HiFi Music: Listening, Sources, Tracks? | You still didn't...

Jan 26, 2019

soundDoubleBandcamp discographies can also get pretty cheap on the $/album front... available in FLAC. Amazon used to offer CD's cheaper than the vmp3 variants they offered but I've not bought redbook discs in a while.

Jan 26, 2019

GiantHeadphoneSquid

639

Jan 26, 2019

ElectronicVicesBandcamp is my go to whenever possible to buy. FLAC, download anytime - seems very direct to the artist as well. Oddly enough, the more I have embraced digital music (particularly streaming services like Tidal, Spotify etc), I have found myself buying MORE CDs than when that was my primary source. I have discovered so many great acts, picking up their CD at a show is a great way to support them, and I like the art and having a physical item as part of the experience. Sooner or later, the hipsters are going to rediscover how cool CDs really are (LASERS BRO) - keep your discs, folks :)

Jan 26, 2019

Feb 3, 2019

Intr1nsikApparently Spotify highest quality is 320kbps, 24 bit, 48khz which is superior to CD!

Feb 3, 2019

Vote

Feb 5, 2019

ShowpanWhile technically true of the bit depth the overall bit rate is lower and there's the fact it's a lossy codec (the ones and zeros aren't the same as source after conversion). If you think Spotify sounds better than CD's congratulations to your wallet.

Feb 5, 2019

Feb 5, 2019

ElectronicVicesSound engineers can rarely distinguish between 256kbps MP3 and lossless. 320kbps is supposed to be indistinguishable to lossless, especially in Ogg which is one of the best lossy format currently. I doubt many or anyone can tell between the two in a blind test and if so differences would be so small it would be questionable to pay so much more money for marginal gains. By then are you even enjoying the music anymore or are you just concentrated on whether it sounds 'better'. With the blind test you'll have to concentrate 110% to hear any differences, in real life we don't do this. You can do a mini blind test yourself here: https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/06/02/411473508/how-well-can-you-hear-audio-quality Would be a more accurate and statistically significant test if you repeated it many more times with different songs. Here's a better test and also calculates statistical significance, though p-value test isn't a definitive (be all end all) statistical test: http://abx.digitalfeed.net

(Edited)

Feb 5, 2019

Vote

Feb 5, 2019

ShowpanI don't need another person regurgitating web articles and flash listening tests. I've been finding my personal truth for the last 25 years and I've lined up what works for me. I don't fault people for hearing a difference or not, recordings and people are highly varied. I do not ascribe myself to either the "it makes all the difference in the world" nor the "people can't hear a difference" crowds. Lossy encoding without question alters the source file, this is math and not really debatable. Whether or not an individual person hears any difference is up for debate. I've personally ran tests on myself and my friends, most can hear a difference. http://www.soundkeeperrecordings.com/format.htm if you want a good test set for various levels of encoding try these. We can trade articles all day but I find experience to be the best teacher https://www.audiostream.com/content/its-official-people-can-hear-high-res Another really solid source for test files: http://www.2l.no/hires/

(Edited)

Feb 5, 2019

Feb 6, 2019

ElectronicVicesDid you run a blind test and statistically verify it? Being able to identify differences is one thing but deciding which one sounds better is the end goal. Just look at all the "audiophiles" buying tube amps and using vinyls, aren't they dilluting the quality of sound, how could they possibly like the sound better? People could even argue that the "loudness war" is a good thing as it raises sounds with lower amplitude and even it out with louder sounds (transients and bursts). A blinded listener might find this more pleasing to the ear than lossless as they'd hear more 'detail' due to the raised soft sounds, and less discomfort from loud transients. Seems like your source is the only one that claims high-resolution is distinguishable from lossy. I wouldn't be taking any opinion from audio stream given it states it aims at 'audiophiles' who for the majority have no clue on sound other than what's fed by companies marketing and their fellow 'audiophiles' hype. The home page features an article on a record player with integrated tube amp, a bit ironic hahaha. Good to see they tried to use a scientific study as evidence but then they only showed one quote from the study and inferred conclusions by themselves. Other sources and personal testimony I found says high quality lossy is indistinguishable. An experiment on 3000 people even found that 160kbps vbr on average sounded higher quality than raw CD. 25 years experience? I assume you are middle age to elderly and as such garunteed to have some degree of age related hearing loss. But if you have money to expend and having lossless files makes you feel more at ease then great! But what concerns me is this push for 'high-res' audio and spending excessive amount of money obsessing over audio/recording quality and audio gear when the focus should be on the music itself. Some even buy music just because it's 'high-res'....wtf has this world gone to. Then you have some newcomers being coaxed into buying a whole bunch of bullcrap from some 'audiophiles' who for the majority don't have a clue about the science behind sound perception or the electrical concepts behind their gear. But hey, massdrop and other forums love this because they are all sponsored or involved in the audio industry. Why should they stop pouring snake oil or stop letting others continue to pour snake oil when it's generating their income?

