Video Asylum

In Reply to: Re: I respectfully disagree posted by BC on March 28, 1999 at 13:49:09:

I've only done casual listening for 20 minutes or less, using a JVC 1050 player with and without an EAD DSP-7000 III outboard processor, and level matching with the digital Radio Shack meter. My experience was that I heard an immediate and clear deepening and widening of the soundstage, and the entire frequency spectrum became, I don't have the words...easier to listen to. For a reference, I put on a nearly 30-year-old LP of the recording I was listening to on CD (Joni Mitchel). Sorry to say that the LP was so much better at soundstaging and getting the female voice right that I ended up listening to LP's the rest of the night. I find it hard to listen to CD's for long periods of time. But you've convinced me to try my A/B testing again, since I do have a few CD players hiding out in closets.

One final note, in the video system I had another JVC 1050 running digital out to a HK Sig. 2.0 pre/processor. I substituted a McCormack SST-1 transport (surely this qualifies as a premium machine) and was not happy with the sonic result. Once again I did not listen long and this time I did not level match with my RS meter. It was clear to me that this substitution would not work because there was so much "noise" leaking onto the tv screen as to make it unwatchable. I immediately put the JVC back and the noise was gone. This alone should make one wonder about the differences between designs.

Reference system for digital front-end testing:

Celestion SL600Si, lead-filled Celestion stands
Nordost Blue Heaven bi-wire or AQ midnight III bi-wire
McCormack DNA 0.5 reworked by Steve to Revision A level
Have Canare interconnect to closet: (spiked and sand-filled racks)
ARC LS3 in direct mode, Blue Heaven single-ended
EAD DSP-7000 III , Have Canare Digiflex gold,
Celestion DLP600 digital loudspeaker equalizer, Digiflex gold
McCormack SST-1 transport/ JVC XL-Z1050 player / JVC XL-Z331 player
Audio Power Industries Power Wedge line conditioner: feed comes directly from the house box.
the room is small but modified by sonnex and carpeting at first reflection points, and J-10's cardboard box/newspaper tweek in the corners.

the system is down while I wait for the Audio Physic Virgo's to arrive. It will take me a few weeks to position the speakers and break them in. Would you be interested in my conclusions?

Oh yea, one final thing: on a clear, hi-res system, you really don't have a clue about matching SPL. You must use a meter.