[docholliday]

 
Mediamonkey needs to leap into the 21st Century and support Linux. 

  

You could always install vmware and fire up a Windows VM to run MediaMonkey in...

 

[fourrobert13]

I should have ordered this this other day.  I just went to order it from Amazon just now and both the black and blue models are currently unavailable...oh well, back to waiting.
 

 

 

[abitdeef]

That's what USPS likes to do to me. I won't get a knock or anything. I'll just find a peach "Sorry we missed you" slip in my mailbox and I'll have to go into the PO to pick up my package. It's not so bad for me, as the PO is one block away from my house, but still annoying if you check your mail after 4pm and have to go get it the next morning.

Still better than FedEx, though, who likes to show up at 7pm and throw my box on the front porch without any warning then drive off into the sunset. Or, if a signature is required, I'll get a text for missed delivery as I look out the window and see the truck driving away without having knocked or even gotten out of their vehicle. I've had to jump in my truck and chase them to the next town to get my packages before.

My mail lady never leaves the truck, so if she can't fit the parcel in the mailbox she just leaves a note that tells me to pick it up the next day. EVEN THOUGH THE ITEM WAS ON HER TRUCK. LOL She is one lazy bitch and I've had to chase her down for numerous packages. Thankfully I got a big
PO box that I can pick up my stuff at.

And at least here UPS is way worse than fed ex, they will never ring the bell or knock and the package could be at a distribution center 15 miles away at 5AM and if it's ground or 2 or 3 day it will sit there all day and be out for delivery the next day.

At least here with fed ex if it gets close they will deliver it early.

 

[NetMorin]

I know I read something about this in these 73 pages of posts, so really sorry to ask something which maybe have already been answered, but... 
 
When listening with the screen off, are the capacitive buttons disabled?  Only the physical buttons active?  Thanks...

 

[dnullify]

yes, only physical buttons work when the screen is off

 

[riffrafff]

  You could always install vmware and fire up a Windows VM to run MediaMonkey in...

Yeah...NO.   

I have VMWare...but I don't do Windoze.

 
 
How to delete Windoze PERMANENTLY:   
 

 

[rad7]

Hi everyone, I am new to audiophile DAPs like Cayin N3. I am wondering about the meaning of some terms listed below. My current settings are also shown:
 

1. Gain setting: I left it at LdB since I am using N3 with low impedance IEMs (all of them have around 16 Ω)
2. DSD Gain Compensation: +6dB
3. Digital Filter : Sharp
4. S/PDIF : D2P
5. Replay Gain : Track
6. Breakpoint resume: Off

 
Please let me know if I need to make any changes.

 

[DBaldock9]

  Hi everyone, I am new to audiophile DAPs like Cayin N3. I am wondering about the meaning of some terms listed below. My current settings are also shown:
 

1. Gain setting: I left it at LdB since I am using N3 with low impedance IEMs (all of them have around 16 Ω)
2. DSD Gain Compensation: +6dB
3. Digital Filter : Sharp
4. S/PDIF : D2P
5. Replay Gain : Track
6. Breakpoint resume: Off

 
Please let me know if I need to make any changes.

 
If you read back to one of the first in-depth audio evaluations, by @docholliday, you'll see a recommendation to use Super Slow as the preferred Digital Filter, especially for music with real physical instruments (as opposed to synthesized electronic music).

 

[rad7]

   
If you read back to one of the first in-depth audio evaluations, by @docholliday, you'll see a recommendation to use Super Slow as the preferred Digital Filter, especially for music with real physical instruments (as opposed to synthesized electronic music).

Thank you. I mostly listen to chillout trance, liquid dnb, post-rock etc. So many of these songs may not have real physical instruments. I also don't have lossless files and only have 256 or 320 kbps mp3 files, I am a little treble sensitive and tried to change the EQ, but now I turned the EQ off. 

 

[docholliday]

 
Yeah...NO.   

I have VMWare...but I don't do Windoze.

