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  #41  
Old 06-16-2018, 08:53 PM
bigblue bigblue is offline
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Great thread with a lot of input on your findings when comparing the formats. Different levels of component and taste will of course give various results. I know streaming is a road I eventually will take. Not sure though that NOW is the right moment for me.
Dropping 5-10 000 USD on a streaming set up - and end up with pretty much the same level of SQ does not really do it for me. I don't find putting a CD in the transport that strenuous - yet :-).
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  #42  
Old 06-17-2018, 09:29 AM
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As I’ve improved my digital front end the Hi-Rez files I have now sound as good as my best vinyl - different for sure, but just as good.

So for me I’ll use any format because everything now depends on the mastering, as Craig pointed out earlier in this thread.

I do hear a slight improvement using ripped files vs playing physical media. I believe this is due to the ripping process eliminating many bit-level errors by using multiple reads and crc checking.
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  #43  
Old 06-17-2018, 09:33 AM
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Well - I‘ve taken the next step and subscribed to Roon. Went 4 the lifetime subscription right away - hope Roon in combination with Tidal will last a few years to come (though „lifetime“ is a LONG time - hopefully). I‘ll start ripping CDs after my summer vacation - about 1.000 CDs will take some time...
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  #44  
Old 06-17-2018, 03:40 PM
bruno2009 bruno2009 is offline
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Default Comparing digitale files/sources to each other and to vinyl...

... well - Roon „looks“ fantastic to start. To make a serious comment on SQ I am a little irritated, as I don‘t even know if I have the settings right. For starters I installed the Roon App on my iPad (after setting it up as Core on my iMac), set up the Auralic Aries Femto as Roon ready and put the MQA setting to „Renderer only“ and fixed volume output (hope that‘s correct).

The DAC shows the right sampling frequency (which wonders me if the McIntosh C 52 can‘t play MQA).

Now I‘m totally confused - it does sound really good I believe - but I wonder if I‘m missing anything due to wrong setup.

I‘ll be digging into things this evening - hopefully I‘ll work stuff out...
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  #45  
Old 06-17-2018, 05:17 PM
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If you are getting > 96kHZ at your DAC, the Aries is doing it. Auralic has their own uncertified MQA processing.

McIntosh doesn’t do MQA and have said they have no intentions as it’s lossy and they don’t like the distortion it introduces.
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  #46  
Old 06-17-2018, 05:29 PM
bruno2009 bruno2009 is offline
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Default Comparing digital files/sources to each other and to vinyl...

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Originally Posted by Dr Tone View Post
If you are getting > 96kHZ at your DAC, the Aries is doing it. Auralic has their own uncertified MQA processing.

McIntosh doesn’t do MQA and have said they have no intentions as it’s lossy and they don’t like the distortion it introduces.

Yes - McIntosh shows the right sampling rate - what ever that means...

... I‘ve been trying to understand this and done some reading/research. From what I understand it would make you think MQA is a big pile of ********. People actually recommend going for the 44.1 kHz versions - as better sounding. I‘ve not actually gotten to compare yet - but it seems there‘s a lot „in dispute“ concerning the quality and the need for the MQA format... ???
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Last edited by bruno2009; 06-17-2018 at 05:37 PM.
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  #47  
Old 06-17-2018, 05:32 PM
bruno2009 bruno2009 is offline
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Default Comparing digital files/sources to each other and to vinyl...

.. oh - and thanks 4 all the informative and useful support here - great [emoji106]
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  #48  
Old 06-17-2018, 09:11 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bruno2009 View Post
...People actually recommend going for the 44.1 kHz versions - as better sounding. I‘ve not actually gotten to compare yet - but it seems there‘s a lot „in dispute“ concerning the quality and the need for the MQA format... ???

That is an all together different post. Kind of like the US Gov - they are lined up on both sides.

Keep listening and make up your own mind. Nothing you read will be better than your own experience.

Just start listening to the music.
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  #49  
Old 06-18-2018, 05:08 AM
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Been playing around with Tidal and/in Roon for a few hours - got to admit it is a LOT of fun. Heard some comments about the Auralic Lightning DS App being better in Terms of SQ when compared to Roon - can`t say that at all. Differences are minor and "if at all" I found Roon to be sounding a little softer/rounder, giving minimally less digital edge to the sound (but this may just be my wishful thinking as I am a little excited over Roon) - also the Roon App works way smoother.

Did some further comparing Tidal via Roon to CD playback - also here differences seem minor.

I`ve played MQA tracks up to 192 kHz and can`t say that I dislike them at all (actually, I feel the higher the sampling rate is the closer it gets to what I`m used to from my analog/vinyl setup). Really trying to understand the technical backgrounds here - why is a higher sampling rate lossy over 44.1 kHz and why should it sound inferior?

I think I finally have all the settings in Roon right, I disabled the DSP, set the Volume at fixed, the Auralic Aries Femto as "Renderer only" and my iMac as Core.

Really love the displays you get from Roon - a pitty I have the big iMac sitting in the home office so I only get display benefit from my iPad which I use as mobile device in the music room.

Getting into things - as u can see...
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Last edited by bruno2009; 06-18-2018 at 05:10 AM.
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  #50  
Old 06-18-2018, 09:53 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bruno2009 View Post
I`ve played MQA tracks up to 192 kHz and can`t say that I dislike them at all (actually, I feel the higher the sampling rate is the closer it gets to what I`m used to from my analog/vinyl setup). Really trying to understand the technical backgrounds here - why is a higher sampling rate lossy over 44.1 kHz and why should it sound inferior?
The higher the sample rate fed into your McIntosh, the less aggressive it's oversampling filters will be. Or at least that's the theory.

You might like the MQA upsampling filters applied in the Aries and or hi-res more for this very reason. Who knows what filtering McIntosh does, their support contacts are pretty much clueless when it comes to digital so asking them is pointless.

If you want to understand technical stuff behind MQA go to the Computer Audiophile forum. You will have to wade through the disdain, but the reverse engineered details can be found there. MQA details from any other source is just repeating the BS (Bob Stuart) marketing.
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