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Post by AudioHTIT on May 20, 2016 13:34:56 GMT -5
So iTunes isn't the best place to buy one single song and expect it to have the best SQ. Any recommendations on a good place to get a single song that supports a higher quality format? I'm assuming i could then add that song to iTunes and sync it to my phone for riding and use Jriver on a laptop permanantly hooked up to my XMC for home listening. I just downloaded the trial of Jriver and it found all the songs that i had in iTunes and imported them. If for some reason i delete ITunes will the songs still be in Jriver? I don't know any sources for single songs in a lossless format; I'd buy more from the iTunes Store if they did offer ALAC. To me the least expensive way to get high quality music is to buy the CD and rip the whole thing, that can often be done for $5 to $10. HD formats (like HD Tracks) start about $15 (for an album). |
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Post by AudioHTIT on May 20, 2016 13:37:51 GMT -5
Interesting - either they changed something (quite possible) or there's a configuration option.... in the past it tended to store them sort of in a heap.... but then a lot of people complained.... so perhaps they've fixed that  I've been using iTunes about 7 or 8 years and don't remember that, but maybe you're older than me.  ... not! |
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edrummereasye
Sensei
"This aggression will not stand, man!"
Posts: 438
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Post by edrummereasye on May 20, 2016 19:26:24 GMT -5
Garbulky its the same speakers, same room, same position. I connected the XMC-1 to the balanced input on the XPA-100's and the USP-1 to the unbalanced inputs and just flip the switch on the amps to go from one to the other. Keith I switched between ASRC on and off when i was listening through the XDA-2/USP-1 to what ever sounded best for the song i was listening to. I used itunes to copy cds and then synced the songs to my iphone. Digital is new to me so im not sure thats the best way to play all the cds i have through my home stereo as well as listening to them through my phone when im at work or out riding my Harley. Is there a better option then airplayto play cds through the home stereo? Is there a way to incorporate both the XMC-1 and the USP-1 into my system so i can listen to 2 chanel with the USP and Movies with the XMC-1 or is that more trouble then its worth? Is it a USP-1, or an XSP-1? I have both, and while the USP-1 was a fine piece of kit, the XSP-1 is more on par with the XMC-1...that said, I no longer found it necessary when I got the XMC-1, so it's now doing duty in a secondary system with my UMC-200. But, I could see it holding its own, and maybe see some people slightly preferring something about it, especially if it's a Gen2 (mine is Gen1, but the Gen2 is supposed to have some refinements, IIRC). Also, it's possible the crossovers are behaving differently, as it's impossible to know exactly where the crossovers on the XSP-1/USP-1 are set, short of plotting it out with REW or similar. And as Keith said, slight level differences, who knows...or maybe there's just some kind of synergy there... |
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edrummereasye
Sensei
"This aggression will not stand, man!"
Posts: 438
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Post by edrummereasye on May 20, 2016 19:41:45 GMT -5
I always use FLAC. (All lossless formats are equivalent - since all give you back the same original when you decode them.) I use FLAC because it is the most widely supported lossless format outside of "Apple land" (and I'm not an Apple fan). FLAC is a free format, and virtually all non-Apple players support it (even though some Apple players don't). For ripping software I use dBPowerAmp - which is a program specifically for ripping, checking copies, and format conversions (it isn't a player). It has some nice features - like confirming the precise accuracy of each file you rip against an online database, and automatically tagging and sorting your ripped albums if you set it to. Many players, including jRiver Media Center, also do an excellent job of ripping CDs. Excellent choices. I used Exact Audio Copy with some automation scripts (REACT) to rip to FLAC for most of my collection; but I've also used dBPowerAmp and it's excellent and was arguably more user-friendly. At one time, it didn't offer the same level of control/options as EAC, but that's going back a ways, much may have changed. There's also the issue of ripping to individual song files, or album files with a "cuesheet"... I mostly did the latter, but I was also ripping to individual MP3s at the same time, for portable / practice (drums) use. Don't think there's any "wrong" answer there, and dBPowerAmp itself can convert between various formats after the fact. |
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Post by JKCashin on May 20, 2016 23:27:39 GMT -5
Interesting - either they changed something (quite possible) or there's a configuration option.... in the past it tended to store them sort of in a heap.... but then a lot of people complained.... so perhaps they've fixed that iTunes on my Mac stores all the albums in a music folder that gives each album a folder with correct album name and each track with title inside. I just copy that entire music folder to an external backup drive in case of a computer crash. It is very easy to sort through and find an album if needed. On a Mac or PC storage is by folder without munging of the name. On an iPod or iPhone it's as you described |
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Post by audiobill on May 21, 2016 9:17:48 GMT -5
"As for AirPlay - that is a very complicated and somewhat vague subject. True audiophile players go out of their way to make sure that they deliver a "bit perfect audio stream" - they don't alter the audio on the way through. In contrast, Airplay is a CONVENIENCE format. The best information available is that SOMETIMES AirPlay delivers the audio data without altering it - but sometimes not. It is a known fact, for example, that Airplay sometimes re-samples audio to different sample rates - in which case it is obviously altering it. At other times it appears to pass the data unaltered - but there's no way to know when and if that's the case for a given connection at a given time. (The system will act differently depending on what other devices are connected to it.) Airplay may also sacrifice quality to make sure the music keeps playing if your connection gets weak - perhaps due to interference. So, in audiophile terms "the sound quality of Airplay is variable and not necessarily trustworthy."" Keith, what is your source for this information? Emotiva's direct extensive testing? Thanks, |
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Post by yves on May 21, 2016 14:26:45 GMT -5
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edrummereasye
Sensei
"This aggression will not stand, man!"
