Optimization

One of my readers reminded me of this great cartoon in the New Yorker, which I include here. I just couldn't resist. Let me share with you an observation I have made, concerning optimization. My system is, and always has been, optimized for digital audio reproduction. And it sounds startlingly good. Vinyl in my system, does not compare to digital - and this despite the excellent Clear Audio Turntable, $4,000 phono cartridge etc. When I visited Michael Fremer's home his vinyl optimized system sounds better than digital in every single case. And his digital system is no slouch either. How can it be that on my system digital just blows the doors off vinyl and on others, the opposite is true? Is there no truth to notions of superiority of format? And not just vinyl/digital. DSD/PCM, this cable or that cable. Let's spend a few days taking a look at how setup of our systems has such a significant impact on performance. In fact, we might have to suggest setup has more impact than just about any other factor.