Yeah, I want to do some distortion measurements but not sure my equipment is adequate. I have FFT on my scope, and a pretty descent audio generator, but that's about it. Just so happens I was in the process of characterizing a few op-amps to compare to data sheet specs. I want to see how close my numbers get to the data sheet. I will post my results in a new thread when I get done. I too have lost interest in music, I just do not like the tunes these days. Classical all sounds the same to me, and boring
Hi Mike,
Because of the vanishingly low distortion of good opamps- there is a raft of superb audiophile types available now- and good audio power amps, it is almost impossible to get any meaningful distortion measurements, even with the very best equipment. The only meaningful assessment is to listen.
About music and loss of interest- I find quite the opposite. There is so much music available- I have 348G Bytes worth, and counting- that I would be amazed if you did not find a load of music that you liked.
One problem is that the quality of run-of-the-mill sound systems- TV, Radio, mini systems, etc- seem to have taken a dive, although car (auto) sound systems are still pretty good. In the UK we have Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) radio and the quality, by design, is not a patch on the original FM. At John Lewis (large UK department store) I heard about 20 ordinary systems that someone else was reviewing, and it surprised me that all but two were just awful. That would not have been the case 20 years ago. Sony, for example, were famous for having a good sound- not anymore. I bought one of their radios four years ago and had to take it back because the sound was so bad. The set wasn't cheap either.
I listen mainly to lossless digita music files (.flac, .wav, and .alac) stored on a computer and played back through an external DAC and headphone amp. The quality is pretty good and even decent .mp3 audio files don't sound that bad. The kit is not that expensive either. The beauty of phones is the quality of the sound, and also you do not disturb the missus and neighbors, too much.
A good DIY project would be a high end phone amp, but I wouldn't contemplate doing a DAC.
I don't know what system you have at the moment, but perhaps if you heard some music on a decent system it might rekindle your interest in music.