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Who uses which media for primary listening and why?


halfbaked

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I find it odd for all the technical talk not much on music. Then again when I was in the business we would talk music all day. Well that was years ago lets fast forward with these current times.

 

I'm not asking which format is better then whatnot. I am curious how the peeps here get their music on what formats. Since you guys have me back to stereo listening (thanks to all btw). I have started to look around and cd's seem to by hit or miss on so many of these cd format.

 

Mofi was around but certainly that was about it for different re-masterings. Now I see many formats but no real one stop shopping as it seems for titles seem to be very limited runs. Also anyone here buying hi-res digital recordings as their primary listening? If anyone wants to throw in about discs and the format they're available in?

 

This is not about the best format. But if you like a certain format for whatever reason it would be most appreciated. For overall selection from what I have seen digital seems to offer the widest selection.

 

I know things like mastering made a good difference back in the day. I am assuming that playing field is more or less equalized. I'm a rocker with blues and soul filling in spaces. Which is why I talk about limited selection.

 

If someone finds Audio Fidelity subscription enjoyable let me know. Don't let my taste taint what you like. I'm just looking at the playing field trying to figure what's best form.

 

One time my ex came home while I was listening to an lp with only hunting horns. The look on her face was worth the price of admission. I know I still laugh about it. She probably still thinks maybe I should be committed. Not really but the look and the next few questions were priceless.

 

If there's something you don't like about a format. Please no comments like "Robust yet naive with an hint of spice on your aural sensations".

 

So let me know if you rather not be in the spotlight send a message, text, email. Carrier pigeons are not always reliable.

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Mostly vinyl, some CD'S, some streaming.  I don't have a high-res service I've bought a few tracks from iTunes for reference songs.  It's supposed to be a lossless format, but still CD quality not high-res.  The player is most important when it comes to playback of CD or digital streaming sources.

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1 hour ago, halfbaked said:

I find it odd for all the technical talk not much on music. Then again when I was in the business we would talk music all day. Well that was years ago lets fast forward with these current times.

 

I'm not asking which format is better then whatnot. I am curious how the peeps here get their music on what formats. Since you guys have me back to stereo listening (thanks to all btw). I have started to look around and cd's seem to by hit or miss on so many of these cd format.

 

Mofi was around but certainly that was about it for different re-masterings. Now I see many formats but no real one stop shopping as it seems for titles seem to be very limited runs. Also anyone here buying hi-res digital recordings as their primary listening? If anyone wants to throw in about discs and the format they're available in?

 

This is not about the best format. But if you like a certain format for whatever reason it would be most appreciated. For overall selection from what I have seen digital seems to offer the widest selection.

 

I know things like mastering made a good difference back in the day. I am assuming that playing field is more or less equalized. I'm a rocker with blues and soul filling in spaces. Which is why I talk about limited selection.

 

If someone finds Audio Fidelity subscription enjoyable let me know. Don't let my taste taint what you like. I'm just looking at the playing field trying to figure what's best form.

 

One time my ex came home while I was listening to an lp with only hunting horns. The look on her face was worth the price of admission. I know I still laugh about it. She probably still thinks maybe I should be committed. Not really but the look and the next few questions were priceless.

 

If there's something you don't like about a format. Please no comments like "Robust yet naive with an hint of spice on your aural sensations".

 

So let me know if you rather not be in the spotlight send a message, text, email. Carrier pigeons are not always reliable.

 

 

Mostly hi quality CD's (MOFI, Audio Fidelity, DCC), some hi quality vinyl.  Some K2 mastered CD's sound great (ELP, Eagles), some not so great (Bat Out Of Hell), probably depends on how good the original master was.  Have a couple SACD's and an older OPPO DV-981 that I haven't listened to very much.  Bought a Sony CD changer and recorder in 2006 - it makes a bit for bit copy of any original CD, so my CD's only get played a couple times to make copies to use, mainly in my vehicles.

 

Mark

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Most listeners who have vintage Carver/Sunfire gear do not have a clean path to integrating streaming into their systems. Vinyl and CDs are most prevalent. Digital (and Streaming) causes all sorts of debates on compression algorithms and delivery methods and what one can/cannot hear in the digital world. I have my CDs in iTunes in ALAC and share iTunes libraries on the home network. 

