Poll

How many here routinely listen to hi-resolution formats at home?

Never
9 (22%)
50% or less of my listening time, in a sub $5,000 USD system
3 (7.3%)
Over 50% of my listening time, in a sub $5,000 USD system
4 (9.8%)
50% or less of my listening time, in an over $5,000 USD system
14 (34.1%)
Over 50% of my listening time, in an over $5,000 USD system
11 (26.8%)

Total Members Voted: 41

Voting closed: 3 Dec 2017, 12:46 pm

Hi-res listening

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Roninaudio

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Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #40 on: 3 Dec 2017, 01:39 pm »
Based on your above post, you are right. Stick with your Mac and iTunes.

 I'm not a Apple guy and probably never will be. However they make good music servers.  I thought I knew jRiver but I was still getting glitches.  Roon has been a substantial improvement.  Stick with what you are comfortable with and what works. You do not have to be a Msoft certified IT Pro to use this stuff but sometimes it takes patience + trial and error. Good luck and if it's no fun and frustrating, stick with what you have had success with..  My previous attempt was with a Win10 Laptop running only jRiver (no other apps, just a music server) with HDMI to flat screen tv, mouse controlled from couch.  It sucked.  Now I use my home desktop and control from either my work desk or Galaxy Tab A from the couch using Roon= glorious. But it took a while to get here....

JDoyle

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Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #41 on: 4 Dec 2017, 10:47 pm »
I gotta be honest, I struggle to comprehend all this stuff too. I'm turning 60 next year and am in the process of significantly upgrading my Stereo... Salk speakers are on order and I'm now doing my research on a streamer and a Dac (probably the Salk streamer and currently trying to decide on the Mytek Brooklyn or the Benchmark (alphabet soup  :D).  A lot of the geek speak (don't mean to sound derogatory) I read goes right over my head. I find I have to re-read some of the posts/reviews/manuals/blogs & YouTube videos more than once.  :oops:

My plan is to stream music through Tidal using Roon (God help me!)  :scratch:

This article from Computer Audiophile actually made me laugh when Chris C. complained about the music choices in part (then play something else... Problem solved!)

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/ca/bits-and-bytes/notes-from-a-disconnected-axpona-r646/

I honestly think that if this was all simplified, there would be more people enjoying this hobby.

I know once I "get it " I'll probably be writing my own blog...  :thumb:

JD

Roninaudio

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Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #42 on: 4 Dec 2017, 11:45 pm »
JDoyle-  Hopefully one of the best parts of a forum like this is the help you can receive and get some answers to your questions. Keeping it simple and enjoyable is a key to many of us.  I (like others) have had separate everything and all in one (Halo Integrated) solutions. Matter of preference. I bet this will be easier than it sounds and once you get it, the tweaks are endless, if you enjoy that type of thing.

I have separate mono amps but a pre with a DAC built in. It will be a long time till I outgrow this Pre. I was using jRiver but it was a pain at times.  However I wanted to share with you that upon realizing my new pre was not getting the correct resolution, I installed Roon. 5 minutes and done.  All simple.  Roon is set for Tidal but I personally am not interested. Roon houses my music collection and has various functions and multiple ways to play my collection-from playlists, to queue, to "radio". When I stream, Pandora and even better-Spotify does a great job and sounds fine. If I really like what I hear, I buy it and put it in my collection for hi-res playback.

My bet is we could go out, buy a decent Lenovo PC, 8 gig RAM, nothing too special and set it up right out of the box using basic generic instructions. Then install Roon in 5 minutes. Run a USB from PC to Pre (or DAC) and done..... The only thing I have done since to Roon (that I kept) was to set it to up sample.  Seems very easy to use and plays very nice with Win 10.  Get some help, dive in and you will be up and running in no time.  I'm also anxious to read your new blog!

HAL

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Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #43 on: 5 Dec 2017, 02:26 am »
You're making my point very clearly. 

What's Foobar2000?  What's an 'add'?  What's a driver?  What if I don't use Windows 10?  What's the WiFi icon?  What's my password?  What's the point of plugging in an ethernet cable?  And what if I don't have an ethernet plug?  What's a foobar remote?  What's a browser?  What's an 'IP address'?  What's the command I would use?  Why not just tell me what that command is?

When I drive my car I just put the key in the lock and turn it, then shift into drive, push the gas pedal, and steer away.  All quite intuitive.  Why can't someone make a server that is intuitive to the most casual observer (a saying from a long gone college professor)?  Ever heard of plug and play?  Or zero glitches/100% stable/no upgrades needed?  Both of my cars have worked for 160,000 miles with routine maintenance and a new battery. 

I use a MacBook with iTunes, about as glitch free/stable a computer solution out there.  Trying out Tidal right now and getting silence.  Don't know why.  It does work on and off.  Slow connection?  Wireless router too far away?  Something else?

I have the same seamless integration with my PC.  Stick with your MAC.  I will never own another Apple product except the TV Remote to run the digital crossover plugged into the PC.

mastercraft1990

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Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #44 on: 3 Jan 2018, 02:07 am »
I have just started listening to Tidal, streaming it through a NVIDIA SHIELD streaming devise using a Ethernet cable, not WiFi.  I was content listening to Pandora when someone commented on another post that I needed to upgrade to Deezer or Tidal because I was getting lossy files with Pandora.  The Shield was a suggestion of a salesperson at Best Buy and seems to be better than what I was getting with Pandora through My Marantz AVR.  I guess I'm asking the experts if this is an acceptable means to get Tidal to my system or am I still missing a lot of detail. I really don't want to have to hook a PC up to my system.

