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External HD VS Flash Drive Sound Quality Question

Hi have an Oppo BDP-95. I am up to around 25 Flash drives which is getting ridiculous.

2 questions (hoping for folks who know the definitive answers; I have my own guesses, bu that's all they are.)

1. HD Tracks has written that the Flash drives sound better than any spinning disc or drive due to lack of jitter from lack of a spinning disc. Is that accurate?

2. I have noticed a new generation of external hd's that get all there power through the USB port, & do not require an out board power supply.

A. Would there be any detectable sonic difference either way? If so, which is better: the cheap wall wort power supplies or getting power solely through the USB line?

B. The Western Digital USB drives with no power supply have a proprietary cable that looks quite cheap. Would the lack of an audiophile USB cable be sonically problematic?

I'm basically trying to decide whether to ditch the lash drives or a USB hard drive; & if so whether to go with a powered or unpowered drive. A couple +'s re the new WD's: they are teeny & they run cooler than the Seagates I've used.
moomoo
rlwainwright
1,904 posts
 
First of all, jitter is not caused by spinning discs, that is nonsense.

Secondly, I prefer USB drives that have their own power supply. You are not subject to the noisy environment that is prevalent in most PCs. Also, an outboard power supply is preferable to drawing current from the USB ports.

Finally, try not to get too caught up in the audio nervosa that seems to plague many folks on this forum. If it sounds good to you sit back and enjoy it, don't worry what others think...

-RW-
moomoo OP
81 posts
 
My spelling is pathetic!
almarg's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
almarg
9,670 posts
 
Hoping for folks who know the definitive answers; I have my own guesses, but that's all they are.
IMO the only folks who would know the definitive answers are those who have carefully compared a variety of recent generation drives from different manufacturers, some of which utilize wall wart power supplies and some of which utilize power from the USB bus, and have compared them using an Oppo BDP-95 or another similar Oppo player. In other words, just about nobody.

IF any of the alternatives you described make any difference, IMO it would be the result of coupling of electrical noise from the drive and/or its cable and/or its power supply to unrelated circuit points within the BDP-95, and possibly to points elsewhere in the system. And/or effects within the BDP-95 that may result from the fluctuating current drawn from it by the drive, in the case of a bus powered drive.

Noise effects don't have a great deal of predictability. And I see no reason to expect much if any consistency between experiences that may be reported with computer setups and what can be expected with your Oppo.

Personally, I'd just follow the advice RW offered in his last paragraph.

Regards,
-- Al
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