This is google translated from French, so pardon the imperfect translations. This is pretty incredible stuff here, and I just found out about it today:
07/05/2009 A.A.
Digital audio extraction, the first link in the Hi-Fi chain of the 21st century
At the very top, there is the SARD (Super Audio Ram Disk)
SARD is a process which allows to benefit from a Hi-Fi musicality superior to any audio system dependent on a more conventional music storage. However, the file read in SARD must be of the best possible quality. We know that any Hi-Fi system never has the quality of its weakest link. In the case of SARD the weak link could be the phonogram itself, i.e. the 16-bit 44.1kHz stereo music file. This music file must be extracted from a commercial CD, ripped, saved as a .wav file on your PC hard drive, and then processed. The first step is therefore to properly rip the file.
Just below, there is the CDAD (Compact Disc Audio Dither)
CDAD (a term of my invention, just like SARD) is an audio CDRom burned from a wav file initially processed for SARD. On a high-end HiFi system, with a quality CD player, we see that the CD thus reproduced is musically superior to the original when it is read by conventional laser. The only constraint is that the wav file must have been ripped from the original CD beforehand, either by the Pharos Power ripp or by the Ripper-burner Phi2 Audiophile. Only then, its own musical qualities are expressed at 110%. The engraving will be done with the same tool that was used for audio ripping.
An original and inexpensive DIY
How to make a Pharos Power ripp or a Phi2 Audiophile Ripper-burner is as important a step as the CD-SACD Phi Audiophile folder or more recently the Ramtek V folder and the SARD. The complete file is unfortunately far too heavy to appear here. Here are some extracts and some thumbnails ...
For all the details, descriptions and comments, see the CD or download the update.
The copy better than the original
Impossible a priori, tell me. And yet, as surprising as it may seem, the copy can be musically better than the original, and without affecting the nusical signal itself. Certain processes indeed influence the psychoacoustics of human hearing and reveal treasures of emotion hidden in CDs that were thought to be dull and boring. The brain always retains reluctance towards digital sound, which presents a discontinuity which does not exist in nature. If we give it back a more natural mode of perception that reminds it of the analog side of sounds, the brain quickly takes hold of it. He seizes the opportunity, and takes it with delight.
The quality of a rippage is understood
I am not talking about clicks, small noises or silences appearing during burning after a botched ripping or done on a very damaged CD. This technical aspect is solved on good recent materials and using new commercial CDs or handled with care. It's a minimum.
No, I'm talking about musical quality, sensations, emotion.
99% of the copied CDs sound worse than the original when played on a quality Hi-Fi system. Is it the fault of digital extraction? How to know?
Knowing whether the file has been extracted to the nearest bit 100% identical to that of the original audio CD is impossible, failing to be able to compare with the file of the master tape. Error analysis tools are simple indicators. Counting errors C2 is only an index which measures imperfections, approximations, but which does not predict musicality.
No standard meter
The particular music lover lacks a tool of comparison, of reference. Only those who navigate the music industry can listen to master files to compare with their commercial CDs. Wanting to evaluate what we have extracted with what others have extracted from the same CD is in no way a guarantee of accuracy (see service accurate ripp). Getting the same number will simply mean that others have done the same and got the same. Alas the law of the greatest number is not the guarantee of a perfect extraction especially if one is looking for something as difficult to measure as the notion of musicality.
The ear remains the sole judge
So I decided to trust my ear. The artists have a priori the desire to succeed in their musical performance, to record it well and to make a CD worthy of it. A good rippage will therefore be the one that will best account to my ears for this presupposed musicality. So I trust the intention and not the bit, the purpose and not the means to reach it. What matters is the music, not the similarity of binary codes. Failing to be scientific, this principle has at least the advantage of pleasing my artistic sense.
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04/21/2011 by AA. .
The new Phi² audiophile slim CD-DVD burner was born
In hi-fi nothing is never frozen, acquired, engraved in marble
It only takes the failure of a single element that can neither be repaired nor found on the market to question a hi-fi system that we thought was accomplished, perfectly euphonized and completely satisfactory. Fortunately, the element in question does not penalize the past but it could greatly mortgage the future.
The king is dead, long live the king!
The Samsung SE-S224Q / EUBN external drive that I used for the audiophile Phi² Ripper dates from 2009 (see file 111-hypersinus-power-ripp), and in 2011, Samsung no longer manufactures it. Mine burned out in March 2011 due to a (supposed) problem with my external power supply. This type of highly integrated device with miniature surface components cannot be repaired. Rather than looking for an identical second-hand drive, I preferred to play the evolution of the hardware towards the external drives still available offered in all USB, autonomous powered by the USB cable, with very low power consumption and with mini mechanical, called "slim".
Little musical break
Even cheaper!
So I worked to adapt the Samsung slim drive ref. SE-S084, costing around € 60 - which I had already mentioned in the file 111-hypersinus-power-ripp. The goal is to reuse as much as possible the Phi² box of its predecessor. This external all USB external burner burns DVD +/- R in 8x, and CDs in 24x ... it is not very fast but this is the counterpart (and / or the pledge) of a very low consumption.
In these times when we are trying to save energy, here is the perfect opportunity to minimize the power consumption of the PC and the engraver-ripper. Icing on the cake, when you listen to music in your living room, you do not pollute the atmosphere with your large 4x4, and you enjoy life serenely, without stress ...
Multiple benefits
1) we will do without any mains supply and therefore inverter,
2) we will benefit from the CD blocking system with springs, much more precise in centering and more stabilizing of the rotating disc
3) the low current requirement by a small motor and even further IC integration make the addition of the capacitor ring unnecessary on the 5V
4) No device, Eeepc Asus and Samsung Recorder, will therefore be connected during the ripp neither to the 230V mains nor especially to the earth, even simply by means of the neutral.The other side of the coin?
