• Registered: 2021-06-30
  • Posts: 43

Topic: SD LD filter

Hello forum,

I was surprised to read in the updated manual of the ADI2 DAC (page 56, I believe):

SD LD (Short Delay Low Dispersion – only with AK4493 units)
The filter ... approaches this ideal quite well. It does not have the early treble attenuation of the slow filters (see chapter 31.4), has a shorter settling time than Slow, an average decay time like Sharp, ... and a latency of only 10 samples, so that it is also well suited for professional real-time monitoring. This makes it much more than just a successful compromise.

and immediately after:

Brickwall (only with ESS units)
...the not very popular SD LD has been replaced by the often requested Brickwall


The first paragraph seems to imply that SD-LD is very good for general use, but the second part says it's not very popular.
Any comment on this?

Additionally, I've read somewhere in this forum that the effect of filters is somewhat "small" i.e. in 90%of cases filter differences are not noticeable. What kind of music is ideal for testing the effect of different filters?

thanks
MH

  • Registered: 2021-01-12
  • Posts: 91

Re: SD LD filter

m.holmes wrote:

Hello forum,
What kind of music is ideal for testing the effect of different filters?

Something that's a bit bright and forward sounding.

3 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2021-08-21 09:45:20)

  • KaiS
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2020-02-05
  • Posts: 3,115

Re: SD LD filter

m.holmes wrote:

What kind of music is ideal for testing the effect of different filters?

Recordings of natural instruments (not electronic samples) containing a variety of treble instruments at the same time, e.g. drums/cymbals/hihats + percussions, like shakers, guiros etc.

The “better” filters let you hear the instruments separated, in their ambience, the less suited smear them together.

A quite demanding test, even for speakers, is the separation of hihats from shakers.
Quite ofter they tend to sound like one single instrument.

KaiS's Website

4 Reply by ning (edited by ning 2021-08-21 10:36:57)

  • ning
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • Registered: 2019-06-08
  • Posts: 579

Re: SD LD filter

m.holmes wrote:

Additionally, I've read somewhere in this forum that the effect of filters is somewhat "small" i.e. in 90%of cases filter differences are not noticeable. What kind of music is ideal for testing the effect of different filters?

thanks
MH

something crisp, short, with impulse then suddenly stops.
example : hand clapping with no echo. percussions using digitally synthesized instruments (such as the ones in EDM).
I can easily differentiate between
1) 320k mp3  vs uncompressed wav
2) NOS filter vs other filters.
by using such samples.

however I am not able to differentiate filters other than the NOS, though. Their difference is much, much smaller than people usually thought about. IMHO in real music listening filters rarely matter.

  • From: Norway
  • Registered: 2021-06-21
  • Posts: 396

Re: SD LD filter

Sharp is good alround for old ears like mine. Can tell the sound of filters apart sometimes, but not enough to name them or care that much. Always good to have options though..!

ADI-2 DAC, ADI-2 PRO, DigifaceUSB, UCXII, ARC, HEGEL.h80, KEF.ls50, HD650, ie400pro _,.\''/.,_