|
Post by pinkie on Jan 3, 2015 18:54:17 GMT
Major teenager kudos. The ethernet cable means I have synchronised music in the kitchen and living room. Never before has a step-dad been so cool.
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 3, 2015 18:18:59 GMT
Ladbrokes have closed their book...
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 3, 2015 18:02:16 GMT
Thanks Chris, Martin but I know when I'm beat. Wasted too much time already for the sake of a £30 gizmo. I'll probably buy a bt wireless extender. But not for the Pi. Just because it would be nice to have decent WiFi that side of the house. The netgear didn't want to play ball. In the end out of sheer cussedness I got Colin to team viewer in. Colin is my mate in holland who is a system analyst for big Blue, and with adhd autistic tendencies. Even he gave in. So I'll get a bt extender. And drill a hole in the wall. Yes Martin. I really didn't expect to be saying this, but ethernet takes the quality up to cd level. We can't split them. So I don't see how batteries can get better still, but I have a pack on order. We have been using dave migden for the comparison since my flac files are from the studio, as I have yet to sort out my own ripping (next task) After comparing dacapo to the Berry dac. Anyone care to place a bet? Thanks again for the advice and support so far
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 3, 2015 9:29:31 GMT
When you allocate a static IP address on your computer you are reserving the IP address on the router, aren't you? Doesn't work properly if you don't. Very probably. I told you I am IT challenged. So how do I get the netgear to act as a slave WiFi booster?
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 2, 2015 23:24:53 GMT
Stick to accountancy Pinkie. It's an optical lead. No current passes through it, just light impulses. The gold is only there to pander to audiophile sensibility. Ah yes. Rtfq. Gonna have to grant you that gold plated optical is a front runner. My reluctance to play has more to do with a few other candidates rather than my desire to defend that one. But I'll try to pay better attention in future
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 2, 2015 18:14:28 GMT
The BT router is a bit odd. It keeps a device name for all the devices attached, but fails to show all the IP addresses in a "Live" situation. I know this because one of the ones it wasn't showing is the IP of the PC I am logged onto it with
I hate f**** computers
I just found a nice tree of the computers attached, refreshed it, and mine 192.168.1.74 disappeared - although I am still controlling it through that - maybe because I have a static IP? And not a good one by the looks of things, given it appears to allocate in the range 192.168.1.74 to 192.168.1.253. I think I'll change my static IP to 192.168.1.70 while I think about it
The Netgear now is physically connected to my ethernet - and I have changed its IP address to be in the same range as the BThub set. I haven't touched the BT Hub
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 2, 2015 17:14:36 GMT
Any network geeks out there able to help me configure a wifi booster. I have a BTHomehub - ye old copper cable broadband version, we dream of high speed glass around here. I have an old (working) Netgear N300 DGN2200v3 which I wanted to use as a separate WiFi hub. I have plugged it into the ethernet, changed its IP address to one the BThomehub uses (from 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.1.201), found the wifi password, configured it to let my android phone log on to it, but I don't get any internet. Disabling the DHCP server just lost me IP address allocation to the wireless devices attached to it. I'm sure it must be possible to get it to act as a separate wifi network which can provide signal to parts of the house that the BThomehub covers poorly, but I have exceeded my networking expertise) Anybody?
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 2, 2015 17:06:43 GMT
JP
J'habite proche de Chord (a 5 km) et je parle assez bien Francais, si vous avez besoin d'assistance. Je ne trouve pas qu'il aurait des problems avec le transportation, si vous avez un emballage sage, comme c'est bien normal d'envoyer l'equipment partout dans le monde. Si vous n'avez pas toujours eu de reponse de Chord, c'est toujours possible que c'est a cause de congee annuel a Noel.
