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[DonJuanSchlong]

Problem is anyone can use a lower quality file/format and present it as an absolute MQA, which it'll never be. You can't add missing information to a file that was never there to begin with. If all of the services set a base line definition of what they use as a master file, instead of slapping it on everything, we'll all be in a better place. Many services are guilty of it.


On the flip side, it's usually better quality than what we already have in our libraries. But it's like getting a 1/4 pounder when you are paying for a 1/2 pounder.

 

[tsumake]

Problem is anyone can use a lower quality file/format and present it as an absolute MQA, which it'll never be. You can't add missing information to a file that was never there to begin with. If all of the services set a base line definition of what they use as a master file, instead of slapping it on everything, we'll all be in a better place. Many services are guilty of it.

Right, a song could be in MQA but the source or recording could be terrible. I have doubts about MQA but the format itself could be good.

 

[kevm3]

What cans would be an improvement over HD650 for Nu Metal? (Slipknot, SOAD, Korn, Disturbed, Ill Nino etc.). I don't like bright headphones mind you. So.. similar mid range, rolled off treble, but lower reaching bass with same mid bass hump? Looking for a "bigger sound" so to say. Never tried planars.

For a reasonable price:
V-MODA Crossfade M-100 - has a lot of bass and tamed treble. I love these for every day use as they are very rugged and the sound is very engaging and avoids brightness, which I also hate.

Best overall headphones I've heard period is Focal Clear... I've heard Utopias and Own LCD 3 and LCD X and still like clear better than those. I don't know if they'll have the amount of bass you want though as they aren't thumpers. They are very balanced and the most 'right' sounding headphones I've heard.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Sennheiser sells off its consumer brand | TechCrunch

Long-running German audio company Sennheiser today announced that it has found a buyer for its consumer brand. Swiss holding company Sonova -- a giant in

techcrunch.com

"
Long-running German audio company Sennheiser today announced that it has found a buyer for its consumer brand. Swiss holding company Sonova — a giant in the hearing aid business — will be acquiring the brand in a deal expected to close by end of year.

The deal will bring headphones and sound bars to Sonova's existing portfolio, which is largely centered around healthcare products. Among other things, however, the deal could have interesting implications for the so-called hearables category, which can walk the line between headphones and healthcare products. Sennheiser, meanwhile, will shift the entirety of its focus to its pro products.

The company has been fairly open about its intentions. In February, it publicly announcedthat it was seeking a buyer for the division. "To be best able to exploit the potential in each of these markets, we are concentrating our own resources on the three business areas in the Professional division and are looking for a strong partner to invest in our Consumer business," Co-CEO Daniel Sennheiser noted at the time.

Sennheiser describes the deal as a "permanent cooperation" between the two, including licensing the company's name. The existing consumer wing, including many of its employees, will transfer to Sonovo. A press release announcing the news says there are currently 600 people employed by the brand, but no word on how many are expected the make that move.

"The combination of our strengths provides a very good starting point for future growth," the company's other co-CEO says in the release. "We are convinced that Sonova will strengthen the Sennheiser Consumer Business in the long term and capture the major growth opportunities."
"

 

[Tams]

Sennheiser sells off its consumer brand | TechCrunch

Long-running German audio company Sennheiser today announced that it has found a buyer for its consumer brand. Swiss holding company Sonova -- a giant in

techcrunch.com

"
Long-running German audio company Sennheiser today announced that it has found a buyer for its consumer brand. Swiss holding company Sonova — a giant in the hearing aid business — will be acquiring the brand in a deal expected to close by end of year.

The deal will bring headphones and sound bars to Sonova's existing portfolio, which is largely centered around healthcare products. Among other things, however, the deal could have interesting implications for the so-called hearables category, which can walk the line between headphones and healthcare products. Sennheiser, meanwhile, will shift the entirety of its focus to its pro products.

The company has been fairly open about its intentions. In February, it publicly announcedthat it was seeking a buyer for the division. "To be best able to exploit the potential in each of these markets, we are concentrating our own resources on the three business areas in the Professional division and are looking for a strong partner to invest in our Consumer business," Co-CEO Daniel Sennheiser noted at the time.

