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Yw-slayer
October 1st, 2015, 04:59 AM
I'll start.

Kef store is having a birthday sale the next few days, so stuff is 25% off. I'm planning to pick up some Digital Eggs for the office, and maybe some other stuff if it catches my fancy.

thesameguy
October 1st, 2015, 07:04 AM
I am just really not on board with all the wireless speaker hoopla. Every one I have deployed has sucked for one reason or another - either a great speaker company doesn't know software or a software company doesn't know audio*. I want cohesive system of speakers like Sonos, but one that doesn't suck sweaty balls. Why someone doesn't make a Sonos-esque system that has quality 100w or 300w or something amps is beyond me. The number of those things I could have placed here in 2015 is unreal.

* Somehow, Logitech gets a nod here for marrying pretty ok software to pretty ok speakers.

Kchrpm
October 1st, 2015, 11:50 AM
*fingers crossed for Chromecast Audio*

TheBenior
October 1st, 2015, 12:24 PM
* Somehow, Logitech gets a nod here for marrying pretty ok software to pretty ok speakers.

Mmm... adequate.

Yw-slayer
October 1st, 2015, 12:45 PM
I fell out of love with my Logitech 2.1 set pretty quickly. I know what tsg means about odd wireless setups though. The new Sonos 5 is interesting but I doubt it can be properly called hifi. I don't think the Eggs can either, but it's ok, I have my floorstanders at home for that.

Mr Wonder
October 3rd, 2015, 03:17 AM
I am just really not on board with all the wireless speaker hoopla. Every one I have deployed has sucked for one reason or another - either a great speaker company doesn't know software or a software company doesn't know audio*. I want cohesive system of speakers like Sonos, but one that doesn't suck sweaty balls. Why someone doesn't make a Sonos-esque system that has quality 100w or 300w or something amps is beyond me. The number of those things I could have placed here in 2015 is unreal.

* Somehow, Logitech gets a nod here for marrying pretty ok software to pretty ok speakers.I'm with you on this. A friend of mine has a very extensive Sonos system throughout his house. It seems convenient at first, and it's got serious initial wow factor, but it sounds awful. Bad sounding music in every room in the house only if you fiddle with your phone doesn't really appeal.
And I'm not sure if the quality of these things increase all that much with price. I was recently at a freshly remodelled, stupidly expensive apartment where the owner was showing me his new wireless system. Lots of wow factor, but a giant pain in the arse to actually use once you got past that. It took maybe twenty seconds to turn the volume down in the room we were in. Sure for a party you can kind of set it and forget it, but for casual use it's pretty silly. Also it's all Apple based which really irks me. For example there was an iphone in a waterproof housing built into the wall of the wetroom. That seems like it'll be future proof...

And it didn't sound great.
It was okay, and I accept that my standards are higher than others, but I wouldn't be happy if that noise came from my current setup let alone a six figure effort.

Kchrpm
October 3rd, 2015, 08:35 AM
Beauty of Chromecast Audio: $35 a piece, you plug it in via optical (or RCA or 3.5 mm) to whatever sound system you want/already have. Will be important to see how good the multiroom sync is, of course, this will be the first time they've done it.

Yw-slayer
October 3rd, 2015, 07:48 PM
If it properly transferred Tidal or Spotify over an optical in then I could see it doing quite well for USD35. But it's 3.5mm or RCA only, so mad failz.+

I bought the Eggs and they're fine for the office. Also some M400s which I'm breaking in now. I also pre-ordered the KEF Muo BT speaker (not hi-fi, but whatever) for fun as they throw in a free pair of KEF M100s with the purchase, so why not. Picking those up next week.

Kchrpm
October 4th, 2015, 04:47 AM
Tidal and Spotify won't work on the Chromecast Audio's optical output?

Yw-slayer
October 4th, 2015, 05:24 AM
Spotify will work over an AUX output. For the purposes of this thread, it's like buying a monster computer and only allowing it to connect over a 6Mbps connection. Better than nothing but far from ideal.

