New SBT owner saying Hi with a question...

[JF Lux]

Hi to one and all...

Joining the forum as I have just purchased a Squeezebox Touch to replace my old Cyrus dadQ24 CD player that finally gave up...been browsing here for a couple of weeks and this looks like a great place for info and support.

Set up has gone well - in fact it was very easy.

But of course I have a question or two - basically on the sound.

I have ripped my CD's in lossless WAV format using WMP12. All stored on a laptop hard drive. At the moment connection to the SBT is over Wi-Fi and it is showing about 80% connectivity strength.

Its connected to a Cyrus 3i amp (driving tweeters) bridged to a Cyrus power (driving bass). Speakers are B&W CDM1SE on good stands. Good quality Chord connectors between SBT and between amps. Good speaker cable etc.

So no longer the last word in modern hi-fi...but was giving a damn good sound with the Cyrus CD player.

So here's the problem - although I find the SBT producing a very clear and precise sound it is harsh. Very harsh. And lacking a little in depth and bottom-end.

I'm all new to streaming, ripping, bits, sampling rates etc...

So thoughts on this ? Is the balance of the SBT on the bright side which has now unbalanced the system sound? Does Wi-Fi connection really make an impact over ethernet cable ?

Do I tell my wife that I really do need to go and buy a DAC...and new amps...and speakers...? (TBH I am thinking of a DAC)

Maybe I have done something wrong when ripping my CD library and the quality is suffering...?

Ideas ? As I had great hopes on this but even my wife has noticed the sound difference (which is a first...)

Thanks.

[garym]

First make sure the touch's digital volume is way up (above 80%). In fact try it at 100%. Also make sure you haven't got bit rate limiting turned on in your LMS settings under player, audio tab. If you do it may be converting to low bit rate mp3 files before streaming.

[JF Lux]

Thanks for the reply.

Volume is at 100% - using the amp volume control.

Checked the settings and Bit Rate Limiting = No limit
LAME Quality Level = 9 (poor quality but fast)

It also says I don't have LAME installed (whatever that is...).

Could this be the problem? Install LAME and have Quality Level closer to (or at) zero and keep Bit Rate Limiting at No Limit ?

[garym]

Thanks for the reply.

Volume is at 100% - using the amp volume control.

Checked the settings and Bit Rate Limiting = No limit
LAME Quality Level = 9 (poor quality but fast)

It also says I don't have LAME installed (whatever that is...).

Could this be the problem? Install LAME and have Quality Level closer to (or at) zero and keep Bit Rate Limiting at No Limit ?

No you're fine. No limit means it is not even using lame (which is good) So both my easy items are not your issue.

Given your system you could very well benefit from a good DAC. Any way to try a few out?

[JF Lux]

okay - it was worth a try

Well I'm off to look at DAC's tomorrow... Any excuse...

Cheers.

[Gusboll]

okay - it was worth a try

Well I'm off to look at DAC's tomorrow... Any excuse...

Cheers.

The old Cyrus gear was said to be a bit on the harsh side; but what speakers have you got?

[Stratmangler]

Try reripping a few of your CDs to FLAC, using EAC (ExactAudioCopy), which is free, or dBpoweramp, which is free to try for 30 days.
Set either up for secure ripping.
That way you'll get accurate rips. WMP rips a lot more quickly, but is not as accurate.
Then compare the WMP12 rips to the FLAC rips - you might find improvement there.

Chris

[aubuti]

Well I'm off to look at DAC's tomorrow... Any excuse...

I take it you are using the Touch's analog outputs? If so, then my first guess is that you have gotten very used to the old CDP's DAC, and the sound of the Touch's DAC is jarring because...it's different.

Before doing anything rash, give yourself some time to get more familiar with Touch's sound. You may grow to like it, although that would have to be a lot of familiarity to get beyond the current "harsh, very harsh" description. Maybe the Touch's DAC isn't a great match for your tastes and/or the rest of your system, in which case you're on the right track to look at external DACs.

Bottom line: go ahead with your plan to look at DACs, and take your time comparing them against each other and against the Touch. By all means try to take some home for an audition before pulling out the wallet.

[Mattdelahanty]

I also found the dac in the touch to be bright and just plain boring when using the analog output so I purchased a Peachtree DacIt and now the sound is amazing. This Dac fills my room with this wonderful full sound with plenty of bass even when I'm not using any tone controls on my amp. I was concerned when I purchased this dac that I was going to be wasting my money but I'm truly amazed with how it sounds.

[guidof]

Harsh sound is, of course, a subjective judgement, but in my experience I would not say the Touch sounds harsh, either on the analogue or digital outs.

In addition to what has already been pointed out by prior posters, the kind of recordings you listen to may be a bit on the harsh side and that may now be what you are hearing.

The best way to judge if the Touch is harsh or not may be by comparing its sound to that of unamplified acoustic instruments and singers in a real space. These are often not necessarily "smooth."

The Touch internal DAC is quite good, though not as good as a good external one. I doubt that an external DAC will reduce or eliminate what you perceive as harshness. But only you can tell for sure.

Happy listening!

Guido F.