[lee730]

Quote:

TBH I have really no idea on what any of that means. I guess Lossless is the best Audio File or whatever around, and should be taken from CDs. But how exactly do I do that? What is WAV and why do you need to convert it to FLAC or ALAC? What is 256K AAC, 320K VBR and what is a lossless file?

lol Lossy codec means you are getting the full quality of the intended recording. Whether it be WAV (which is a direct rip from CD) or FLAC/ALAC (a compressed version of WAV that still doesn't lose any quality). It basically unzips back to the WAV files during playback. MP3 AAC, VBR are different types of MP3 files. VBR will change the bit rate based on how complicated and busy (or how much info is in the track in steps). It actually will raise or lower the K size of the file in certain parts of the song if it is not as demanding or even raise it if is deemed necessary by the encoder. I think AAC encodes the MP3 at a constant bit-rate. So if its at 256 the entire song is encoded at 256. But with lossy codecs (Mp3, etc) you lose parts of the original song and this can be noticeable on revealing equipment. One reason why I recommend you start looking into lossless codecs if you intend to move up. You can use various programs to rip your CDs to lossless. I use Exact Audio Copy combined with Flac Frontend (which encodes the WAV files to flac on the fly).

 

[estreeter]

Google is your friend, Gooby - you can also find excellent info on the various formats in Wikipedia. 
 
As for ripping, most folk like this freeware. 
 
http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/
 
I will leave you with this pearl of wisdom - hard drive space is cheap, and definitely cheaper than having to re-purchase music.  Once you have a lossless version of your music, you can create much smaller compressed versions for a portable player - it doesnt work the other way. 

 

[NZtechfreak]

Musicbee is also great for ripping to FLAC, more user-friendly than EAC, but not as much granular control.

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

Google is your friend, Gooby - you can also find excellent info on the various formats in Wikipedia. 
 
As for ripping, most folk like this freeware. 
 
http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/
 
I will leave you with this pearl of wisdom - hard drive space is cheap, and definitely cheaper than having to re-purchase music.  Once you have a lossless version of your music, you can create much smaller compressed versions for a portable player - it doesnt work the other way. 

 
Wise words for anyone entering the world of digital audio. 

 

[Gooby]

After a bit more researching, and PM'ing some people I think i have decided on getting an iPod Classic with CLAS+RX MK3. But i still have a couple questions.
 
What is an iMod?
 
When or if I decide to Rockbox the iPod, should I do it with the 5.5g or the 7g? Some people have said that the 5.5g rockbox has a couple pros that I don't know of. 
 
Let's say I have 1 CD, and iPod, and a Sansa Clip or something. Can I rip the CD twice and put the music on the iPod, Sansa Clip, and still be able to use the CD in a CD player or whatever? 
 
How does the iPod Classic ($230) + CLAS ($580) + RX MK3 ($650) portable rig compare to a desktop rig (Amp/DAC of the same price point ($1460) with a PC or Laptop? 
 
I was also thinking about getting the RX MK3 ($650) first and later getting the CLAS if I feel I need it, would you say that a desktop rig (Amp/DAC) with a budget of $230 + $650 = $880? 
 
Thanks Again Guys!

 

[scootermafia]

Quote:

I was looking at some MP3 players like the Colorfly C4, iBasso DX100, etc. and they look really nice and I kind of want to buy one. But I have an iPhone and was thinking if i needed to get one of those MP3 players if i had a "good" amp like a Fiio E17 or something. If i were to get one of those MP3 players I would probably still get an Amp anyways. So I guess i was wondering if the amp would make the sound quality between the two be significant? iPhone + Amp vs MP3 (Colorfly C4, iBasso DX100, Cowon J3, etc) + Amp?

 
The amp in the DX100 is better than any portable amp I've heard including the iBasso Pelican, which despite being incredibly powerful, still does not produce the same sound quality as just listening directly out of the DX100.  I have no reservations with using the DX100 for all portable listening and eschewing any other devices in the signal chain.  Remember that integrating the amp, dac, and source into one box with no cables allows for synergy and synchronicity.  
 
Think about this.  For $800 you could get the DX100 and it's one box and one device to charge.  Or, you can do 4 boxes, all that have to be charged, dac, transport, amp, and source, spending over $1000 total, that does not fit in a pocket and is not truly a portable setup at all.  The DX100 in my experience sounds much nicer than more complicated setups.  I've tried adding a separate DAC and a separate amp also to the DX100 to "improve" it with no success.
 
Edit:  The DX100 sounds the most desktop-like of the portable gear I've experimented with, in part because the amp is powerful enough to drive most headphones well and the DAC is exceptionally good, better than any other portable DAC because it has a ESS9018 chip in it; but something like a Schiit Mjolnir @ $750 completely destroys any portable gear I have, hell, it even beats my Beta22 (costs up to $3000) which I thought was the best desktop amp prior to owning the Mjolnir.  At times it's close but at $750 the Mjolnir is a much better value.  

 

[lee730]

Do you think the DX100 will take on an ipod/CLAS/ALO MKIII? He seems bent on buying a bomb . I'm much more apt to find a DX100/UHA 6 MKII or Tralucent T1 amp more portable than a 3 piece set-up....
 

