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Post by macca on Jan 24, 2019 8:38:35 GMT
My objection to streaming has nothing to do with the sound quality which can be just as good as a CD player.
It's the whole concept of having everything (or almost everything) available at the click of a mouse.
A record album used to be an artefact of wonder and desire. When I was at school lads would come in with their latest purchase and a crowd would gather round, just to look at it. To have a collection of even fifty or sixty albums was an aspirational dream, something to progress towards.
Records were sacred objects and the music on them was like an arcane spell that was not easily realised. You had to save up to afford to buy just one, and maybe work to track it down (if it was older and out of print). Once you got it you listened to it a lot, became gradually familiar with every note, read every word of the text on the outer and inner sleeves.
Now any fool can pay twenty quid to tidal or whoever and bang he's got 2 million albums. The magic has gone
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2019 9:16:16 GMT
My objection to streaming has nothing to do with the sound quality which can be just as good as a CD player. It's the whole concept of having everything (or almost everything) available at the click of a mouse. A record album used to be an artefact of wonder and desire. When I was at school lads would come in with their latest purchase and a crowd would gather round, just to look at it. To have a collection of even fifty or sixty albums was an aspirational dream, something to progress towards. Records were sacred objects and the music on them was like an arcane spell that was not easily realised. You had to save up to afford to buy just one, and maybe work to track it down (if it was older and out of print). Once you got it you listened to it a lot, became gradually familiar with every note, read every word of the text on the outer and inner sleeves. Now any fool can pay twenty quid to tidal or whoever and bang he's got 2 million albums. The magic has gone I agree with you. Vinyl is a different beast. The pi can't compete with the vinyl. I've been buying CDs and converting them to file format for the pi which has added some physical connection. The use of tidal doesn't do it for me. |
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Post by savvypaul on Jan 24, 2019 10:36:25 GMT
My objection to streaming has nothing to do with the sound quality which can be just as good as a CD player. It's the whole concept of having everything (or almost everything) available at the click of a mouse. A record album used to be an artefact of wonder and desire. When I was at school lads would come in with their latest purchase and a crowd would gather round, just to look at it. To have a collection of even fifty or sixty albums was an aspirational dream, something to progress towards. Records were sacred objects and the music on them was like an arcane spell that was not easily realised. You had to save up to afford to buy just one, and maybe work to track it down (if it was older and out of print). Once you got it you listened to it a lot, became gradually familiar with every note, read every word of the text on the outer and inner sleeves. Now any fool can pay twenty quid to tidal or whoever and bang he's got 2 million albums. The magic has gone I recognise and, to a large extent, share those feelings. The one important difference for me is that I still have vinyl as my main source, so I get my 'physical format / collecting kicks that way. I never felt the same emotional connection to CDs. My streamer is great for hearing new stuff without committing to buying the LP until I know I really want to. PS. This fool pays £20 a month to Qobuz rather than Tidal... |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2019 12:38:48 GMT
My objection to streaming has nothing to do with the sound quality which can be just as good as a CD player. It's the whole concept of having everything (or almost everything) available at the click of a mouse. A record album used to be an artefact of wonder and desire. When I was at school lads would come in with their latest purchase and a crowd would gather round, just to look at it. To have a collection of even fifty or sixty albums was an aspirational dream, something to progress towards. Records were sacred objects and the music on them was like an arcane spell that was not easily realised. You had to save up to afford to buy just one, and maybe work to track it down (if it was older and out of print). Once you got it you listened to it a lot, became gradually familiar with every note, read every word of the text on the outer and inner sleeves. Now any fool can pay twenty quid to tidal or whoever and bang he's got 2 million albums. The magic has gone I recognise and, to a large extent, share those feelings. The one important difference for me is that I still have vinyl as my main source, so I get my 'physical format / collecting kicks that way. I never felt the same emotional connection to CDs. My streamer is great for hearing new stuff without committing to buying the LP until I know I really want to. PS. This fool pays £20 a month to Qobuz rather than Tidal... Do you have your own files too, on a NAS or via DLNA? I am ripping CDs left right and centre to build a library. It's do cheap! For £20 per month, I permanently have both a hard copy (,cd) and a file (flac) of say 15 different CDs. I much prefer the idea of collecting the CDs to paying a monthly sub. I also feel and ripped via EAC had locked the same album version from tidal. What's your take, Paul. Your way ahead on the curve. |
