I met the Channel D Pure Music owner last night.

mantis
mantis Posts: 17,032
edited February 2013 in Going Digital
Whats up all?
He came to our store for a seminar and it was very good. I got a deeper understanding on how Digital music works. it was a great time.
Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
Post edited by mantis on

Comments

  • Big Dawg
    Big Dawg Posts: 2,005
    edited November 2012
    i saw that he was going to be there. sorry i missed it.
  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,288
    edited November 2012
    anything you can share with us that we can use to make our digital systems better?
    Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 300, Audioquest Thunderbird Zero Speaker Cable, Tyler Highland H2, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
  • drgalexo
    drgalexo Posts: 159
    edited November 2012
    I can sure think of a few questions about digital audio.
  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited November 2012
    Dan, I had absolutely no idea what that was. So for all of the rest of you digital incompetents, or let's say less than "current" boys:

    Pure Music?

    High Resolution Music Server Software for Apple Macintosh Computers

    I guess it might also help if I was a MAC man?

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    edited November 2012
    mantis wrote: »
    Whats up all?
    He came to our store for a seminar and it was very good. I got a deeper understanding on how Digital music works. it was a great time.

    Good, then you must also have a deeper understanding of how all of this effects the signal. Not all of it may be audible, but it's the whole combination of variables that effect what comes out the other end.

    Why are all the cool programs for Mac's ? Wish they had something like Pure music for windows based PC's.
    HT SYSTEM-
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,032
    edited November 2012
    erniejade wrote: »
    anything you can share with us that we can use to make our digital systems better?
    I can share a lot. I learned so much over the last few months and hanging out with him really deepened my knowledge.
    For Starters , with a computer rig , you can preserve all your favorite recordings. Hear them with all the dynamics and clarity that was recorded. Even Vinyl , he has a killer program for recording and replaying vinyl. Very impressive , without all the pops and scratch noises you get with most playback turntables.
    We talked about the importance of a good quality DAC and how they differ as you go up the ladder.

    So I took away from this is you can get your source right , now for the rest of the chain.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,032
    edited November 2012
    drgalexo wrote: »
    I can sure think of a few questions about digital audio.
    Ask away my friend
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,032
    edited November 2012
    cnh wrote: »
    Dan, I had absolutely no idea what that was. So for all of the rest of you digital incompetents, or let's say less than "current" boys:

    Pure Music?

    High Resolution Music Server Software for Apple Macintosh Computers

    I guess it might also help if I was a MAC man?

    cnh
    It's cool , I didn't know what it was till a few weeks ago , and I am a Mac man.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,032
    edited November 2012
    tonyb wrote: »
    Good, then you must also have a deeper understanding of how all of this effects the signal. Not all of it may be audible, but it's the whole combination of variables that effect what comes out the other end.

    Why are all the cool programs for Mac's ? Wish they had something like Pure music for windows based PC's.
    He's been asked to make a version for PC for years now. He prefers the Mac as they are easier to work with and setup , not to mention he's a Mac guy himself.

    Foobar and J Rivers are the best software programs for the PC I have seen. I prefer the J Rivers as I have it for my Wife's PC laptop. It's damn good , you should check it out.
    The quest for a really accurate replay system starts here I believe , the source. I talked to him about my quest for perfection and he's been on that path for years. This is a good place to start.
    He's really into DAC's , it's the next thing in the chain along with a high quality USB cable , he think USB is the best way to send the files from the computer to the DAC. Out of the DAC is balanced as I figured anyway as it's the best overall connection in the analog world. Now I got to find a neutral amp , speaker wires and a pair of speakers. I think I might be closer to building a close to perfection rig. Skipping over a preamp , the DAC will be the Pre right to the amp.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,032
    edited November 2012
    Big Dawg wrote: »
    i saw that he was going to be there. sorry i missed it.
    No worries , I'm gonna plan a computer music get together in the near future , I will invite everyone here who would like to come. PC and Mac people will be very welcome.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
    edited November 2012
    Dan, for giggles you should check out some powered studio monitors like KRK Rokit's. You can skip the need for speaker wires, amp, ect and play with a straight Source to Speaker connection.

    You would need something to control volume on at least the KRK's, but something like the Audio Engine A5's have volume control on them.

    Just a thought to play around with a small desktop rig that is totally digital and not have a ton invested.

