Now, sometimes adding more to the signal path can’ in many cases actually improve the over-all performance of not only the individual pieces of equipment, but the system as a whole, why, well, because your dealing with Audio signals, and having the need to attenuate them to achieve the desired final perceived volume of the system, therefore you then have to deal with the matching of any attenuating device to the previous, [Source] and post devices, Ie the Amplifier,,, this opens up a huge can of worms, and can be a real headache to come up with a satisfactory solution.

My own ideas on preamps have been documented elsewhere, and I was happy enough with the final results [taking into account the issues outlined above] to put some of them into production. However; I was under no illusion that any of my designs were a perfect solution to all of the issues associated with Audio signal drive and attenuation, but as I said’ I was, and still am’ very happy with the results.

This brings me back to the original reason I decided to write this post.
There are some very good engineers here, who have also produced products that they feel address the issues of attenuation, [some aspects to a lesser, or greater degree, depending on the importance deemed by each individual designer, with respect to the issues involved in attenuation] some of us promote the simplest, and most straight forward approach, and some of us feel that we needed a different approach, either way; what I am saying is; there are several routes to achieving a desired result as far as attenuating Audio signals, and overcoming the matching of pre, and post equipment’ in an attempt to obtaining an acceptable result by the designer.

Nothing is perfect!

[farflungstar]

I agree with you Anthony - there are more ways to skin a cat, but most of them leave some fur behind - this doesn't, perhaps the whiskers. I'm not alone in this conclusion, everyone who has tried it has said the same, compared to S&B, Emia etc, or the finest active linestages.

I think people have a problem with the name, it smacks as arrogant - but the truth (no pun intended) is in the listening - and it is more truthful to original source than anything yet (!) compared to it. Only a direct connection beats it (according to Salvatore), marginally. I can't test that opinion.

However, this transparency to source was demonstrated yesterday (I posted about it) when I put a sorbithane sheet on the tenutu platter mat - the difference was profound. I'd done this with the Slagles in situ on numerous occasions for various reasons and had never experienced such an obvious difference.

Now, I can imagine that if you have a problem upstream of it (glassy sounding CD maybe) the results could be brutal - and so it is not the panacea for the masses - it will not supercede every other preamp on the market. It has however, in my opinion, raised the bar for manufacturers.

In some ways im unsettled by the changes in my system - my 300b/845 SETs have suddenly found a new, pin sharp focus that is more akin to SS than lush valves. But listening yesterday each album/track had its own character, from thin to profoundly deep and rich. In that sense I think it's doing its job - passing on the information from FG tip on the Alaerts to the Vida and through the truth.

Amazing how such a simple device cab cause such confusion, furory.