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Without getting into a quality debate, I do most listening via FLAC for convenience and the quality. 

 

For or flat out reference listening, nothing touches DVD Audio, in my opinion. In fact, SACD is the only thing that comes close. That said, I don’t have much experience with the new BluRay audio formats. 

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Daddyjt I have to go through to see if any of the concerts have playback issues. FLAC is great always has been even when they started as command line tool. It is really lossless.

Daddyjt I have to go through to see if any of the concerts have playback issues. FLAC is great always has been even when they started as command line tool. It is really lossless.

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The only down side is ripping your CDs into a database - but after that, it’s the cat’s meow.  My library has gotten so large now, I have filed some titles into an “archive” folder - titles I will likely never listen to, but I want to keep none the less.  I have also created a “reference” file, to keep my favorites close. The flexibility is truly astounding. 

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loner_t  I hear you I do. But even when the Carver was brand new there always was the question of "how do I get that to work. That was a common quest as whether you had Phase Linear, Mark Levinson or whatever else. It wasn't like one quality brand had more inputs or outputs. Holy Cow the first time I saw a c4000 was so awesome with all those options. Almost 20 years ago PC's and software really kicked things off again for me. So what if reproceesing a video took 8 hours (oh my lol). If you really want to music you will find a way to make it work. Every now and then an "unplanned smoke test" made that decision easier as whatever was out of action. I remember years ago dedicated dead heads were using eac going a snails crawl to weed out sonic artifacts. They offered quite a few shows with all that sonic correction on dvd-audio with 5.1.

 

To me if you really wanted to listen to Old Bessie Smith you had to accept the sound quality of 1930. Ugh now I cant rememder his name but he traveled all around the country recorded people with a set-up in the back of his car. Sometimes that might be the only recorded instance with some of early artist. I can't remember exactly but I want to say his recordings were cut on acetate right in his car. I know some blues fan will probably enlighten us all. Look at what George Martin was able to do with the Beatles with only (4)? Track recorder.

 

Having so many here that want the "tube" sound would take some digging as all that old equipment was gone by the 80's. When mofi did Heart's first album was in fact recorded at some small still hanging on working with a tube studio.

 

If you're an elite listener thinking about Stereophile you had $10k set. Thankfully I never was it was hard enough with just albums. Look how fast 8track tapes disappeared. Reel to reel. People talk about all these different CD's gold, aluminium or a super format is it JVC Japan with XrCD or something along those lines.

 

I bought the Cars first album without realizing it was a HDCD. I say listen to what you like with something you can afford and get to buy more music. Everybody is different and hear differently or willing to accept loss of quality for how old it is, maybe how punk they were and a thousand other reasons. I rather talk about positive things with music than being the eternal critic. That said I really enjoyed high fidelity with john Cusack jack black being in similar situations. Look at albums from 1989-1996 the whole lp world stopped. One major reason was the closing of some 29k small shops as the mall stores took over with selling about as much that you were paying for. All those get togethers just talking music and collecting went by the wayside. Corporations never understood that they were the ones that killed people buying whole catalog of artists. Almost Famous ( or the extended version called "untitled" covered so much about growing up with music in the 70's. 

 

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I got into this hobby almost 60 years ago because I love music. At some point I lost my way and it became more about the equipment and chasing the "ultimate quality" ghost. Now that I'm retired and living on a fixed income I'm back to simply enjoying the music.

 

I listen to mainly CD's but when I get a hankering for a particular song/album/artist I have no problem digging out an LP,  45 or a cassette tape.

 

I have way too much physical media to think about converting it to digital. (I stopped counting when Zack was born in 1995, but my guess is I have close to 20,000 unique album length titles on various media.)

 

I do rip and share files with a few members but I always burn mine to CD for playing.

 

Yes, I am a dinosaur..... :D 

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All my blathering I forget to ask daddyjt are you buying FLAC or do you do that yourself?

 

Those buying this new quality for vinyl do you buy like 180 gram albums or is there a certain point when enough is enough?