Kchrpm
October 4th, 2015, 06:11 AM
I'm confused. I have seen nothing on the Chromecast Audio that says anything about different services being limited to only working with the analog outputs, and Spotify was one of the services they demoed it with. Tidal's app doesn't support Chromecast yet, but it's supposedly going to be out shortly.

https://www.google.com/intl/en_us/chromecast/speakers/#?discover

Oh, I see, Spotify didn't support Chromecast until these new devices: http://venturebeat.com/2015/09/29/spotify-now-works-with-googles-chromecast-and-chromecast-audio/

Yw-slayer
October 4th, 2015, 06:45 AM
Ah, my understanding was that the Chromecast Audio ONLY had an analog output, but apparently this http://asia.pcmag.com/sonos-play1/6494/review/google-chromecast-audio says that it also has "support for optical audio". If it has an optical out (which is not particularly clear from the Google webpage), then fine. In fact I might get one or two myself.

Kchrpm
October 4th, 2015, 09:15 AM
It does support optical audio, and it says it on that page, it has a graphic just below the lead video showing the three types of inputs: RCA, 3.5 mm and Optical.

Yw-slayer
October 4th, 2015, 10:29 PM
I don't see the graphic on my iPad and don't remember seeing it beforehand, and I think you mean OUTPUT rather than input. Anyway, I'll wait for someone to confirm it by having done it in a review rather than a lame pcmag spread connecting it to a Sound Blaster Roar speaker...

thesameguy
October 5th, 2015, 09:23 AM
What I don't understand is why none of these devices offer Logitech Smarthub-esque control of whatever they're plugged into. The "nice thing" about Sonos is that it's self-contained, so you can push a button and make sound come out of the other side of the house. Chromecast Audio is useless-ish because I still have to walk across the house to turn the amp on. These things need to have the ability to at least control those components or they aren't saving anyone anything. I just don't understand how they continually overlook that component. Conversely, I don't understand why Logitech sells a "wireless speaker adapter" (Bluetooth receiver with an audio output) but doesn't integrate that functionality into the Smart Hub. Everybody is halfway there, nobody has reached the end goal.

All the wireless speakers are stupid if you already have nice speaker and an amp - and they don't sound as good
All the wireless speaker adapters are stupid because you still can't turn on your amp or control volume from far away
All the wireless audio systems are stupid because they don't actually have good amps
All the universal remote hubs are stupid because they don't support audio transport

Why can't someone just put all the pieces together? So annoying. I'm not buying anything til someone gets this shit sorted out into a cohesive environment.

Kchrpm
October 5th, 2015, 10:04 AM
Chromecasts (and presumably Chromecast 2s) have HDMI CEC functionality, so they can turn on your amp (and put it on the right input) if it also supports CEC. You can also control volume from the device you're casting from (phone/tablet/computer).

thesameguy
October 5th, 2015, 11:00 AM
Problem is that anyone with a decent remote is going to have CEC disabled since a) it's not universally supported and b) it totally messes up universal remotes. It's great if you have two components with good compatibility, but for most people it's more trouble than it's worth. Also, controlling volume from the audio source doesn't make any sense, though. You want the amp doing the work, not screwing with line-level volume. If CEC and input volume fiddling were the only ways that existed to do things I'd feel differently, but since actual solutions to these problems have existed for a really long time, I just don't understand why someone won't integrate it all together.

That said, knowing nothing about it, how do you distringuish between five or six Chromecasts deployed in a single environment? I can use Logitech's Smarthubs named "Living Room" and "Bedroom" to control devices in those locations. Sonos works the same way. How do I control which Chromecast I am broadcasting to?

Kchrpm
October 5th, 2015, 11:31 AM
RE: CEC and its limitations and a need for something better, I am reminded of this xkcd comic:
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/standards.png

RE: how do you control multiple in the same environment: you name the Chromecasts. When you're in whatever media app and press the cast button, it pops up a menu asking which one you'd like to cast to.

