Jump to content

alehel

  • Posts

    28
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Country

    Norway

Retained

  • Member Title
    Newbie
  1. How much an effect on file size would a 24 bit wav file have compared to a 16 bit one with, for example, 60 min of music?
  2. Thanks bdiament, that's the best explanation I've heard so far .
  3. I have a bluesound node, and I'm extremely pleased with my purchase. Good quality app. Not as many streaming services as sonos, but they are expanding.
  4. Is it possible to use HTML in blogposts on this site? I thought I'd try my hand at doing a bit of blogging (god knows if anyone will even bother reading it, but meh) and I wanted to embed music from WiMP and Spotify so that people can play 30 sec samples from albums I mention. Both Spotify and WiMP offer the possibility of embedding tracks from their service on websites using html. How can I do that using the blog system on CA?
  5. Advertising is everywhere and to truly grab potential customers attention, business have to be creative. At the end of 2013 I came across what, in my mind, has to be the best advertising I've seen for a digital music service. Obviously this is a highly subjective opinion, but I've decided to share this with you all the same. First, a little background about the company. WiMP is a Norwegian music streaming service similar to Spotify and Rdio. It is available in Norway, Sweden, Denmark Germany and Poland. In September of last year they announced they would be performing a "spring cleaning" of their music selection. WiMP stated that so far, the norm in the music streaming world was for labels to deliver their content in compressed file formats. Often these would be highly compressed (for instance 128 kbps mp3 files). Streaming services would then have to convert these to their chosen standard. Spotify uses Ogg 160 kbps and Ogg 320 kbps. WiMP used AAC 64 kbps and AAC 256 kbps. This posed many problems for these services. The first problem was that the music they received was often highly compressed when delivered by the label. Often more so than the bit rate the service offered their customers. The second problem was that these files would then get compressed once again to adapt the files to the services chosen standard, thereby reducing quality further. A result of these two factors meant that while WiMP offered streaming in AAC 256 kbps, they would often originate from lower quality files, for instance 128 kbps mp3 files. So not only where the files now lower quality than the original, already compressed file, they were even larger in size. WiMP decided to replace their entire catalog of files, with new higher quality one which would stem from CD quality FLAC files. No simple task for a service that offers a choice of more than 20 million different tracks. They started the process and had the labels redeliver their music in FLAC. These FLAC files where then converted to both AAC 96 kbps and AAC 320 kbps. This process is still ongoing, but last I heard they had finished replacing 85% of their catalog, and only a few indie labels remained. As a result, WiMP now offers music streaming in 320 kbps, sourced from FLAC files. In other words, the music quality of WiMP will no longer be hampered by low quality source files. WiMP didn't stop there though. WiMP took things one step further and announced a second subscription tier. You would now have a choice between the original WiMP Premium, which now offered customers a choice between AAC 96 kbps and AAC 320 kbps, and a new subscription named WiMP HiFi giving customers access to FLAC streaming. CD quality sound was now an option, albeit at a higher price tag (99 kr for WiMP Premium, 199 kr for WiMP HiFi). As a result, WiMP is now my streaming service of choice. WiMP started to advertise their new service. I came across one of these when purchasing a Bluesound Node (Bluesound supports WiMP HiFi). <p><a href="/monthly_2014_02/L1000425.JPG.2a3fe3312cdbd09473b615e532596cbd.JPG" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28232" src="/monthly_2014_02/L1000425.JPG.2a3fe3312cdbd09473b615e532596cbd.JPG" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> <p><a href="/monthly_2014_02/L1000423.JPG.83d4a3b3665d2246a8ce0c0500a05ecc.JPG" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28233" src="/monthly_2014_02/L1000423.JPG.83d4a3b3665d2246a8ce0c0500a05ecc.JPG" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> When purchasing any Bluesound device at Hi-Fi klubben you receive an activation code giving you access to three months of free WiMP Hifi streaming. Usually such offers would be presented with a code on a slip of paper. WiMP on the other hand really