Sennheiser describes the deal as a "permanent cooperation" between the two, including licensing the company's name. The existing consumer wing, including many of its employees, will transfer to Sonovo. A press release announcing the news says there are currently 600 people employed by the brand, but no word on how many are expected the make that move.

"The combination of our strengths provides a very good starting point for future growth," the company's other co-CEO says in the release. "We are convinced that Sonova will strengthen the Sennheiser Consumer Business in the long term and capture the major growth opportunities."
"

Sonova will probably make a good go of it as they have the funds, but they already had a go at playing in the audiophile market with their Phonak brand (original company name until the 90s) and ultimately decided it wasn't worth it despite creating very good (if a bit fragile) offerings. Yes, this is the same company who made the Phonak Audéo PFEs.

I'm not really sure they the skills to make this work, but they will have expertise in the field at least unlike last time (yes, they had audio experts, but not headphone/earphone experts).

 

[edzyy]

Marantz NR1604
Philharmonic AA monitors
Crown XLS for power.

Also now have dual Martin Logan Dynamo 700's

 

[DGrayson]

Sennheiser sells off its consumer brand | TechCrunch

Long-running German audio company Sennheiser today announced that it has found a buyer for its consumer brand. Swiss holding company Sonova -- a giant in

techcrunch.com

"
Long-running German audio company Sennheiser today announced that it has found a buyer for its consumer brand. Swiss holding company Sonova — a giant in the hearing aid business — will be acquiring the brand in a deal expected to close by end of year.

The deal will bring headphones and sound bars to Sonova's existing portfolio, which is largely centered around healthcare products. Among other things, however, the deal could have interesting implications for the so-called hearables category, which can walk the line between headphones and healthcare products. Sennheiser, meanwhile, will shift the entirety of its focus to its pro products.

The company has been fairly open about its intentions. In February, it publicly announcedthat it was seeking a buyer for the division. "To be best able to exploit the potential in each of these markets, we are concentrating our own resources on the three business areas in the Professional division and are looking for a strong partner to invest in our Consumer business," Co-CEO Daniel Sennheiser noted at the time.

Sennheiser describes the deal as a "permanent cooperation" between the two, including licensing the company's name. The existing consumer wing, including many of its employees, will transfer to Sonovo. A press release announcing the news says there are currently 600 people employed by the brand, but no word on how many are expected the make that move.

"The combination of our strengths provides a very good starting point for future growth," the company's other co-CEO says in the release. "We are convinced that Sonova will strengthen the Sennheiser Consumer Business in the long term and capture the major growth opportunities."
"

I read a bit on this but what is a "pro" product?

I always wanted to get a pair of HD800s or 820s one day when I hit the lotto, are these considered a "pro" product that is not being sold?

 

[Werewolfgrandma]

I read a bit on this but what is a "pro" product?

I always wanted to get a pair of HD800s or 820s one day when I hit the lotto, are these considered a "pro" product that is not being sold?

I would imagine so. It's hard to really consider even the hd600 consumer. The 800s are nice. I had some for a bit that I got at a very discounted price. Sold them for 400$ more then I paid.

 

[DGrayson]

I would imagine so. It's hard to really consider even the hd600 consumer. The 800s are nice. I had some for a bit that I got at a very discounted price. Sold them for 400$ more then I paid.

Nice sale! One of the main reasons why I havent gotten the 800s is that I love my HD 660S so much (and they are so comfortable) I cant imagine something sounds better as an open back pair of phones. Also I would probably want to improve my DAC/AMP as well so I guess its good I havent upgraded.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

I never updated this thread with my new desk set-up. I had posted a bunch in the WFH thread about the upgrades. I'm overdue to share my thoughts on the new gear.

Kef Q150 speakers: These things are nothing short of amazing. They are perfect for near field listening if your desk can sacrifice the space these take up (Product dimensions are 11.92 x 7.08 x 10.944 inches). I'm not a fan of the vinyl wrapped MDF look, since the color of the mdd is exposed along the edges of the speaker, but this transgression is minor in comparison to the sound. This is an easy recommendation for any desktop listening, especially since they go on sale fairly frequently for $300 USD (currently at $400 at Accessories4Less). In every way these were a solid upgrade from my earlier M-Audio AV40s. I will likely hook the Q150s up in my living room to see how they sound further away, as I suspect they will perform well.