You can also pull up the Chromecast app and see all the connected devices and what they're currently showing/playing.

thesameguy
October 7th, 2015, 12:08 PM
Good to know. I think I shall try one or two at some point this year. FireTV has totally displaced AppleTV as my go-to recommendation as it keeps getting better, and AppleTV just keeps doing the same thing.

That said, I'd be interested at some point to do a qualitative analysis of audio from various devices... I feel like there is a wide variation here, and one reason why I really like my wireless doodad to be discrete from the rest of the audio system. I have a couple BT/APTX "dongles" around that just take wireless audio in and put optical audio out. That's about the best solution - but none of these bloody devices provide any way to distinguish one from the other. Chromecast Audio might fix that.

Yw-slayer
October 8th, 2015, 09:21 AM
Well, I unpacked the Muo and I was surprised at how big it is. Probably the same size as a Fugoo.

Its first 2 hours of use were spent keeping me company while doing inventory in my wine cellar. I can report that it plays 80s and 90s pop hits with verve and keeps one involved. It is an enjoyable and musical BT speaker.

21Kid
October 9th, 2015, 11:28 AM
Not really a fan of wireless speakers, but I found this that others might like...

Sonos plans for a "brighter and brighter" wireless music future (http://www.whathifi.com/news/sonos-plans-brighter-and-brighter-wireless-music-future)

With the new Play:5, Sonos is replacing an existing product for the first time, and its not shy about its intentions.

"The new Play:5 was made to crush the original," says Jon Reilly, senior product manager at Sonos. “We wanted to improve everything – we wanted more power, deeper bass, and a broader soundfield. This is the most powerful speaker we’ve ever introduced, and it will play cleaner and deeper than even the Playbar. If you do an A/B between this and the original, the difference is just ‘wow’."

Kchrpm
October 9th, 2015, 11:49 AM
For how much they're going to charge, I hope it crushes the original.

Yw-slayer
October 9th, 2015, 11:59 AM
Usd500 for a speaker is cheap as chips.

21Kid
October 9th, 2015, 01:36 PM
:lol: Maybe for a baller like you.

Yw-slayer
October 9th, 2015, 08:01 PM
I mean for higher-end audio.
.

Kchrpm
October 9th, 2015, 08:13 PM
It's all relative. High end audio to many means getting a $500 receiver, not $500/each speakers.

Yw-slayer
October 9th, 2015, 09:14 PM
Usd500 POWERED speakers with other non-audio electronics built in.

thesameguy
October 9th, 2015, 10:13 PM
There is nothing that is $500 in quality or performance about any existing Sonos product. It's just the only player in its market, so what choice do you have?

THIS IS WHAT I KEEP SAYING!

Yw-slayer
October 9th, 2015, 10:35 PM
Nothing. Hence why they get away with charging usd500.

21Kid
October 13th, 2015, 06:34 AM
Like when Bose first came out?

It will happen if there's a market for it. ;)

thesameguy
October 13th, 2015, 09:53 AM
Bose did a great job marketing "pop" speakers as high-end gear for sure. Sonos at least has *a* technology. Their software management of mediocre speakers is the only game in town and is really pretty good. Their failure is the hardware, which I can't for the life of me figure out who it's *actually* aimed at.

Yw-slayer
October 13th, 2015, 11:31 AM
Yeah, it's interesting. My father alternates between buying stuff like Bose, then sometimes he goes high-end with Mark Levinson amp, Paradigm floorstanders, etc. Then sometimes he goes mid-range like with the B&W Zeppelin (which admittedly I bought him) and the MM-1 computer speakers (probably high-end for computer speakers).

I guess I'm somewhat similar in that I own a range of stuff. I wouldn't sacrifice my floorstanders, even though I don't often listen to them at high-volume and even though they're only hooked up to an A/V receiver. The poppiest things I have are Soul Combat headphones (for Gym Gainz y0). I have 2 Sonos Connect boxes, but they're just sources so unless you believe in digital jitter (which I don't) the sound should be exactly the same as running it from any digital source, right?

