How do you listen to your music these days? And more format pesto.

haiderSonneteer · « **Reply #60 on:** 6 Mar 2015, 05:22 pm »

Quote from: simoon on 6 Mar 2015, 05:09 pm

When I listen to music, it is my primary activity. I do not use music as background while doing something else.

Thank you.
I wonder for how many people, this is a fact? I have to admit rarely having the time to just listen to music (outside of product development that is). Listening to music in good quality does make the things I am doing, otherwise, much more pleasant.

Haider
sonneteer.co.uk

Alco · « **Reply #61 on:** 7 Mar 2015, 08:28 am »

Quote

When I listen to music, it is my primary activity. I do not use music as background while doing something else.

Same here! If I'd use music mostly as sonic wallpaper while doing something else I could probably do fine with something simple like a Tivoli radio.

For the last 4 years or so now, I'm only using a Squeezebox Touch (with better PSU, but no external dac so far!) as my only source.
Every now and then I'm considering getting a turntable (have about 70 LP's left), but I can't seem to get over the more practical issues.
(storage space, hassle, cleaning, very few new albums coming out that I really like, the price of LP's vs CD, etc)

Guy 13 · « **Reply #62 on:** 7 Mar 2015, 10:55 am »

Hi Haider,
First and more often, I listen to music as background or mood music via my Grace Mondo Internet radio, it's 50/50 classical (CJPX-FM 99.5 Montreal) and Radio Hart relaxing music.
Second for serious listening it's CDs via my main system (Decware/Omega/Rega)
Then third it's vinyl for nostalgia mainly The Ventures, Vangelis, James Last...
Thanks.

Guy 13

haiderSonneteer · « **Reply #63 on:** 12 Mar 2015, 10:52 pm »

Quote from: Guy 13 on 7 Mar 2015, 10:55 am

Hi Haider,
First and more often, I listen to music as background or mood music via my Grace Mondo Internet radio, it's 50/50 classical (CJPX-FM 99.5 Montreal) and Radio Hart relaxing music.
Second for serious listening it's CDs via my main system (Decware/Omega/Rega)
Then third it's vinyl for nostalgia mainly The Ventures, Vangelis, James Last...
Thanks.

Guy 13

Thanks Guy,

I'm finding it interesting that people are using different systems for so called serious listening and background.

Haider
sonneteer.co.uk

haiderSonneteer · « **Reply #64 on:** 7 Oct 2015, 02:05 pm »

Just a quick note on this old topic:

We are talking Google Chromecast Audio here:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=137735.0

Could this be thrown into the pesto? Will it dominate the flavour in future?

Haider
sonneteer.co.uk

HsvHeelFan · « **Reply #65 on:** 7 Oct 2015, 02:18 pm »

I have around 1200 CDs. It took about 30 evenings of 2-3 hours each to rip them to FLAC.

The audio quality is fine. I can't tell any difference between FLAC and CDs.

The computer has the ASUS Essence STX II sound card in it and I send analog to my Parasound pre/Bryston 4B-ST rig.

I also tend to not listen as background music since I find I can't work and listen at the same time. The music keeps tugging at me, when it's playing.

HsvHeelFan

charmerci · « **Reply #66 on:** 7 Oct 2015, 11:34 pm »

When you started this - it was almost all CD only. Now, it's almost all JRiver through laptop and USB DAC to my system. I will listen to the radio via a stereo receiver for variety. (HD digital radio quality is bad.)

Interestingly, I used to listen to my albums all the way through but now I mostly use shuffle on all my music.

I was using an mp3 player when I traveled but I just bought a Fiio X1 so I can listen to FLAC files.

haiderSonneteer · « **Reply #67 on:** 8 Oct 2015, 09:08 am »

Quote from: charmerci on 7 Oct 2015, 11:34 pm

When you started this - it was almost all CD only. Now, it's almost all JRiver through laptop and USB DAC to my system. I will listen to the radio via a stereo receiver for variety. (HD digital radio quality is bad.)

Interestingly, I used to listen to my albums all the way through but now I mostly use shuffle on all my music.

I was using an mp3 player when I traveled but I just bought a Fiio X1 so I can listen to FLAC files.

Interesting, yes. Are we witnessing the change through this thread?

Has or will Chromcast audio broken/brake the resistance?

Haider
sonneteer.co.uk

GentleBender · « **Reply #68 on:** 8 Oct 2015, 09:24 am »

Dedicated room is vinyl only. I did pick up a DAC, but haven't spent much time tweaking it. Did not impress me so I will continue improving the vinyl setup and might return to improve the digital after. One front at a time. I stream Spotify from my iPad to a Big Jambox around the house the rest of the time while cooking or working.

At work and in the car it is Spotify, MP3 or flac. The only CD players I have are in computers!

haiderSonneteer · « **Reply #69 on:** 8 Oct 2015, 09:30 am »

Quote from: GentleBender on 8 Oct 2015, 09:24 am

Dedicated room is vinyl only. I did pick up a DAC, but haven't spent much time tweaking it. Did not impress me so I will continue improving the vinyl setup and might return to improve the digital after. One front at a time. I stream Spotify from my iPad to a Big Jambox around the house the rest of the time while cooking or working.

At work and in the car it is Spotify, MP3 or flac. The only CD players I have are in computers!

Thank you for that.

So would you ever want to stream Spotify to your dedicated room or is that sacred?

Haider
sonneteer.co.uk

GentleBender · « **Reply #70 on:** 8 Oct 2015, 09:40 am »

I would once I get the digital up to par with the analog. I've been following your post on the chromcast, but after reading the guide I am more confused. I don't want something that converts everything to MP3 quality.

