It has been about a month since I updated everyone on this undertaking. In that time there has been a lot of trial and error.
The Heat Issues Concluded
To summarize, I was not able to make the Wesena ITX7 work with regards to heat during long rips. Even moving things around and trying an SSD drive, the heat always reached 90+C which is too close to the chip set max for my comfort.
I switched to the Wesena E5-B case to provide more room, and use the dual fans. The case shipped with four
I own both the AE and the Aktimate. I think the Audioengine has better sound quality as well as a better fit and finish. I should say that I have the Audioengines in a 12'x15' office, while the Aktimates are in a larger room, essentially a living room. It may be that the Aktimates would sound better if I had them in the smaller room. In any event I recommend the Audioengine. In fact you could buy the Audioengine A5+ and the Audiengine subwoofer for not much more that the price of the Aktimat
So…chances are this is a pretty safe post, here; after all…we are in the warm embrace of the Computer Audiophile populous (although I know some forums, where this message would be met with great debate…and I might even invite a few of those “friends” here, so we’ll see if all stays quiet). But I just can’t get into the seeming resurgence of Vinyl playback.
Trust me…I’ve been tempted; and thought about it, a LOT. But because I’ve thought about it a lot, I know exactly why it just doesn’t reso
Recent observations:
1) Changing the same external SSD from an OWC FireWire 800 dock via Audioquest .75m Carbon cable to a Seagate GoFlex STAE126 dock via stock white Apple cable or Elgato .5m black cable, sounds terrible.
Could this be due to the chips in the Thunderbolt cables siphoning detailed frequencies from the audio signals?
Changing back to the FW800 dock changes the sound quality back to 3 dimensional soundstage, whispy highs, tighter bass, cleaner vocals and acoustic guita
Has anyone tried the following digital source configuration with an Ipad?
External hard disk ---> Airport Extreme ---wifi--> Ipad ----> USB adapter (camera kit) -----> USB Dac
In the above configuration, the Ipad plays the music file stored at the external hard disk via wifi thru the Airport extreme.
So...I've been working on a treatise, about why I just can't get into Vinyl. But it's been 2 Sundays now, and I can't bring it to a close (stay tuned, lol). So I thought a recent email to an "audiophile" friend, explored an interesting point...and would have to suffice as this week's reflection.
The more I really listen to a lot of gear...and think about the listening process; the more I'm convinced that what we hear really does get clouded by all kinds of mental factors. I mean, that's hard
Being 67 and not very computer audio savvy... enjoy internet radio through my main system. I use a Asus XP netbook for radio... Quicksilver 90 watt monos, Quicksilver pre, MF M1 A dac. Wouldn't think a better computer can improve sound of internet radio through main? Also, what should I use to store stations and remotely change stations.
Thanks
Hi, I'm Dan and this is my first CA blog entry. Until now I've not been able to post for reasons described in the disclaimer at the foot of this post, but this time I've been given the "all clear"!
I'd like to introduce the readers of Computer Audiophile to my new, free, 25 (ish) page computer audio e-book, Music Library Management.
<p><a href="/monthly_2012_09/book_3D_159x200.png.1c64852044c00fc883b7aca8d1d6349e.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fil
Since the db levels of the MFIT and ALAC versions are different (MFIT is a tad softer), they need to be matched up for listening comparisons...dang it, this was supposed to be easy. So far there is little to report...the only differences being because of the db level, and now those differences are gone.
One of the benefits of MFIT is the ability to check for clipping, which can be a problem when converting to AAC straight from the CD master. I used iTunes to generate my own 256kbps AAC ver
No offense meant.
The Atheists - Measurements and blind testing rule all.
The True Believers - Blind faith. Everything has a sound.
The Denominations - Tubes vs Solid State. Vinyl vs Digital.
The Church Elders - Professional reviewers
The High Priests - Designers (Curl, Pass, Taylor, Wright, Levinson, etc.)
The Lunatic Fringe - Electonic cream, cable elevators, magic rocks, etc.
The Heretics - Julian Hirsh, Peter Aczel, etc.
The Converted - Atheists turned True Believers
The Cong
I was reading the Zu website, as I have some curiosity about high-efficiency speakers.
This caught my eye first:
If someone wrote that on one of my exams, I would draw a red line through it and mark it "0".