Audio Engine N22: I needed something discrete that would power the Q150s and I found that with the N22 Amp. The headphone out on this thing sucks in comparison to the Schiit Magni 3 though, so I still keep my entire Schiit stack on my desk. I have not hooked up a different amp to truly test against, so there is no real way for me to give a comparison.

Schiit Loki Mini+: This thing does exactly what it says it will. I run it in flat mode (no EQ) as I enjoy the sound signature coming out of my system as-is. I mainly use this for work calls when using my DT 1990 Pros to avoid clipping and other weird annoyances in the high frequencies. If I would use this for musical listening, I would mostly only slightly increase the 2 mid bands. I would probably fiddle with each for every song playing, which is another reason to just leave it flat. It is really nice to be able to adjust EQ on the fly though.


Future upgrades most likely won't happen any time soon. The biggest thing at this stage is just getting rid of my DIY speaker stands and replacing them with something that looks nicer. I almost always prefer speakers over headphones so I don't have a strong desire to get any new pairs (when travel picks up I'll likely get a pair of Drops Pandas or AirPod Maxs).

I need to spend some more time honing in the speaker placement in my living room. I'm not quite happy with the sound quality there. Maybe some acoustic panels but I think part of the problem is the big window on one side of the room.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

I read a bit on this but what is a "pro" product?

I always wanted to get a pair of HD800s or 820s one day when I hit the lotto, are these considered a "pro" product that is not being sold?

Sennheiser — Headphones, Microphones, Wireless Systems

For over 75 years, our products come with a built-in mission: to stay true to the sound and soul the music was given by its artist.

en-us.sennheiser.com

I could be wrong, but here is the headphone listing page for the professional products:

Sennheiser — Headphones, Microphones, Wireless Systems

For over 75 years, our products come with a built-in mission: to stay true to the sound and soul the music was given by its artist.

en-us.sennheiser.com

Seems a lot of the popular audiophile grade gear would fall under consumer, which I suppose makes some sense.

 

[Werewolfgrandma]

Nice sale! One of the main reasons why I havent gotten the 800s is that I love my HD 660S so much (and they are so comfortable) I cant imagine something sounds better as an open back pair of phones. Also I would probably want to improve my DAC/AMP as well so I guess its good I havent upgraded.

There is a local auction that does store returns and the higher end audio stuff always ends up under half price. I got my ier-m9's for just under 400$cdn, hd800 for about the same, hd600 for 100$, Beyer 1770 for 220$, Beyer amiron wireless for 160$. I love this local auction site.

 

[edzyy]

Desk set up

Celestion 3se MKII(Ported version)
Integra DTR 6.5
Asus Essence STX II(DAC)
Rel Q100 under desk

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Desk set up

Celestion 3se MKII(Ported version)
Integra DTR 6.5
Asus Essence STX II(DAC)
Rel Q100 under desk

Windows Vista?

 

[hollams]

I upgraded to the Martin Logan XTi line late last year and they are amazing.

Motion 60XTi(Towers), 50XTi(Center), FX2(Surround), 15XTi(Rear Atmos), SVS Prime Elevation(Front Atmos), SVS PC-12 Plus(Subwoofers)

I watched the subwoofer101 youtube channel that had some bass hacks that really helped my subs come alive. After running the Audyssey setup on my Denon AVR I tried these hacks.

Subwoofer Distance Hack
I wasn't getting a good crossover between my fronts and the subs and just by increasing the distance of the subs by 4 ft in the AVR made a huge difference. Measuring in REW I had some awful dips between 80 and 120hz, but after this hack it is almost a straight line.

Subwoofer Gain Hack
I've had my subs for 7 years and always thought I needed bigger subs for the size of my room, but after this hack my subs have a new life, they have never sounded better. The hack is decreasing the Subwoofer Trim levels in the AVR to their lowest levels then increasing the gain on the subs themselves. The hack mentions that the subs will have more dynamics and I can attest to that. My subs are in 16hz mode and now I am getting a ton of infrasonic bass which is below 20hz which is where you feel the bass instead of hearing it and wow what a difference that makes. I found new ways to shake my room.