One of the best things about vinyl is that I turn on the phono stage, throw on a record and drop the needle. I can look at the cover and sit back to enjoy. Not spend the time troubleshooting. I'm not saying there are no problems with vinyl or that digital has to be problematic, but I work with computers all day and my patience with them is spent.

haiderSonneteer · « **Reply #71 on:** 8 Oct 2015, 09:49 am »

Oh indeed, I take your point. The Chromecast thing is curious but not a high end utopia by any means. I don't think it converts everything to MP3. If a DAC is attached, i believe, it's poo in poo out. But as it's Tosslink it is limited to 24bit 96kHz which not that long ago was the song of the digital gods.

You are then, of course, at the mercy of the DAC. Keep your needle firmly on the records for now.

Haider
sonneteer.co.uk

haiderSonneteer · « **Reply #72 on:** 25 Jul 2016, 01:20 pm »

Looking for any Updates on this topic from anyone please. Time has moved on, has the world of music?

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far.

Haider

quibus · « **Reply #73 on:** 9 Sep 2016, 09:30 am »

I listen on two systems:
- living room with Bluesound, connected to local NAS and access to Qobuz/Tidal, and hooked up to CD
- desktop through computer with Audirvana, connected to DAC and amp, also with SACD-player
Furthermore I listen with headphones to a portable DAC/AMP. In the kitchen I hook up the computer or even my phone to a simple portable speaker.

I have a preference for DSD as I find it smoother, more detailed than CD-quality PCM (hi-res PCM is mostly indistinguishable).
MQA does seem to sound like hi-res PCM and/or DSD, I would like to see more MQA-music available.

I do like the facilities of a streamer such as the Bluesound Node (with app control functionality; to me it is important that also has a desktop app as I control it mostly from my laptop). The thing I currently miss most is DSD-compatibility of the Node.

haiderSonneteer · « **Reply #74 on:** 9 Sep 2016, 10:20 am »

Thank you That's interesting and helpful information there.

I wonder if you have any further thoughts on how you listen to things could be made easier. Thinking beyond what is currently available perhaps.

Haider
Sonneteer.co.uk

dpatters · « **Reply #75 on:** 9 Sep 2016, 02:45 pm »

I spin CDs on a dedicated transport through an outboard DAC about 80% of the time. The other 20% is vinyl rig. I do not stream or use any type of file playback.

Don P.

bummrush · « **Reply #76 on:** 9 Sep 2016, 02:51 pm »

As above spin cd's. But it seems the little stereo i set up in living room sounds good and its a great room to have a stereo in also,that i find it so convenient i listen out here instead of my main system. I should have said i still listen vrry much to main stereo. Nice to compare, but really they are may miles apart, little stereo s very god, but no comparison to main stereo

bacobits1 · « **Reply #77 on:** 9 Sep 2016, 03:18 pm »

CD's on a dedicated Transport to an outboard DAC. Vinyl 30% of the time, although not lately. Stream music from computer to the DAC no downloads don't need or want DSD etc.. I like things simple.
Let me add MQA ain't going nowhere.

SlushPuppy · « **Reply #78 on:** 9 Sep 2016, 04:10 pm »

I recently built a great sounding streaming player using an Intel i7 NUC with two 500GB solid state drives (Windows 10 64 bit). I rip my CD's with dbpoweramp and play them back with the latest version of JRiver Media Center that feeds a Mytek Brooklyn DAC. Best sounding source I've ever had. The only time I "spin" my music these days is when I listen to SACD or DVD-Audio discs. When I do that a KanexPro HDMI De-Embedder sends the audio stream to my Brooklyn. I also listen to new music on Tidal through the Chrome browser. I still purchase discs, but these days only to complete collections and to buy discs that are rare/collectible. I maintain a collection of approx. 4000 CD's that are openly displayed in my music room. I still like to browse through my discs even though I no longer spin them. I hope this is the type of answer you were looking for.

Slush

quibus · « **Reply #79 on:** 9 Sep 2016, 06:41 pm »

How to make things easier? Good question... Warning: rambling post ahead.

The majority of my listening is divided between home systems and mobile listening (i.e. from my laptop). For that reason I have effectively two collections. I can't rely fully on a NAS plus streaming, I also need (and appreciate) the collection on my hard disk (and streaming capabilities of my laptop). CD's I play only at home.

I think what I miss most is an easy way to use my laptop as music centre at various places. Presently I work principally from Audirvana, which nowadays integrates streaming: a big help. But the external connectivity means that I change between several (portable) DACs, amplifiers and speaker systems at various places (work office, home office, public transport, kitchen). I don't like Bluetooth, so that is no solution. At present getting the music I want means first spending several minutes setting up everything (turning on stuff, connecting USB, selecting DAC, selecting source, selecting music). That's not problematic but it would be nice if it could be made easier.

Also I would like the possibility of DSD playback in my living room system. This would now require a different streamer and possibly an additional DAC. Although I like the Bluesound Node (particularly the apps) I am considering going the Raspberry Pi route for this reason. I'm hesitant about all-in-one solutions as I've found I like to upgrade single components when new possibilities open up.

Put differently: it's somewhat irritating that all systems have different capabilities and interfaces. To make this uniform, however, would lock me into a single eco-system which I don't want. For the same reason I don't like a multiroom system, even though Bluesound offers this as a possibility.

Furthermore the software side might conceivable be improved. I've heard good things about Roon but that is quite expensive and might not work for me; the seamless integration of various sources and formats sounds appealling, though. On the whole, however, Audirvana is really nice and would be even better if it would help me cope with a variety of interfaces/sources/DACs.

Finally, I don't like start-up delays, which most systems seem to have. I'm continually surprised that fast computers don't lead to fast booting up.

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Format Pesto: How do you mainly listen to your hifi music?

How do you listen to your music these days? And more format pesto.