It remained to be seen whether these theoretical advantages were not paid for at a high price, that of the drop in musicality.
On February 8, 2011 on this same audiophile blog, I had said goodbye to you, thinking that I had definitely finished with audiophile hacks, it seems that it was premature ...
Mixed first listening tests
My first musical ripp tests (DAE) with the USB DVD-CD drive burner samsung SE-S084, in a context that was not very elaborate and little pushed when writing the file 111-hypersinus-power-ripp (see my comments to this subject at the end of the file), had not been conclusive but they hinted at some good prospects. I did not think then to push further, the future forced me with the irreparable failure of the Samsung SE-S224Q and that's good because I was not disappointed.
Still happy finds!
The audiophile slim Phi² ripper finally turns out to be a great musical success thanks to some discoveries which confirm that (almost) all PNI (
unidentified disturbances, of electromagnetic, mechanical nature, and / or micro-interface discharges so dear to Pierre Johannet)
are generated, transmitted or amplified during ripp mainly by the vibratory behavior of the system.
No electronic circuit or conventional low-pass filter can counter them and such a circuit often contributes to the opposite of what it is supposed to do, to increase them. The difficulty is therefore to succeed by different original means in transmuting these vibrations to a frequency close to infrared ... to have heat dissipation. It is important not to block them, which in digital audio causes even worse collateral damage musically. They must be channeled and dissipated gently.
Dissipate gently
It's easier said than done, and here are my solutions:
- 1 pendulum system with double weights is placed on the external cage (principle inaugurated on the previous Audiophile Phi²)
- 1 pendulum system with offset mass on a semi-flexible aluminum blade & copper / lead weight is now added internally
- 1 mixed box of bamboo charcoal / pure quartz sand is added internally to the drive -
- the drive plate and certain other parts are treated with carbon black
- 2 ferrite magnets are added on either side of the rotating CD
- 2 small pure copper sponges are inserted in the double shell at the driveWe do not change a team that has already won (except having to replace the player who is unfortunately dead)
The whole case therefore remains roughly that of the file 111-hypersinus-power-ripp, the environmental context of ripp also remains identical, with the exception of the external mains supply and the inverter which disappear, now useless.
http://api.guide.free.fr/blog/images/phi2slim.pngIn the end an obvious musical success
The end result is amazing and totally convincing in 100% autonomous ripp, the Phi² audiophile slim ripper plugged in and powered by USB on the mini Eeepc 100% on its small batteries, placed on a mini Fakir mat:
- bass fishing, pulsation, rhythm, fine dynamics are there and do not depend, as I wrongly thought, on the crown of condos since it has disappeared.
- a large power supply or a large inverter is no longer used for ripp drive
- the sound has however lost all residue on the digital side, the distortion has further decreased, the desks are still gaining ventilation with better marked plans in depth
- the tuning fork seems lowered, with a low medium that is always more dense and rich, a treble which has lost all tinsel or scrapping. - the stamps are even richer, more detailed and I do not remember having heard any more dense, more provided other than live.
There is no photo on arrival
The difference on the same CDs ripped previously with the old audiophile Phi² ripper is obvious enough that there is not the slightest doubt about the qualitative gain.
Like what in audio you should never swear to anything and that the perfection that we believe has been achieved once and for all is always perfectible!
Open perspectives
With other discoveries made recently by P.D. who worked on the Totem (see glossary - accessory used in ripp as in reading),
it is likely that this version 1 of the Phi²slim engraver ripper will soon be followed by a version 2 or even always by version 1 but placed in a modified context .... To be continued.
Listen to test files
Audiophile music lovers who have access to the Audiophile Club will find there files treated wav sard demonstration which will allow them to appreciate with their own ears the different versions of ripp.
Not that crazy or delusional
In the 111-hypersinus-power-ripp folder, I wrote "Those who have not been used to my hacks for a long time may find this folder completely crazy and delusional ... to simply rip a CD ..." This 113-phi2slim file shows that we can greatly simplify the ripp system, reduce the cost, and have extraordinary musicality from our own audio CDs.
A simple but precise operating mode
To maintain total insulation from the mains and the earth, the Phi² audiophile slim ripper should be connected to a laptop or a Netbook working only on its own batteries when ripping, without a wired connection with ADSL or an Ethernet network. . Turn on the Eeepc with the two USB cords of the ripper already connected, wait until Windows 7 finishes installing everything on the desktop .... launch Ripstation micro, the drawer of the Phi² audiophile slim opens ... put an audio CD on ripper, close the drawer. The software informs the tracks then the extraction begins. When the wav file is obtained, process it in SARD with Adobe Audition 3 (paid audio editor, but there is a trial version) and my scripts (**). Then read it in ramdisk with AIMP2 version 2.50 312 with minimalist audiophile skin (free player software). Ram optimizer audiophile version (free software) must be Looped in 350 mS ...
Taste without moderation! You tell me the news! The only drawback is that you will want to rip all your CD library again ... too bad ... or so much the better! I'm used to it.
NB. For the most demanding, as soon as Ripstation micro (free software) has downloaded the titles of the audio tracks, immediately cut the Wifi of the Eeepc by pressing the Fn + F2 keys. Do not re-activate the Wifi until after the ripp is complete. The difference with and without Wifi is obvious! But yes !
Of course when listening in SARD ++ on a good living room hi-fi system, the PC's Wifi must be switched off, the ADSL box must be switched off, the mobile telephones must be switched off, the DECT telephones in the home must be switched off and removed from their base.
PS. Remember, the original PCM (wav) format of the audio CD does not support tags, neither does SARD ++, but it is a very small drawback compared to the gain in musicality. We easily get around the problem by making long, explicit file names.