One other change I made last week was moving my front atmos speakers about 2 feet closer together and this really improved my atmos sound which really surprised me. I rarely use my projector as the OLED's really pop for gaming so I've been debating getting a smaller electric screen so I can move them in a bit closer.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Acquired the Denon D9200, does take a little getting used to after years of Sennheiser HD 800 but it's interesting going though all kinds of media again with it.

 

[TastyPastry]

Acquired the Denon D9200, does take a little getting used to after years of Sennheiser HD 800 but it's interesting going though all kinds of media again with it.

need some more impressions, how do you like the bass?

 

[Ulysses 31]

need some more impressions, how do you like the bass?

The bass is a lot more present in these headphones which I don't mind at all, can't really say that I prefer that over the HD 800 just yet.

Also noticed some instruments sounding closer without sounding louder if that makes sense.

 

[edzyy]

Windows Vista?

Was still on 7 at the time.

On 10 now.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

 

[Maiden Voyage]

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Apple Music for Android reveals lossless audio could be imminent

There are direct references to lossless music streaming.

www.theverge.com

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Really digging the vibe of this room. I need to get some decor to make my own a little more comfy.

 

[Moomalade74]

Finally got my new workspace set up. RME ADI 2 Dac as a preamp into a PSAudio S300 Power amp, driving a pair of ATC SCM 11's. Sounds fricking amazing, very difficult to actually do any work.

 

[Con_Z_ǝdʇ]

Finally got my new workspace set up. RME ADI 2 Dac as a preamp into a PSAudio S300 Power amp, driving a pair of ATC SCM 11's. Sounds fricking amazing, very difficult to actually do any work.

Do i see Para One's new album SPECTRE there?

Looks cool. I have the RME myself. One of my best investments!

 

[tsumake]

Ok, this is sounding like a cat fight. Personally, I think MQA technology is probably sound, but the quality control is very lax. I think it's lax because they are trying to increase its adoption rate.

It also begs the question of what is truly "lossless."

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Ok, this is sounding like a cat fight. Personally, I think MQA technology is probably sound, but the quality control is very lax. I think it's lax because they are trying to increase its adoption rate.

It also begs the question of what is truly "lossless."

MQA response that prompted the follow up video.

All that glitters is not gold(en) | Bob Talks

A Deeper Look into Music and Test signals

bobtalks.co.uk

I feel like MQA should have just not responded.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

 

[Moomalade74]

Heh, I was seriously looking at that KEF kc62 to compliment my SCM 11's, but after doing a bunch of research on forums there's quite a lot of feedback about a standby issue, where the device goes to sleep whenever it deems the signal not strong enough, and it is too sensitive so is going into standby too often and inappropiately.
This is not what I would want to be dealing with after shelling out £1,400

 

[tsumake]

Does anyone use amps for their IEMS? Does it improve the sound because of the extra current?

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Apple Music Dolby & lossless are live

Apple Music activates Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio content - iPod + iTunes + AppleTV Discussions on AppleInsider Forums

As promised, Apple late Monday flipped the switch on Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio content on Apple Music, with some users reporting the technology is now live for select tracks and albums.

forums.appleinsider.com

 

[tsumake]

Apple Music Dolby & lossless are live

Apple Music activates Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio content - iPod + iTunes + AppleTV Discussions on AppleInsider Forums

As promised, Apple late Monday flipped the switch on Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio content on Apple Music, with some users reporting the technology is now live for select tracks and albums.

forums.appleinsider.com

Caveat emptor

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Caveat emptor

I get some of his points but he's ignoring AppleTV (which, for me, is hooked up to my hifi gear and acts as a streamer) and iPad (which seems to be a popular method of connecting to high gear on Reddit). Both of these can hook up to my rack and have the audio processed by a DAC that can handle hi-res.

My desktop is a MacBook Pro and is hooked up to Schiit gear, so it can handle cd quality +.

So it seems there's some gotchas to his own video.

Also anyone listening to hi-res on the go is not getting the benefits of hi-res IMO unless they are plugging into high end gear anyway.

In 99% of situations AAC is good enough for my casual listening. When I want to do critical listening, I do it at my desk or on my gear in the living room.