Yw-slayer
October 16th, 2015, 10:41 PM
A few guys are doing some higher-end versions of Sonos. The Paradigm system looks interesting.
http://www.paradigm.com/wireless/?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email-427&utm_content=Link

Sad, little man
September 13th, 2016, 05:04 PM
Oh god, an M-510 popped up on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Onkyo-M-510-Grand-Integra-Audiophile-Vintage-Monster-Amplifier-/272370880225?hash=item3f6a91cee1:g:FJYAAOSwMgdX02n D

It has two power cords for god's sake. It requires freight shipping. :o

What a beautiful way to melt one's face off.

thesameguy
September 13th, 2016, 07:14 PM
It's a nice bit of kit, but 1200w@1Ω isn't all that much power. That's only 300w per channel with common 8Ω hifi speakers. The 1Ω stability is nice, but you'd be building some really oddball custom jobbies to take advantage.

Sad, little man
September 14th, 2016, 01:16 PM
Judging older hifi equipment by modern standards is not a very valid comparison. Numbers today have become much more fudged than they were in that era.

Admittedly all the relevant info is not in that ebay auction, but that amp puts out 300W RMS to each channel at 0.005% THD! So that is 300 continuous watts with incredibly low distortion, even at that power. Most modern amplifiers don't even publish what amount of distortion their amps make at the rated power. However, this one does:

http://www.onkyousa.com/Products/model.php?m=M-5000R&class=Reference

That is Onkyo's current power amp, and it produces only 100W per channel at... Wait for it... 1% THD.

So at the rated power output of that new amp, which is only a third of the M-510, it is putting out 20 times more distortion than the M-510. At half power, only 50W, it is still rated at 0.02% THD! At half power, this amp is producing four times the distortion of the M-510 at its full rated power of 300W!



So yes, 300W is a lot of power when it's being made with only 0.005% THD. That is an amp that is built to produce that much power comfortably, without distortion. Most new stuff is pushing out way more distortion at its rated specs.

In any case, what on earth kind of speakers are you actually running that would handle 300W anyway? This is Paradigm's most expensive floorstanding speaker, weighing 100lbs each, and it is only rated to handle an input power of 250W.

http://www.paradigm.com/products-current/type=tower/model=signature-s8/page=specs

So, the M-510 would put out 50 more watts than those speakers could handle, and it could do so cleanly, at 0.005% THD.

thesameguy
September 14th, 2016, 01:50 PM
Judging older hifi equipment by modern standards is not a very valid comparison. Numbers today have become much more fudged than they were in that era.

Admittedly all the relevant info is not in that ebay auction, but that amp puts out 300W RMS to each channel at 0.005% THD! So that is 300 continuous watts with incredibly low distortion, even at that power. Most modern amplifiers don't even publish what amount of distortion their amps make at the rated power. However, this one does:

http://www.onkyousa.com/Products/model.php?m=M-5000R&class=Reference

That is Onkyo's current power amp, and it produces only 100W per channel at... Wait for it... 1% THD.

So at the rated power output of that new amp, which is only a third of the M-510, it is putting out 20 times more distortion than the M-510. At half power, only 50W, it is still rated at 0.02% THD! At half power, this amp is producing four times the distortion of the M-510 at its full rated power of 300W!

So yes, 300W is a lot of power when it's being made with only 0.005% THD. That is an amp that is built to produce that much power comfortably, without distortion. Most new stuff is pushing out way more distortion at its rated specs.

In any case, what on earth kind of speakers are you actually running that would handle 300W anyway? This is Paradigm's most expensive floorstanding speaker, weighing 100lbs each, and it is only rated to handle an input power of 250W.

http://www.paradigm.com/products-current/type=tower/model=signature-s8/page=specs

So, the M-510 would put out 50 more watts than those speakers could handle, and it could do so cleanly, at 0.005% THD.

