Deleted
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ERC-2?
Mar 27, 2010 19:17:39 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2010 19:17:39 GMT -5
I don't use itunes, but you can get lossless pretty much any major digital DL store. I use digital archives and DL flac. If I did use I tunes, Id use the apple lossless because you can make that into a mp3 or whatever pretty easy but you can't make a lossless out of an mp3.
Flac on my HT sounds just as good as cd's do. I'm waiting for Emo's DAC to add to it and see what kind of a difference it will make.
I think emo should come out with a streaming gaget, with a 1TB HD and the ability to pass all HD. That would be a huge winner in my books.
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ERC-2?
Mar 27, 2010 19:58:47 GMT -5
Post by littlesaint on Mar 27, 2010 19:58:47 GMT -5
All iTunes Store tracks are 256 kbits/s VBR encoded AAC. No options for ALAC or AIFF. That said, for most music you'd be hard-pressed to hear any deficiencies in the AAC encodes. My opinion (and ears) of course.
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ERC-2?
Mar 27, 2010 20:32:11 GMT -5
Post by Raven on Mar 27, 2010 20:32:11 GMT -5
Sorry for confusion ALAC as an option available only for import from CD iTunes store doesn't have it.
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ERC-2?
Mar 27, 2010 20:33:18 GMT -5
Post by roadrunner on Mar 27, 2010 20:33:18 GMT -5
At last year's Emofest, Big Dan said that Emotiva was looking at releasing a "digital server" capable of handling all existing digital formats. He did not go into much detail, but did indicate that it would have large internal storage with ports for external storage. The discussion of the digital server came up while several of us were discussing the demise of physical media and Dan said that Emotiva intends to be a market leader during the transition.
I suspect that this is "one" of the surprises he said that Emotiva would be releasing this year. When I tried to pick Lonnie's mind for more details he just smiled and said that he had a few ideas he was working on. I, for one, am anxious to see what Lonnie has up his sleeve.
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ERC-2?
Mar 28, 2010 1:15:19 GMT -5
Post by MukAudio on Mar 28, 2010 1:15:19 GMT -5
Interesting news about the potential Emo media server.
I would agree with what others have said about the Oppo. Oppo already makes an outstanding blu-ray player. I'm not really sure what Emo would bring to the table that would be new. Oppo seems to specialize entirely in video players, so they would have a decided advantage.
Mark.
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ERC-2?
Mar 29, 2010 8:23:47 GMT -5
Post by Mr. Ben on Mar 29, 2010 8:23:47 GMT -5
I'd like to see them take the existing ERC-1, add SACD support, and bring in the upgrades that were made to the stand-alone DAC. DVD-Audio support would be nice too, but not as important. This seems like it would be easy to do.
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MikeWI
Emo VIPs
DC-1, ERC-1, USP-1, UPA-2, Sub 10, Emotiva 4S
Posts: 346
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ERC-2?
Mar 29, 2010 8:47:47 GMT -5
Post by MikeWI on Mar 29, 2010 8:47:47 GMT -5
I'd like to see them take the existing ERC-1, add SACD support, and bring in the upgrades that were made to the stand-alone DAC. DVD-Audio support would be nice too, but not as important. This seems like it would be easy to do. I could see an Oppo SE or NE with an Emotiva shell. Doing this from scratch and paying licensing fees would not seem to be cost effective. If done transparently (eg, not what Lexicon did) then it could be quickly to market. A high value media server would be great also. Mike
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ERC-2?
Mar 29, 2010 8:57:54 GMT -5
Post by Mr. Ben on Mar 29, 2010 8:57:54 GMT -5
I'd like to see them take the existing ERC-1, add SACD support, and bring in the upgrades that were made to the stand-alone DAC. DVD-Audio support would be nice too, but not as important. This seems like it would be easy to do. I could see an Oppo SE or NE with an Emotiva shell. Doing this from scratch and paying licensing fees would not seem to be cost effective. If done transparently (eg, not what Lexicon did) then it could be quickly to market. A high value media server would be great also. Mike This does seem to be a good way to go, but NuForce has already done it, and I'm not sure that this approach would provide Emotiva the ability to offer the same cost/performance ratio that has made them so popular. Also, since Emotiva's strength is in manufacturing, I'm not sure that they have the infrastructure in place to do this sort of work. They seem to focus on being the manufacturer and design house for other brands, not the other way around.
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darkvisions
Sensei
ISIS - 10/14/97 - 03/12/11
Posts: 928
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ERC-2?
