Is the DAC in the Squeeze the same as S3?

[Phil Leigh]

Yes, I did check that the server does not transcode files for the SB3. Come to think of it, I'm sorry but these asumptions would not make sense anyways. If any of the above were the case, on what grounds could it explain that my Slimp3 sound better than my SB3 (appart from the fact that my unit could be faulty)?
I know this is the audiophile forum but couldnt we be a bit more logical? Why doesnt anyone else just listen to the two and give us his opinion?
(BTW I dont have an SB1, therefore I will not comment on it)

They make perfect sense.

You are comparing MP3 on a SLIMP3 against lossless FLAC on an SB3, right?

1) If the SB3 was faulty it might sound worse than the SLIMP3
2) If the rips were faulty in some way they might sound better when transcoded compared to the raw sound of the FLAC, because the problem might be masked or reduced during the transcode.
3) If you were accidentally transcoding to (say) 128 for the SB3 it could sound worse than the SLIMP3 on a higher bitrate. Remember that these settings are player-specific.

All of the above have been previously encountered by other forum members, although not to my knowledge in the context of a comparison with a SLIMP3.

You've ruled out 3. That leaves 1 or 2 or your initial hypothesis that the SLIMP3+MP3 simply outperforms the SB3+FLAC.

What bitrate are you using on the SLIMP3?
How were the rips created? EAC or similar in secure mode?

[Nonreality]

The dac in the SB3 is a good quality dac. You will not beat it in terms of quality in a receiver under 1000-1300. You might like a cheaper receiver's sound better but that doesn't mean it's a better dac. It just means you like that sound better.

[jimi00]

They make perfect sense.

You are comparing MP3 on a SLIMP3 against lossless FLAC on an SB3, right?

1) If the SB3 was faulty it might sound worse than the SLIMP3
2) If the rips were faulty in some way they might sound better when transcoded compared to the raw sound of the FLAC, because the problem might be masked or reduced during the transcode.
3) If you were accidentally transcoding to (say) 128 for the SB3 it could sound worse than the SLIMP3 on a higher bitrate. Remember that these settings are player-specific.

All of the above have been previously encountered by other forum members, although not to my knowledge in the context of a comparison with a SLIMP3.

You've ruled out 3. That leaves 1 or 2 or your initial hypothesis that the SLIMP3+MP3 simply outperforms the SB3+FLAC.
What bitrate are you using on the SLIMP3?
How were the rips created? EAC or similar in secure mode?

I catch your drift but as I said earlier, even non-transcoded mp3s sound better on the slimp3, so that about reduces the possibilities to:
1) My unit is faulty
2) The slimp3 is actually better than the SB3
3) As NonReality suggests, I might just prefer the sound of the slimp3 over the SB3

I dont have another SB3 to compare and check if there is a problem with my unit. I live in Europe and sending my unit back for support would be a costly pain.
On the other hand, I might as well repeat myself... would it be shamefull for anyone to run an A/B test and tell us what they think?

[opaqueice]

On the other hand, I might as well repeat myself... would it be shamefull for anyone to run an A/B test and tell us what they think?

I'm not sure many people here have both. But frankly speaking, the odds anyone will agree with you are near zero.

The other day I ran a little test on an integrated amp - an Outlaw RR2150 I bought for a secondary system. Among other inputs the Outlaw accepts USB and has a miniplug adapter on the front for ipods etc. Using a Mac laptop we compared the headphone out (going into the miniplug) versus USB, knowing (from past experience) that the headphone out is pretty low grade.

There was no comparison - the USB sounded decent, while the headphone out sounded significantly distorted. But of the two friends with me, one (someone without much experience with sound systems) disagreed - he thought the distorted headphone output sounded better! When we compared to the same track playing on a CD player (which sounded more or less identical to the USB) he started to change his mind - or maybe just caved under the pressure.

So, to some people distortion sounds good. That's fine - enjoy it! Your life will be easier and more affordable. Just don't expect to convince many others.

[Nonreality]

I catch your drift but as I said earlier, even non-transcoded mp3s sound better on the slimp3, so that about reduces the possibilities to:
1) My unit is faulty
2) The slimp3 is actually better than the SB3
3) As NonReality suggests, I might just prefer the sound of the slimp3 over the SB3

I dont have another SB3 to compare and check if there is a problem with my unit. I live in Europe and sending my unit back for support would be a costly pain.
On the other hand, I might as well repeat myself... would it be shamefull for anyone to run an A/B test and tell us what they think?

I think the best thing for you is as you suggest, a double blind test. But in your case you need to add a good cd player and do a couple of complete tests to assure yourself that it is correct. Do both against the cd not against each other to see which is more accurate. This will tell you if it's just a sound you like rather than a problem. I think anyway.

[mvalera]

I catch your drift but as I said earlier, even non-transcoded mp3s sound better on the slimp3, so that about reduces the possibilities to:
1) My unit is faulty
2) The slimp3 is actually better than the SB3
3) As NonReality suggests, I might just prefer the sound of the slimp3 over the SB3

I dont have another SB3 to compare and check if there is a problem with my unit. I live in Europe and sending my unit back for support would be a costly pain.
On the other hand, I might as well repeat myself... would it be shamefull for anyone to run an A/B test and tell us what they think?

My vote is for #3. I think you are just used to the sound quality of the Slimp3.

Blind test or not Sean, the designer of both units, definitively answered this already. The SB3 is superior to the Slimp3 in almost any measurement. Also FLAC definitely has superior sound to MP3 in any situation.

Mike

[Phil Leigh]

Phew - I think the SD product line is a bit young to have a flat-earth retro movement (although Firmware 15 nearly achieved that!)