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Post by savvypaul on Jan 24, 2019 12:54:06 GMT
I recognise and, to a large extent, share those feelings. The one important difference for me is that I still have vinyl as my main source, so I get my 'physical format / collecting kicks that way. I never felt the same emotional connection to CDs. My streamer is great for hearing new stuff without committing to buying the LP until I know I really want to. PS. This fool pays £20 a month to Qobuz rather than Tidal... Do you have your own files too, on a NAS or via DLNA? I am ripping CDs left right and centre to build a library. It's do cheap! For £20 per month, I permanently have both a hard copy (,cd) and a file (flac) of say 15 different CDs. I much prefer the idea of collecting the CDs to paying a monthly sub. I also feel and ripped via EAC had locked the same album version from tidal. What's your take, Paul. Your way ahead on the curve. I have a NAS with a built-in CD ripper - just pop the disc in the tray and it automatically rips, finds the best artwork and then stores in the correct folder. I ripped the 500 or so CDs that I have. I also buy some high-res downloads, but Qobuz do now offer high-res streaming (24/96) so maybe I don't need to buy downloads....but if I came away from Qobuz, or Qobuz died, then at least I still 'own' the downloads. I don't buy CDs anymore. We also use the Qobuz subscription to play music at work, which everyone seems to love. I'm really not ahead of the curve...just landed on something very convenient. My stuff is pretty much 'fit and forget'. I love the convenience and accessibility to new and 'new to me' music. Agree with Macca about the tactile pleasures of physical format and the rewards that come from the pursuit of collecting; these things are more rewarding when they require more effort...I still have vinyl for those pleasures. Vinyl is still better, without doubt. |
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Post by macca on Jan 24, 2019 13:49:25 GMT
I don't have the same attachment to cd as I do to my vinyl. I could sell all the vinyl and realise maybe five grand but I can't bring myself to do it even though it isn't in use anymore. Over the years I have come to prefer the sound of digital to analogue (vinyl)but that didn't happen overnight. I now appreciate the things CD does that vinyl doesn't and found that I can't really go back.
Buying the cd then copying to the hard drive makes sense. These people who have flogged all physical formats and just rely on a streaming service may be in for a shock further down the road. The other thing I don't like is that you are entirely at their mercy for the choice of mastering - or in the case of MQA whatever weird EQ they have pumped into it to impress the rubes.
I don't want a computer hooked up to my hi-fi. I find computers annoying, a necessary evil at best. If I want to play a particular album I'll just root around for the cd and put that on. I don't find that to be a chore.
Just to be clear, I'm not calling for streaming services to be banned or criticising anyone who uses one, it's just not for me.
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Post by savvypaul on Jan 24, 2019 14:08:19 GMT
I'm not calling for streaming services to be banned... Ah, go on, go on, go on... |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2019 14:09:51 GMT
I think we pretty much agree, Paul, Macca. I definitely don't want to lose physical media. Vinyl is king here.
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Post by macca on Jan 24, 2019 15:47:32 GMT
I'm not calling for streaming services to be banned... Ah, go on, go on, go on... nah, let them go broke on there own.
Although now we're living in the future it does seem that companies no longer need to actually make a profit to stay in business. It seems to be the model now that you just keep on trading at a loss until the pension fund becomes big enough to be worth robbing.
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Bigman80
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The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 24, 2019 22:42:43 GMT
I'm not calling for streaming services to be banned... Ah, go on, go on, go on... Ok, you persuaded me. Ban that fecking tat forever......NOW, Goddammit! |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2019 9:00:24 GMT
Ban, ban, ban, ban.............👍
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2019 10:53:19 GMT
Been using the Pi for over a month now and thought I should provide a bit of an update.
It's still staggeringly good!
It's also convinced two others to buy one!
For me, the idea of CDs is dead. File based replay in this format is far more enjoyable than any cdp I've had here. That's just my opinion btw.