Mar 29, 2010 11:18:40 GMT -5
Post by darkvisions on Mar 29, 2010 11:18:40 GMT -5
I would love them to build something like the Olive 4HD but not with the $1,999 price tag. I was seriously considering this but couldn't justify the cost.
I don't want to use it for movies, just for music. That way when I have parties and/or BBQ's (which is just about every weekend) I could turn it on and let it play without having to change CD's.
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ERC-2?
Mar 29, 2010 15:08:06 GMT -5
Post by Porscheguy on Mar 29, 2010 15:08:06 GMT -5
I also agree that the CD format while not on it's last breath, will someday succumb to the direct download industry. It might be fashioned some what differently than iTunes, meaning lossless at the download point or some companding technology for the purists.
It's the natural evolution of the beast.......
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ERC-2?
Mar 30, 2010 1:28:27 GMT -5
Post by MukAudio on Mar 30, 2010 1:28:27 GMT -5
Sounds like a standard must emerge. There are folks who would want the digital musical system to be audio only, the way CDs are now. And I can definitely see that point of view. And I share it in a way. However, if we go digital distribution, I'm going to miss the cover art and inserts and all that good stuff. The natural solution to that is have it embedded in the digital music files. But then you're requiring video. Maybe a system where video is not necessary for playback, but is there for folks who want it? Sorry, I'm just speculating here. Mark.
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ERC-2?
Mar 30, 2010 7:24:26 GMT -5
Post by littlesaint on Mar 30, 2010 7:24:26 GMT -5
Sounds like a standard must emerge. There are folks who would want the digital musical system to be audio only, the way CDs are now. And I can definitely see that point of view. And I share it in a way. However, if we go digital distribution, I'm going to miss the cover art and inserts and all that good stuff. The natural solution to that is have it embedded in the digital music files. But then you're requiring video. Maybe a system where video is not necessary for playback, but is there for folks who want it? Sorry, I'm just speculating here. Mark. Most of the audio file formats can store embedded images in the file itself. All of my FLAC archives have their artwork embedded. The Apple formats also support this. iTunes will store the artwork in a separate database for oprimization, but they can be embedded as well.
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ERC-2?
Mar 30, 2010 12:57:26 GMT -5
Post by MukAudio on Mar 30, 2010 12:57:26 GMT -5
Also is CD Text something that has royalties associated with it? I've noticed very few commercial CDs have it but it is trivial to add when burning a cd. And also, my Arcam cd player supports it but the ERC-1 doesn't. That leads me to believe Emo didn't want royalties for what is kind of a gimmick boosting the cost of their player...
Mark
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ERC-2?
Mar 31, 2010 0:08:45 GMT -5
Post by ajani on Mar 31, 2010 0:08:45 GMT -5
At last year's Emofest, Big Dan said that Emotiva was looking at releasing a "digital server" capable of handling all existing digital formats. He did not go into much detail, but did indicate that it would have large internal storage with ports for external storage. The discussion of the digital server came up while several of us were discussing the demise of physical media and Dan said that Emotiva intends to be a market leader during the transition. I suspect that this is "one" of the surprises he said that Emotiva would be releasing this year. When I tried to pick Lonnie's mind for more details he just smiled and said that he had a few ideas he was working on. I, for one, am anxious to see what Lonnie has up his sleeve. A digital server would be a smart move, as that is where the tech is going... and there are still limited 'affordable' options, as most audio brands insist on producing extremely expensive servers...
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ERC-2?
Apr 15, 2010 16:45:31 GMT -5
Post by hoosierinohio on Apr 15, 2010 16:45:31 GMT -5
Guess I'm in the middle of both Extremes. I don't download a darn thing. I only buy CD's, for the full album as the artist intended AND the ability to hear the highest quality.
However, the only time I actually play the CD is in my car. I literally open the amazon box, rip the CD(s), place it on the shelf, update my Squeezeserver to find the new album, and listen to all music at my home through the SB>DAC Magic setup.
I actually had a Cambridge Audio 840c and it was a hell of a player. However, I only used the DAC (it had a digital in). So I went SB>840C>Pre/amp
I since sold it and just use the DACMagic which is darn near as good for 1/4 the price.
At any rate, for me, I don't see myself buying another CD player, as my Oppo can do that. I would be interested in a Music Server type product that can compete with the Transporter or hell Sooloos!
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ERC-2?