went all out and present you with an activation code packaging mimicking that of Vinyl. The packaging is a full size Vinyl sleeve, using the same quality materials you would expect from an actual Vinyl sleeve. Inside is a piece of paper made to look like a Vinyl with the activation code written on the label (removed in this picture). Fold it out and you are presented with a selection of album recommendations. Included are such albums as Liquid Spirit by Gregory Porter and Random Access Memory by Daft Punk. Inside you'll also find the following text, "When did you last listen through an entire album without any disturbance? Take a break from social media, e-mails and the news. Find some time to truly listen. Lean back, close your eyes and find the peace you need. Enjoy a pure listening moment with WiMP HiFi." This has to be the most creative form of marketing I've seen from a digital music service so far.<p><a href="/monthly_2014_02/L1000425.JPG.0e149fd70034bda38ae7eccbe48e92b9.JPG" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28482" src="/monthly_2014_02/L1000425.JPG.0e149fd70034bda38ae7eccbe48e92b9.JPG" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p><p><a href="/monthly_2014_02/L1000423.JPG.d10fe07dd2db9275b641b2aedcaa68ff.JPG" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28483" src="/monthly_2014_02/L1000423.JPG.d10fe07dd2db9275b641b2aedcaa68ff.JPG" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>
  6. I understand (I believe so anyway) the difference between a file that is 44.1 khz and 192 khz. What I don't really understand is the difference between 16 and 24 bit. What does this effect, and is there any point to a recording that is 44.1/24 compared to a 44.1/16? It seems like most explenations of highres music I find go into what the khz mean, but not much mention of what bit actually involves. What I've found so far is "The more bits there are meanwhile, the more accurately the signal can be measured in the first place, so 16-bit to 24-bit can see a noticeable leap in quality.". What is a bit in digital music?
  7. What better way to start off a new blog on Computer Audiophile than to do a quick rundown of the equipment I use to enjoy music. This post will therefore give you a quick introduction to my setup. I apologize in advance if I missed any spelling mistakes. Its not easy being dyslectic. Having finished my bachelors degree not long ago I decided to swallow my pride and move back in with my parents. House prices in Norway are high, and wages as a kinder garden teacher with a bachelors degree in child protection doesn't exactly rake in much cash. I therefore had the choice between paying ridiculous sums of money to rent a tiny basement, or live at home for a year while saving for my own flat. Pouring money every month into a property that I wouldn't own didn't excite me, so I chose the latter. As a result of these circumstances I neither have the room, nor the money for a high end system. Actually, let me restate that. I have the money, but a high end system is not as high up a priority as purchasing my own flat. I therefore decided to purchase a system which wouldn't break the bank, but which would still give me the flexibility of adding higher end components in the future. Another consideration was the fact that I'm no longer living alone, and I therefore needed to take into consideration that my music might be considered a nuisance by others. I therefore decided to go for a system based round the use of headphones. I started out by looking around for some good headphones. I browsed the web, read reviews, purchased a few magazines, and eventually ended up purchasing the Sennheiser Momentum. I'm extremely pleased with this purchase. They give great sound quality, but without being so demanding that I couldn't use them with my mobile phone if I wanted to. They struck the perfect balance between price, quality and portability for my personal needs. Next up was the DAC. I wanted something relatively small, but still flexible and good quality. I tried out a few different ones and ended up going to Hifi-klubben at Sandvika to purchase the Cambridge Dacmagic Plus. Many told me that the headphone amplifier in it was not the best around, but after listening to it I was quite pleased with the results in combination with my Sennheiser Momentum. That said, I only recently got into music listening, and so I may not have known exactly what to look for while listening. To my ears though, the Cambridge Dacmagic Plus sounded great, so I went ahead and purchased one. A few weeks later the NAD D3020 was announced, and I started to wonder if I'd made a mistake. The NAD D3020 didn't just suite my needs, but it even has an amplifier, which seemed to be getting favorable reviews. All this, and it cost more or less the same as my Dacmagic Plus. Alas, there was no way for me to know that the D3020 was going to be announced, and the Dacmagic Plus does provide me with pleasant sound quality. The added flexibility of the D3020 would have been nice, but I'm still happy with my purchase. <p><a href="/monthly_2014_02/WP_20140206_002.jpg.3f822a3e531cd9cb7ebe8677a9f02cee.