Posts: 438
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Post by edrummereasye on May 21, 2016 17:19:20 GMT -5
Ha! Give it time, once the brain acclimates, accuracy will sound good...or you'll convince yourself that good is accurate! |
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KeithL
Administrator 
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Post by KeithL on May 23, 2016 10:58:54 GMT -5
Actually the exact opposite...... We've never done any in-depth testing as to what AirPlay CAN do, and it's difficult to even find claims about what it's SUPPOSED to be able to do. According to some third-party literature, AirPlay internally uses "ALAC lossless protocol at the 44.1k sample rate" - which is "CD quality". I've also seen it claimed that you end up with 44k or 48k - depending on the devices involved. However, either way, the quality of what you get is clearly limited by the source device, and the source file, and AirPlay works with many source devices - each of which has its own limitations. The quality is also limited by the receiver/player - and, again, specs are rarely provided there either. For example, we have no idea if an iPhone X, playing a lossless 44k file, actually delivers a 44k lossless bit-stream to the Airplay stream that it sends out, or what the player does if bits are dropped. Let's just tactfully say that, when you read the specs of a typical AirPlay device, the standard audio specs tend not to be mentioned in depth - if at all. Again, note that Apple has noticeably FAILED to step in and specify how you can get your AirPlay device to deliver a bit-perfect audio stream if that is your requirement. (Even though iTunes defaults to lossy compression, at least they offer you the settings to get lossless ripping and storage, if you want to.) The bottom line is that there are definitely audible differences in sound quality when using AirPlay with certain sources under certain conditions, Apple never actually specifies any configuration options or device settings that will ensure that you are getting a bit-perfect audio stream, and there is no simple and direct method of knowing what quality level to expect from a given combination of source and playback equipment. I can play a PCM file on my computer, see the sample rate reported by the player, send it to a DAC, confirm that the DAC is showing the proper sample rate, and verify that I've selected a WASAPI bit-perfect output option; with AirPlay, once I play the file, the audio "disappears into the AirPlay black box" and I get whatever I get. Clearly, ensuring the provenance and sound quality of the signal is not high on the list of priorities for the developers of AirPlay; and iIt is certainly not traditional for reviewers of AirPlay devices to test the regular audio specs (apparently, because of the target market, it simply isn't considered to be an important factor). Note the LACK of articles with titles like: "How to make sure you're getting bit-perfect audio playback from your Apple AirPlay devices". "As for AirPlay - that is a very complicated and somewhat vague subject. True audiophile players go out of their way to make sure that they deliver a "bit perfect audio stream" - they don't alter the audio on the way through. In contrast, Airplay is a CONVENIENCE format. The best information available is that SOMETIMES AirPlay delivers the audio data without altering it - but sometimes not. It is a known fact, for example, that Airplay sometimes re-samples audio to different sample rates - in which case it is obviously altering it. At other times it appears to pass the data unaltered - but there's no way to know when and if that's the case for a given connection at a given time. (The system will act differently depending on what other devices are connected to it.) Airplay may also sacrifice quality to make sure the music keeps playing if your connection gets weak - perhaps due to interference. So, in audiophile terms "the sound quality of Airplay is variable and not necessarily trustworthy."" Keith, what is your source for this information? Emotiva's direct extensive testing? Thanks, |
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... not!