Understood, but you're not going to melt your face off with 300w. That's not a big number.

As someone who grew up surrounded by high end audio gear (my dad is both a gadget freak and a multi-decade veteran of Pioneer Electronics) I'd also question your assertion that specs are more fudged now than before. There is very little that we, as humans, measure less accurately in 2016 than 1986. A lot of specs from that era were based on math rather than actual measurement, and that combined with several decades of wear and age on analog circuits and you'll likely find c1980 specs to be... optimistic.

Sad, little man
September 14th, 2016, 02:11 PM
I meant "fudged" as in publishing an amplifier power spec that was taken at a level of distortion that's 20 times greater than a spec that was published back then. And as bad as their math might have been back then, I doubt they were off by that much.

What does your dad working at Pioneer have to do with any of this?

thesameguy
September 14th, 2016, 02:30 PM
I meant "fudged" as in publishing an amplifier power spec that was taken at a level of distortion that's 20 times greater than a spec that was published back then. And as bad as their math might have been back then, I doubt they were off by that much.

What does your dad working at Pioneer have to do with any of this?

Because we had (and I still have) a lot of '70s and '80s era hifi gear, have personally watched a lot of it age, and understand to some non-scientific degree how accurate or inaccurate published specs were and how they apply to what's happening now. Spec reporting back in the day was highly optimistic because nobody had the ability to measure or challenge. These days, if you advertise a spec you better be able to back it up because someone will call you on it. 1200w@1Ω@0.005% THD in 1980's marketing materials doesn't hold a lot of water with me. It's like the 340hp SAE gross my Cadillac supposedly makes. Both sure look good in print.

Sad, little man
September 14th, 2016, 03:29 PM
Well I own the M-508, the little brother to this amp, and I've personally heard it sound much clearer at much louder volumes than any modern amp I've heard, at least from a mainstream electronics company like Onkyo. I'm sure the exotic brands that cost $5000+ are better.

thesameguy
September 14th, 2016, 04:18 PM
If your ear is good enough to hear the difference between 1% and anything less, you should start a blog.

drew
September 14th, 2016, 04:32 PM
That makes me think of the $400 wooden "Hi-fi" volume knob.

Seriously, if you have super-human hearing, sure.... But for the 99.999999999999% of the rest of us....

Considering the bulk of my listening stock is hardcore/hate music....a lot of the elitist "hi-fi" is lost on me. My system is more aimed at home theater anyway.

That being said, I just got a Yamaha RX-A760 a couple weeks ago, from a local brick and mortar (was more surprised there is still ONE to be found anywhere). Left the house, bought it, returned, and got it swapped out with the old one, all before she got back from the grocery store.

She didn't notice it's a different receiver.

thesameguy
September 14th, 2016, 04:42 PM
Indeed.

http://gizmodo.com/363154/audiophile-deathmatch-monster-cables-vs-a-coat-hanger


Further, when music was played through the coat hanger wire, we were asked if what we heard sounded good to us. All agreed that what was heard sounded excellent, however, when A-B tests occured, it was impossible to determine which sounded best the majority of the time and which wire was in use.

If it sounds better to you that's great, but the best ears in the most controlled environments can maybe reliably detect 1% vs. 2%, but 1% vs. .1%? Nope. We're just not that good.

Mr Wonder
September 15th, 2016, 11:46 AM
Amplifier distortion figures are for dick waving on the internet; most people will struggle to hear 1% THD in a lab, with a test signal. With actual music? Not a chance. I seem to recall 5% or maybe 10% before it could be heard in music.
However suppose for a minute it's a real thing. Well the bad news is that your speakers are introducing at least an order of magnitude more distortion into the final output. It's like trying to eek out the last 20 bhp out of a top fuel dragster shod with crossplys on the rear - it's not the bottleneck.

thesameguy
September 15th, 2016, 03:06 PM
Well the bad news is that your speakers are introducing at least an order of magnitude more distortion into the final output.

