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Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

naughtycomputer.uk

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Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#381

Post by anotheryou »

mlindner wrote: post #284
alanpage wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Test your system (and your room) with this audio quality quiz, comparing lossless audio with several compressed bit rate streams [1]. With my 50-year old ears, and an outboard DAC/amp and audiophile magnetic planar headphones, I could only score 50%. That said, switching between Spotify and Tidal on the same track, I hear a pretty big difference. The lossless music has a depth that just isn't there on the compressed…

I think some of it is whether you're used to listening to the type of music. All those samples are types of music I don't normally listen to and thus scored 0%. They're also mostly low-information songs that are vocal-heavy. Vocal-heavy music is very easy to compress compared to say something like electronic or EDM type music which will easily create distortion with lower bitrates.

I agree. counter-intuitively I heard the biggest difference in the base

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#382

Post by anotheryou »

nathan_f77 wrote: post #323
nathan_f77 wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got 4 / 6 with some old Apple EarPods plugged into my laptop. I think it was probably just luck, because I picked the 128kbps MP3 for both of the ones that I got wrong. It's fun to think that I might be able to distinguish between uncompressed audio and 320kbps MP3. I didn't think it was possible. I had a hearing test recently, and they did say that I have better than average hearing. But yeah it was probably just…

Whoa I just put on a nicer pair of headphones (Plantronics BackBeat Pro), and I think I might be able to tell the difference between uncompressed audio and 320kbps MP3. I just did this test and got the first two right: https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/5/15168340/lossless-audio-mu... The third one was really tricky so I had to guess. But the first two were a really clear difference. Uncompressed kind of sounds "fuller"…

too bad they don't randomize the sample order, makes the public % of people getting it right useless.

The first sample surprised me on how much of a difference it was, on the 2nd I was wrong, on the 3rd completely lost, but I guess that's by design.

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#383

Post by anotheryou »

alanpage wrote: post #242
anotheryou wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you do a blind test on spotify's high quality vs lossless? At least with 320mp3s I could only get it right with certain songs and not too consistently. I'd say my room treatment has a far bigger impact. (but regarding hardware I'm totally with you and haven't found the source of my rather high noise floor either)

Test your system (and your room) with this audio quality quiz, comparing lossless audio with several compressed bit rate streams [1]. With my 50-year old ears, and an outboard DAC/amp and audiophile magnetic planar headphones, I could only score 50%. That said, switching between Spotify and Tidal on the same track, I hear a pretty big difference. The lossless music has a depth that just isn't there on the compressed…

I'd say it's nearly impossible to compare that way, because the volume hast to be precisely the same (louder always sounds better).

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#384

Post by [deleted] »

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #339
jstarfish wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those aren't positives. It does nobody any good to have 1000 books on a single device if the whole thing is subject to revocation, especially when you paid full retail price for the privilege of being allowed to read it. This is regression. Previously you paid your $10 and received a paper book. You could read it, re-read it, lend it, sell it, or burn it for warmth. You owned it for as long as you kept it dehydrated.…

It does nobody any good to have 1000 books on a single device if the whole thing is subject to revocation, especially when you paid full retail price for the privilege of being allowed to read it. This is regression. What? You can still buy the paperback book, tons of my kindle books are $10 or less, and it very clearly benefits me , which is why I buy tons of Kindle books.

[deleted]

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#385

Post by ryanwaggoner »

Declanomous wrote: post #358
ryanwaggoner wrote: post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does nobody any good to have 1000 books on a single device if the whole thing is subject to revocation, especially when you paid full retail price for the privilege of being allowed to read it. This is regression. What? You can still buy the paperback book, tons of my kindle books are $10 or less, and it very clearly benefits me , which is why I buy tons of Kindle books.

You don't own the book itself though, you own a license to the book. The doctrine of first sale does not apply, and they can revoke your license at any time. They have revoked licenses in the past and deleted books from people's devices. I know you have a physical file that contains the book, but that file is secured with DRM.

I’m aware, but I don’t really care. I judge the risk to be really small, and the convenience to more than make up for it. And since I can still get the physical book if I choose, it’s hard to argue that this extra option with its pros and cons is a regression.

