[So There]

Greetings, hi-res fans:

I've ordered a Bryston digital player (BDP-2), and this is my first foray into digital music (other than AAC 128 iTunes rips for our i-devices).

Which format(s) do you prefer for hi-res files? I find AIFF tempting, since I have Mac computers, am interesAed in Amarra, and both the BDP-2 and Oppo BDP-105 will play this format.

Which sampling rates do you prefer?

Do you consistently hear differences between 96/24 and 192/24?

Feeling lo-def on this topic and appreciative of your advice,

Rich
_______________
Whiney Napa Valley

[ted_b]

Sampling rate is moot point...use the sample rate of the hirez file, period.  no need to upsample hirez.

Any lossless format is fine, although wav is less favorable just cuz it doesn't store tags/metadata well.  And since your 105 will play DSD from a USB thumb drive choose DSF if given the choice (same reason, ID3V2 tagging)

To hear the subtle but real differences of 24/96 and 24/192 you need a very resolving system and a recording that is actually mastered at 24/192.  Throw in a third variable...some DACS have a sweetspot at one of those sample rates.

[buyersremorse]

Storage is so cheap now that I stopped worrying about file sizes.  I also have a Mac OS dominated house, so AIFF was my choice.  I use iTunes for organizing my music and stream from my home PC using a Squeezebox Duet which is capped at 24/96, so I don't purchase any 24/192.  When I did a head-to-head comparison, I didn't hear a consistent difference between 96 and 192, so I don't feel like I am missing much, and the price difference is enough for me to pay attention.  My 2 cents anyway.

[So There]

Wow, thanks for the incredibly quick reply, Ted.

By sampling rate, I meant the flavor of the downloads available. For example, I see titles on HDTracks available in 96/24 and 192/24. (Is there a term for these hires formats?)

From browsing the threads on this circle, it appears that 192 is preferred.

I'll likely have to go with AIFF, since the Bryston BDP-2 doesn't do DSD (perhaps in a future FW update, one hopes). Sound reasonable?

Thanks very much for your expertise and generous help, Ted, and for initiating and managing this valuable circle.

Cheerio,

Rich
_______________
Whiney Napa Valley

The means — Bryston SP3 | Bryston 6B-SST(C) - L/C/R; 4B-SST(C) - surrounds; 4B-SST(C) - rears | Bryston BDP-2 Digital Player; BDA-2 D/A Converter; Oppo BDP-105 | Paradigm Reference Signature S8 fronts; C5 center; ADP surrounds; S4 rears; two Velodyne DD15 subs | APC S20 | Pioneer Elite PRO-1130

[So There]

Thanks for the advice, buyersremorse:

I agree, file size is a nonissue. The Bryston BDP-2 accepts an internal drive (which can be managed through the network), and I plan to install a 500gb Samsung SSD.

I think I'll try a few downloads of the same tracks at 96/24 and 192/24 for comparison and see if I hear a difference.

Best fishes,

Rich
_______________
Whiney Napa Valley

[ted_b]

Wow, thanks for the incredibly quick reply, Ted.

By sampling rate, I meant the flavor of the downloads available. For example, I see titles on HDTracks available in 96/24 and 192/24. (Is there a term for these hires formats?)

From browsing the threads on this circle, it appears that 192 is preferred.

I'll likely have to go with AIFF, since the Bryston BDP-2 doesn't do DSD (perhaps in a future FW update, one hopes). Sound reasonable?

Thanks very much for your expertise and generous help, Ted, and for initiating and managing this valuable circle.

Cheerio,

Rich
_______________
Whiney Napa Valley

The means — Bryston SP3 | Bryston 6B-SST(C) - L/C/R; 4B-SST(C) - surrounds; 4B-SST(C) - rears | Bryston BDP-2 Digital Player; BDA-2 D/A Converter; Oppo BDP-105 | Paradigm Reference Signature S8 fronts; C5 center; ADP surrounds; S4 rears; two Velodyne DD15 subs | APC S20 | Pioneer Elite PRO-1130

First off, thanks for the nice comments.  Second, DSD is not a sample rate choice per se, it's another music download option for you to buy DSD files if you wanna play them on your Oppo 105, that's all I meant.  Third, the HDtracks files are all over the board in terms of quality and original mastering info.  No one really knows about where most of them came from, so when folks stick them on their consumer-level spectrum analysis apps (audacity, etc) it appears that many are only very slightly improved at 24/192 vs 24/96, some not at all (and some are upsampled redbook and are not to be bought for a premium).   Some (like Bill Evans Waltz For Debby project) are no brainers at 24/192, as are Chesky originals like Jimmy Cobb jazz in the Key Of Blue.  In either case (96k or 192k) they are FLAC files (so as to provide a slightly smaller download) and can be converted (in the same sample rate, please  ) to any other lossless format.  Yes, AIFF makes sense for you, or leave them as FLAC.   (I won't get into the debate of the sound of one lossless format vs another).

