[bosiemoncrieff]

Who’s ready for gadget week

I’m ready for gadget week

 

[Ripper2860]

Maybe it is a requirement for USB licensing since Win 7 is still an actively supported OS. Maybe Schiit just doesn't want to go to the time and expense of certifying their driver for Win 7 since it is almost EOL.

Purely speculation on my part.

 

[Rensek]

Who’s ready for gadget week

I’m ready for gadget week

Is this actually going to be released? It's been so long since they have talked about it, other then to say "we are trying to figure out how to package it" that I just figured it was another great idea lost to the dustbin of history.

 

[bcowen]

Who’s ready for gadget week

I’m ready for gadget week

If anybody here isn't ready for gadget week, they probably died and just haven't realized it yet.

 

[audionics]

No Windows 10 driver for my old raid device, won't upgrade until i buy a new device, I don't expect any vendor to support win 7 now that it is close to EOL

Time for an upgrade of your RAID device then.
Running out of time with only few months support left.
I rest my case.

 

[audionics]

Maybe it is a requirement for USB licensing since Win 7 is still an actively supported OS. Maybe Schiit just doesn't want to go to the time and expense of certifying their driver for Win 7 since it is almost EOL.

Purely speculation on my part.

Speculating is the mother of all f*ckups!

I can speculate that every Schiit user will upgrade once Unison is introduced.
Why do people play music using a W computer anyways!???

 

[audionics]

Maybe it is a requirement for USB licensing since Win 7 is still an actively supported OS. Maybe Schiit just doesn't want to go to the time and expense of certifying their driver for Win 7 since it is almost EOL.

Purely speculation on my part.

If it is conditional to a USB licence that would be viable. Probably the only viable reason.

 

[rkw]

Why do people play music using a W computer anyways!???

Because they have a Windows computer at home available to use. That's my reason anyway.

 

[ScubaMan2017]

All of this talk about file formats and sound quality is quite interesting. I've always understood it as all of the notes and inflections present on vinyl/CD/flac are still tangible on the compressed file. What matters is the quality of file/copy/format used to make the compressed copy.

As far as I've read, and to my ears what changes is the dynamic range, the blackness, the achievable resolution, the depth, soundstage, and layering of what your system presents to you. It's still highly, highly, gear dependent.

I liken it to a playing field. We will use hockey arenas. There is Olympic sized (the largest), NHL sized (still big and great but not as large as Olympic) and the assorted random sizes you will find all across the US & Canada (various mp3 compression rates).

The game (music) is still the same across all the ice surfaces (file size/format) but the game is played differently (what we hear) according to each rink size.

I don't have a good analogy for headphones vs speakers but its like another playing field. Headphones are by nature a smaller listening area so you have less of an area space wise to focus on and identify soundstage, depth, instrument placement, etc.

If you listen to the same track on your 2ch system. Tidal will present the details in a different arrangement then Spotify, then Amazon, then Pandora, then Qobuz, etc. The lead singer is still front and center, the guitars are left, the drums are right, etc.

To my ears the difference really comes into play in the details. Where is the drum placed, how is it separated, do backing vocal sound like they are back and to the left of the lead singer or do they sound like they are huddled right behind him/her. Does the piano sound front and to the right, or does it sound hidden behind the drums and cymbals. If you signal out one part, or key item, you can hear it amongst all versions.

As mentioned above dynamic range is also hugely impacted. Most notably in songs that weren't compressed for radio play to begin with. Think classical here. It would be interesting to see a good db meter with a log/recording function measure two classical tracks from different services/formats, but have them be the same album/recording. I think I've seen this demonstrated before but can't remember where.

And gear also matters (probably most of all) in so much as you care about the nitty gritty details and want to extract the most detail from the recordings as you can.

On that last note, I had a realization tonight. I'm done buying expensive or mid priced beer/whisky. I'm going to buy cheap hooch that I like and spend the difference on quality gear.




And I didn't even get into coaxial, toslink, USB. Or digital cables and transmission hardware.

Just enjoy your music..We are all hearing the same stuff, just differently, not better or worse... No losers, all winners.

I was able to try my first pair of NICE headphones. Audeze LCD-2 closed back and LCD-XC. Oh. My. Glod. And I was driving them with a diminutive Fulla 2 (USB data & power from my Chromebook on battery).

 

[ScubaMan2017]

I know everyone hates this discussion, but no, no human or humanoid can hear beyond 16/41 CD quality. It's snake oil beyond it.

My epiphany = (meticulously recorded/mixed/mastered music files) > (fancy bit-rate music files) < (headphone design)

 

[audionics]

I know everyone hates this discussion, but no, no human or humanoid can hear beyond 16/41 CD quality. It's snake oil beyond it.

Very funny how people don't grasp the influence of filtering on sound quality.
It is why upsampling was invented in the original 1980's CD players and getting around influences of filtering on the sound quality that still holds ground.

YES it is possible to hear the difference on good equipment and speakers/headphones!

 

[GearMe]

My epiphany = (meticulously recorded/mixed/mastered music files) > (fancy bit-rate music files) < (headphone design)

Yes...but if push comes to shove...would rather listen to a Schiity master/Low rez cut of a favorite song on a BoomBox than uninspiring performances on meticulously recorded/mixed/mastered music files OR fancy bit-rate music files

 

[Brubacca]

Didn't Jason sat Sol was in production??? It has to be Sol and possibly an upgraded phono pre. Isn't mani an affordable version of a better tube phono pre that Baldr had designed?

 

[golfbravobravo]

16/44.1 is dithered. 24/96 is not. Yes, you can hear differences. YMMV.

This is the sweet spot for me. Most of the recordings that I really love (much of it jazz, but by no means all) have are more open, transparent and sound stage. I'm not good at the descriptors (same with wine), but to me there is a difference. It may be that it is recording technique, but this guys all seem to use the higher bit/sample rates

It doesn't work on all recordings - I'm still generally unhappiest with classical and opera (though the new 'Flute' is spectacular). I paid a lot of money for the recent 24/96 Rattle Beethoven cycle and it is, frankly, crap. For any of you into brass bands, BrassBandRadio form Yorkshire, UK) stream and have a contest piece segment in the early afternoon UK time. I don't know whet they stream in, but some of those recordings are spectacular. (They also play LPs with distant scratches too!).

Cheers

 

[ScubaMan2017]

Yes...but if push comes to shove...would rather listen to a Schiity master/Low rez cut of a favorite song on a BoomBox than uninspiring performances on meticulously recorded/mixed/mastered music files OR fancy bit-rate music files

....something something... making a silk purse out of a sow's ear... something something... throwing pearls before swine... something something. And, @GearMe , I am NOT aiming that barb at you. Cool?