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28230" src="/monthly_2014_02/WP_20140206_002.jpg.3f822a3e531cd9cb7ebe8677a9f02cee.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> At first I had the Dacmagic connected to my computer at my desk, but this wasn't ideal. I prefer to lay in bed while enjoying my music, so I started to look around for a suitable music source. I considered the Sonos Connect as I already have a Play 5. Bluesound on the other hand seemed like a better choice. It did most of what Sonos could, but with the added benefit of supporting highres music. While my current setup probably couldn't bring out the added detail of highres music, I wanted a system that was flexible. Something I could expand upon in the future. Bluesound supports everything I consider essential in a music streaming system (WiMP, TuneIn and local files) so I decided to go with Bluesound. Hifi-klubben also had a special deal on Bluesound products at the time. 300 kr off the Bluesound node, and 3 months free WiMP hifi (a savings of 597 kr). Seeing as I already use WiMP, and was therefore able to save 597 kr of subscription fees, I ended up paying only 2600 kr for the Bluesound Node. So not only was it more flexible for my own personal needs than a Sonos Connect, it was also cheaper. <p><a href="/monthly_2014_02/WP_20140206_004.jpg.5bfbf14439f46a93118a96fc8bc63731.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28231" src="/monthly_2014_02/WP_20140206_004.jpg.5bfbf14439f46a93118a96fc8bc63731.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> I ended up placing the Node behind my CD collection. Don't misunderstand, the Node really is quite a lovely designed device. I would not hesitate to have it on display, unlike the Sonos Connect which in my opinion just looks boring. I simply have it hidden behind the CDs to save space. The stand I have my gear and music on is quite small, so for the time being it will remain hidden. Once I do move, and am able to devote more space to my system, I will gladly have it on display. I use my Bluesound for three purposes. To stream music from WiMP, stream files from a 1tb external hard drive which is connected to my router, and listen to the radio through TuneIn. So far I'm very pleased with the Node. Sonos still has a slight edge when it comes to the user friendliness of their app, but its still a lot better than many other apps for network streamers that I've seen. The only real issue I have with the Node is the USB input. I have three USB drives, all 2.5 inch drives which rely on the USB connection for power. I've never had issues with any of them, but the Node simply wasn't providing enough electricity to power up the drive. USB flash drives worked fine. I discovered that others had the same problem, and the solution was to either use a powered USB hub, or a USB hard drive which relied on an external power source. As I wanted to avoid more cables and expenses I ended up simply connecting my hard drive to my router, which made the device appear as a network share. So not a major problem, but still annoying. Another limitation that should be taken into account for those purchasing more than one Bluesound product is that music on external drives connected to a Bluesound will only be made available on that particular device. You won't be able to stream it to other devices. So for those planning on using more than one Bluesound device, a NAS or hard drive connected to your router is a must. Another issue which might, or might not be a problem for some is the lacking number of streaming services currently available. Sonos has a plethora of available services, but the Bluesound is currently limited to five. Qobuz, Rdio, Slacker, TuneIn and WiMP. The lack of Spotify could be a problem for some. Bluesound claim that this is due to the fact that Spotify are rewriting their API, and so they are unable to add support before this work is done. I'm not sure about this though considering the fact that Bluesound has been out for almost a year now. How long does it take to write a new API? That said though, Bluesound are expanding their available services. It took Sonos time to build up their selection, and so I expect that in a years time we'll see a healthy number