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 2, 2015 16:59:06 GMT
Potentially an invaluable thread to move forward in the I trust my ears scenario frequently encountered. Not sure the addition of ASA helps or confuses the subject. I am also interested in the way differences are communicated, some statements advising difference in sound due to one change as though the experience was like changing from an iPod to a full blown electrostatic speaker panel system. It may prove interesting. Certainly this forum has members who seem to be much better able to discuss without getting defensive and hostile when issues which are contrary to their views are expressed. The "I trust my ears" is of course nothing of the sort, usually. Its "I trust my listening experience" which is a package, including visual and knowledge cues. (You can shut your eyes, and tape up the leds, but you still know there are cones under your amplifier). I think I have shifted my terminology for discussing this subjective "total listening experience" basis for evaluating equipment. It is of course completely valid and appropriate to the listening pleasure of the advocat of the method. It's limitation, is that to the extent that the experience depends on factors which are not universal (like the sound pressure waves arriving at the eardrum) the experience may not be universal. Others will experience differently. The "effect" cannot be universally shared in the way that (at least potentially) something which DOES change the sound pressure waves could be universally experienced. The ears can be used in (near) isolation to evaluate. But those trying it are usually the "objectivists" with blind trial procedures to help eliminate visual and knowledge cues. And that methodology is often frustrated by things like alleged burn-in, warm up, not to say the need for a relaxed "right brain" state, rather than a left brain one. Critically it is not available because those prepared to endure the "objectivist" methodology, should they fail to hear anything that way, haven't established that the effect is not due to sound pressure waves - the fault might lie with their hearing equipment. But those with the hearing equipment able to detect the effect subjectively are uninterested in making their equipment available for the purposes of the objective demonstration. As long as everyone is happy with what they hear, and their consequent decisions about what equipment to use and how to use it, it doesn't matter.
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 2, 2015 15:30:04 GMT
OK. You win. I daren't play. it is passing a current. Granted unless you leave it in the sea for a year or two it is unlikely to corrode enough to benefit, but all gold plating does is offer corrosion protection. No - I'm not getting drawn...
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 2, 2015 14:42:05 GMT
Ah. The best laid plans. The wifi dongles I have bought with the Pi are out of range in my office - and more annoyingly in the kitchen. The office would have just allowed me to try a bit of wifi v ethernet on the NAD, which can wait. The kitchen scenario is a bit more sad. Not sure whether to consider running ethernet externally round the house to the kitchen (not that hard actually) or put a wireless relay station in the office and hope it boosts the kitchen. Or get a bigger dongle? Bugger! And it had all been going so well.
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 2, 2015 14:37:11 GMT
I think this is a game I'd better not play. But gold plating on an electrical connection wouldnt be top.
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 2, 2015 13:08:43 GMT
Thanks Chris Great reply - makes perfect sense. As soon as I am happy I am not shelling out on JRiver (which I believe also handles the ripping) I'll probably treat myself to dbpoweramp. And you are so right about levels on A:B. I am more than aware of that issue . In the case of allowing LMS to set levels, not only is there the perception issue, but also potentially noise (The software lowers the audio signal, but the noise in the DAC is a constant) None-the-less the CD vs WAV comparison was too obvious. I could hear it pretty easily, and had the levels the same, and pulled all the usual blind stunts on Sue, but she was 100% and frankly it was no surprise. They were close, very close, but not that bloody close!
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 2, 2015 12:57:09 GMT
OMG what a clever boy am I. Just listening to Linn 24 bit files streamed to my HiFi Berry Dac in 24/192. With both DaCapo (sulking in silence on this track) and the Berry Dac synched to play the same music. At present it's sitting on my desk playing through the Nad 3020. This will give me a brief chance to compare wifi with ethernet via headphones, before the 30m cat5e cable turns up (long enough to route from router to Dac via a few open doors, and saving the need to drill a hole). I'll give it a go on cans, but if there is no apparent difference that will be inconclusive, since its not my No1 system Chuffed to have 2 Pi's built and working though
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 2, 2015 12:07:14 GMT