 

Way back when it was easy to collect mofi if you sold it. I've been scanning some services and outlets that have things I wouldn't mind giving another spin. Though sometimes you now wonder was I really listening to that? Some places sell dics as if they were Ming era vases.

 

People buying cd's do you look for hi-quality first or fill them in as you can do it? Thanks for the feedback so far, its appreciated as there are many here caring about the sound of their systems.

 

I haven't been able really keeping track with the market which is something trying to play some catch up deciding the best way to get a few great albums.

 

Back to daddyjt you are so right on. The database took so much work with concerts. Sometimes I would look at the to do pile and I would tell myself "later". I like your reference idea, it makes so much sense for the music in your high rotation.

 

Sometimes people wouldn't quite understand.my dating technique was much better in the natural appearance of dates with the chronological. Tracking of dates.

 

Gold98gtp that is true there are so many things to go bump with recording. The first time I was listening to the first remastering of the Beatles with that all too memorable hiss and it was so diminished. It felt odd and great at the same time as your memory just shifted to not accepting all that hiss on the albums. Thanks for the heads up I rather get a well recored mixed and so on instead of being disappointed with the high cost of these hi-qual discs. If I buy it knowing the sound or transfer was not up to par thats my decision. Getting one when you have high expectations and it falls flat on the first listen is a bummer.

 

Zumbini I haven't been as long as you but the miles have caught up with me. Since you do have a go o d size collection is it in one bedroom or do you have to spread it around?

 

One excellent happening was the incredible price drop on hard drives. I still laugh thinking how great $10 dollars avmeg was. I like the physical media too. The difference between albums and discs size wise and the little surprises one could get from albums, especially first pressings with small posters. Every last days of the Fillmore had different tickets in each one. I don't know about you but color vinyl is so much more impressive between the size difference you can see an album spin and pretty much one can't see it while playing is also a factor.

 

Don't get me wrong, I loved vinyl back in the day but if choosing makes buying easier thats my path of compromise. I was watching lord of the r8lings the other day and the extended dvd to me is so cool in looks and the booklets within. Blue ray doesn't really seem to have the same "shiniess" that a special edition has. But dvd's life seems to be more risky lifespan.

 

Unclemeat decisions are a matter of personal taste and we all try to make do and enjoy what we can. I'm not a.streaming type but I try to understand the other side of the coin. Players even in the 80's could really be an unexpected surprise. So I hear you.

 

Kve777 Your answer sounds gives the old argument its all about the listening. Which should really be the important thing to do. Spending so much time so one can is always a balancing act as the discussion about the time playlist.

 

I myself lost almost 2 years trying to put some things together. A super nasty persistent virus put mt digital listening to a stop. 

So now I'm playing a bit of technical catch up. I always like subjects like this. You see the person as they are or trying to get to as music plays with each bit of the people we are about something we enjoy.

 

Thank you guys so far it's provided a bit of clarify while trying to shop a bit. Also the better understanding of how I should shop. Please continue as some of these ideas provided a bit of dusting off with my brain.

 

Interesting to see how many are into streaming or at least putting a toe in the water to check it out.

 

 

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Z and I have much in common. Chasing the ultimate sound is a never ending chase. Hell, if 2 tin cans and a string sound great to someone, who am I to judge? That person is thousands of dollars ahead of me too (unless some slick salesperson convinced them that an audiophile braided gold string would change their lives and get them laid more often)  =)

 

Personally, I prefer vinyl, SACD, CD, then flac, provided they are equally well engineered. I have little experience with DVD audio, and what I do have was played on home theater equipment that was good for movies, but not so much for music.

 

I love vinyl as much for the ritual as for the sound. I love SACD, CD for the convenience and transportability, and I love flac for the lazy factor--set Groove music to Random, pipe it to the Oppo, and through the main rig. I could probably go for a couple of months without hearing the same song twice.

 

I tend to play vinyl most often, but I do have some CDs that are so well engineered that they rival Mofi vinyl. Patricia Barber Cafe Blue on Mofi SACD comes immediately to mind. If I'm busy around the house, then I tend to stream flac files from my server or put in a CD with the Oppo 105D. As far as quality goes, the addition of the Oppo vastly improved the listening enjoyment of my digital media whether CD, SACD, or flac.

