Jeff Matthews Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 I'd like to ditch CD format and anything with a spinning drive. To be able to use a flash drive on a home system would be great. The only thing is what is there I can use to plug into my Pre-amp and be able to control it? (Something like iTunes through a home stereo). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 Get in touch with Mallette, he can steer (crap that hurts given your avatar) you in the right direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoudnClear Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 just use a lossless format like flac so you don't lose fidelity unnecessarily. Kimball Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted April 14, 2008 Author Share Posted April 14, 2008 What does Mallette have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InnerTuber Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 #1 Kinda Simple Way - load iTunes or whatever and point it at the library (load music if required) on your storage device. Plug a cable into headphone out and split to two RCA's and input into receiver. #2 Less simple - same as above but if using: PC - ASIO or bypass Kmixer output into DAC into pre/recvr/amp MAC - USB output into a DAC into pre/rcvr/amp The hard drive will probably still spin for iTunes or the Media player unless you put that onto flash or similar storage. It will probably still spin some as boot disk. The flash may not give you "simple" ultra portability across media players if that's a goal. Spinning storage is still most cost effective isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Bit hard to determine precisely what you are after, but after reading the responses... MP3 is not a high fidelity format even at its highest settings. If you are satisfied with it don't worry much about what you play it on. If you are simply looking for convenience, use a PC. Since I don't know how interested you are I am going to minimize the details. In my case, I built a fanless (read: silent as an amplifier) music server and use Card Deluxe as DAC. I use it as the reference standard for my location recordings. IMHO digital reproduction doesn't get any better than that. If you've seen any of the reviews here of my recordings it seems to work reasonably well. As someone has mentioned, FLAC is really the only lossless compression scheme that is widely supported. Given the cost of storage these days, I just use wav. Beyond that summary, I strongly recommend a RAID 5 backup for your music files. Ripping a couple of hundred CD's is only mildly amusing the first time. It totally sux the second... Let me know if you want details. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted April 15, 2008 Author Share Posted April 15, 2008 What I'm after is a way to use flash drive through stereo because the CD skips due to vibrations of kick drum when I play. It's been an ongoing issue for some time. I think the computer solution is probably the best (e.g. headphones out to RCA's in), but I wish they just had a cheap $59 to $159 solution rather than dedicating a whole computer for such a limited purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 If quality is not an issue, then just plug any ipod clone in to the preamp and use mp3. Otherwise, the computer solution is indeed best. Car systems are starting to show up that have USB ports and can display the contents of music files on various USB compatible media. I expect to see this in preamps before long. Of course, if you have a high end preamp you like, this may not be a low cost or desirable solution either.At the moment, the PC/high end sound card is the only way to access the highest resolutions (beyond CD...24/88.2 and above). It is not optional for the hard core, won't settle for less, serious bucks in the system audiophile. I record my most precious LP's to high res digital and most ears would be hard pressed to tell the difference. Many are improved in that I either edit (for those with only a few) or process to remove clicks and pops and use DBX while recording to restore dynamic range.I don't believe in right or wrong in this hobby...just what warms your ears.Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfogg Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 "What I'm after is a way to use flash drive through stereo because theCD skips due to vibrations of kick drum when I play. It's been anongoing issue for some time." As an alternate look at getting a portable CD player. Some/many of them have memory buffers to reduce/eliminate skipping from vibrations. Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 >As an alternate look at getting a portable CD player. Some/many of them have memory buffers to reduce/eliminate skipping from vibrations. Good thought... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted April 15, 2008 Author Share Posted April 15, 2008 That is a good idea. Just out of curiosity, how readily apparent is MP3 vs. wav? I have not discerned an obviosu difference, althout I admit I do not A-B them back and forth to try and tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 For me it is painfully obvious. MP3 at its most minimal compression level sounds lifeless at best. For a party with rock and roll, it can be tolerable. However, for acoustic instruments or anything with signficant finesse or harmonics, it just sucks the life out. Once the compression starts to go up. it starts getting grainy. Even 16/44.1 wav files must be recorded with great care to be adequate for audiophile tastes. 24/88.2 is the first level at which I find it difficult or impossible to detect digital artifacting. JMHO. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted April 15, 2008 Author Share Posted April 15, 2008 Please explain those ratios you are using. I don't understand about the compression of MP3 format, nor the 16/44.1 wav or 24/88.2 wav, etc. After expalining the ratios, please explain what is being lost. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Not a lot of time at the moment, but the skinny: All mp3 are compressed by disposing of information that is within the audible range. 'nuf said for an audiophile. Cd's are recorded at 16/44.1. Nothing within the audible range is disposed of, but there is a "brick wall" at 22 khz and zero energy above that. Some debate it, but many of us have no doubt that, while above audibility in themselves, these harmonics influence the audbible content and their absence leaves something out of recordings of acoustic instruments rich in harmonics. 24/88.2 stores nearly 4 times as much information as 16/44.1 and extends frequency response out to 44 khz. Now we are getting in to audiophile territory. There are two PCM levels above that, 24/176.4 and 24/196. Anybody not satisfied with that should be hunted down by Torchwood. I record at 24/176.4 for location work, and my LP's at 24/88.2. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted April 15, 2008 Author Share Posted April 15, 2008 Okay. Interesting. So, if I have MP3's, can they be converted back to better quality, or do I have to go back to the source for that? My guess is I have to go back to the source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Okay. Interesting. So, if I have MP3's, can they be converted back to better quality, or do I have to go back to the source for that? My guess is I have to go back to the source. That is correct. Gone is gone. Dave 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.