 
 
How to delete Windoze PERMANENTLY:   
 

You compile your own kernel or using a pre-cooked distro?

 

[docholliday]

   
If you read back to one of the first in-depth audio evaluations, by @docholliday, you'll see a recommendation to use Super Slow as the preferred Digital Filter, especially for music with real physical instruments (as opposed to synthesized electronic music).

To clarify my recommendation more, I'll offer the following in best-to-worst:
 
Super Slow: the most accurate and clean sounding. Shows instruments as they should sound in the studio without digital effects. Runs the 8x sampling of the AK4490 filter at 4x.Will cost a bit of detail in high res files, but some of those details are overrated and unnatural. Piano, guitar, bass, drums, cymbals sound dead accurate. Not the most sub-bass/bass reverb. Listening to actual tracks recorded off a sound board are decently accurate to the sound board itself during recording. Reminiscent of analog playback from a good source, but with better highs. Smooth, rich.
SEE: Phil Collins "The Singles", Eric Clapton "Complete Clapton", Fleetwood Mac (HDTracks remasters, especially Tusk), Alison Krauss (Live), most classical works
EQ: You could add +1db to 31, 63, 125 and 8k, 16k to give a bit more definition back.
 
Short Delay Slow: the best compromise between detailed and accurate. Cymbal hits don't ring as long as they should, but still sound natural and clear. Drum vibrations ring as they should. High-res details appear, but subtle and visible. You can still tell the difference between a keyboard and piano, as well as real drums vs digital (midi) drumpads. Good for more "powerful" music with real instruments where you would want more detail to appear.
SEE: Sierra Hull (Daybreak), Joan Osborne (Relish, 20th Anniv Ed), Doobie Brothers (HDTracks Best of the Doobies), Enya (Best of), Amelia Brightman (self-titled), Jewel (Best of), Dar Williams (most albums)
EQ: flat works great
 
Short Delay Sharp: details start to sound digital, drums 'tap' instead of 'thwap'. Cymbals get 'ting' instead of 'taaannng'. Vocals get rich detail and bass nuances appear. Keyboards show harmonics in the highs. Pianos sound like keyboards. Digital sourced music (electronica, trance, ambience) sounds pretty good here.
SEE: NIN (HDTracks The Downward Spiral), Conjure One (any album), Depeche Mode (Violator DSD), Lindsey Stirling (Shatter Me), Dido (most albums)
EQ: had to take the 8K down -1db to cut off a bit of harshness in some vocals. A de-esser would have been nice.
 
Sharp: Everything sounds digital. Drums sound more like drumpad digital, including cymbals. Everything has more punch, but less nuances. Very little of the natural details of instruments remain. MP3 (lossy) files start to show that harmonic anti-aliasing edge where the definition is lost (around 12-16k). Electronics stuff sounds crisp and powerful (Conjure One sounds good here too, but can get some harsh treble). Very reminiscent of early days of CD.
SEE: Better to not use this, but use Short Delay Sharp as the result will be cleaner and less harsh. I did find that the HDTracks version of Megadeth Symphony of Destruction sounded really good with this though. So if you want everything as sharp, high, and crisp as possible, this is for you. Don't do it if you want any instrument to not sound synthesized though.
EQ: To taste, as there just ain't no right here.
 
Slow: Don't do it, just don't. Everything sounds fake and muddy. Digital sounds wrong, real instruments get warbly and sound like a gate/compressor has been applied. All the other filters should cover what you need. This filter is just not right.
SEE: n/a
 
* Note that EQ should be used to equalize a listening environment FIRST. In the case of a room and speakers, it should neutralize any reflections or absorbtions. For headphones, it's to correct dips and other artifacting to make them neutral. THEN, you would add/subtract what you want to taste. And, the typical rule of preferring subtractive EQ before additive doesn't work as well with the N3 for some reason. Probably gain related. In the case of the UERR, EQ was off or flat. For the studio monitors, well they are already in a properly treated room with unity gain and no effects rack inline.
 