[wisnon]

Storage is so cheap now that I stopped worrying about file sizes.  I also have a Mac OS dominated house, so AIFF was my choice.  I use iTunes for organizing my music and stream from my home PC using a Squeezebox Duet which is capped at 24/96, so I don't purchase any 24/192.  When I did a head-to-head comparison, I didn't hear a consistent difference between 96 and 192, so I don't feel like I am missing much, and the price difference is enough for me to pay attention.  My 2 cents anyway.

The Duet is capped at 24/48...the Touch is capped at 24/96, uless you use the EDO mod on uSB to get 24/192...

[buyersremorse]

The Duet is capped at 24/48...the Touch is capped at 24/96, uless you use the EDO mod on uSB to get 24/192...

Sorry, I was correctly corrected.  Duet is 24/48 and Touch is 24/96.  I have both in my house (and also a Boom and a Radio Music Player).  I love these products and hope Logitech decides to continue supporting this platform. 

BTW, what is the easiest way to find out if a specific hi res download is "worth it", or just an up-sampled Redbook file.

[So There]

More newbie queries:

From a site, such as HDTracks or Linn, do I just download the hi-res files to my computer, transfer them to a flash drive (or HDD), then play it through my BDP-2 (which offers playback from USB flash drives, as well as USB and eSATA hard disk drives)? Is there any massaging or manipulation to get the file to play?

Can I add the files to iTunes 11 and manage it through that database (along with my low-res AAC files for i-devices)? I use a mid-2010 iMac.

Looking at Amarra. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks very much, techies. I appreciate your expertise and generous help?

Rich
_________________
Whiney Napa Valley

[ted_b]

No manipulation needed.  Just get them to whatever you have connected to your Bryston player.

On the Mac Amarra would be my 4th pick.  I would choose JRiver (new MAC port), Audirvana Plus or Pure Music first.  But I don't get the need for those players; isn't that why you bought a Linux player (Bryston BDP-2)??

[So There]

Thanks for the helpful clarification, Ted:

This stuff is all new to me, coming from the analog world, so I truly appreciate your advice.

Will the high-res files sit alongside my AAC files in the iTunes database? For use with my i-devices, can I create AAC files from high-res files, much like ripping a CD?

Cheers,

Rich
_________________
Whiney Napa Valley

[ted_b]

iTunes doesn't support FLAC, but does support AIFF, etc and the hirez sample rates we have discussed.  I am still confused, though.  Why did you buy a Bryston BDP-2 player (MPD Linux based and stand alone with its own library) if you are concerned about managing iTunes?

[So There]

I wanted an independent hi-res player for our main audio system; hence, the BDP-2.

I also wanted to rip (if possible) the hi-res files via iTunes to create AAC files to play on our portable i-devices.

I figured that the hi-res files would be stored on our iMac. Since the BDP works with a network, I figured I could manage the internal SSD I'm adding to the BDP through the network. Thus, having the hi-res files cataloged in iTunes would make this feasible.

Make sense? Again, this is all new to me, and I'd appreciate your advice.

Cheerio,

Rich

[WC]

If you want to store things in iTunes  it would be best to convert them to AIFF or ALAC, not AAC. AAC is compressed lossy audio. When you sync devices with iTunes you can have iTunes down convert to AAC for portable player use, so you don't need to keep it in multiple formats.

[fridays]

I find listening to Wav files is more important than higher resolution albeit a real pain

[So There]

Thanks for the helpful tips, guys:

I planned on using AIFF, as both the Bryston BDP-2 and Oppo BDP-105 will play that format, so I'm pleased that this format makes sense to you. I didn't realize that I could "downsync" to AAC for i-devices and avoid duplication. This is an extremely useful tip, and I'll look into how to do this. I used WAV when I had a PC but haven't on the Mac.

Clearly, there's a big learning curve, and I very much appreciate your cogent advice.

Cheerio,

Rich
_______________
Whiney Napa Valley