32blownhemi Posted August 5, 2017 Share Posted August 5, 2017 I'm using iTunes running a USB cable from my computer to my pre-amp. Is there a way to increase the quality of the music? Thank You! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinsweber Posted August 5, 2017 Share Posted August 5, 2017 yes... run sonic studios HiFi + ~ $50.... Itunes is the issue. It limits the bandwidth. You need software to bypass the codec and allow hi res music. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32blownhemi Posted August 5, 2017 Author Share Posted August 5, 2017 Thank You Justin! OMG, Unbelievable! I just played Billie Jean as I sat here with my eyes closed & Michael Jackson & his band were in my living room! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32blownhemi Posted August 5, 2017 Author Share Posted August 5, 2017 Is there anything better to use than a USB cable? Thank You! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOV Posted August 5, 2017 Share Posted August 5, 2017 Try Audirvana. Itunes-mode or stream from Tidal, Spotify .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbphoto Posted August 5, 2017 Share Posted August 5, 2017 I use both iTunes and Audirvana for playback. As far as I can tell, there is zero difference in sound quality with "straight up" playback. "Straight up" = no sample rate conversion, levels matched, no filters applied, no playback options selected etc. The players are just reading the 0's and 1's from the music file and sending them to the output device unaltered. Where I do hear a difference is with the added features that some of these products have way above and beyond iTunes such as automatic (and custom) sample rate conversion, better SRC's like izotope+, all kinds of great filters and sound-shaping features, and various methods to control/hog the sound-path on your computer to prevent other processes from polluting it. Your mileage will vary. My point is running iTunes via a USB cable to a pre-amp isn't such a bad thing and it sounds like you got a nice bang-for-the-buck with the $50 plugin. But, there might be other things to try downstream that offer a bigger bang for the buck such as speaker placement and room layout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin S Posted August 5, 2017 Share Posted August 5, 2017 I use BitPerfect. I like the idea of playing back the songs in their native format, which BitPerfect switches to automatically. With iTunes, you have to choose a sampling rate and leave it fixed at that. Plus, i like iTunes user interface, and with BitPerfect you aren't paying for a new interface and other "equalization" tools you may not want. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinsweber Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 For me amarra hifi is a no brainer. Audionirvana and amara 4 are both great products. Amarra 4 does away with iTunes all together... lets you stream from tidal and play hi res files. Amarra 4 has room correction too. The prettiest of the bunch is Room but is serious money. Itunes and hifi+ is really hard to beat... hifi plus will only play files iTunes recognizes... so if you download FLAC... just convert them to AIFF and import to iTunes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinsweber Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 Better USB is subjective. The Belden 6ft from amazon is a great cable and less then $20 delivered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOV Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 (edited) Amarra and Audirvana is good for specific dacs. I read somwhere even if You use USB out the signal passes some filters in a Mac or PC. One of the softwares purpuse is to bypass theese filters. I think the best You can do is to find a usb-dac of your flavour. Mine is R2R-type. R2R deliver, in my opinion, a calm and clean sound. Interesting reading: http://www.mother-of-tone.com/conversion.htm Edited August 6, 2017 by SOV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstrickland1 Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 Daniel Hertz (Mark Levinson) Master Class Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endo Posted August 12, 2017 Share Posted August 12, 2017 On 8/5/2017 at 4:09 AM, 32blownhemi said: Is there anything better to use than a USB cable? One of several sources I have, is a laptop connected to an integrated amp. The laptop supports outputs of USB, analog (3.5mm) and HDMI. I tried them all. It took me a while to discover the benefits of using the HDMI. I got an HDMI "audio extractor" from monoprice and the results, for me, were immediately apparent (~$40; pulls HDMI digital from the laptop and delivers analog through RCA). At this point, I cannot imagine using anything but the HDMI. I realize a system of parts is just that--and your results may vary. Others on this forum have used the same extractor with success. My understanding (limited, I'm sure) is that HDMI and USB are different animals--designed to meet different requirements; and, are by no means interchangeable when it comes to carrying audio signals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOV Posted August 14, 2017 Share Posted August 14, 2017 On 2017-08-12 at 6:07 PM, Endo said: One of several sources I have, is a laptop connected to an integrated amp. The laptop supports outputs of USB, analog (3.5mm) and HDMI. I tried them all. It took me a while to discover the benefits of using the HDMI. I got an HDMI "audio extractor" from monoprice and the results, for me, were immediately apparent (~$40; pulls HDMI digital from the laptop and delivers analog through RCA). At this point, I cannot imagine using anything but the HDMI. I realize a system of parts is just that--and your results may vary. Others on this forum have used the same extractor with success. My understanding (limited, I'm sure) is that HDMI and USB are different animals--designed to meet different requirements; and, are by no means interchangeable when it comes to carrying audio signals. I' ve tried that and for TV it's OK. Those hdmi extractors are not the best quality. I say less is more. I like USB, depending on DAC input quality, but optic is often safe. I've got a mac mini with HDMI to tv-screen with sound through USB to DAC. One trouble is that screen and sound is not in sync and calibration off tv is required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.