Forget the speakers - the room is the weak link! :D

21Kid
December 14th, 2016, 06:35 AM
I just learned that there are new Dolby Atmos and DTS-X sound processing technologies (https://www.cnet.com/news/dts-x-the-dolby-atmos-alternative-explained/). Does anyone have any experience in them yet? I'm wondering if they will catch on. It sounds intriguing. Instead of surround sound on a strictly horizontal plane. They are adding height, to make it truly surround you in 3D.
http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2015/10/2d-surround-sound-100624984-orig.jpg
Atmos actually uses more speakers to direct sound from above, either with speakers in/on the ceiling, or bouncing the sound upwards. While DTS-X does it through processing power, using your existing speakers.
http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/artman2/uploads/5/yamaha_config600.jpg
I'm not sure how good DTS-X would be compared to Atmos. Part of the draw to me, would be to take some of the sound elements out of the main speakers and use them in the new overhead speakers. I don't see how they can direct an explosion on the right, and a chopper flying overhead-right, from the same speaker.

DTS:X has no official requirements for the number of speakers or their locations in your room. Simply arrange your speaker system to best fit your space. Then let the receiver’s auto-calibration and object-based surround processor sort out the details. It will determine where to best send dialogue and sound effects.

DTS:X also lets you manually adjust sound objects. You can boost hard-to-hear dialogue above other sounds in your center channel. That’s a big plus over simply turning up the center channel volume.
[edit: Gah!!! Stupid big picture]

thesameguy
December 14th, 2016, 09:48 AM
I see more applications for DTS-X that Atmos. I think Atmos is the more theater-esque technology, but most people I know have six speaker systems and haven't even moved to nine... now they're being asked to move to 11-14? I don't see it happening.

drew
December 14th, 2016, 11:33 AM
Being in an apartment, the added shit on the new receiver is lost. I need a house. I miss watching movies at proper theater volume and earthquake levels.

21Kid
December 14th, 2016, 12:10 PM
Heh. Just saw this too. Good timing. :lol:


Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that Dolby Atmos surround sound support was coming to the Xbox One -- but only for Blu-ray playback, and only for those enrolled in the console's preview program. Today, though, the company says that it'll soon offer full Dolby Atmos support for games on both the Xbox One and in Windows 10.

Yw-slayer
December 14th, 2016, 06:34 PM
I see more applications for DTS-X that Atmos. I think Atmos is the more theater-esque technology, but most people I know have six speaker systems and haven't even moved to nine... now they're being asked to move to 11-14? I don't see it happening.

I still only have a 5.1 system that I was always happy with and which is now almost never used.

thesameguy
December 14th, 2016, 07:22 PM
I own a 5.1 system, but it was reduced to a 3.1 system seven years ago. IIRC sometime in 2014 I cared, but it's been a while. I will probably add the two rear speakers back in next year or the year after when we remodel that room. But, you know, who cares? :lol:

Yw-slayer
December 14th, 2016, 10:46 PM
Exactly. The last time I seriously rocked out big-time was, I think, in mid-2015. I just played some metal (audio only) to myself when everyone else was out of the house and headbanged.

drew
December 15th, 2016, 03:27 AM
I've had 7.1/11.1/7.2 (seriously two subs?!) capably systems for years, but never went more than the standard 5.1.

Given the shape of our current living room anyway, the surrounds are sitting on the floor behind the couch. No clue where I'd put 2-4 more...

The fucking cat would probably eat the wires anyway.

21Kid
December 15th, 2016, 06:23 AM
I have a 7.1 system. I don't think the other two surrounds do anything to help above 5.1, really. Most of them probably aren't even mastered in 7.1, because no one uses it. They just make up the stuff in the other channels most of the time... which is kind of what I see DTS-X being like.

