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Post by Boomzilla on Jan 18, 2016 17:11:42 GMT -5
Every time their version changed, my registration number no longer worked. I also bought two versions to use on the Mac (the their Mac-native versions lacked so many features that I couldn't use them). I've been fighting JRiver for a LONG time.
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Post by Axis on Jan 18, 2016 17:22:13 GMT -5
Boom, I suggest you just do a internet search for Music players like Hemster posted and give them a try. I use the music software that goes with my sony Walkman and it works great. I tried the J River free period and several other free music players after I ripped my CD's to flac and could not tell a difference. I knew everyone here was recommending J River but just stayed with my Sony Media Go and sounds great to me.
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Post by Boomzilla on Jan 18, 2016 17:25:27 GMT -5
Hi Axis - Lots of music players work great with the music on the same local device as the player program. But those types of programs typically can't reach out over a network to index & search the media on a USB drive connected to a networked computer. Fewer still have a graphical interface app for iPad.
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Post by Axis on Jan 18, 2016 17:32:36 GMT -5
Hi Axis - Lots of music players work great with the music on the same local device as the player program. But those types of programs typically can't reach out over a network to index & search the media on a USB drive connected to a networked computer. Fewer still have a graphical interface app for iPad. Boom I have never used a wifi, networks or streamers. Would be starting from scratch if and when I do. I just moved to having my CD's ripped the last couple years. I used the dB poweramp to rip and just ripped to flac. Wish I would have ripped to Wav at the same time but flac works great. With my old hearing everything sounds good to me. I can tell mp3 from flac but anyone should be able too with a DC-1 and Airmotive powered monitors. I tried some Hi rez on my sony Walkman and couls not tell it from the flac. Good luck Boom. If I find some info for you I will send it your way.
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jan 18, 2016 19:48:13 GMT -5
One word: SONOS.
And if that does not meet your need,nothing will. Easy. Effective. High quality.
Mark
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jan 18, 2016 19:50:37 GMT -5
If you want to Skype and see how easy it is, PM me.
Mark
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Post by jamco on Jan 19, 2016 15:14:09 GMT -5
One word: SONOS. And if that does not meet your need,nothing will. Easy. Effective. High quality. Mark Boomzilla,
Mark is right... Easy. Effective. High quality.
I’ll also add that unlike the iTunes and JRiver software, the SONOS CONNECT device operates on firmware; SONOS calls it software, but operationally it’s more like firmware in that free periodic updates require a single click and it provides the bulletproof reliability that you are looking for.
The SONOS CONNECT client runs on an iPad app (plus Android, iPhone, iPod, Mac & your Windoz) and you’ll find the user interface is very intuitive. You can play music stored on up to 16 PCs, Macs or NAS devices on your network.
You owe it to yourself to test drive the SONOS Connect. SONOS.com offers free shipping and a 45-Day Return Policy.
BTW, I do not have a need to wirelessly connect the SONOS CONNECT device to SONOS brand speakers. My MetaGeek inSSIDer software revealed that we live in a heavily saturated Wi-Fi community so I’ve elected to turn-off the SonosNet peer-to-peer wireless mesh network so it doesn’t interfere with my Wi-Fi network. This link has the commands to disable/enable SonosNet, which you won’t find in SONOS Support. bsteiner.info/articles/disabling-sonos-wifi
Best of luck. -jamco
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Post by drtrey3 on Jan 19, 2016 15:25:24 GMT -5
Man, I am so sorry you are having these problems with jRiver. It works great for me, but I don't use Apple much.
Trey
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Post by brubacca on Jan 19, 2016 15:29:11 GMT -5
sonos does not support hi rez.. It is cd quality only! Personally that is a nonstarter.
