Bushmaster DAC burn-in

[RoboCopper]

Most of atheists I know, tend to talk more about religion than worshipers.

This is in real life, I am not aiming at anyone from hifi.

[StanleyB]

Yes they talk about religion but don't go to church.
Is like talking about whether a new DAC is an improvement in the Bushmaster thread and questioning the sanity (and maybe even the honesty) of anyone who declares to have discovered improvements in their audio system, or discovered information etc. in their music that they could not hear before. If such findings were merely limited to one person, perhaps there could be a case of over indulgence on the part of that person. But independent confirmation from numerous sources cannot be rejected as mass hysteria. To claim otherwise does make me wonder about any ulterior motives.

[DaveK]

FWIW there can never be agreement on what music should sound like because nobody really knows but everyone thinks they know or have an opinion on it. Using words like 'accurate' is pointess because there is no definitive or universally agreed standard. One man's 'accurate' is another man's poison. to mix my metaphors .
Even if we all agree that we are hearing the same sounds, which does not and cannot happen IMHO, who can say that it is accurate? - accurate compared to what? An infinite number of performances of the same music by the same musicians but in an infinite number of venues will give an infinite variety of 'accurate' performances but there will be a wide variation in those performances and an equally wide variation of opinions on which were considered 'accurate'.
Bit like chasing mist in a fog IMO .
Dave.

[MartinT]

FWIW there can never be agreement on what music should sound like because nobody really knows

You could make a good fist of it by going to a classical concert or two. You'll learn a lot about acoustic, unamplified instruments, the incredible dynamic range of a real orchestra and the sound of music that everyone can agree on. I use it as my reference for everything I know about how, for instance, a piano should sound.

[StanleyB]

What does it mean "what music should sound like"? It has no concrete meaning. Recorded music will never sound the same as live music. So that's a irrelevant objective.

What most designers attempt to do however is to reduce or remove those elements from previous products that interfered with or obscured elements within the played back music. If we look back since the introduction of record players etc., the next technical innovation was primarily concerned with improving the sound playback. And that process has never stopped.

[DaveK]

I'll stick to my guns!!
Good piano music played in different but very good venues will give you different sounds IMO at the level of detail most audiophiles prefer. Put another way, recording direct to mp3 quality may give listeners some difficulty seperating the different recordings but at the level of detail, nuance and subtlety that audiophiles listen for and expect to hear in their recordings I suggest that it would more difficult to get agreement on which, if any, was the more accurate recording.
Just MO.
Dave.

[StanleyB]

I'll stick to my guns!!
Good piano music played in different but very good venues will give you different sounds IMO at the level of detail most audiophiles prefer.

And a good audio system will let you hear the difference in location.

Nothing wrong with sticking to your guns, but weapons technology has moved on. And so has audio technology.

[Werner Berghofer]

Stanley,

But to take issues with improvements is taking things in a completely different realm.

I think no one denies that real progress in developing and implementing improvements to audio playback devices is very welcome. However, in my opinion claiming to be able to recognize sound improvements caused by different types of power supplies and cables is greatly exaggerated. It really would be interesting to verify if these assertions and observations could withstand double blind tests.

What about these audio manufacturers who prefer to design the power supply as integral, not interchangeable part of the device?

I would even suggest that holders of such views should spend less time on audio forums.

There are audio forums which put the focus on soldering irons, external power supplies, cables, legendary turntables, rare tonearms and cartridges. And then there are other audio forums where one is mainly concerned with music. As a good example of the second kind I suggest the Steve Hoffman music forums.

Werner.

[Fi-Wi]

(...) If we look back since the introduction of record players etc., the next technical innovation was primarily concerned with improving the sound playback. And that process has never stopped.

And that's what makes me wonder if it wil ever? Every single improvement should be one step closer to "the perfect sound" or maybe better "one's perfect sound". But that would mean that some day the end-of-the-line is reached and no further innovations are possible. I doubt it that will be the case.

My insight has nothing to do with questioning the sanity of people who claim improvements in their systems or being an atheist. I am just trying to understand this process we go through.

[jandl100]

Others prefer to buy the best sounding equipment they can afford, just plug it in, forget about the gear and listen to music.

An interesting implication there that things improve as you spend more.
Lots of good sounding hifi breaks that "rule".
Sure I could spend multiple-£k on the latest well-reviewed DAC. The trouble is, I've heard quite a few of them - and imho the Bushmaster sounds better.

And anyway, if you stick with what you know, you'll never learn anything new.