Feb 6, 2019

Vote

Feb 6, 2019

ShowpanThat source is referencing a meta-analysis of many different studies, it's apparent you didn't even glance at it from your post. You profess very strongly about things which you obviously don't fully understand. You may benefit from remaining a little more open minded. I will TL:DR the analysis for you with a quote from the conclusions section: "In summary, these results imply that, though the effect is perhaps small and difficult to detect, the perceived fidelity of an audio recording and playback chain is affected by operating beyond conventional consumer oriented levels. Furthermore, though the causes are still unknown, this perceived effect can be confirmed with a variety of statistical approaches and it can be greatly improved through training." I also don't get why you are in an audiophile community displaying such disdain for audiophiles. I've found in prior experience this springs from a lack of budget and a strong desire to reinforce to oneself that "it's OK, people that pay that much are idiots, I'm the smart one." You've done a lot of professing about what other should do, I'm going to ask you what experience you have with comparing codecs and forms of stored media?

Feb 6, 2019

Feb 7, 2019

ElectronicVicesThere's are some sensible audiophiles" out there but I see lots of bullcrap in this audio industry. I have nothing against them, its just concerning when anyone reviews or recommend expensive audio gear which make no audible difference or are just horrible sounding to the majority population. It's just I see this happen a lot more with audiophiles. I wholly acknowledge that some of the best sounding audio gear are super expensive, but some are just horrible. A study has found that people found the higher cost the headphones, the worse it sounds. Regarding finance, I come from well off family but was always taught to use money frugally and sensibly as my parents were not always well off. As such I also don't enjoy seeing people potentially get ripped off Open minded? Why don't people be more 'open minded' and understand why some asians eat dog? (Fyi i am 100% against it) C'mon, at least learn and respect the culture right? That's the thing about open mindedness, where do you draw the line between sensibility and nonsense? Why are audiophiles so closed minded when it comes to cheaper audio gear such as using phones or iPod as a DAP? Care to share your results on a blind test on high quality lossy Vs lossless? Even if you can discern the minute difference it doesn't equate to better sounding as I explained before. Do you believe balanced cables for headphones/iem are something more than just a marketing ploy?

(Edited)

Feb 7, 2019

Vote

Feb 7, 2019

ShowpanYou still didn't answer my question about your familiarity with tests but I am certainly willing to discuss mine. Methodology (friend test/speakers) 1) Blind fold them (literally) 2) Ensure they are seated in the optimal position (dead center between L/R speakers) 3) Set test playlist(s) to random (it uses the same track in various formats and levels of compression/encoding) See the sources I provided for files done in the same mastering session, on the same gear, at the same time. This mitigates differences in mastering process and in source level. 4) I play 45 seconds of the first track, this is the baseline - I note the file type/bit depth/sample rate 5) Then play 45 seconds of the next format 6) Inquire as to whether they think the first track or the second track was encoded at a higher rate 7) Ask them to describe any difference they may or may not have heard 8) Let them know if they were correct or not 9) Rinse and repeat through all forms of that track before moving on to the next set. Configuration: JRiver, exlcusive mode, no up or downsampling, no format conversion USB to Teac UD-501 (upconversion off) SE outputs to SR6012 analog in SR6012 to Emotiva XPA-100's XPA-100's to ERM 8.3 tower speakers and SW-12 x2 (if set to 2.2 config)in the AVR). General Findings (I'm not getting paid to study, this is for my own benefit) 1) The noticed differences are never dramatic 2) My friends often have difficulty telling the difference between high bit rate formats with a similar net bitrate. 192 pcm vs DSD for example. 3) Differences between Redbook standard and a higher bit rate are noticeable roughly 6/8 times 4) The noticed differences tend to reflect in the lowest and highest frequencies as well as harmonics of stringed instruments and texture of human voice. The imaging tends to get a minor bump as well. None of the changes are "night/day" Additional Notes 1) My friends are not your average consumer that loves their pack in earbuds, they all have at least some sort of headphone, HiFi or Surround systems. They do vary in their allotted budget for these items. This speaks to the point in the meta about "training" the participant yielding more accurate results. Conclusion: There is a difference for some people and yes they enjoy it more. This is not worth the extra cost to some but that is a personal decision, not a blanket mantra. Regarding your other points; 1) Every industry has their questionable practices, human greed/ignorance is not limited to audio equipment. At the end of the day everyone has to watch out for their own interests. 2) I do have balanced cables for three of my headphones but it has nothing to do with the cables themselves. My Cayin iHA-6 amp has a much lower OI via balanced output and also yields a massive wattage increase that my planar cans benefit from. I also use the XLR balanced outs of my DAC to run to the Cayin as the DAC is in the rack at the front of the room and my HP amp is on the end table by the couch. Long runs do benefit from the inherent noise rejection of a dual three-pin XLR interconnect. 3) I have no issue with people in China eating dog. As long as their treatment prior to slaughter is humane anything less would be ethno-centric, something I try strongly to avoid.