 

[Korranator]

Funny I'm not an Apple fan. In fact I hate the way the company operates with their proprietary bullshit, but on paper at least I think this is a great idea. It's got to be better than the whole Tidal and MQA lossy crap. Only time will tell though, and one of this days I need to try it out.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

15 of the best vinyl records to test your turntable

The best records to help hear your turntable at its best

www.whathifi.com

Frank Sinatra - In The Wee Small Hours (1955)
Charles Mingus – Mingus Ah Um (1959)
Neil Young – Tonight's The Night (1975)
The Congos – Heart of the Congos (1977)
Brian Eno – Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks (1983)
Talk Talk – Spirit of Eden (1988)
PJ Harvey - Rid Of Me (1993)
Massive Attack – Mezzanine (1998)
Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007)
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories (2013)
Leonard Cohen – Popular Problems (2014)
GoGo Penguin – A Humdrum Star (2018)
Four Tet – Sixteen Oceans (2020)

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Apple Music Now Streams Higher-Quality Lossless Audio: Here’s What You Need to Know

Apple Music and Amazon now offer lossless music streaming at no extra cost, but listeners need to have the right equipment to hear a difference.

www.nytimes.com

Interesting write up on Lossless for beginners from Wirecutter.

 

[teezzy]

legit loving the pics guys

got some half decent gear myself but im too lazy

vintage Polk Monitor 10s with the infamous Peerless tweeters, white KRK Rokit 5s, and some Sony MDR-1R headphones

might have to beef up the audio in my retro setup soon too as that's quickly become my main entertaining room randomly. people love the CRT and Wii, Xbox and PS2 lol - just got a cheapo Logitech 2.1 in there for now

Hmmm...

 

[teezzy]

15 of the best vinyl records to test your turntable

The best records to help hear your turntable at its best

www.whathifi.com

Frank Sinatra - In The Wee Small Hours (1955)
Charles Mingus – Mingus Ah Um (1959)
Neil Young – Tonight's The Night (1975)
The Congos – Heart of the Congos (1977)
Brian Eno – Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks (1983)
Talk Talk – Spirit of Eden (1988)
PJ Harvey - Rid Of Me (1993)
Massive Attack – Mezzanine (1998)
Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007)
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories (2013)
Leonard Cohen – Popular Problems (2014)
GoGo Penguin – A Humdrum Star (2018)
Four Tet – Sixteen Oceans (2020)

Boomer taste lol

Audiophiles stink

 

[tsumake]

Apple Music Now Streams Higher-Quality Lossless Audio: Here’s What You Need to Know

Apple Music and Amazon now offer lossless music streaming at no extra cost, but listeners need to have the right equipment to hear a difference.

www.nytimes.com

Interesting write up on Lossless for beginners from Wirecutter.

Have you tried Apple lossless? If so, how much of a difference does it make on your system?

 

[tsumake]

15 of the best vinyl records to test your turntable

The best records to help hear your turntable at its best

www.whathifi.com

Frank Sinatra - In The Wee Small Hours (1955)
Charles Mingus – Mingus Ah Um (1959)
Neil Young – Tonight's The Night (1975)
The Congos – Heart of the Congos (1977)
Brian Eno – Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks (1983)
Talk Talk – Spirit of Eden (1988)
PJ Harvey - Rid Of Me (1993)
Massive Attack – Mezzanine (1998)
Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007)
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories (2013)
Leonard Cohen – Popular Problems (2014)
GoGo Penguin – A Humdrum Star (2018)
Four Tet – Sixteen Oceans (2020)

I love Mezzanine. I have a vinyl rip of it. The rip isn't primo - it lacks roughly 1Db of DR from the one noted on the Dynamic range database and there is no scratch reduction, but it's still better than the CD.

What's a good way to reduce scratches from a vinyl recording?

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Have you tried Apple lossless? If so, how much of a difference does it make on your system?

I've only done very cursory listening of Apple Music lossless so far. For comparison, I've only tried Amazon Music HD and various files either ripped by myself or others. It compares well, identical to those other formats with no shortcomings thus far.

In general I am of the opinion that lossless CD quality and hi-res are only useful in a select few circumstances. I don't believe your average music listener can tell the difference. Gear will also be a limiting factor for most people.
I think, for me, I can only truly tell the difference consistently if I know the music well and if I am only listening critically (not passively). This is in comparison to listening to, say a 320kbps file on Spotify or a 256kbps AAC on AM. I've done the blind online tests on FLAC files to see whether or not I can 'hear/perceive' the difference and typically score in between 60-75% accuracy. These are typically songs I do not know well. I have never tested beyond CD quality, so this will be new for me.