of services available. I was also very impressed by Bluesounds customer relations. I sent them an email asking them about future services, and they were very quick to assure me that many more were in the works. If you don't rely on Spotify, or you are willing to change to either WiMP or Rdio, I can heartily recommend Bluesound. I was also told by the guy at Hifi-klubben (apparently the staff at Hifi-klubben and Bluesound have quite a close relationship, whatever that means) that a smaller Pulse was in the works to compete with the likes of the Sonos Play 3. So it shouldn't be long before Bluesound becomes a real alternative to Sonos in terms of hardware. So that's the gear I currently use. Hope I didn't bore you with to many details. For those interested, I intend to do a post soon demonstrating the Bluesound app.<p><a href="/monthly_2014_02/WP_20140206_002.jpg.668d6141e855f765d6a4b01da4cf576b.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28480" src="/monthly_2014_02/WP_20140206_002.jpg.668d6141e855f765d6a4b01da4cf576b.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p><p><a href="/monthly_2014_02/WP_20140206_004.jpg.3ee3aab3b792879a659d94b1bb964a01.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28481" src="/monthly_2014_02/WP_20140206_004.jpg.3ee3aab3b792879a659d94b1bb964a01.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>
  8. It would be nice if there could be separate ratings for music and sound quality. An album might have amazing sound quality, but the reviewer doesn't like the music itself, thereby giving it a low rating. By separating music rating from sound quality rating, a person who know for a fact that they like that particular album can use the review to get an idea of if he/she should upgrade to a highres version.
  9. I notice you can only read comments when logged in. Shouldn't this restriction only apply to those wanting to add new comments?
  10. Am currently downloading the Bruce Springsteen Cape Town, South Africa - 26 Jan, 2014 concert recording in FLAC from the official Bruce Springsteen website. Looking forward to sitting down with it tonight to start off my one week holiday .
  11. Compress only as needed is actually what I'm doing. I use Flac files at home on my stereo, but I don't see the need for Flac files on my DAP, so I compress them to save space. I use my DAP for listening to music when going to and from work, so I doubt I would hear the difference between a Flac file and an AAC. Main reason for buying the Fiio X3 was because I didn't want to use my phone as that drains the battery to fast. Also I don't really plan on using higher than 320 with AAC. It was mostly my curiosity which needed satisfying as I was under the impression that AAC was limited to no higher than 320.
  12. I'm using dBpoweramp to rip my cd collection. I'm using the Nero AAC codec to rip my newly received Bob Dylan complete box set for portable listening on my Fiio X3. When I did my ripping I noticed that the Nero AAC codec lets me use a higher bitrate than 320. I always thought that AAC had a bitrate limit of 320. Will AAC files compressed using a higher bitrate than 320 be compatible with all portable music players that support AAC, or is this something that could cause problems on for example my mobile phone (Lumia 920). I don't want to recompress my music if I get a new mobile phone or DAP.
  13. While I have no comment as to changes made to Windows 8.1 in terms of audio, I have to say that this was an awesome update. It seems they have taken another step towards reaching their goal by making even more of the functionality available without having to access the desktop mode. For instance there is a lot more settings available in the modern UI. I'm running it on my Surface RT and loving it. I find myself using the desktop mode much less now, and the ability to split the screen 50/50 is great. Also, xbox music app has become MUCH more responsive on the Surface RT now, although still no gapless playback . Apparently Windows 8.1 RT is much closer to WP8 than Windows 8 RT was. They say there is now 70% API compatibility, which is a big step up from the 30% Windows 8 RT had. This should hopefully encourage more apps in the Windows app store as it will now be much easier to build apps that work across all three windows platforms. Will be interesting to see if the rumors are true that Windows RT and Windows Phone are due to be merged at one point in the future. It certainly seem to be going that direction.
  14. To be able to control the volume on my own headphone setup I simply use a long usb cable allowing me to place my dacmagic plus next to me despite the computer being further away.
×
×
  • Create New...