This made me throw up a little in my mouth:
Admittedly this might just be the result of a few too many bong hits, and is not quite as egregious as the claims here: Quantum-mechanical tunneling and cables - Blogs - Computer Audiophile
But, still …
I'm not one of those "audiophiles" that picks a particular set of good gear, and stands pat for 10, 15, or 20 years. I understand their argument; rather than constantly auditioning new kit, they are sitting back and enjoying music. However...how can you truly be satisfied with your system, if you're not entirely convinced you've got the "best" (sounding) one; respective to your budget of course. Sure...someday (and that day may not be far off) I'll settle-down with just the right combination, an
The image below shows a comparison between the MFIT (Mastered for iTunes) and ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Compression) versions of John Mayer's "Queen of California." This is track 1 from his latest album, Born and Raised. MFIT is on top, ALAC is on bottom.
What do you see? To me, the MFIT version is mastered at a slightly lower volume. I can't see any visual evidence that the dynamic range compression is different: since the loudest and softest parts both appear louder on the ALAC versio
If you haven't been following this story, and are concerned about artistic (or any other form of) freedom of expression, this is about a Russian punk rock group who have been jailed following a sham trial for criticizing Putin.
Amnesty International has adopted the three women convicted of thought-crimes as "Prisoners of Conscience", a designation the politically impartial human rights organization reserves for the most blatant forms of political incarceration.
The full Amnesty Interna
I like to refer to myself as a proficient typer, but I by no means can keep up with my brain. Realistically, I would say that I am capable of typing 80 words per minute with about 85-90 percent accuracy; however, my brain works more rapidly than that. Over the years, one thing that I have found to be particularly frustrating is when typing letters, documents for seminars, or speeches, Microsoft Word can be incredibly cumbersome with all of its auto correcting, spell checking, formatting and para
I set out to see what the difference between expensive analog interconnects and cheap ones were. My method was simple in essence. I would send a signal to a DAC, send the analog output over an interconnect, record that digitally with an ADC. Then repeat with a different cable. Take the two digital files and subtract one from the other using software. There was a long thread posted in the general forum about my attempts. I learned some things along the way and eventually could get consisten
Timing in my compared files, how do I compare timing in files?
Clearly none were as much as one single sample off. I had figured out ways to align all files to the single bit. I put one second of silence at beginning and end while putting one bit in the middle of the silence to maximum in the test files. So just record a few seconds before and after. Then align the signals in Audacity and chop off the ends with single bit precision. When the clocks were locked no other obvious artifac
Okay, so difference testing didn't result in perfect nulls with only thermal and flicker noise left. Why not? The most obvious answer is a difference in level between the two signals recorded. With null depths of more than 100 db it takes very little level difference to leave a bit of the music above the noise floor. So I sent simple two or three tone test signals through comparing them. Using the same equipment and cable changing nothing. Had left equipment on for minimum of three full d
Problem solved. I set the bitrate to 88/24. Apparently the CPU was running out of steam at 96/24. I am frankly a bit disappointed the CAPS 2.0 is not spec'ed with a processor powerfull enough to do this on the fly conversion at 96/24, but that is another issue.
Let me start with a little background on my current setup. For my hi-fi listening I have an Auraliti PK90 with a portable hard drive directly attacked supplying my music. For the rest of the house I have an older MacBook running iTunes streaming to three Apple TVs. Right now I am in the process of ripping all of my DVDs to iTunes and would eventually like to get my Blu-Ray movies as well.
My current backup solution is twofold. I have a 1TB USB hard drive attached to the MacBook that has t
<p><a href="/monthly_2012_08/teisha_faces.jpg.b4e756401582d8389d66f97745f093fd.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28122" src="/monthly_2012_08/teisha_faces.jpg.b4e756401582d8389d66f97745f093fd.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>
When singer-songwriter Teisha Helgerson died of leukemia last year, her friends discovered unfinished work in her journals and cell phone recordings. Thus began a collaborative effort
Welcome to my blog! So...why Sunday-morning music? I've been an avid poster, at another popular "audiophile" forum, for quite some time. My longest posts, always seem to come on the weekend mornings. I get my coffee, and some breakfast; put on some music, and pontificate away, about whatever is on my mind that particular day.
This all goes down, in the owner's section of the speaker brand I favor (which won't exactly be a mystery, going forward; but I don't necessarily want to go and name th