Overall, I plan to stream & download in the highest resolution possible when using my MacBook & Schiit Modi & Kef speakers; or, when using my living room setup of an AppleTV, Marantz receiver, and Kef R500 speakers. For all mobile/in-car listening I will use 256kbps AAC.

I love Mezzanine. I have a vinyl rip of it. The rip isn't primo - it lacks roughly 1Db of DR from the one noted on the Dynamic range database and there is no scratch reduction, but it's still better than the CD.

What's a good way to reduce scratches from a vinyl recording?

Handling and storage. I've read the inner sleeves of the LP can cause issues but I've not encountered any myself. I've accidentally caused some damage on a few records due to dragging the needle while intoxicated. Booze & vinyl are only a great pairing if you've not too far gone & can retain most of your faculties.

Boomer taste lol

Audiophiles stink

No Steely Dan on that list disqualifies it anyway. /s

I don't know that I have a top 12 myself, but I'm sure I could figure something out if I put enough thought into it. Most of my favorite records are definitely not audiophile quality.

 

[tsumake]

I've only done very cursory listening of Apple Music lossless so far. For comparison, I've only tried Amazon Music HD and various files either ripped by myself or others. It compares well, identical to those other formats with no shortcomings thus far.

In general I am of the opinion that lossless CD quality and hi-res are only useful in a select few circumstances. I don't believe your average music listener can tell the difference. Gear will also be a limiting factor for most people.
I think, for me, I can only truly tell the difference consistently if I know the music well and if I am only listening critically (not passively). This is in comparison to listening to, say a 320kbps file on Spotify or a 256kbps AAC on AM. I've done the blind online tests on FLAC files to see whether or not I can 'hear/perceive' the difference and typically score in between 60-75% accuracy. These are typically songs I do not know well. I have never tested beyond CD quality, so this will be new for me.

Overall, I plan to stream & download in the highest resolution possible when using my MacBook & Schiit Modi & Kef speakers; or, when using my living room setup of an AppleTV, Marantz receiver, and Kef R500 speakers. For all mobile/in-car listening I will use 256kbps AAC.


Handling and storage. I've read the inner sleeves of the LP can cause issues but I've not encountered any myself. I've accidentally caused some damage on a few records due to dragging the needle while intoxicated. Booze & vinyl are only a great pairing if you've not too far gone & can retain most of your faculties.


No Steely Dan on that list disqualifies it anyway. /s

I don't know that I have a top 12 myself, but I'm sure I could figure something out if I put enough thought into it. Most of my favorite records are definitely not audiophile quality.

I imagine it depends on the recording. I'm reminded of this:

 

[teezzy]

I used to have a a Technics SL-D2 with a Nagaoka MP-110 cart

I was def. at the point where I was changing the headshell wires, and refoaming my vintage Polks just to get the most out of my old ass Skinny Puppy, NIN, Ministry, and Sonic Youth records - I listened to those most

Then suddenly I realized that I was putting in way too much effort to make the music sound as though it weren't playing off a turntable. especially when I had .flac files readily available via Soulseek

... went over to my sound guy buddy's house. dude went to college for audio engineering and used to work at large venues and would always do me nice work when i was still making short films to clean up whatever mess I brought his way

dude had spent thousands on his gear. his living room legit looks like a VFW hall and his turntable was like $1200 or some b.s.

I remember having him close his eyes as I put on one of his annoying ass The Residents records, probably Duck Stab or something, and then switching back and forth between the turntable and a basic Spotify account on the same song synced up

homeboy couldn't tell the difference - after all those years of schooling, experience working with audio, and dropping thousands on his gear (seriously - its insane looking)

I knew then, that I no longer wanted to be a turntable guy

Sometimes I miss it though. There is an attitude to that stuff or finding like old Latin dance records to slap on when hipster alt girls came over the crib

meh

I'm totally chill with just Spotify and some decent gear now - life is too short

 

[teezzy]

Really digging the vibe of this room. I need to get some decor to make my own a little more comfy.

