• Already a member?

What are you listening to... RIGHT NOW!?

You are currently viewing a single conversation. Return to Full Discussion

WildChinoise161follow
2y
Brave Enough by Lindsey Stirling. Listening on my brandy new Fostex Purplehearts, on a Woo Audio WA3 and Fostex HPA4 DAC. Its being streamed from my Amazon Prime Music on my desktop PC.
thumb_up0replyReply
share Share
more_horiz
Heefty908follow
2y
WildChinoise
Ugh! You had me jealous until you got to the Amazon Prime Music streaming... I've not encountered a worse streaming service for compressed horrible audio quality... But then I haven't dared try it in about a year so maybe it's much better now... I guess I better go see if I need to put my foot in my mouth yet since I can't believe that someone who has invested as much in their rig as you have could stand to listen through a full song. Might save me my $120/yr on Spotify.

Update: Nope, it's still awful. You should at least try the free versions of Pandora or Spotify for a little bit of an upgrade if you're not interested to spend some money for decent sound quality.
thumb_up0replyReply
share Share
more_horiz
WildChinoise161follow
2y
Heefty
My stack has a ways to go. Time to study up on DACs and see what might go well with my gear.

A year ago I would have to agree with you on Prime Music streaming. But its hard to beat free, since I already get Amazon Prime for free shipping, as well as Amazon Video, & Amazon Lending library services. BTW, you can choose between Amazon music quality lvl of low, medium & high. High = 320kps MP3. I use Prime music to explore what's out there and sample new releases.

I have tried Pandora and Spotify. Have you tried Tidal, I think that offers some high quality music streaming and very usable phone and pc apps. But's it kinda pricey.

I generally listen to CDs ripped to FLAC and sometime I buy albums downloaded from HDtracks.

I can say the remastered and more carefully mastered albums offered on HDtracks, Acousticsounds do sound better. Especially old rock and pop that has been remastered, I find very enojoyable.
thumb_up1replyReply
share Share
more_horiz
Heefty908follow
2y
WildChinoise
I didn't realize you could change the quality on Amazon. That's good to know though, thanks for the tip. I'll have to look into it to see if I can figure it out since I'm also already paying for Prime. Their site is not exactly the most user friendly ever for options like that though.

I've heard a lot about Tidal but never personally given it a go because for a couple reasons. It used to be absurdly expensive (probably in its infancy). It looks like the monthly rate has come down a bit now though and they have separated between the premium and HiFi options, so that's something to consider. I've also seen that some reviewers suggest that it comes across a bit bass heavy, whereas Spotify is more balanced. Not sure if there's any truth to that though since I've never tried it. Between those two, no compelling reason for me to make the switch.

Couldn't agree more on the CDs/FLACs/HDtracks route though! HDtracks really does a stellar job with what they offer. It's the easiest way for me to get my hands on HD (better than CD quality) audio as well. I do appreciate the higher sample rate options.
thumb_up0replyReply
share Share
more_horiz
ElectronicVices755follow
2y
Heefty
I gave Tidal a try shortly after launch and liked it initially. Eventually decided its library had a ways to go and the initial pricing was off-putting. As far as the "bassy" part... I've always felt frequency response extension on the high and low ends was more greatly affected by lossy compression. No measurements to back this up but I have always noticed a cleaner and deeper low end with lossless vs lossy compression (with material that contains info in those bands). From a pragmatic standpoint it would make sense to remove more bits from the frequency extremes vs the mid-bass through lower treble. The vast majority of consumer reproduction equipment falls quite short in these frequency ranges. Variable bit rate mp3's alleviated some of extension issues of prior generations of the codec but I feel it still has a way to go.

On topic portion:
"Conscious" (Full Album) - Broods in 96kHz/24bit via Jriver MC>X-USB>XDA-1>AVR-2808>XPA-100 (x2)>ERT-8 Tower Speakers

HDtracks is great... those coupon emails get me in trouble however!
thumb_up0replyReply
share Share
more_horiz
Related Posts
Bluergbswitchfollow
post
posted in Audiophile

New Audiophile. What is the best beginner setup (headphones, dac, amp)?

Hey guys, as I said in the title, I am new to the audiophile world and could use some of your help. I love listening to music and I want the best sound quality possible. Basically, what I'm asking you guys is what is a good beginner setup for me? I h
Read More
thumb_up0
12
shareShare
Johnny.Eli.Pfollow
post
posted in Audiophile

Best entry level audiophile DAC/AMP to pair with entry level closed back headphones (ATH-m50x)

Hi guys! I just bought some audio technica ATH-m50x's. What would be the best entry level DAC and AMP to pair with these headphones? I have never had an external DAC or AMP just to drive headphones and have no idea what to look for. I do know a littl
Read More
thumb_up0
7
shareShare
Almatrafifollow
post
posted in Audiophile

Best place to fix my headphone

I have a headphone (akg Q701), but one of the phones does not work. Is there any good place in the US where I can repair it?
Read More
thumb_up0
2
shareShare
oliver_oilfollow
post
posted in Audiophile

Good speaker setup for $250-ish?

I tend to prefer balanced sound signatures. I'm just gonna have these sitting on my desk, to the sides of my monitor. I'll sit 2 ft away from them and I'll usually have them at a low volume. If using a DAC/Amp will greatly improve my sound quality I'
Read More
thumb_up0
6
shareShare
JacobAfollow
post
posted in Audiophile

Small USB-C DAC

I don't pay close attention to this kinda stuff so I'm sure this is an easy thing, I'm looking for a good USB-C DAC for my phone. I had the HTC-10 and it sounded great with it's quad DAC system, now with the Note 8 the audio is really lacking. Any su
Read More
thumb_up0
6
shareShare
LeoNeofollow
post
posted in Audiophile

New version of TH-X00

Are we getting a new version for fostex TH-X00 I read in reddit there will be new version of TH-x00 with de attachable cable.. can anyone confirm this? Thanks
Read More
thumb_up0
3
shareShare
  • About
  • Careers
  • Help
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Sitemap
  • · · ·
    Privacy
    Terms
    Site Map