    I keep debating doing this myself for my office as a compromise due to not having a ton of space.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    edited November 2012
    I've tried the dac straight to amp thing before Dan, and for my ears it was way too dry and sterile sounding. Might be up your alley who knows, give it a try anyway. I do believe todays dacs may do a better job of it, like the W4S or Benchmark. I think Steve tried his Benchmark as a pre too. Look into Empirical Audio stuff, not cheap, but anyone who tries their products goes goo goo over them.

    Weis dacs get some good praise too but still pricey. Maybe the store you work at can get a salesman to drop off some demo units. Peronally I believe once you start hitting that 2-3 g mark in dacs, your hitting that law of diminishing returns.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
    edited November 2012
    tonyb wrote: »
    I've tried the dac straight to amp thing before Dan, and for my ears it was way too dry and sterile sounding. Might be up your alley who knows, give it a try anyway. I do believe todays dacs may do a better job of it, like the W4S or Benchmark. I think Steve tried his Benchmark as a pre too. Look into Empirical Audio stuff, not cheap, but anyone who tries their products goes goo goo over them.

    Weis dacs get some good praise too but still pricey. Maybe the store you work at can get a salesman to drop off some demo units. Peronally I believe once you start hitting that 2-3 g mark in dacs, your hitting that law of diminishing returns.

    Good to know Tony, I just know for a small computer setup, I have listened to the KRK Rokits in particular MANY times and found them to be pretty good for nearfield listening (like right on your computer desk with you like 2 feet away) which lots of bookshelves cant do as well.

    I also agree about diminishing returns, thought for my personal journey 300-500 is probably about what I would be willing to pay for JUST a DAC. Something like the Benchmark HDR which is also a PRE I would be willing to up the ante on.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • drgalexo
    drgalexo Posts: 159
    edited November 2012
    From the best I can tell so far is that the wav file if bit perfect is about as good as it needs to be for my purposes, ie. what's on the cd. So because I use a pc I want to know the best way to rip cds to my computer. I just can't figure out why Jriver, or Db Poweramp is better than just ripping to Windows Media Player which is already on my computer?
  • vc69
    vc69 Posts: 2,500
    edited November 2012
    The KRK's are not bad, but I highly recommend a set of Genelecs. Computer --->DAC (Balanced out with volume control)--->Genelec = why do I own all of this other gear? :redface:

    drgalexo wrote: »
    From the best I can tell so far is that the wav file if bit perfect is about as good as it needs to be for my purposes, ie. what's on the cd. So because I use a pc I want to know the best way to rip cds to my computer. I just can't figure out why Jriver, or Db Poweramp is better than just ripping to Windows Media Player which is already on my computer?

    Mostly because of JRiver's file management (ie; metadata. etc.). Windows media player is a slug and the file management is horrible.
    -Kevin
    HT: Philips 52PFL7432D 52" LCD 1080p / Onkyo TX-SR 606 / Oppo BDP-83 SE / Comcast cable. (all HDMI)B&W 801 - Front, Polk CS350 LS - Center, Polk LS90 - Rear
    2 Channel:
    Oppo BDP-83 SE
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  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,288
    edited November 2012
    What ripping format is recommended or like for someone like myself using jriver and flac, what settings in the flac rip would give me better performance? Jriver defaults it to 6. I tried going to 4 and 7 but, i couldnt not hear a difference between 4 6 or 7. I do hear a slight difference between cd and flac though so it makes me wonder if there is a better setting out there for flac
    I am using a w4s dac2, penga usb cable, jriver, flac.

    I agree with tonyb on my rig, the w4s using it as a pre does a great job but, i prefer the dac to fixed going to my audio research pre. Than again, my room acoustics are not that easy to work with!

    Also, I heard the Grant fidelity Tube Dac 11 with rolled tubes and for the $, i http://shop.grantfidelity.com/Grant-Fidelity-TubeDAC-11-D-A-Converter.htmlwas shocked. So if your looking for a sub 500$ dac, it is worth checking out.
    Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 300, Audioquest Thunderbird Zero Speaker Cable, Tyler Highland H2, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
  • thsmith
    thsmith Posts: 6,082
    edited November 2012
    TAS had a bunch of articles on what to use for ripping and best format. If memory serves me it was to use DBPowerAmp and WMA but dont quote me.

