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In Reply to: RE: Download quality posted by Dave Billinge on July 7, 2020 at 20:23:04:
Dave, there are just so many possibilities to improve what you are hearing. I suspect that you must be aware that file replay is now the preferred medium of a huge number of experienced 'philes and that it would not be so if it did not sound good.
I will start by pointing my finger at the combination of FLAC files and their processing by the Oppo 205. I have tried to find any reference to the decoding of FLAC files in the Oppo 205 manual but can find nothing. The Oppo is now quite an old machine and updates have not been available for some time AFAIK. There are many postings on various audio hobbyist forums concerning the audibility of FLAC processing.There is also a very detailed article in Martin Collom's HiFi Critic magazine on the subject from a few years ago.
I have test files of the same programme material with and without FLAC processing (at level 5 which seems to be more or less standard). Subject to the replay method FLAC processed files can sound inferior. However using JRiver one can decompress the FLAC files before replay rather than on the fly. This improves things considerably and may serve to support the general feeling that this is a latency problem. I have now moved to a network streaming solution where, with this costly example, there seems to be no audible difference between the FLAC compressed and non-compressed files. BTW my test files are FLACs, just that one has had no compression applied.
Moving to the storage medium, I have never had even what I would consider tolerable results from 2.5" drives. This was my very first discovery concerning good sounding audio from file replay some years ago as I had originally envisioned a simple and space saving system based around those small portable drives. This was also where I found the problem with the supplied connection wire. I had bought the drive from Amazon and started to read the user reviews. These were not from people storing audio files but general computing users complaining that the writing speed from the device was too slow and that using a replacement cable seemed to provide a fix. So I purchased a cheap cable also from Amazon and there was an audible improvement. Later I found Audioquest Carbon in the micro USB 3/USB A configuration and that constituted a significant upgrade. If you are tempted they are normally available from stock in the UK from the excellent Futureshop online.
I then switched to 3.5" HDs using the Carbon cable ( nb: just its name, it has metal conductors) and found that these too varied in the result that I got. Briefly the best sounding by far were Toshiba Canvio.
I take your point about conditioners but much of the improvement that they bring does not relate to the digital domain but cleaning up the EMI and RFI that seems part and parcel of USB audio ( particularity regarding that 5V PS line).
Noting your temptation to buying a Melco in your response to Chris I would certainly indulge it if you have the means and if you might consider moving ( ripping) your CD collection to it. I admit that only 100 downloads does not provide sufficient justification but being able to select and play more or less your entire collection and have access to streaming services such as Qobuz from a tablet or phone is so convenient I would not go back. Incidentally my NAS is one of the Melco N1 series. In my particular case I do not use its (or anyone else's) USB streaming capabilities having access to a preferable alternative using dual AES/EBU. However this does not necessarily resolve any of your MCH requirements.
As I am confident in what I have said you can, of course, visit me and I will be happy to demonstrate each of these topics. That is, of course, subject to coronavirus lockdown rules which are less than clear on moving from a single household bubble to visits from a second ;-).
Best Wishes
Pete
"We need less, but better" - Dieter Rams
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Follow Ups
- RE: Download quality - PAR 02:35:09 07/08/20 (0)
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