 

I too am a dinosaur. (Is this a 12 step meeting?)

 

 

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17 minutes ago, halfbaked said:

Unclemeat decisions are a matter of personal taste and we all try to make do and enjoy what we can. I'm not a.streaming type but I try to understand the other side of the coin. Players even in the 80's could really be an unexpected surprise. So I hear you.

 

There are two digital players in my system and one of 3 CD players that do not give me listening fatigue.  The other two (Marantz CDR-510 and Marantz PMD-371) are good but you can hear some 'issues'.  The Marantz PMD-580 and the Logitech Transporter are excellent for digital sources.  The Carver SD/A-490t is magical with the right tubes.  Above all of these still sits the Marantz SLT-12 turntable (for me).  Yes, the Transporter has more dynamic range, and there are are no 'ticks' on soft passages; but for lifelike sound (in my system and to my ears) the turntable still wins.

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53 minutes ago, halfbaked said:

Zumbini I haven't been as long as you but the miles have caught up with me. Since you do have a go o d size collection is it in one bedroom or do you have to spread it around?

 

The bulk of my CD's are in my basement mancave along with several hundred of my favorite LPs and tapes. I can't back up far enough for a true panoramic view but this should give you a feel for it.

20111029223139629.jpg20111029223240780.jpg20111029223312324.jpg

 

Most of the rest of my LP's are in a storage closet around the corner with more cassette tapes, some 45's and 78's, and several hundred RTR's in another closet.

20130310180607315.jpg

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As far as media goes, you guys will laugh at me but I listen to FM radio 98% of the time. I turn it on every weekday morning at 5:00 AM and it plays all day until around 6:00 PM. When I listen "seriously" I will play CDs on my Sony BDP or just use JRiver with the FLAC files.

 

I took the time to rip all of my CDs to FLAC. JRiver is the mechanism to get that digital music to my analog ears. I love JRiver for a multitude of reasons, but one of my top five would be this :

 

Select an album you don't know. Play it. When you hear a track you particularly like, JRiver lets you give it a star rating. 1 - 5, 5 being the best.

 

Now, when you are just wanting to play familiar tunes that you know and like, simply tell JRiver to randomly play only 3 star tunes, or 5 star tunes, or any star-rated tune, etc. It's a great way to jukebox play a large collection without having to hear songs you don't particularly like, especially in a party or get-together atmosphere.

 

I am lucky in that my tired ears think CDs and FLAC sound awesome - I need not search for improvement in that arena. Saves me money for Jack & Coke. ?

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I'm hooked on streaming Tidal Hi Res. I got me centered on the music again. It lets me listen to everyone's records, cds and tapes at the touch of my fingers. The Volume control is on my IPad and sounds great. I can get lost in an artist then delete the links when I tire of it so my interface doesn't look like Zumbini's record walls. I CAN ALWAYS GO BACK TO IT. I have 5 versions of Stravinski's Firebird. It's alllllll about the mood. I play what I'm in the mood for and my choices are vast with this media.

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19 hours ago, Sk1Bum said:

...I have little experience with DVD audio, and what I do have was played on home theater equipment that was good for movies, but not so much for music...

 

 

 

I should qualify here - when I listen to DVD Audio discs, I exclusively listen to the 96(192)/24 stereo mix. The ONLY DVD Audio disc I prefer the 5.1 mix on is Queensrych Empire. The rest are strictly high res stereo. 

19 hours ago, halfbaked said:

All my blathering I forget to ask daddyjt are you buying FLAC or do you do that yourself?

 

 

I am a dinosaur, in that I very much prefer to have the physical copy of the media in my hot little hands. So I buy cds and rip them myself. I’m not trusting of owning “virtual rights” to something, I want the hard copy. 

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radio at work 4am to 3pm with a few cds thrown in when the am morning DJ's (4stations)  bla bla bla gets to bad.

Vinyl at home, a few cds here and there.