JLM

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Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #45 on: 12 Jan 2018, 12:33 pm »
Update -

Just upgraded to the latest Mac OS, High Sierra, and Tidal streaming has improved significantly (far fewer breaks).  Don't know why, any ideas?

On another front, my attempt to upgrade our service from DSL to fiber optic keeps running into weather/scheduling troubles.  The crew spent a day horizontal drilling (about 300 ft) under the neighbors yards on a very cold day without success and haven't been back.  New wireless router and my payment are both waiting along with me to get the projected 20+ faster service.   :(

Tyson

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Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #46 on: 22 Jan 2018, 06:35 pm »
I've abandoned wifi as a way to stream.  Wired ethernet is the way to go. 

envydd

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Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #47 on: 22 Jan 2018, 06:50 pm »
Update -

Just upgraded to the latest Mac OS, High Sierra, and Tidal streaming has improved significantly (far fewer breaks).  Don't know why, any ideas?

On another front, my attempt to upgrade our service from DSL to fiber optic keeps running into weather/scheduling troubles.  The crew spent a day horizontal drilling (about 300 ft) under the neighbors yards on a very cold day without success and haven't been back.  New wireless router and my payment are both waiting along with me to get the projected 20+ faster service.   :(

Since you are a Mac guy, here is what I do: I just have all my library accessible from a Mac (either USB drive or online) and I have a 3.5 to TOSLINK to a Nuforce/Nuprime DAC/amp - recently upgraded to KEF LS50 from Klipsch. Not an audiophile, and like to keep things simple. I use the free VLC to play sound but considering some of the newer tools. Also I have airport express which has optical out ...

BTW youtube has a lot of decent hi-res classical recordings hence I am getting a $35 chrome cast audio with optical out! That will be connected to my cheap Nuprime setup.

Another option for digital audio is the KEF LS50 Wireless .... I auditioned it and it was good (and it will be the next system for my study).

JLM

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Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #48 on: 23 Jan 2018, 12:46 pm »
Another update:  the fiber optic company has given up trying to lay cable this winter, my money has been refunded until summer (won't let them put ruts in the lawn in the spring).


envydd:

Currently have my entire library on an iMac (at my desk in the back of my dedicated study) and most of the "good stuff" on a MacBook Air (that normally is at my near-field listening chair).  iMac is connected to DSPeaker Anti-Mode 2.0 Dual Core (DAC/preamp/DSP) via a $6 35ft Monoprice optical cable.  MacBook is connected to the DSPeaker via a $74 10ft Straightwire USB cable.  Room shape follows Cardas Golden Cuboid ratios (8ft x 13ft x 21ft) and barely benefits from the six GIK 244 panels. 
 
Have heard the LS50's briefly here and at shows, not impressed.  A friend has ChromeCast that he feeds/controls via his phone, very impressive for the money/size/simplicity.  After nearly 50 years at this I'll stick with wired connections (except Tidal).


Tyson:

Ethernet is easier said than done.

ricmon

Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #49 on: 23 Jan 2018, 02:55 pm »
I've abandoned wifi as a way to stream.  Wired ethernet is the way to go.

I prioritized my streaming PC on my router and have had no more issues with buffering.  WiFi connection is now as good as Ethernet.

Ric  8)

Mike-48

Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #50 on: 28 Mar 2018, 05:56 am »
Another update:  the fiber optic company has given up trying to lay cable this winter, my money has been refunded until summer (won't let them put ruts in the lawn in the spring).

I would be surprised if the increase in data speed did not resolve any skips you still are having with Tidal.

Wind Chaser

Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #51 on: 28 Mar 2018, 06:11 am »
I've abandoned wifi as a way to stream.  Wired ethernet is the way to go.

Were you having issues with connectivity? Also out of curiosity, what router and streamer?

martinr

Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #52 on: 8 Apr 2018, 04:48 pm »
I've had good luck streaming from my HAL MS-3 Server using JRMC to my Sonos system via wi-fi throughout the house.  The J River Media Center is much more stable to the Sonos system rather than using the Sonos app to stream throughout the house via the Sonos zonebridge.  Tyson recommended I try J river over Foobar for sound quality and he was right.  Fidelizer is a great inexpensive App for those of you with PC based systems as well. Works really well with JRiver....So I can listen to my 330+ redbook CD's converted to Flac on the server (as well as a few HD track Hi Res downloads), and control it from a big screen laptop across the room, and happily watch as various photos of the artist Im listening to scroll across my HD computer screen. $14000 system (still upgrading)...life is good!  :D
 

dB Cooper

Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #53 on: 8 Apr 2018, 06:42 pm »
I've abandoned wifi as a way to stream.  Wired ethernet is the way to go.

Wired is more robust when practical, but I have no problems at all over wi fi.

dB Cooper

Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #54 on: 8 Apr 2018, 06:50 pm »
I would be surprised if the increase in data speed did not resolve any skips you still are having with Tidal.

I continue to suspect that the problem is with the connection, not with Tidal. DSL is a joke and many users will struggle with mp3 at higher bitrates, let alone lossless. I didn't even get dial up speeds out of mine, in a major city. I've known others who had it and they all said it sucked. Can you stream high def video? I doubt it.

BTW, nobody is streaming 'hi-res' if you use the loose industry definition of 'anything higher bitrate than Redbook' (or FLAC conversion of same). So, not sure how a discussion of 'high res' relates to streaming.

maty

Re: Hi-res listening
« Reply #55 on: 8 Apr 2018, 07:10 pm »
I have not problems to send 24/192 FLAC from my second system (PC, W10 Pro) to the main one with wireless.

foobar2000 and J River MC 23 64-bits (best sound that foobar2000 from 22 version). Off course, the received music maintains the resolution, usually 24/96 or 24/192.