(Edited)

Feb 7, 2019

Feb 8, 2019

ElectronicVicesKudos for taking time to do the test. You say roughly 6/8 times distinguishable but how many times did you repeat the test per person? I can toss a coin 8 times and get heads 6/8 times by chance. But if I tossed it an infinite amount of time the chance of heads or tails will be super close to 50% (very close since a coin is not perfect shaped or perfect mass distributed). All I know is about tests is some statistics. Regarding balanced cable I agree they are beneficial when used over many metres on high impedance audio gear such as microphones used in peformances. Otherwise it's bullcrap, manufacturers have full control over how much power an amplifier can output.

Feb 8, 2019

Vote

Feb 15, 2019

ShowpanIn my case the Cayin is designed first and foremost as a balanced amplifier. The SE output is mostly there for convenience and compatibility. South of the power supply it is a dual mono design so roughly half of the amp circuitry is not in play when used single-ended. This is why the output drops significantly in SE mode. As far the the impedance going up to 10 ohms (120 ohm on the second SE output) from the .3 ohms on the balanced output I'm not fully certain as to a cause. I bought this thing for it's ability to drive even the demanding he6/se and the current boosting functionality for my HE-500 and Audeze Sine. The XLR out from my DAC (also dual mono design) runs about 4-5 meters "as the cable lays" and runs past other wall receptacles on it's way to my amp(s). I noticed a slightly blacker background when using that connection. I also have an SE run into the Cayin from my AVR. Not an applies to apples comparison but it matches up with what I determined when testing with direct SE out vs. XLR out on my UD-501. I also use monoblock amps so you could say I am a bit of a fanboy for separate paths for my L/R channels

Feb 15, 2019

Vote

Feb 16, 2019

ElectronicVicesI'm not sure what people mean by "blacker" background. I assume blacker as in less or inaudible hissing or other noises/distortions? This could be due to lower output impedance.

Feb 16, 2019

Vote

Feb 16, 2019

Showpanreduction in noise/interference/lowered noise floor depending on who you are talking to. If you have a pair of noise cancelling headphones the sensation could be somewhat similar to turning on good ANC but not near at that magnitude.

Feb 16, 2019

View Full Discussion

SsButerbal

Ringing in PC38X's

I recently got this headset, and wow is it good. My only issue is when certain people talk on discord, I can hear a really high pitched ringing. I fiddled with a bunch of settings, computer audio and discord, and nothing seems to solve the issue. It is primarily if not all in my right ear only. Is there something wrong with my headset, or was that ringing always there I can just hear it cause the headset is THAT good? I haven't had any issues with any other application, though I have yet to test if I can hear the ringing on a different version of discord, say on my xbox instead of my pc. Only other issue I've had is occasional static, but I can't tell if it's from the headset or the show/game/etc.

Apr 24, 2024

Questions

Vote

itsamepe

Sennheiser PC37X randomly goes bad after disconnecting the cable ?

Greetings, Yesterday I was using my headset like normal with my macbook, just listening to music and on a call with people like usual, and the headset was perfectly fine. The stock wire that came with the headset is extremely long and yesterday it annoyed me very much that it kept getting tangled with itself, so I decided to see if the cable is replaceable. I pulled out the cable from the headset and saw the adapter, and looked online for a replacement. Upon plugging it back in, the audio sounded extremely muffled and washed out. Im not sure what I did wrong to make it mess up like that as I've always taken good care of it, ive had it for about 2 years and its always just been chilling on my desk, but anywho I thought the cable just went bad and ordered a replacement. The replacement came, and the issue is still persistant, so I am not sure what the issue is I've tried multiple different headsets and the issue is not with the port, and I also tried it with my windows laptop and...

Apr 23, 2024

Questions

Briankan

Recommendation for my next headphone set? I have Koss 95x

Hey all, What would you recommend I get next and why? I have Koss ESP-95x electrostatic massdrop headphones. These are my first and only audiophile set. I love them. I think my only real requirements is $500 or less for the headphones and that they have a little more low end. I don’t need thump but these are really light on lows…but the experience is still awesome. Also any recommendations on an amp? I only have my electrostatic thingy. I am using the Topping D50 DAC. thx!!

Apr 22, 2024

Questions

Vote

LostnAmerica

Sound Signature of the Grell Project.

Wondering what type of sound signature the Drop Grell project headphones will have or trying to attain. Any update would be appreciated.

Apr 8, 2024

Questions

Fabulous

Looking for a gaming/content audio setup

Hello! I'm looking for recommendations on audio setups. I'd be planning on using it mostly for gaming. Preferably I'd like a pair of large closed back headphones since I have a big head and jaw. I'd also like to hear myself through my mic with mic monitoring. As far as budget goes, I don't really have one. But under 600$ would be nice. I can go higher if needed. The audio setup would be connected to a high performance PC. Thank you in advance for any recommendations!

Apr 4, 2024

Questions

1plsd

$10 Drop Coupon Email not sent?

Trying to buy some gear off Drop for the first time. I was told I would receive an email with a welcome to drop $10 off promo. I never received that email. Drop was able to send me emails for my login token and email for Password update. But for some reason the $10 off coupon was never sent to me.

Mar 31, 2024