CD's in the car

 

Edited by mbskeam
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9 hours ago, Daddyjt said:

I should qualify here - when I listen to DVD Audio discs, I exclusively listen to the 96(192)/24 stereo mix. The ONLY DVD Audio disc I prefer the 5.1 mix on is Queensryche Empire. The rest are strictly high res stereo. 

 

I am a dinosaur, in that I very much prefer to have the physical copy of the media in my hot little hands. So I buy cds and rip them myself. I’m not trusting of owning “virtual rights” to something, I want the hard copy. 

 

That is one of my favorite albums. Would you please elaborate on the exact copy you have ? I want to see if I can find it and give it a test run. Do you know if you can FLAC it and preserve the 5.1 playback and all the other nuances / subtleties you have noticed / like in the recording ?

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2 hours ago, B-Man said:

 

That is one of my favorite albums. Would you please elaborate on the exact copy you have ? I want to see if I can find it and give it a test run. Do you know if you can FLAC it and preserve the 5.1 playback and all the other nuances / subtleties you have noticed / like in the recording ?

 

I have the DVD Audio version - it’s out of print (as are all DVD Audio titles, I believe) but available used on amazon for about $50:

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006ALA8/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

The sense of space the 5.1 mix creates in the room is downright breathtaking - while artificial and annoying on most 5.1 mixes, it works to perfection on Empire. This effect is especially enjoyable on Silent Lucidity. The bass attack and impact on Jet City Woman and Della Brown leave me wanting that level of definition in all recordings. 

 

You have to be careful and ensure you are playing the DVD Audio portion of the disc, as I think it has just straight DVD info on it as well. Also be sure your player will play the dvd Audio format - look for this symbol on your player:

 

BA8C6124-5207-4739-9A21-98A0A755AE50.png

 

Pm me your address, and I’ll send it to you so you can audition it and decide whether or not you want to buy your own. 

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I have enjoyed reading what has been shared on this thread so far....

 

The truth is - I have become lazy - at  a cost.

 

Years ago I ripped all of my CD's (400+) in to iTunes. This was when storage was expensive. 

Unfortunately they were all at a lower quality.... hindsight blows.

 

When I first hooked up my turntable I was excited... spinning records like the old days!

I forgot what a pita it was to skip a song on the album....

The sound was nostalgic, I even remembered exactly in a song where to one "pop" was.

 

I was encouraged by my teenage children to subscribe to Spotify Family. I am happy that I did.

The iPhone interface is slick and the song database is huge. I rediscovered Groups that I forgot I liked.

I could never justify buying the album of the "one hit wonder" groups... now easily accessible through this service.

 

So here I am - amazing hardware and low res sources - all without having to move from my couch!

 

If you have read this far in to my reply, I suggest you read the article I have linked.

It's a bit dated (and a long read) but does explain WHY my AMAZING system sounds meh to me right now.

 

Itch

 

WHAT DATA COMPRESSION DOES TO YOUR MUSIC

 

 

 

 

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I stream from my digital library (FLAC on hard drives) and internet radio over my wifi using this:

image.png.4ee35548fd2b52ea148cae56b7a3fc8c.png

 

 

And when the source recording is good, it sounds amazing through all my Carver amps. ;^) DAC (PCM5122 chip - 384kHz high sampling rate, 112dB dynamic range) is excellent and for under $100 sounds better than most high end streaming solutions costing hundreds more. In addition it has 4 USB inputs, HDMI output, and can be wired to the network if desired. It can use either volumio or logitech media server for streaming with wifi remote control from a pc, android, or iphone. (It can also drive most headphones.)

Edited by iamjohngalt
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42 minutes ago, itchitch said:

Years ago I ripped all of my CD's (400+) in to iTunes. This was when storage was expensive. 

Unfortunately they were all at a lower quality.... hindsight blows.

You didn't say so Steve, but I assume you no longer have the original CD's, otherwise you could just re-rip them.

 

45 minutes ago, itchitch said:

I forgot what a pita it was to skip a song on the album....

I rarely buy a CD or LP unless I like all the tracks, so it would seem wrong if I skipped a song or played them out of order.

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