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ebdixson

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Hello all - I was hoping to get some feedback regarding preferred sources for music playback (CD, MP3, Airplay, etc).

I upgraded my existing Klipsch Quintet system in November to a new Reference-line system - RF 62II / RC52II / R5650W II / SW-112 - powered

with a new Denon 3313.

I haven't had nearly as much time to tinker with things as I had hoped with the holidays, but so far, I have been very happy overall with everything.

I have been extremely impressed with the system during movies, and "mostly" impressed during music playback. I have tried several sources - Pandora (mixed results),

Airplay (mostly good), and direct connection with my iPhone via USB (mostly good). I converted the majority of my music years ago and as a result, some items are likely in a less than ideal format in terms of quality.

Last night, I decided to compare a few songs on CD versus the same song via digital copies, and the difference was staggering. I can honestly say for the first time I was absolutely blown away by the performance of the entire system. It was a night and day difference, and I had to use every bit of self restraint to not turn the volume up higher and higher despite it being midnight and my wife and 2 year old sleeping upstairs!

So my question (sorry for rambling!) - what format would you recommend for the absolute best playback? I have looked into upgrading to iTunes Match to have

some of the older songs upgraded to a higher bitrate (256kbps versus mostly 128kbps), but I'm not sure if that will make a noticeable enough difference as compared to playing a CD (or possibly even Blu Ray Audio discs) to justify the $25 annual fee.

Should I just plan on using my original CDs when I want to hear the absolute best sound?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks!

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itunes match is totally worth it, especially if you have a lot of songs. If you still have all the CDs, then just re-rip them at a higher bitrate or .wav if you have the space. The $25 annual fee is something you only have to pay once, upgrade all of your songs and then cancel it if you wish. All you would have to do is upgrade 25 songs and it would pay for itself. I have also read somewhere that 256 aac is 'supposed' to be the same audio quality as 320 mp3. You will definitely notice a difference in sound quality between 128 and 256 either way though.

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Ivan,I think it was you who suggested to me to try Amazon. There digital music has been very good, comparable to cd quality. The one things that I have noticed, Pandora sound better and plays at a higher volume from my BDP than when streaming it from the computer.

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If you want the best it will cost ya. It's SACD. There is a staggering difference in audio quality between CD and SACD. You would have to invest in a Bluray player that supports SACD, and you would need to start buying some SACD, of course. DVD-A's are also extremely good. The best bet is to get a Blu-ray player that plays both DVDA and SACD. If you want to go that route, I'm sure there are many people who can suggest what to buy first.

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Ivan,I think it was you who suggested to me to try Amazon. There digital music has been very good, comparable to cd quality. The one things that I have noticed, Pandora sound better and plays at a higher volume from my BDP than when streaming it from the computer.

I have used Amazon as well, but for purchasing I actually use google play now since they offer 320 mp3s. I still use itunes to shop because their layout is better, but then I just go buy it from google.

SACD is pretty awesome. I love listening to albums in surround. A decent album with great use of all speakers is The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. It's a bit out there as far as music goes, but great sound all around.

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Thanks for the great info/feedback!

I ended up pulling out the entire CD collection last night and listened to two dozen songs and just as the night before, the results were exactly what I had hoped for when I ordered the speakers and upgraded my receiver. The clarity and warmth of the overall sound is as good if not better than anything I've experienced before. I've had other brands in the past (Bose [:$] , NHT, Polk, Mission, Klipsch), and I can't imagine getting anything but Klipsch in the future.

I'm planning on trying out iTunes Match per ivanhurd's recommendation, and keeping my favorite CDs out for now. I'll still use Airplay and Pandora due to ease of use, but hopefully the upgrade to the higher bitrate with Match will improve that somewhat.

Currently, I've got a PS3 for Blu-ray, and my model is the first generation to not provide SACD playback. My other player in the living room (Sony BDP 570) does support it, so I'm planning on picking up a disc or two to try it out.

My system is barely a month old and I caught myself reading reviews of the RF-7's today. I blame this Forum 100% [:P]

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Keep in mind that itunes match may not find a match for everything you have. It probably found a match a few thousand songs for me out of I don't remember how many that I wanted matched...It may go up if I ever get around to fixing all the names of my files tho...

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Keep in mind that itunes match may not find a match for everything you have. It probably found a match a few thousand songs for me out of I don't remember how many that I wanted matched...It may go up if I ever get around to fixing all the names of my files tho...

I started using match last month, and am very happy with it. What I like most is being able to play any song I have on any authorized device. Right now I have authorized my HT computer, my iPhone, and the Apple TV at work. I can play songs I ripped in lossless format into iTunes from any of these devices. It is a good value for the money.

It discovered most of my songs. I don't remember the ones it had trouble with, but they obviously weren't "can't live without" tracks or I'd remember.

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