Clarkmc2
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2007
- Posts
- 443
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- 29
OK, I am old fashioned but pretty digital savvy. What I am saying will be wildly unpopular here, but I wanted to give an alternative perspective.
A source signal is key because it cannot be improved. It can be degraded; the best outcome of any signal processing - amps included - would be to pass the signal unchanged except for level. In other words, transparently. A decent used CD player is my suggestion for a better source. I know that music servers have their fans here, but they don't tend to lead to a high quality signal chain to the headphones. The analogue stage in the components found in music server rigs tend to truly suck. (Very good headphones are high fidelity enough to reveal the shortcomings in chip amps and op amps. A good analogue component from the hifi world will make them sound like the pricey but cheaply made gear they are. Your system has some very nice components in it, but beware the boxes we tend to place between - or before in your case - the good stuff.)
I do often source from FLAC files, but decompressing and burning them to CD is the way to go for consistent quality. Asking low priced gear to decompress on the fly is a looser. Using lesser sources - like mp3s - will keep the best electronics and headphones in mid fi - or less - territory. Beware of FLAC files that are mastered from mp3s, they are more common than you might think. Using poorly recorded and/or mastered sources will do likewise, and unfortunately almost everything currently being released fits that description. Being older than most of the members here has an advantage. The types of music I tend to listen to are better recorded and mastered than what is popular right now. No help, but you see the situation you are facing as a contemporary listener.
I also concur that a quick tryout of a component, headphones and speakers included, does not reveal much. You need to spend some time with stuff.
Sorry to be so long winded. If you end up ignoring everything I have said and find yourself with a rig that pleases you, that would also be wonderful and make us both very happy!
Clark
A source signal is key because it cannot be improved. It can be degraded; the best outcome of any signal processing - amps included - would be to pass the signal unchanged except for level. In other words, transparently. A decent used CD player is my suggestion for a better source. I know that music servers have their fans here, but they don't tend to lead to a high quality signal chain to the headphones. The analogue stage in the components found in music server rigs tend to truly suck. (Very good headphones are high fidelity enough to reveal the shortcomings in chip amps and op amps. A good analogue component from the hifi world will make them sound like the pricey but cheaply made gear they are. Your system has some very nice components in it, but beware the boxes we tend to place between - or before in your case - the good stuff.)
I do often source from FLAC files, but decompressing and burning them to CD is the way to go for consistent quality. Asking low priced gear to decompress on the fly is a looser. Using lesser sources - like mp3s - will keep the best electronics and headphones in mid fi - or less - territory. Beware of FLAC files that are mastered from mp3s, they are more common than you might think. Using poorly recorded and/or mastered sources will do likewise, and unfortunately almost everything currently being released fits that description. Being older than most of the members here has an advantage. The types of music I tend to listen to are better recorded and mastered than what is popular right now. No help, but you see the situation you are facing as a contemporary listener.
I also concur that a quick tryout of a component, headphones and speakers included, does not reveal much. You need to spend some time with stuff.
Sorry to be so long winded. If you end up ignoring everything I have said and find yourself with a rig that pleases you, that would also be wonderful and make us both very happy!
Clark