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jan 19, 2016 18:08:01 GMT -5
sonos does not support hi rez.. It is cd quality only! Personally that is a nonstarter. I used to think lack of hi rez support would be an issue, but I also thought I see a lot more Hi rez music I would like out there. Turns out, the only things I see out there that are known to "really" be Hi rez...is music I don't like. And if that changes, I can use my PC for that. Mark
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Post by Boomzilla on Jan 19, 2016 18:08:07 GMT -5
Problem solved (for now). I relocated the laptop to the living room & hooked it up to the Oppo via USB. Since the iPad and the Oppo are now on the same Wi-Fi network (no ethernet at all), they work together just fine. Now on to real things! The McIntosh C-220 tube preamp is not as neutral as the Emotiva XSP-1, gen. 2, despite being twice the cost. McIntosh has obviously tried to please everyone. They have tried to make the preamp as neutral as a solid-state preamp (and failed); they have also tried to make the preamp as warm as a tube preamp (and failed again). This isn't to say the preamp isn't pleasant to listen to - it can be. But it has neither the midrange bloom of a classic tube preamp nor the neutrality of a modern solid-state preamp. I was hoping that the Mac would be "the best of both worlds," but it's not. The Mac has some frequency variations. It sounds the slightest bit uneven. Parts of the midrange are clear and highly present, but other parts sound slightly recessed or slightly forward. The treble is equally uneven. If I toe my speakers toward the listener (as I most often do with neutral preamps), the Mac causes the tweeters have a slight glare without a commensurate sparkle of extension. To get the treble right, I had to align my speakers at a right angle to the back wall (with the listener NOT on the speaker axis). Then to get the bass right, I had to move the speakers back toward the rear wall, using port plugs to tame the bass. Now the combined effect is very nice, but the imaging is completely different than what I've heard before. Not bad, just different. I can understand how many might like the "Mac tube preamp sound," but I'm not sure that I'm in that number yet. The preamp's sound is clean as a whistle, with no sibilance, midrange congestion, or bass fuzziness. But it doesn't have the expansive bloom of the best tube midranges. On good recordings, it's as good as the best I'be heard, but only with the rest of the system tweaked to accommodate the Mac's peculiarities. Best things about the Mac C-220: It has bass extension! Put on Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D Minor, and you know that the pedal tones are present. It has bass slam. Listening to flamenco guitar, when the guitarist stomps a foot, or raps the soundboard of the guitar with his fingers, you feel the impacts. It can have midrange naturalness, but only with the very best recordings. The Eagles "Seven Bridges Road" gives a balanced presentation of the singers and the live crowd. It has detail. Quiet sounds in the mix are plainly audible and separate from the ambience that they're recorded with Worst things about the Mac C-220: It lacks the bloom that a tube preamp should have. It's difficult to get the "wrapped in the ambience of the original sound venue" effect that occurs with the best tube preamps (or even the most neutral solid-state preamps). The bass can bring out the worst in your speakers. If your speakers are over or underdamped, the Mac will tell you all about it. Some upper male vocal frequencies seem overly prominent. This must be a narrow-frequency-range peak, because it's only noticeable with a few recordings (where I haven't noticed such before) It isn't cheap (especially if you're stupid enough - like me, to buy it from Canada) So do I plan to keep this preamp? I don't yet know for sure. I currently own two other good preamps, the Muse Model 3 and the Emotiva XSP-1, gen. 2. But I can say that I've had to move my speakers more to accommodate the McIntosh than any other preamp I've had in my system. The speaker positions that work with solid-state electronics definitely don't work with the Mac. I'm also wondering if a different DAC might produce different results with the Mac. garbulky, can I borrow your Stealth 1 DAC again? Boomzilla
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Post by brutiarti on Jan 19, 2016 18:51:58 GMT -5
Are you using the XPA-2?