Drew, Atmos can use 2 front & rear up firing speakers (that sit atop the regular fronts/rears) to create the overhead sound. They bounce the sound off the ceiling. So, you wouldn't need to find more room for them, just wiring.
http://images.crutchfieldonline.com/ImageHandler/trim/620/378/products/2016/20/714/g714RP140SA-o_other.jpghttps://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTQo98MiEn4fP2fwd_fTX5AGA-JYGidOgrkusk7TC2P8gvND0Xm

21Kid
December 15th, 2016, 06:26 AM
Looking for those images, I found Drew's dream room...

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/imagehosting/1766253efbc55394c3.jpg

drew
December 15th, 2016, 08:22 AM
Too many seats. Just needs a comfy recliner and a flip-n-fuck.

21Kid
December 15th, 2016, 10:27 AM
Nobody's perfect!!! :mad:

drew
December 15th, 2016, 12:40 PM
Well, in my defense, [I]every[I] room should have a F-n-F.

:finger:

CudaMan
August 7th, 2018, 09:24 PM
Bump.

It's been 14 years with my original music/ht system. Part of selling the blue car was to fund an upgrade in this department. Originally it was just going to be new speakers. One thing has led to another and now I have a Parasound integrated, a bit of room treatment about to go up (for first order reflections), and I'm currently auditioning 3 pairs of tower speakers. Yikes. :lol:

A friend of mine locally is really into this stuff and is in the local circles. His system, curated skillfully over a couple decades, is amazing in ways one has to hear to believe. Sounds better than a $50k+ system I've heard. So anyway he's been helping with this process. I feel like the newb who doesn't know how to set up a car to handle well and would just throw parts at it half blindly. :lol: My goal is to get 80-90% as engaging as my friend's "reference" system without spending a ton.

Emotiva T2 towers and Q Acoustics 3050i towers are battling it out daily. The Chane A5.4s had incredibly inert cabinets and great bass extension and quality, just lacked in midrange fullness. Maybe with old tube gear they'd sound more to my liking. But I've just boxed them up to go back.

P.S. - My CD player is :random:
3114

CudaMan
October 28th, 2019, 11:05 PM
Guess I should update this. :)

For anyone wondering, a DAC can make a great difference. That little silver unit in the pic above is a brilliant little box. It's Schiit Audio's "baby" DAC, the Modi Multibit. It makes a big difference and I definitely prefer it over the DAC in the most excellent Parasound HINT 6 integrated.

After all that speaker auditioning the Q Acoustics 3050i were crowned kings of my music room and took up residence there. Not many months after that, my friend decided to let his old Snell E/III speakers go. Sneakily, he performed this fleecing by first bringing them to my house to listen to them in my room on my system. :) They didn't do some things as well as the Qs, but I was overall really enjoying the vintage sound 'signature' of the Snells so much I bought them off of him. For any CA residents here who didn't see it on FB, I'm selling the Qs for a couple hundred less than new even though they don't have many miles on them. PM me if interested. New they're $840. I kinda wanted to keep them, but figured I'm not really using them and I could put the money elsewhere.

My living room (where the TV is) retained the trusty old bargain Fluance speakers, the SVS subwoofer, and Denon surround receiver - all from 2004 and all still kicking butt. I did *finally* run additional speaker wire in the living room to hook up the surround speakers for the first time in years. Promptly watched the Mexican GP in 5.1 surround and it was pretty engaging. :up: Later I switched the PS4 settings from PCM to Bitstream DTS. Which promptly introduced a noticeable delay in audio. It's HDMI to the TV and the TV outputs sound via either optical or analog to the receiver. My guess is the TV (a few years old Vizio) is causing a delay in the pass through of surround audio. I'll hook up an optical cable directly from the PS4 to the receiver and see if that helps.

During the intro movies in GT Sport, I was really loving the DTS sound. I understand it's technically compressed audio but it sounded much more alive than PCM for me - perhaps because of the bargain RadioShack cable I'm using for analog out from TV.

Yw-slayer
October 29th, 2019, 07:30 AM
Can't say I've really been into this for a while, but it was good to listen to my KEF M400s today. They really show how musical things can be.

