New User - Sound Quality Question
Just set up new duet. Very smooth and works flawlessly. I am ripping on a newer iMac using iTunes 9.x, uncompressed AIFF with error correction on at 48kHz. I have a Cal Audio Alpha (upgraded) / Delta combo for CD playback. I am streaming wirelessly through G54 Mps Linksys router to the duet with digital feed to the Alpha processor, playing with Squeezebox volume at 100% and gain off. There is a noticeable haze over the music across the frequency range, a fuzzines or decreased definition, when compared to running the CD from the Delta transport. It is not 'bad' sound but a more noticable difference than expected after reading user reviews for similar setups. Am I missing something in my setup or is this an inherent expectation for 'computer music'? I am not unhappy so much as just want to be sure I am optimizing for best quality sound before ripping hundreds more CD's to my Mac. Thanks.
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Why are you ripping 44kHz source material at 48kHz? That's going to cause a resampling of all the data which could easily lead to what you're hearing (IMHO). -
First thing to check is in Settings to make sure you don't have bitrate limiting turned on (such that the AIFF files are being transcoded to low bitrate mp3 files when streamed). Can't speak to your setup, but generally there is no inherent loss of quality with "computer" music. Streaming lossless digital files should be indistinguishable from playing the CD itself assuming all the items in the audio chain are the same (Same DACs, same preamp/amp, etc.).Home: Pi4B-8GB/pCP8.2.x/4TB USB>LMS 8.5.x>Transporter, Touch, Boom, Radio (all ethernet)
Cottage: rPi4B-4GB/pCP8.2.x/4TB USB>LMS 8.5.x>Touch>Benchmark DAC I, Boom, Radio w/Battery (Radio WIFI)
Office: Win11(64)>foobar2000
The Wild: rPi3B+/pCP7.x/4TB USB>LMS 8.1.x>hifiberry Dac+Pro (LMS & Squeezelite)
Controllers: Material Skin, iPhone14Pro & iPadAir5 (iPeng), or CONTROLLER
Files: Ripping: dBpoweramp > FLAC; Post-rip: mp3tag, PerfectTunes, TuneFusion; Streaming: SpotifyComment
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I'll second the motion for the question on the floor - why are you ripping 44.1 KHz CD material at 48 KHz?
That makes no sense and can only degrade the sound.Comment
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Home: Pi4B-8GB/pCP8.2.x/4TB USB>LMS 8.5.x>Transporter, Touch, Boom, Radio (all ethernet)
Cottage: rPi4B-4GB/pCP8.2.x/4TB USB>LMS 8.5.x>Touch>Benchmark DAC I, Boom, Radio w/Battery (Radio WIFI)
Office: Win11(64)>foobar2000
The Wild: rPi3B+/pCP7.x/4TB USB>LMS 8.1.x>hifiberry Dac+Pro (LMS & Squeezelite)
Controllers: Material Skin, iPhone14Pro & iPadAir5 (iPeng), or CONTROLLER
Files: Ripping: dBpoweramp > FLAC; Post-rip: mp3tag, PerfectTunes, TuneFusion; Streaming: SpotifyComment
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Try ripping using either XLD to FLAC (Auto sample rate which will be 44.1kHz) or use MAX toolset from Sbooth. Google will get you to either.
I don't believe that iTunes will manage to do any form of proper sample rate conversion, and why would yo want to? It will produce some horrible artifacts.
From you user name you might be a Linn fan. Well they believe computer music is better than any CD machine they have ever produced.
Keep trying you'll find it worth the effort, sound quality and convenience. You'll probably listen to more music.
DaveComment
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Thanks for the advice. I will switch back to 44.1, although those music tracks seem to suffer the same problem. How do I check to see if bit rate limiting is turned on for a Mac?Comment
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Go to web interface:
-> settings -> players -> audio -> set limit to no limit (it will already be set to this if you have not installed LAME)
DaveComment
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I used iTunes to rip my 900+ cd's to apple lossless. This was mostly because I could set it to import/eject a cd. The later SBS/player firmware supports this "natively" (as in without clothes.)
Dunno about AIFF. CD's are 44K. It seems that the output at 48K would be called "interpolation" which is elite speak for "guess."
PComment
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pski-
You indicate that later SBS/player firmware plays apple lossless natively... I don't believe this is true. There is a plan for the Radio and Touch to support apple lossless (it was listed in the Touch specifications), but don't believe that is yet supported. See this thread:
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New User - Sound Quality Question
On 1 Dec 2009, at 21:09, garym wrote:
> I should add that why are you ripping to AIFF. FLAC
> is lossless, has excellent tag support, etc. etc.
On 1 Dec 2009 at 19:36:030 LinnFan wrote:
I am ripping
on a newer iMac using iTunes 9.x
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Thanks. Checked this - no limit. Then I downloaded MAX from sBooth and ripped a cd in FLAC format but could not see it on the duet controller. The Squeezebox setup used iTunes for finding the music library which is located on a LaCie external drive. The path the software setup then was going through the iTunes application folder. When I re-directed the path in the Squeezebox preferences to go directly to the music folder on the LaCie external, all music files were visible and more importantly, all sound anomolies disappeared for all file types. Not sure why this was the case but the sound is now excellent. Well worth the extra effort. Fantastic product and value. Thanks for the support.Comment
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Very glad you are happy now. Just lot's of ripping to go.
DaveComment
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