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#386

Post by PSZD »

alanpage wrote: post #242
anotheryou wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you do a blind test on spotify's high quality vs lossless? At least with 320mp3s I could only get it right with certain songs and not too consistently. I'd say my room treatment has a far bigger impact. (but regarding hardware I'm totally with you and haven't found the source of my rather high noise floor either)

Test your system (and your room) with this audio quality quiz, comparing lossless audio with several compressed bit rate streams [1]. With my 50-year old ears, and an outboard DAC/amp and audiophile magnetic planar headphones, I could only score 50%. That said, switching between Spotify and Tidal on the same track, I hear a pretty big difference. The lossless music has a depth that just isn't there on the compressed…

I got 2/6 right, the 4 wrong were 320kbps. Using the cheap-but-decent shp9500s and no dac, but quite good hearing. I'd chalk it up to having been listening to almost exclusively streamed 320kbps, it was interesting to note that the 4 I got wrong were because I discarded the more 'neutral' toned one which was actually lossless.

The 128kbps was of course very easy to pick out.

I'm of the opinion that 320 vs lossless is meaningless enough to not really bother, but I know for some tracks it was trivial for me to tell the different. Mostly it was the very complex/atmospheric tracks, Mind In A Box being a good example, where 320 lost a notable amount of quality. Probably others like Ne Obliviscaris as well.

The biggest problem with Spotify is that not all of their library is available at 320kbps.

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#387

Post by shaan7 »

pdimitar wrote: post #123
shaan7 wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1 on "hate doesn't work". Just adding a perspective that you might be missing. The stuff that OP described doesn't really feel like "work" to him. To him its the exact thing you described - it helps him recharge - so that he can go back to "work" the next day :) [P.S. "I do enough programming already, thank you." doesn't help as well. To get an idea of how sad it is to read, imagine if someone tells an artist "I do…

Yep, I know it helps them recharge. But I find it sad how oblivious they sometimes are that others might be so beat up that they need an almost passive recharge. :( As for my programming, I actually do some small work outside of work hours on my own enthusiastic basis. But I have to tell you, even this minor 4-5h a week thing took me years of recharging and healing before I felt the passion for the first time in year…

(As an aside, we the techies need non-tech hobbies but that's just an opinion.) +1 to that as well. I've picked cooking and it has been awesome :D

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#388

Post by fb03 »

culot wrote: post #301
kakarot wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Checked out the AG06 but it has internal DSP and other things I don't really need, plus it seemed like more of an audio interface than a sound card, do you have any recommendations for balanced audio usb external cards without all of the extra stuff?

I think that's what Schiit specializes in.

I've researched this brand and could only find devices sporting RCA outputs (like Fulla or Bifrost). You need a proper XLR balanced output (3 wires) for balanced.

In that regard, the AG06 is much cheaper than any of the offerings i'm finding from Schiit.

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#389

Post by fb03 »

kakarot wrote: post #297
fb03 wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only way I found to minimize/eliminate HISS while using high quality monitors/pro speakers is to pair them with a proper external USB Audio Card. Those External Audio Cards receive the signal in digital form, thus free of any noise they could pick up in the process. These are decoded inside the external DAC which then feeds audio to the speakers. since this part of the signal path is analog, any interference pick…

Checked out the AG06 but it has internal DSP and other things I don't really need, plus it seemed like more of an audio interface than a sound card, do you have any recommendations for balanced audio usb external cards without all of the extra stuff?

Sadly, I don't.

A replier said something about a brand called "Schiit Audio", but I've researched them and they only offer stuff with RCA outputs which are sadly not balanced at all.

If you're on a budget you could get the AG03 which is the same interface, but with less input channels.

Also, the DSP is totally optional on those, If you don't use it you'll bypass it totally, not coloring or changing your signal in any way.

Btw you mentioned your speakers are Mackie, right? Before buying, research if your speakers actually support balanced input (they use XLR or P2/TRS "stereo" (2 black bands) for that, because each speaker is actually receiving 2 polarity-inverted copies of the signal). If all they have are RCA inputs (mono), you're out of luck.

Hope I could help!

EDIT: I have researched your monitors and they do have all three types of input: XLR and TRS (balanced) and RCA (unbalanced). yay \o/

Now go get yourself a nice audio interface with support for balanced output and go make yourself some nice XLR cables.

The Yamaha AG03 AG06 output balanced TRS signals, but for that extra "click" factor no the monitors I have built a custom cable that is TRS on the DAC and XLR to the monitors. That way it stays put :-)

Have a good one mate!

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#390

Post by vvillena »

klipt wrote: post #57
agumonkey wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can I blame free market dynamics ? It's been a quite obvious trend since the 2000s. Audio components became commodities to reach bottom prices, no more middle class, good functionality is high end (which is now pushed to higher prices with branding like beats or devialet)

Is Beats even good functionality? I heard they used mediocre components and spent most of their money on marketing...

They added weights to their headphones to add a "quality" feel to them, because they were made of plastic and usually high-end headphones use metal in some places like the mounts and the headbands.
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