Why is digital audio so complicated? Where did it all go wrong?

[Hifi_swlon]

What makes it all complicated and confusing is discussions like these and the want to be able to fully understand and explain it all. No offense!

None taken, I love this site and a bit of banter. That said, I can't see how discussing and trying to understand it can make it more complicated or confusing…. to me hearing thoughts/opinions/experiences of others is learning - and a lot quicker/cheaper in this case than trying to do it by experimentation myself

It's a complex one I know. Personally, I think there is some truth to these things, but also a healthy dose of bias - thats the conclusion Im coming to. I also think many times it could be a case of a box that reclocks or regenerates, or a new cable, or a new power supply, may add an improvement indirectly somehow, rather than because of what its actually designed to do. I don't know.

I just can't convince myself that so many things plague a digital data stream, and yet I can't convince myself it isn't the case because I hear differences,and so many others also report hearing them. On Monday night for example I rebooted my mac mini, and since then it sounds better as far as I can tell/perceive, more detailed, less 'clouded'. I've experienced this previously too. Did this actually happen - the sound improved - or did I imagine it because I watched it reboot and have experienced a difference previously? Would I have noticed in the same way if someone else had rebooted the mac? I have no way of knowing.

Thats why I'm trying to understand the digital data signal integrity clock noise thing better, because I find it hugely interesting and extremely frustrating at the same time.