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Post by garbulky on Jan 19, 2016 18:59:39 GMT -5
Unfortunately, I'm afraid I don't know when I can get a chance to bring it by for an audition. I wouldn't expect it to improve things though in your room though. It didn't do well at all last time with the Oppo completely stomping on it. I think your main problem with the preamp is that despite your positive findings with bass, there is a significant lack of bass with the m100s. Less of an issue than the m80s but still not enough to be even in response. It don't think it can function properly as a standalone speaker in that space. Not that it can't get close! It needs subs imo for that last bit of gelling together. I believe this is contributing to mid range suckouts or certain upper mid range/treble peaks. It's just waiting for the bass to fill in and balance it out. I suggest trying to incorporate the subs with the crossover turned slightly lower than before with the speakers running full range. The results may surprise you. I think that Mcintosh is quite a capable pre amp
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Post by Boomzilla on Jan 20, 2016 9:49:54 GMT -5
Hi @brutiari - Yes, my new XPA-2, Gen. 2 is the power source - and a great one it is! Its immediate predecessors are (in chronological order) Four XPA-1Ls, Two XPA-1Ls, and a Mini-X A-100. I've owned several XPA-2, Gen. 1s before, and am very familiar with their sound. To my ears, the new stereo amp gives away nothing that I can tell to the mono block amps. (Yes, yes, - heresy, I know). Hi garbulky - I don't think that the DAC trial was a fair one. With completely neutral associated electronics, and in my room, yes, the Oppo's DAC did stomp the Stealth DC1. But the sonics of the McIntosh are just enough different that I'm wondering if a different DAC might be a better fit... For the mean time, I may try out a Behringer DAC. I must further disagree (and perhaps strongly disagree) with your contention that the Axiom M-100s have inadequate bass for my room. When you listened, we were spotting the speakers from 1.5 to 3 feet out from the back wall. The lack of boundary reinforcement caused the weak bass performance (in addition to the fact that the speakers weren't yet broken in). Since then, I've added port plugs (factory supplied), and moved the speakers to a position about six inches from the back wall. Initially, this balanced the bass but boogered the imaging. But by experimentation and an evening of trial & error, I now have both bass and imaging with the speakers in their "near-wall" position. The McIntosh preamp offers no bass management. To use my subs, I'd need to use the subs' own crossovers set to 40 Hz. (their lowest frequency). Since the Axioms have a -3dB point of 31 Haz, there will be some overlap - probably leading to boom. But it is worth trying... Cheers - Boom
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Post by Boomzilla on Jan 21, 2016 15:06:16 GMT -5
And by the bye - Just LOVING my new XPA-2, Gen. 2! I'd forgotten again just what a great amp this is! The XPA-1Ls technically have the same power & "lower distortion," but you couldn't tell the difference from listening. So my fun for today will be to hook up my two PowerSound XV-15se subs to the system & see what happens. It's a novisnick kind of day! LOL
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Post by garbulky on Jan 21, 2016 15:09:06 GMT -5
Whoohoo! BTW did you notice better bass with the XPA-1s on the bass woofer? It has a larger power supply.
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novisnick
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Post by novisnick on Jan 21, 2016 15:12:49 GMT -5
A little Bach Organ music please! With and without the subs.
I think my system does it nicely without the subs.
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Post by Boomzilla on Jan 21, 2016 17:17:24 GMT -5
Oh my... My audio amigo, garbulky, was right again. The subwoofers take things to the next level, even with a truly "full range" speaker like the Axiom M-100. They DO need a crossover, but my oh my! I played everything from Toccata & Fugue in D Minor to George Thorogood and the Destroyers to CSN&Y to Lady GaGa. The extra oomph was significant every time. Maybe there just IS no substitute for cone area... The bass also tempted me to turn up the system (not to novisnick levels, but still...). I ran my wife out of the house, but she didn't complain and since I do it seldom enough, all's good. To say that the system sounded "unstrained" at louder levels is a gross understatement. It seemed to invite having it turned even louder. And unlike most speaker/amp combinations, it did NOT audibly compress the music. Instead of sounding like a undiversified "loud roar," it instead sounded more like (loud) live music. Dynamics to spare, top to bottom, and everything just clear as a bell. Now THIS was worth the expense! Things are becoming better and better. Current setup is: Toshiba laptop running JRiver, controlled by J-Remote on an iPad & USB output to Oppo BDP-105 used as a DAC with balanced outputs to McIntosh C-220 tube preamp with both balanced & unbalanced outputs active feeding Two PowerSound Audio XV-15 subwoofers and The Emotiva XPA-2, Gen. 2 power amplifier going to Axiom M-100 speakers The only thing missing is bass management to prevent that (slight) overlap between the M-100s (currently run full-range) and the XV-15 subs. This means that I either cough up for a JL Labs CR2 crossover or that I tear my XSP-1, Gen. 2 back out of garbulky's hot little hands. I can't bear to do the latter until he's had a chance to listen to it in his system, so I can wait. I might be able to tempt him by letting him use the McIntosh for a while after he's heard the XSP-1? We'll see... Alternately, I might be able to persuade audiobill to build me a crossover? But for now, I'm the guy with the huge smile on his face!
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Post by audiobill on Jan 21, 2016 17:32:55 GMT -5
Let's talk!!
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Post by garbulky on Jan 21, 2016 17:36:09 GMT -5
Fantastic news!! I am glad there was an improvement. Have you tried bi amping with the XPA-2 on bass and XPA-1 L on mids and treble?
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