JoeW
October 29th, 2019, 07:59 AM
Yeah I was into the high end sound for awhile...then I had kids. Haven’t used any of it since and sold most of it away to fund camera equipment for the business.

I copied all my CDs to my PC and listen to them on my devices via Apple Match.

CudaMan
October 29th, 2019, 06:25 PM
Great sound is extra engaging. When I'm in FL I miss it, and I return home to hear balance, detail, and dynamics again and it's like having a gourmet meal after weeks of crummy fast food. :)


Later I switched the PS4 settings from PCM to Bitstream DTS. Which promptly introduced a noticeable delay in audio. It's HDMI to the TV and the TV outputs sound via either optical or analog to the receiver. My guess is the TV (a few years old Vizio) is causing a delay in the pass through of surround audio. I'll hook up an optical cable directly from the PS4 to the receiver and see if that helps.
This was the answer. All good now. :)

JoeW
October 30th, 2019, 12:26 PM
Yeah I love the hifi sound but no real opportunities to immerse myself with 2 kids running around all the time.

CudaMan
November 5th, 2019, 08:50 AM
You don't want to listen to children's songs in HiFi? :p

JoeW
November 5th, 2019, 10:01 AM
Lol...at the time it was more about being quiet.

JoeW
May 21st, 2021, 02:41 AM
Anyone familiar with modern high end components? Specifically the modern replacement for the CD player: the HD music streaming.

I used to have:
2 Floorstander Speakers
1 CD Player
1 Preamp/Processor
1 2 Channel Amp

But nowadays I have read the best sound comes from HD Audio streaming services over the old CD. So what piece of equipment replaces the CD player and gets the HD Audio stream into Pre Amp/Processor?

Kchrpm
May 21st, 2021, 04:30 AM
https://www.crutchfield.com/learn/high-resolution-audio-guide.html#What%20you%20need%20to%20play%20it

JoeW
May 21st, 2021, 11:22 AM
That looks like it focuses on more on the app side from a computer. I'm looking for more of stand alone components that would sit with the other stereo components.

FaultyMario
May 21st, 2021, 11:32 AM
Come to the poor side of town (http://gtxforums.net/showthread.php?1685-Low-or-lower-end-audio-Or-middle-But-not-high).

Kchrpm
May 21st, 2021, 07:42 PM
That looks like it focuses on more on the app side from a computer. I'm looking for more of stand alone components that would sit with the other stereo components.

Maybe it didn't automatically take you to the section that I linked to.


High-resolution digital music players like Sony’s HAP-Z1ES (https://www.crutchfield.com/p_158HAPZ1ES/Sony-HAP-Z1ES.html?search=HAP-Z1ES&skipvs=T) and network audio streamers (https://www.crutchfield.com/g_320350/Network-Music-Players.html) let you enjoy high-resolution music through your home stereo system.

The Bluesound Vault 2i is a streaming music player with a built-in CD ripper and a 2TB hard drive. It lets you access TIDAL (including their high-res MQA service tier). It can also store downloads from high-res music sites. You can enjoy high-res music without involving a computer.

JoeW
May 21st, 2021, 07:57 PM
There we go. Thanks!

JoeW
March 19th, 2022, 04:06 PM
So I am still putting together a dream list of components for a good 2.1 channel stereo system.

And I saw this item here...

https://nadelectronics.com/product/c-399/

This seems like a good pre/pro/amp/streamer single unit. I was originally going to get (well...dreaming) a preamp/processor, a 2 ch amp in the 150-200wpc range, and a streamer like the Bluenote. But this NAD looks to be the bees knees and can do all of that in the $2500 range. The reviews are quite good thus far. Should be all I need seeing as how I am not a full on HiFi high end guy...especially since I don't have the budget for a $50k system. But maybe if I can scrape together $5k in a couple of years I can get couple of floorstanders in the $1500-2000/pair range and a halfway decent sub for $500-750 to pick up the real lows.