Reliability has been excellent. Very few crashes although it's not entirely immune to it.
Next step will be an up to date DAC hat and an isolation board. The boss DAC i have is an original version so quite old I gather?
Anyway, I added a out 30 DSD albums to my collection yesterday. I'm looking forward to having a listen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2019 17:35:27 GMT
I converted an old Intel Core Duo PC to do much the same thing.
A Pi may have been cheaper, but I really enjoy the sound this PC is now capable of producing.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2019 17:45:41 GMT
I converted an old Intel Core Duo PC to do much the same thing. A Pi may have been cheaper, but I really enjoy the sound this PC is now capable of producing. Computer hardware and software isn't really my thing so the pi has been a very welcome addition. Listened to a few new tracks today and it really is very impressive. |
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Post by sq225917 on Feb 19, 2019 21:10:13 GMT
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Post by sq225917 on Feb 19, 2019 21:12:26 GMT
 It's gonna be a proper mess of wires |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2019 21:59:08 GMT
It's gonna be a proper mess of wires I'll be honest, I have no idea what I'm looking at😆 |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2019 5:22:43 GMT
WTF......?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2019 7:35:54 GMT
£650 and it still needs a plastic box?
It better sound good, as it looks as ugly as an ugly thing, that fell from the top of the ugly tree and het the ugly branches on the way down.
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Post by sq225917 on Feb 20, 2019 15:53:22 GMT
She's ugly no doubt, but she tries harder.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2019 19:43:04 GMT
Best disarm it (cut the red wire) before it goes off.⏰
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Post by sq225917 on Feb 21, 2019 10:14:36 GMT
Not the red wire that's the Kelvin sense wire, you'll blow the whole thing up.
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Post by savvypaul on Feb 21, 2019 10:40:19 GMT
Not the red wire that's the Kelvin sense wire, you'll blow the whole thing up. Sounds like setting up a Decca cartridge... |
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Post by sq225917 on May 4, 2019 22:33:33 GMT
 Started building the PSU today. 2x 3.3v, 1x 5v @ 2amp and 2x 12v for the output stage. |
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2019 8:54:05 GMT
£650 and it still needs a plastic box? It better sound good, as it looks as ugly as an ugly thing, that fell from the top of the ugly tree and het the ugly branches on the way down. l Plenty of hifi is a £650 metal box with some cheap tat inside. |
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Post by sq225917 on May 5, 2019 18:47:35 GMT
All built up and charging for the first time. More pics later.
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2019 22:03:28 GMT
All built up and charging for the first time. More pics later. I'm looking forward to those. I. Quite taken with the Pi and Allo boss. Its very rewarding. So, as a superbly qualified guy, CD or File based audio And Why? |
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Post by sq225917 on May 6, 2019 23:06:28 GMT
So the off grid rpi, dac, fifo board and output stage are finally assembled. Took a bit of dicking around with tiny smt parts to finalise the set up but its sounding very sweet. I'll give it a few days to run in before comparing against the Brooklyn.  Currently running volition on it and using either USB stick or airplay via itunes. Will investigate other wired options once its settled in. Gotta try some different parts in the output stage and maybe different clocks for the fifo board. |
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2019 8:53:31 GMT
So the off grid rpi, dac, fifo board and output stage are finally assembled. Took a bit of dicking around with tiny smt parts to finalise the set up but its sounding very sweet. I'll give it a few days to run in before comparing against the Brooklyn. Currently running volition on it and using either USB stick or airplay via itunes. Will investigate other wired options once its settled in. Gotta try some different parts in the output stage and maybe different clocks for the fifo board. That looks like a monster lol. How are the batteries charged? |
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Post by sq225917 on May 7, 2019 11:59:27 GMT
See the green block and the silver DC socket on the front edge, power goes in by one of those, 12-19v at 3 amps. All the shenanigans at the front of the board is just the battery management stuff. It's pretty smart though. Once you switch it on it begns a run-time countdown and slowly switches everything off after sounding an alarm once you reach the user set end time and then goes into recharge. It's not really a Battery psu as the front end needs to be powered to work, but all the battery rails are isoltaed in use and it only charges when switched off- so to speak.
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