Yes - that's bound to be the problem. I don't know it will be a big problem for me, since I am happy with 16/44.1, although interested to try higher. I have the Pi2 with the Berry Dac on the desk in front of me now to be set up. If this fails to wow me, I might try the sabre. Or, since we have wangled a THX/Benchmark AHB2, see if we can wangle one of their DAC's too. I fear that bloody power amp is going to force another hole in my wallet. It's designer is very coy and diffident about its qualities - nobody else who's heard it is. I can't find a spec sheet for DaCapo, although since Arthur is in a chatty mood today, and due out to Munich where he will doubtless see Westlake again, I might be able to get in touch with JW again (he sent me a pic with his dogs from Munich, but ignores me on PinkFish and DIY). I think it can handle 96KHz - but I'm not sure if it handles higher than 16 bit numbers. I guess since it handles HDCD (with a filter I don't have) then it must somehow handle 20bit equivalent. I am just sitting here flipping a coin between JRiver, Volumio or LMS, squeezebox. JRiver annoyed me for hi-jacking my pc's sound system, shite documentation, and an inability to get internet radio stations as easily as in Volumio / Sound @ home. I'm also not sure how easy it will be to use JRiver with multi-room, although I think Sound at Home / Volumio deal with it. By contrast its file handling facilities are top-draw and a big attraction (JRiver). If it would work multi-room, then I presume it would downsample on the fly to both DAC's which would be fine. I don't need it to play HiRes in the kitchen while low-res to DaCapo. But I think maybe LMS will suit best for functionality - I am just going to have to sort out my own file system a bit better. No duplicates of tracks in the library, and a way of ripping FLAC. (Tried EAC - well, downloaded and allowed Bitdefender to go ballistic. Browser hijacked and search engines changed. Why do people do that crap? Fortunately Bit-defender clobbered it effectively and just left me to tidy up my home pages and search engines, but it p**** me off). I baulked at poweramp, partly due to having to pay, partly due to bad experiences with a similarly named music player on Android, and mainly because I failed to understand its selling points, which mostly seemed to be telling me I needed a whizzy MP3 format. Windows Media Player handles synching to my Android using a compressed wav (android wav) file which is an acceptable size, and performs fine, and doesn't create a duplicate on the main server, so that seems to have nailed that need. It also rips to WAV, as does iTunes. Now, as a pair of notorious foo bashers, Owen and I were intrigued by an article that WAV is consistently better than FLAC for sound quality - due not to the file information, but the processor overhead in decoding FLAC from its compressed state, and considering trying to measure this . Can you explain to me why FLAC seems to be preferred? Edit: To clarify - I have not tried EAC due to aborting installation due to the unacceptable garbage it inflicted
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 1, 2015 15:37:20 GMT
Still learning. Would you believe lms is completely incapable of listing files in its library which you though we're on the computer and actually were on a different one. However, having transferred the files to the correct pc, lms lists them and attempts to stream them, but silence results (they were the 192k linn files). Is there a way to transcode? It's probably not a deal-breaker unless I find the little Berry dac persuades me hi-res is so good I need to go that way. And if hi-res in the Berry dac is that good it will mean it's outperforming dacapo, in which case I'll get another one. But advice on transcoding or converting would be appreciated.
Also I have drawn a blank trying to install the edo plug in.
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 1, 2015 15:10:29 GMT
My Pi is purely digital with the Digi+ providing output. Since when do power supplies not impact the performance of digital equipment? A well ripped 320k mp3 file can sound very good indeed. I have no experience of power supplies and digital signal transmission, but based on a discussion of cable lengths I was having yesterday, I fail to understand why. Happy to give it a go. Not quite sure why WiFi will make a difference either since it is just transferring data which is not time critical. Mrs S pulled a face when I reached for the drill so I have ordered 30 metres for £2.69 free postage. If it works I'll drill the hole and do it tidily
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 1, 2015 13:40:25 GMT
Of the things you list, wi-fi and the standard power supply are likely to be limiting your Pi's performance. Why the power supply? I can try a battery fairly easily, but I would expect that to only make a difference with the DAC card. At the moment the Pi is pure digital in my setup. Very surprised to have played a Fourplay track just now, then thought "That sounds too good for MP3 - maybe I ripped hi-res without realising". Nope - it was MP3. There are starting to get too many parameters to investigate thoroughly - like why I thought MP3 was so poor using the cheap and nasty USB to optical adaptor before. I'm afraid my thirst for knowledge in the form of pure academic research is limited at this time of year. I'll tinker a bit to see if it can sound better - but I'm not going back over old ground. Maybe later in the year. But I can drill a hole and rig up a battery sometime...
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Jan 1, 2015 13:27:21 GMT
Slightly hungover, both of us, we have just compared cd to the pi on lms. It's close enough to be happy listening to the pi, but cd is clearly better. Using coax inputs for both, so the trouble lies with the streamer. Wav file format. Of course could be the software, WiFi, file type, power supply, and "tweaks". I think though that I like the multi room streaming concept, and lms functionality, so will accept some sq compromise if necessary. I do need to sort out organisation of my library though if staying with lms as it merges mp3 and flac duplicates into one album and would play track 1 mp3 followed by track 1 flac, track 2 mp3, track2 flac etc if playing an album. What's the best way to store lossless for the pi, but synch mp3 to mobile when using squeezebox?
|
|
|
Post by pinkie on Dec 31, 2014 19:55:56 GMT
Omg. Lms controls the volume via the dac too
|
|