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Devices => PC's and Other Hardware => Topic started by: Anthony6169 on January 02, 2020, 11:51:34 am

Title: Solid state verses mechanical hard drive.
Post by: Anthony6169 on January 02, 2020, 11:51:34 am

I just bought a new computer with a SSD. I am convinced that I am hearing more detail in the music. Actually it sounds orders of magnitude better. Has anyone else noticed this?

Title: Re: Solid state verses mechanical hard drive.
Post by: Awesome Donkey on January 02, 2020, 12:01:47 pm

Placebo effect is my guess. There shouldn't be any difference between HDD and SSD, other than perhaps the amount of time to load a file (which even with music files on a HDD, shouldn't matter at all because a HDD should be plenty fast for music files).

Try enabling memory playback (I'd use the setting to load the full file decoded into memory for this test) and repeating your test. There should be no difference as the media isn't playing back from the device's storage at all (instead, it'd be playing from the system's memory).

Title: Re: Solid state verses mechanical hard drive.
Post by: Anthony6169 on January 02, 2020, 12:34:40 pm

My ears are convinced. Maybe I'm nuts? At least I am happy!

Title: Re: Solid state verses mechanical hard drive.
Post by: rec head on January 02, 2020, 01:40:06 pm

The placebo effect is real. If it sounds better go with it.

Title: Re: Solid state verses mechanical hard drive.
Post by: Hendrik on January 02, 2020, 03:30:07 pm

If you bought an entirely new computer, if there is a difference and its not just placebo, its likely something other then storage. :)

Title: Re: Solid state verses mechanical hard drive.
Post by: Anthony6169 on January 02, 2020, 05:24:59 pm

I am using a new Hewlett Packard desktop with a 512GB SSD and 16GB of ram. This is obviously running JRiver25. That is connected to a Cambridge Audio DAC Magic 100 via USB Cable. RCA lines from the DAC plug into a Marantz SR7500 which is connected to a set of Klipsch RB51IIs and a big Klipsch sub. For the money I paid for this system I am very happy with the way it sounds.