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Post by John on Aug 31, 2023 6:15:21 GMT
I agree with having friends come round and listen. I have also found this beneficial
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Post by stellabagpuss on Aug 31, 2023 6:35:26 GMT
l have to agree with Martin and John, l am not against Blind Tests,but the unfortunate reality,at least for myself, l live many miles away from many members, some,are in different countries.
Someone would have to organise it, and we all busy chaps.
l have had Jules pay a visit, which was great,but l think visiting each over is the only practical solution due to work and family commitments.....If l were a Rich Man 🤣
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Post by MikeMusic on Aug 31, 2023 8:25:28 GMT
I am fortunate to have Madam 'golden ear' and have the benefit of her on some tests
She hears things I don't sometimes
Having friends around also super beneficial
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Post by MartinT on Aug 31, 2023 9:15:29 GMT
I'm going to repeat here some of the things that are necessary in order to be successful with hi-res streaming. If you do these things, then streaming from Qobuz, at least, can sound absolutely amazing. I'm sure it may apply to other sources, too. There are no shortcuts to a quality sound, and remember that everything matters in digital, too.
Take noise out of the digital chain
Use air-gapping, especially if your ethernet is land-based, such as DXE or other LAN filters
Use an optical link to create an air-gapped connection
Use at least one reclocker (e.g. EtherREGEN, various USB devices)
Use a grounding box at each stage of the digital chain
Use low noise power supplies and remove all switched mode power supplies from the room
Place every component on isolation footers such as Black Ravioli
Put heavy weights on every component
Use additional filters on noisy equipment around the house (like computers)
Use a high grade streamer
Sorry, but a £500 streamer isn't going to cut it if you want better performance than LPs or CDs
Keep the signal path from router to streamer, do not pass it through a PC, laptop or tablet
Use at least one external clock
A high grade low phase noise clock, preferably for the DAC or DDC
Keep the music network isolated from the general network
The best possible solution is a dedicated router for music, or else isolate as best you can
The ultimate sound quality arbiter is your DAC
Again, a £500 Topping isn't going to make the grade
Listen to chip-based and R2R ladder types to determine which you prefer
Select the best sounding digital filter for the job
Use top quality cables
Pay attention to every cable carrying the signal (ethernet, optical, USB, I2S) and clock, they all make a difference
Use good EMI/RFI rejecting power cables
Don't use power strips for distribution
Use a good contact treatment such as graphene or Deoxit
Use a good quality fuse such as the SR Purple for key components
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Post by brettj on Aug 31, 2023 9:34:12 GMT
The SACD of Selling England by the Pound is stupendous in its sound quality, and so is the version on Qobuz. The record was comparatively very average. ...Me, I'm just a lawnmower?... |
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Post by brettj on Aug 31, 2023 10:07:33 GMT
I watched John Darko's video about this.
The Talking Heads album is in my top 20.
Would have considered getting the new one.
May have to take a listen to them side by side.
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Post by Slinger on Aug 31, 2023 11:52:07 GMT
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Post by MartinT on Aug 31, 2023 14:23:38 GMT
I certainly agree that dynamic compression is both the enemy of high fidelity and makes a mockery of high resolution formats.
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Post by julesd68 on Sept 1, 2023 19:16:12 GMT
Again, a £500 Topping isn't going to make the grade Ouch,this is rather harsh. It really depends what your expectations are and budget. Most systems have to be assembled without limitless funds. My £500 Topping actually performs *way* beyond what my expectations were for it and in the context of my system I don't think I could have done much better at the price. Yes, I will upgrade it in due course but it's not a huge compulsion. |
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Post by stellabagpuss on Sept 1, 2023 19:33:56 GMT
Again, a £500 Topping isn't going to make the grade Ouch,this is rather harsh. It really depends what your expectations are and budget. Most systems have to be assembled without limitless funds. My £500 Topping actually performs *way* beyond what my expectations were for it and in the context of my system I don't think I could have done much better at the price. Yes, I will upgrade it in due course but it's not a huge compulsion. l can't agree with you anymore, we would all like to have the ultimate set up, but budgets vary, at the end of day,as long as you enjoy the music is what counts |
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Post by MartinT on Sept 1, 2023 19:52:31 GMT
Ouch,this is rather harsh. It really depends what your expectations are and budget. Most systems have to be assembled without limitless funds. My £500 Topping actually performs *way* beyond what my expectations were for it and in the context of my system I don't think I could have done much better at the price. Sorry, Jules, I absolutely wasn't thinking of anyone when typing that, but more the morons on ASR. My point being that assembling a high end system that justifies hi-res (the topic of this thread) doesn't work by cutting corners. You could even point to my Gustard DDC/DAC combo as being just about adequate in the company of my no-holds-barred Rendu streamer. |
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Post by Slinger on Sept 1, 2023 21:09:34 GMT
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Post by MartinT on Sept 1, 2023 21:24:22 GMT
He doesn't specifically reference it but one area where records just don't cut it (!) is in the bass. Here, a well setup hi-res digital system can maul vinyl into submission with not only potency, depth, texture and extension but stereo, too.
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Post by julesd68 on Sept 2, 2023 10:34:30 GMT
Ouch,this is rather harsh. It really depends what your expectations are and budget. Most systems have to be assembled without limitless funds. My £500 Topping actually performs *way* beyond what my expectations were for it and in the context of my system I don't think I could have done much better at the price. Sorry, Jules, I absolutely wasn't thinking of anyone when typing that, but more the morons on ASR. My point being that assembling a high end system that justifies hi-res (the topic of this thread) doesn't work by cutting corners. You could even point to my Gustard DDC/DAC combo as being just about adequate in the company of my no-holds-barred Rendu streamer. What do you think would tempt you if moving on the Gusthard? |
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Post by MartinT on Sept 2, 2023 11:41:07 GMT
What do you think would tempt you if moving on the Gusthard? Ok, I had a good long think about this. Nothing as yet is the short answer. I love that Gustard has taken the ES9038 Pro chipset to where few have gone with it. It combines tremendous power and dynamics with detail, delicacy and a soundstage that doesn't, on my hearing, give anything much away to the R26. I don't think R2R DACs are for me. That leaves a gulf between the circa £1500 cost of my U18/X26 Pro and a whole other level of DACs starting at around £4000. I would need to have a listen to DACs that I haven't seen in the flesh yet to ascertain whether things have moved on sufficiently. I have heard too many that sound clinical like the Chord Dave - not for me, either. |
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Post by Slinger on Sept 2, 2023 11:58:39 GMT
I would imagine that changing any single component in a system as complex, and as costly, as yours, Martin, would be a bit like playing Jenga, in the dark, wearing a blindfold,  |
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Post by MartinT on Sept 2, 2023 12:18:23 GMT
You're right, Paul. I do fear disrupting the good system balance I have, and I don't want to do that - at least for now.
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Post by MartinT on Sept 16, 2023 16:11:25 GMT
Going back to ReplayGain, which is available in the meta data in BubbleUPnP, I do find a clear correlation between lower ReplayGain numbers and higher sound quality in streams.
I listened to something that sounded appalling recently - I never look at ReplayGain until after listening - and found that it was around -11.5dB. That means you have to reduce the volume by a whopping 11.5dB to maintain the mean volume! It really sounded vile.
This is a valuable alternative to the DR (Dynamic Range) scale and does a roughly similar job. Sad to say, some recordings in hi-res formats have poor ReplayGains, which means the engineer is playing the loudness game rather than striving for better sound quality. Compare with, say, the first two Norah Jones albums in 24/192. These really do sound special despite a ReplayGain of around -7dB, which is a little high.
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