God I adore that yellow chair - that's class

My shepweiler would take it over so quickly though

 

[Maiden Voyage]

I imagine it depends on the recording. I'm reminded of this:

100% how well it was recorded & mixed plays the biggest factor next to speakers IMO. These matter way more than a DAC or AMP. Bitrate above 320 or 256 AAC below those. Anything below 320 or 256 AAC is way too low quality for just about anything for me.

I used to have a a Technics SL-D2 with a Nagaoka MP-110 cart

I was def. at the point where I was changing the headshell wires, and refoaming my vintage Polks just to get the most out of my old ass Skinny Puppy, NIN, Ministry, and Sonic Youth records - I listened to those most

Then suddenly I realized that I was putting in way too much effort to make the music sound as though it weren't playing off a turntable. especially when I had .flac files readily available via Soulseek

... went over to my sound guy buddy's house. dude went to college for audio engineering and used to work at large venues and would always do me nice work when i was still making short films to clean up whatever mess I brought his way

dude had spent thousands on his gear. his living room legit looks like a VFW hall and his turntable was like $1200 or some b.s.

I remember having him close his eyes as I put on one of his annoying ass The Residents records, probably Duck Stab or something, and then switching back and forth between the turntable and a basic Spotify account on the same song synced up

homeboy couldn't tell the difference - after all those years of schooling, experience working with audio, and dropping thousands on his gear (seriously - its insane looking)

I knew then, that I no longer wanted to be a turntable guy

Sometimes I miss it though. There is an attitude to that stuff or finding like old Latin dance records to slap on when hipster alt girls came over the crib

meh

I'm totally chill with just Spotify and some decent gear now - life is too short

Yeah, vinyl is not for everyone. I use it quite rarely despite loving to collect my favorite records. I've got 3 LPs I recently acquired that I haven't had the chance to play yet (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and 2 LPs by Hot Water Music). I enjoy the format in spite of it's limitations. I would say 90% of my listening is streaming, 8% is vinyl, and maybe 2% is radio (digital & FM). There are tons of audiophiles that are digital only, or majority digital. No shame in it, and quite honestly it will be the future.

John Darko has a great phrasing "Music-First Audiophile". This is how I would describe my preferences.I'm not huge into gear. I enjoy the act of active listening to songs & albums that I enjoy. Hell, I "became" an audiophile listening to a country-punk record of a pair of Audio-Technica headphones when I could hear the electric-washboard clearly after 20 or more listens on previously bad headphones.

Point is, enjoyment of music is always at the front.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

 

[manfestival]

Yeeep very true about recordings. Especially when listening to gear that is very resolving. A favorite track can easily become a hated track because of the recording. Have had that happen in the past few months with some songs I discovered on youtube(compression and inconsistent quality). Play that track with my good gear instead of from my phone or car speakers. Then I realize everything that is wrong.

 

[tsumake]

Yeeep very true about recordings. Especially when listening to gear that is very resolving. A favorite track can easily become a hated track because of the recording. Have had that happen in the past few months with some songs I discovered on youtube(compression and inconsistent quality). Play that track with my good gear instead of from my phone or car speakers. Then I realize everything that is wrong.

Yes, agree. Once you hear it, you can't unhear it unfortunately. Ignorance is bliss.

Album list - Dynamic Range DB

dr.loudness-war.info

I can't remember if this website was listed here, but I often refer to the Dynamic Range Database to find the best album source. It's often the record that provides the best dynamic range.

 

[Cutty Flam]

What do you guys use for headphones for the Nintendo Switch? I imagine most here are PC and PS4/PS5 owners, but still thought I'd ask

It would be perfect to come across headphones with zero latency issues while wireless/bluetooth, but not too sure if the technology is there just yet

 

[tsumake]

What do you guys use for headphones for the Nintendo Switch? I imagine most here are PC and PS4/PS5 owners, but still thought I'd ask

It would be perfect to come across headphones with zero latency issues while wireless/bluetooth, but not too sure if the technology is there just yet

Switch doesn't have bluetooth. You need an adapter.

How To Use Bluetooth Headphones With Your Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch doesn't support Bluetooth headphones natively, but there are a number of headsets and adapters that can help you listen to your Switch wirelessly.

www.gamespot.com