[soundstige]

  So does anybody listen to VBR V0 MP3 files on their HE-560? Thinking about upgrading in the future to these, but my entire library (1700) is V0 (highest quality) MP3 files, and I'm worried I'd have to redo my entire library with FLAC
 
For reference, because I know some will go "FLAC sounds 10x better" and others will go "FLAC and the highest quality MP3 sound the same", on my CURRENT setup (HE-400 + FiiO e11k amp + FiiO X1 dap) FLAC and V0 MP3 sound the same. Just for reference so you know where MY ears are at.
 
I'm just worried that won't be the case anymore if I get HE-560 and a Schiit stack....

 
Literally no one can tell the difference between Lame V0 and lossless except on specifically-chosen problem samples (i.e, not songs), even with thousands and thousands of dollars of equipment. All manners of blind testing have proven this. If a person claims otherwise, they either have a 1 in 1,000 problem sample or they are subjecting to the placebo effect.
 
However, I've chosen FLAC simply because I can transcode from it to whatever I want, including MP3 V0 if I so desire. A lot of fairly easy to hear problems can arise when transcoding from lossy to lossy, like MP3 -> AAC, and even far worse like MP3 (desktop) -> AAC (iPod) -> HE-AAC (phone).

 

[Wildcatsare1]

^Don't want to start a flame fight, but with my Grado 500e and 560's I can tell within seconds when TIDAL switches from high Rez to low Rez, find Spotify almost unlistenable, IMO.

 

[Sonic Defender]

  So does anybody listen to VBR V0 MP3 files on their HE-560? Thinking about upgrading in the future to these, but my entire library (1700) is V0 (highest quality) MP3 files, and I'm worried I'd have to redo my entire library with FLAC
 
For reference, because I know some will go "FLAC sounds 10x better" and others will go "FLAC and the highest quality MP3 sound the same", on my CURRENT setup (HE-400 + FiiO e11k amp + FiiO X1 dap) FLAC and V0 MP3 sound the same. Just for reference so you know where MY ears are at.
 
I'm just worried that won't be the case anymore if I get HE-560 and a Schiit stack....

I wouldn't worry about it at all, but for future music look for lossless files as they are more flexible (plus you won't have that nagging doubt in the back of your mind). By the way, for mp3, I would get 320 files at a constant bitrate. Whenever I make copies from my lossless files to put on my phone I have JRiver set to convert to 320 constant bitrate.

 

[TMRaven]

Your current library is fine, and you can keep on using mp3 files for future in your library.

 

[Sonic Defender]

  Your current library is fine, and you can keep on using mp3 files for future in your library.

For sure, but why wouldn't you get new music lossless? Storage space is dirt cheap and you can endlessly convert files to whatever degree of compression you want?

 

[TMRaven]

Because lossless is a waste of space regardless of the price of space?  Also my library's huge, I personally wouldn't want to use externals or re-encode my songs just to fit them onto portable players and my SSD laptop.  Ripping at 320kbps or downloading something off a store at 256-320kbps and forgetting about it is the most convenient to me.

 

[pedalhead]

Hi, one of the Geeks here!

You can use your Geek devices as pre-amps, to the Rotel, I believevthey all have a line out/pre-amp out taps, I think they have them, the desk top one definitely will.

So you can go source>DAC (Geek)>Rotel> cable like the one in Preporman's pic>560.

My set up is source>Über Bifrost>Lyr 2 (as a pre-amp)>Belles One or B&k 125.2 >Norne Draug 2 > 560/Alpha Dogs!

Hope this helps!

Cheers

 
Thanks for the info mate.  Actually I was referring to geeks in general, but owners of Geek products are included 

.  So, beyond just having to be careful with the volume knob, is there any other way I could damage the Rotel amp or my HE-560s by connecting them directly?  Cheers.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Thanks for the info mate.  Actually I was referring to geeks in general, but owners of Geek products are included  .  So, beyond just having to be careful with the volume knob, is there any other way I could damage the Rotel amp or my HE-560s by connecting them directly?  Cheers.

With a SS Amp you don't have to worry about damaging the amp, with tube amps the resistor box gives gives uniform resistance.

I hope to join the Geeks and pick up GO to try with my Grados.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Because lossless is a waste of space regardless of the price of space?  Also my library's huge, I personally wouldn't want to use externals or re-encode my songs just to fit them onto portable players and my SSD laptop.  Ripping at 320kbps or downloading something off a store at 256-320kbps and forgetting about it is the most convenient to me.

Raven, why not just pick up an external hard drive/SSD to house your library? Lossless sounds much better and storage is cheep, so why listen to inferior tunes?

 

[TMRaven]

Raven, why not just pick up an external hard drive/SSD to house your library? Lossless sounds much better and storage is cheep, so why listen to inferior tunes?

 
I have an external Hard Drive, but I rather not have a collection of music on something external of my computer-- I want all my library on my computer and on iTunes.  I also want my songs to be of a small enough size to where I can fit as much songs as I want to my iPod and my Macbook Air.
 
Lossless sounding so much better is a superlative to me.  I wouldn't feel comfortable blind AB'ing compressed vs uncompressed songs even with 2,000 dollar headphones and 1,000 bucks worth of upstream gear.  Inferior?  Nah.  Buying stuff at 256kbps from wherever I want and not worrying about trying to find uncompressed copies makes much more sense to me.

 

[money4me247]

I agree with TMRaven on this issue. For me personally, the difference is too subtle between 320 kbps LAME mp3 & lossless during my own personal blind ABx tests for the hassle to be worth it.
 
Best recommendation is to try comparing the two under the most objective conditions possible (to remove unconscious bias) for yourself to see how big of a difference you find personally.

 

[cs098]

For me, my view is basically money4me247's. Losseless is a tad clearer/detailed/more dynamic, but only a few steps above placebo. However I still keep lossless on my latptop due to soundstige's reasoning. Flac is just better in terms of storage and trans-coding. Needless to say I use 320 kpbs for for mobile use. Anything under 320 though, the differences are large enough to be almost unlistenable for me.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

  I agree with TMRaven on this issue. For me personally, the difference is too subtle between 320 kbps LAME mp3 & lossless during my own personal blind ABx tests for the hassle to be worth it.
 
Best recommendation is to try comparing the two under the most objective conditions possible (to remove unconscious bias) for yourself to see how big of a difference you find personally.

You are correct, people should choose what is right for them. Though I'll repeat, I can tell in seconds if a TIDAL track or album is low rez, and cannot listen to Spotify, with anything more resolving than Apple Ear Buds, but that is an "N" of one, for what its worth.

 

[soundstige]

^Don't want to start a flame fight, but with my Grado 500e and 560's I can tell within seconds when TIDAL switches from high Rez to low Rez, find Spotify almost unlistenable, IMO.

 
I should hope you do, according to a  webpage I found Tidal can use pretty much any quality audio they have for "lo res" mode, down to under 100kbps -- something easily detectable with even cheap equipment. Same thing for Spotify I'm sure.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Whatever floats your boat as they say, but if I spend money on music it is lossless; that is to my mind the most forward compatible, and flexible approach. I would agree that differences between lossless and lossy for the majority of us will be subtle, but still there. Hearing acuity is not constant and I will wager there are days or times of the day on occasion where I couldn't tell the difference, perhaps most of the time, but there are times when the opposite is true and for the negligible price difference I am more than willing to source lossless. Just found several great CDs at a thrift shop for $3 each. Nice cheap lossless files abound. I have purchased many lossy files and I always regret spending the money like that.