.. Peak obviously knows his stuff... is well in tune with how his gear sounds (and how to make it sound different).
Steve
Thanks for the compliment but all of this "accessing" stuff we are talking about is not conclusive, yet. I'm merely gathering datapoints because as large a difference as I find it makes in my system, some other systems do not show the same results. Part of the reason, perhaps, is that i have a cheap/variable transport. The degree of improvement on my friends high-end transport is less and subtle. I used to think that this variability in playback was because of my neighbour turning on his air conditioneer or the hydro just being hashy...which it is sometimes due to my light dimmer. Some days I just turn off my system and do something else rather than listen to sterile hashy sounding gear.
I always find the "skip access" to perform better than "keypad access", but that the degree of improvement can be variable on my DVD transport.
Instead of playing the previous cut for 15 seconds, try 5,10, 15, 20, 25 seconds and see if you notice anything different between each. I can already hear the snickering butI find my unit to be best somewhere between 12 seconds to 15 seconds. More repeatable results but not yet 100%...something else is preventing me from nailing this "variabilty" gremlin completely...but I'm getting much closer.
I know the "performance" of a few CD cuts very well...when done right, the overall impression of detail, air, bass, soundstage, etc does not leave you wanting when the cut/album is done playing. This is (for me) also the preferred day-to-day listening (and evaluation) approach as compared to rapid A/B comparisons done by playing one cut for 30 seconds and then the same cut for 30 seconds to hear the effect of mod.
When the "tracking" is right, I can skip around to your hearts content and improved sound stays on every track. (Do not hit the pause button or mute buttion...as they seem to alter things as well...this to be checked).
The best piece of advice that I can recommend is to just listen to whole CDs by just accessing the first cut with the "skip access" method and listen to complete CDs as you would normally do...just hit the skip key multiple times to get to the track you want.
For those more venturous types, you might change up the previous track play time by a few seconds once in a while. I've been told by some that the OPTIMAL magic "wait period" can vary about recommended "15 seconds" for different DVD units.
Report back here in a week with your overall impression of your enjoyment of music (li.e. ess enjoyment or more enjoyment and not whether you can hear the tweak). . A more scientific approach to all of this was presented by
http://www.revelspeakers.com/pdf/listening_lab.pdf">Revel Corporation on listening and product improvement. One of their key points is that Double Blind Testing must have trained and experience listeners...a skill that can be taught. On that I agree.
The ones who I think will have the best success are those who have systems that sound great on certain nights for some strange reasons and then suddenly not so great on the same cuts. For those individuals, this procedure is part of the answer...hopefully it is the answer to repeatability of improved sound, period, for them.
On the matter of system setup, I heard a lot of good equipment at a sound show recently. Out of 14 floors (about 140 exhibitors), I only heard about 3 that were truly outstanding and in my humble opinion comparable to what I can get at home with a modest setup via DIY (and years of tuning). Note: I'm not the most demanding person in terms of low frequency, so many at the show beat my system hands down.
For those who have not tried it and think this is completely hokey...I understand and completely agree with your position...IT SHOULD NOT MAKE A DAMM DIFFERENCE...I'm just asking you to relax, give it another week, and try some of the things suggested above.
cheers,