 

[the wizard of oz]

N.B. Portable iDAC's like the CLAS don't work with iPod generations preceding the 6G. Unfortunately.

 

[estreeter]

Those who own the iMod seem to be big fans - I've never heard it and I have an issue with building your 'audiophile experience' around such an old version of the iPod, whatever mystical characteristics the Wolfson DAC may possess. How many portable media players from 2007 (end of 5.5 - the other versions Vinnie accepts are even older) would you say have been lovingly cared for ? 
 
http://redwineaudio.com/imod
 
Personally, I would heed the advice of scootermafia and others in this thread and elsewhere, particularly when they have both portable and desktop rigs - your expectations seem to be based solely on your budget. Might be time re-evaluate Schiit.  

 

[Gooby]

The PM that I had received had said that the BX100 sounds great (No denying that) it's just that the firmware is pretty glitchy/bad and I don't like dealing with that kind of stuff. 
 
I can't seem to find any new iPod Classics under 6th generation that isn't like $300~$400 so I guess I must skip the iMod option. The person I had PM'd had said that the RX3 + CLAS was the perfect combo if I had an iPhone, and an iPod.
 
I am kind of interested in what he was talking about with the Schiit Mjolner and how it is less than a grand and better than any portable rig. Are there any other DAC/Amp combos within the ~$1000 area that will blow away everything else?
 
I know it kind of depends on the pair of headphones, so I will just include the fact that I am probably using either the HD 600/650 or HE-300/400 and later upgrading. And I honestly listen to basically all genres except Metal. 

 

[xnuthecaveman]

since you are going to use a CLAS which uses digital data from the ipod (bypassing the internal dac of the ipod), imod is pretty much useless or not applicable. Imod/diymod is "beneficial" only for an ipod + amp setup.

I'm also in the same situation as you, since I'm still deciding whether to get a DX100 or get a uha-6s mkii for my iriver h120. I'm just using a modded t50rp thru h120+e17+o2 amp now and no plans on buying another set of hp in the future. So not so sure, if the Es9018 dac would benefit me at all or instead save 500usd and get the uha6s mkii.

 

[Gooby]

Ok I have been doing a TON of research and I really want the Samsung Galaxy S3 (US Variant), but there is not enough information out there for me to confirm the MANY questions that I have. 
 
1. Does the S3 support Lossless or whatever the hell it is?
2. How does the Qualcomm WCD9310 DAC Chip in the US S3 compare to the Wolfson DAC Chip in the International S3? 
3. Does the S3 have a lineout like the iPod's and such for amp's and DAC's?
4. Are there any DAC's that can bypass the DAC in the S3? (I know that the CLAS and the Fostex HP-P1 are the only DAC's that will bypass the internal DAC in the iPod Classic and I am trying to find something that will do the same for the S3. If not then I might just get an amp and save my money by not buying a DAC)
5. I know the RX MK3-B is probably the best portable amp for full size headphones (and maybe IEMs too...?), but I don't think I will need it for portable use, so are there any portable amps that provide no hiss for sensitive IEMs but also can maybe power efficient headphones at a budget friendly cost like ~$200?
6. What IEMs do you guys recommend for someone who listens to almost everything except Metal (~$300 budget)?
 
If I can all of these questions answered and if the answers are in my favor then I am jumping on it and I will be sure to post pictures and write a review.

 

[NZtechfreak]

I can answer a few of those for you (I own both US and international S3s).
 
Yes, the S3 natively supports FLAC (lossless).
 
The DAC in the US one isn't as good as the Wolfson in the International version (but I haven't done a proper sit down with both to really drill down into that comparison, that's only early impressions).
 
The S3 has USB audio - you can use a USB OTG cable to plug in many different USB DACs and they will bypass the internal DAC. It's quite a standard USB audio implementation, so even though not every DAC will work, many will (a great deal more than the number available to iPhones).
 
You should really check at the S3 thread and Android USB audio thread here - DanBa has done an amazing job of collating all the USB DACs so far confirmed to work with the S3.

 

[the wizard of oz]

EDIT: Lol, too slow in anwering

I am...
 
anyhow :
 
1. S3 is Android, & supports FLAC natively. An app like PowerAmp will give you gap-less on top.
2. I don't know, but see #3 & 4
3. Yes, Digital USB Audio Out to USB DAC via OTG USB cable
4. Type Android devices + USB DAC in Head-Fi search tool, you will find plenty of details there, and examples of DAC's that have been tested with the S3. DanBa has indeed done a great job on centralizing info on that.
5. iBasso D0 has positive reviews, but there are other similar solutions.
6. Check out the multi-IEM review by ljokerl.

 

[Gooby]

The S3 + Slim looks pretty nice, but there are SOOOOOOO many combinations. Should I just stick with S3 + Slim + IEMs, or is there something for around $500 ~ $700 that will beat or compete with the S3 combo? If the 2nd combo is better, the amp or whatever must create NO hiss for IEMs and I wouldn't mind have the amp be powerful enough to power headphones either (But main focus is for IEMs)