Apr 15, 2010 16:51:42 GMT -5
Post by ajani on Apr 15, 2010 16:51:42 GMT -5
Guess I'm in the middle of both Extremes. I don't download a darn thing. I only buy CD's, for the full album as the artist intended AND the ability to hear the highest quality. However, the only time I actually play the CD is in my car. I literally open the amazon box, rip the CD(s), place it on the shelf, update my Squeezeserver to find the new album, and listen to all music at my home through the SB>DAC Magic setup. I actually had a Cambridge Audio 840c and it was a hell of a player. However, I only used the DAC (it had a digital in). So I went SB>840C>Pre/amp I since sold it and just use the DACMagic which is darn near as good for 1/4 the price. At any rate, for me, I don't see myself buying another CD player, as my Oppo can do that. I would be interested in a Music Server type product that can compete with the Transporter or hell Sooloos! Many persons who use music servers buy CDs and rip them, rather than downloading... Untill more lossless or High Res downloads are available, then CDs are still the best way to get high quality music into your server...
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Erwin.BE
Emo VIPs
It's the room, stupid!
Posts: 2,262
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ERC-2?
Apr 16, 2010 6:24:10 GMT -5
Post by Erwin.BE on Apr 16, 2010 6:24:10 GMT -5
Guess I'm in the middle of both Extremes. I don't download a darn thing. I only buy CD's, for the full album as the artist intended AND the ability to hear the highest quality. However, the only time I actually play the CD is in my car. I literally open the amazon box, rip the CD(s), place it on the shelf, update my Squeezeserver to find the new album, and listen to all music at my home through the SB>DAC Magic setup. I actually had a Cambridge Audio 840c and it was a hell of a player. However, I only used the DAC (it had a digital in). So I went SB>840C>Pre/amp I since sold it and just use the DACMagic which is darn near as good for 1/4 the price. At any rate, for me, I don't see myself buying another CD player, as my Oppo can do that. I would be interested in a Music Server type product that can compete with the Transporter or hell Sooloos! Many persons who use music servers buy CDs and rip them, rather than downloading... Untill more lossless or High Res downloads are available, then CDs are still the best way to get high quality music into your server... Agreed! I tried Lossless freebees from NaimLabel and Bowers&Wilkins "Society of Sound". It works fine allright, but I ask myself, where's the Rock&Roll? I mean, the featured artists are fine musicians, no doubt, but they're not exactly cutting edge original. I would buy more iTunes if it were ALAC. For now, I buy (or borrow ) CD's, listen to them with one of my two good CD players and if I like what I hear, I rip the CD to ALAC. I have over 1000 real CD's but almost 1600 albums on the iMac. So, iTunes appears almost "40-square": the 24" iMac shows 40 albums at the time
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ERC-2?
Apr 30, 2010 14:27:04 GMT -5
Post by jmargaglione on Apr 30, 2010 14:27:04 GMT -5
Like others on this thread, I immediately rip all CDs I buy in a lossless format on my Mac, then load it to my music distribution system (Sonos). But there are quality issues that stop me from getting rid of my universal player.
First, you can't rip an SACD or DVD-A in multi-channel at 96/24 or 192/24. The SACD in the Oppo (or Denon 3930ci) always sounds better than the digital output of the Sonos through my main system.
Not much to do about that thanks to ridiculous DRM problems. But there certainly are improvements that can be made to existing products.
Here is my ideal product:
Create a universal player (Bluray/DVD-A/SACD/CD) that can also rip CDs and Hybrid SACDs in a variety of lossless formats directly to an internal or external hard drive, or network storage. Should be able to start playing the CD, then have it eject and keep playing when ripping is finished.
The player then becomes the hub for any other distribution system by exposing the music through Windows shares (smb).
Don't even bother putting analog outs on this thing. Put the amazing DACs in the UMC-1/XMC-1. That will keep the cost low (it's working for Oppo!). Use an HDMI/COAX/TOS combo for output.
Through the HDMI out, have a nice graphic interface to the music using some kind of jukebox software. Make sure the unit is WiFi enabled with an ethernet port (gigabit) to transfer over the existing collection.
Add the ability to hook into Rhapsody, Napster, Pandora, Internet Radio, etc.
iPhone control app is a must. See the Sonos iPhone app for instructions.
So basically merge the Transporter and the Oppo ;D
Final price should be somewhere in the $600 - $800 range (about $100-300 more than the Oppo).
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ERC-2?
May 10, 2010 7:31:53 GMT -5
Post by PearlJam on May 10, 2010 7:31:53 GMT -5
I would probably also buy the ERC-1, but I wouldn't want to spend more money on a higher end model. I prefer to see a network music player handling all formats. An added bonus would be some sort of a screen to ensure I don't need an extra screen to navigate the library. Like the Transporter. I see a lot of support for something like this. Emo....now it's your turn
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