    All of this was PC based, YMMV.
    Speakers: SDA-1C (most all the goodies)
    Preamp: Joule Electra LA-150 MKII SE
    Amp: Wright WPA 50-50 EAT KT88s
    Analog: Marantz TT-15S1 MBS Glider SL| Wright WPP100C Amperex BB 6er5 and 7316 & WPM-100 SUT
    Digital: Mac mini 2.3GHz dual-core i5 8g RAM 1.5 TB HDD Music Server Amarra (memory play) - USB - W4S DAC 2
    Cables: Mits S3 IC and Spk cables| PS Audio PCs
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,124
    edited November 2012
    While we are on the subject of DAC's, has anyone got there hands on or heard one of the Antelope dacs?
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    edited November 2012
    Haven't heard one, but 6 moons I think compared them when they did a Burson dac review. Their Zodiac Gold is suppose to be on par with all the big boys.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • GospelTruth
    GospelTruth Posts: 403
    edited November 2012
    mantis wrote: »
    He's really into DAC's , it's the next thing in the chain along with a high quality USB cable , he think USB is the best way to send the files from the computer to the DAC. .

    I read some other stuff you were talking about with regard to a good quality USB cable. I know there is a lot of talk about cables and the "snake oil" thing. Not looking to start any wars about it. I am just curious though about why he thinks a good quality USB cable makes a difference. Being a computer guy, I always have a hard time when it comes to debates with digital transmission and better cables. Analog I have better time understanding because it's, well, analog. There are a lot of redundancies in digital transmission to ensure that everything arrives as it should - bit for bit - so why would high quality cables matter. The only think I can think of that might interfere with the sound is shielding on cable. Regardless, I would be interested to hear what his thoughts are on what constitutes a high quality USB cable and how he views it affects the sound.
    Speakers
    Energy RC-70 Mains, Energy RC-LRC Center, Energy RC-R (x4) Rear Channels, Energy RC-R (x2) Front Effects
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    Equipment
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    Analog Sources: Sony TC-K890ES Cassette, Nakamichi DR-1 Cassette, Technics SL-7 Turntable
  • thsmith
    thsmith Posts: 6,082
    edited November 2012
    I read some other stuff you were talking about with regard to a good quality USB cable. I know there is a lot of talk about cables and the "snake oil" thing. Not looking to start any wars about it. I am just curious though about why he thinks a good quality USB cable makes a difference. Being a computer guy, I always have a hard time when it comes to debates with digital transmission and better cables. Analog I have better time understanding because it's, well, analog. There are a lot of redundancies in digital transmission to ensure that everything arrives as it should - bit for bit - so why would high quality cables matter. The only think I can think of that might interfere with the sound is shielding on cable. Regardless, I would be interested to hear what his thoughts are on what constitutes a high quality USB cable and how he views it affects the sound.

    Try it yourself or go on over to computeraudiophile and get your read on.
    Speakers: SDA-1C (most all the goodies)
    Preamp: Joule Electra LA-150 MKII SE
    Amp: Wright WPA 50-50 EAT KT88s
    Analog: Marantz TT-15S1 MBS Glider SL| Wright WPP100C Amperex BB 6er5 and 7316 & WPM-100 SUT
    Digital: Mac mini 2.3GHz dual-core i5 8g RAM 1.5 TB HDD Music Server Amarra (memory play) - USB - W4S DAC 2
    Cables: Mits S3 IC and Spk cables| PS Audio PCs
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    edited December 2012
    erniejade wrote: »
    Also, I heard the Grant fidelity Tube Dac 11 with rolled tubes and for the $, i http://shop.grantfidelity.com/Grant-Fidelity-TubeDAC-11-D-A-Converter.htmlwas shocked. So if your looking for a sub 500$ dac, it is worth checking out.

    Hey big guy, want to elaborate a tad on this ? Sounds like something I may be interested in. What was the associated gear and tube rolled ? How was the soundstage ? I've read alot of reviews and everyone seems to dig this thing. I'm interested in using it as a dac and pre with my modded sonos. For the entry price, seems like a no brainer.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • drgalexo
    drgalexo Posts: 159
    edited December 2012
    Thanks thsmith, I don't know how to put a quote in here but, I would like to read the articles by TAS that you refer to. Who is TAS and where can I find the articles.
  • Lost240
    Lost240 Posts: 176
    edited February 2013
    What store was this at?