* The "SEE" items are tracks that I've really noticed the difference in. Though my analysis of the filters does NOT originally come from pre-packaged music, but rather tracks that I created for testing in the studio recorded off the mixing console where I listened to them via UERR and monitors. I also listened from the other side of the glass to study the details first.
 
The filter difference isn't as subtle as it's made out to be by AKM or others. It just takes a good ear and accurate monitors, good reference material, a *dead* quiet & accurate environment, and a lot of damn time! The difference between Super Slow and Short Delay Slow can be noticed in the first 15 seconds of Phil Collins remastered "True Colors" from The Singles as well as in the fine detail of "In the Air Tonight". Listen for the snare decay, cymbal splash decay, as well as the tiny keyboard pan left.

 

[docholliday]

  Thank you. I mostly listen to chillout trance, liquid dnb, post-rock etc. So many of these songs may not have real physical instruments. I also don't have lossless files and only have 256 or 320 kbps mp3 files, I am a little treble sensitive and tried to change the EQ, but now I turned the EQ off. 

If you're treble senstive, the Super Slow does good. High treble for many is not audible but physical and that sensation triggers the ear/brain to become almost nauseating and painful. A lot of times, it's because the person is senstive due to not being able to hear those frequencies clearly, so they "distort" and generate weird harmonic vibrations. Since Super Slow tends to cut the really high range, it can make the ear fatigue less for extended periods of listening.
 
Audio with no distortion can be turned up louder and be tolerated better than audio with distortion. An acoustic guitar at 110db is tolerable. An electric with fuzz pedal gets nauseating at around 100db. 
 
You could always try Short Delay Sharp (since you listen to a lot of electronic(a)) and notch down the 8K or 16K by 1 or 2 db to see if it helps.

 

[rad7]

  If you're treble senstive, the Super Slow does good. High treble for many is not audible but physical and that sensation triggers the ear/brain to become almost nauseating and painful. A lot of times, it's because the person is senstive due to not being able to hear those frequencies clearly, so they "distort" and generate weird harmonic vibrations. Since Super Slow tends to cut the really high range, it can make the ear fatigue less for extended periods of listening.
 
Audio with no distortion can be turned up louder and be tolerated better than audio with distortion. An acoustic guitar at 110db is tolerable. An electric with fuzz pedal gets nauseating at around 100db. 
 
You could always try Short Delay Sharp (since you listen to a lot of electronic(a)) and notch down the 8K or 16K by 1 or 2 db to see if it helps.

Thank you very much! That was very helpful.
 
Do I need to make any changes to the DSD gain compensation (it is currently at the default setting of +6dB)?
 
Also, can I leave the gain setting at LdB? I am only using my IEMs with N3 for now & they have an impedance of 16-20 Ω.

 

[docholliday]

  Thank you very much! That was very helpful.
 
Do I need to make any changes to the DSD gain compensation (it is currently at the default setting of +6dB)?
 
Also, can I leave the gain setting at LdB? I am only using my IEMs with N3 for now & they have an impedance of 16-20 Ω.

No prob, glad somebody's getting use of my testing! 
 
If you are playing DSD files (I do), then I'd probably leave it at +6 to start with. SACD was supposed to be recorded less 6db to be added back by the player to increase available dynamic range. Some SACDs were mastered "not to standard" and wasn't always at the -6db so you can clip the signal. That setting determines how much to add "back". If you hear distortion, then try +4db, which is where I have mine set at. If you don't play DSD/DSF files, then don't worry about it as it doesn't affect anything in PCM audio.
 
L gain should be fine if you never have to push past 75 on the volume. If you do, then go to M and you should be good. The L gain was for high sensitivity IEMs around 16ohm (as per Cayin). 

 

[Mal Waldron]

Hi all! I'm actually using an iBasso dx50 paired with a Cayin C5 amp. My idea is getting a Cayin N3 when it's on stock. How I could connect this DAP to the Cayin C5 amp? Do you think the SQ will improve in comparision to dx50? Thank you for all!