Audiophile, or Audio-Fooled?

[sterling shoote]

Yeah, I went two years with parts of my system in storage as we were downsizing and building the home we're in now....it just wasn't practical so I got into computer/upscale headphones/headphone amp etc....with my CDs in storage, the majority of my music was itune mp3 files.

When I got this system set up, got my "real" music out of storage...I started back doing what I always did with the Oppo 205, spinning.

The good with the Mp3 files...they easily stream via wifi in my house. For the whole house music, I have no problem with any of them really. But on the main system I feel like I'm cheating myself if I play my itune version of Kind Of Blue, when I have the SACD, so I rarely ever play the computer files on the main system....even the bit for bit CD rip...I still spin.

Once my new streaming setup (should be able to stream my hi res, multi-ch library) is up and running maybe that will change, but whether I can tell all of them or not, I admit feeling Mp3s are beneath my main system...

Only problem with OPPO-205 for me is Network connection does not do gapless as does drive port, HDMI, or usb B input. Since usb B is stereo only, gapless multi-channel is only possible via disc, drive port, or HDMI.; however, so far, HDMI is not glitch free playing FLAC from Foobar 2000. It's only glitch free playing movies in my iTunes Library. At any rate, I did not know about Network connection not doing gapless upon initial installation and therefore I spent considerable time trying to get gapless from Network connection. Drive ports get the multi-channel gapless job done but there are too many actions (clicking and scrolling) to be convenient enough for me to engage this means to gapless multi-channel music so I generally seek out the multi-channel music I want to play gaplessly on disc before downloading such music.

 

[2channel lover]

Only problem with OPPO-205 for me is Network connection does not do gapless as does drive port, HDMI, or usb B input. Since usb B is stereo only, gapless multi-channel is only possible via disc, drive port, or HDMI.; however, so far, HDMI is not glitch free playing FLAC from Foobar 2000. It's only glitch free playing movies in my iTunes Library. At any rate, I did not know about Network connection not doing gapless upon initial installation and therefore I spent considerable time trying to get gapless from Network connection. Drive ports get the multi-channel gapless job done but there are too many actions (clicking and scrolling) to be convenient enough for me to engage this means to gapless multi-channel music so I generally seek out the multi-channel music I want to play gaplessly on disc before downloading such music.

What I'm understand here is you can't playback multi-ch gapless unless you spin a disc?

My problem with the using the 205 as a network streamer with my own DSD file, ripped SACDs (stereo or multi-ch), any hi res file on my laptop is stability.

I think the Salk Streamer (Gen3, with Ethernet connection) would cure both of or problems...I know it will cure mine. Until I get the new streamer in, I've given up playing any of my computer music files on the main system.

 

[Bucknekked]

Yeah, I went two years with parts of my system in storage as we were downsizing and building the home we're in now....it just wasn't practical so I got into computer/upscale headphones/headphone amp etc....with my CDs in storage, the majority of my music was itune mp3 files.

When I got this system set up, got my "real" music out of storage...I started back doing what I always did with the Oppo 205, spinning.

The good with the Mp3 files...they easily stream via wifi in my house. For the whole house music, I have no problem with any of them really. But on the main system I feel like I'm cheating myself if I play my itune version of Kind Of Blue, when I have the SACD, so I rarely ever play the computer files on the main system....even the bit for bit CD rip...I still spin.

Once my new streaming setup (should be able to stream my hi res, multi-ch library) is up and running maybe that will change, but whether I can tell all of them or not, I admit feeling Mp3s are beneath my main system...

@shadyJ did a post recently about the impact the subjective mind has on the objective world and how it can affect our enjoyment of music. I am all in on the general idea of that. Our subject mind colors everything we see and do. Even though we'd like to think we are masters of our music and we make our decisions based on objective data (that's why we hang out at the AH) we are fooled everyday by our own bias and filters.

The business of formats (not just file formats but also vinyl vs cd vs tape etc) is one of those areas I am free to admit my biases and subjective filters come in to play all the time. Even though I can't tell the difference most of the time, I always choose lossless and uncompressed for my dedicated music room (or the CD/Blu-ray itself). That's a bias in active play. I'm free to admit it. And I laugh at myself as well. But, I'm also not likely to change it either

 

[Bucknekked]

I read an email article that came to me recently about another forum and the big changes they were making. Apparently, on a forum entitled Audiophile Style, they felt the need to create a brand new sub-forum for "objective audio discussions". Here is the link to the announcement AUDIOPHILESTYLE_OBJECTIVE_DISCUSSIONS

On this particular forum apparently the folks who would bring up measurements and accepted science were being a pain in the you-know-what to the more fanciful discussions. The solution was to create an "objective" thread and anybody that starts spouting any of that scientific crap will automatically have their comments/thread moved from the more popular fanciful discussions to the "objective thought" place.

These folks apparently want unfettered discussions when somebody gets carried away with their pet audiophool stuff and they don't want them being hampered with "facts" or stuff you can measure.

On the AH, the whole forum area is pretty much an "objective thought" thread. The idea you'd need to create a separate objective thought thread and then move and quarantine anybody spouting measurement stuff is laughable. Except they are doing it. I love it here on the AH at times like this.

 

[Pogre]

I read an email article that came to me recently about another forum and the big changes they were making. Apparently, on a forum entitled Audiophile Style, they felt the need to create a brand new sub-forum for "objective audio discussions". Here is the link to the announcement AUDIOPHILESTYLE_OBJECTIVE_DISCUSSIONS

On this particular forum apparently the folks who would bring up measurements and accepted science were being a pain in the you-know-what to the more fanciful discussions. The solution was to create an "objective" thread and anybody that starts spouting any of that scientific crap will automatically have their comments/thread moved from the more popular fanciful discussions to the "objective thought" place.

These folks apparently want unfettered discussions when somebody gets carried away with their pet audiophool stuff and they don't want them being hampered with "facts" or stuff you can measure.

On the AH, the whole forum area is pretty much an "objective thought" thread. The idea you'd need to create a separate objective thought thread and then move and quarantine anybody spouting measurement stuff is laughable. Except they are doing it. I love it here on the AH at times like this.

It's a great idea tho. Create your own little bubble where everyone agrees with you and you don't have to worry about all that pesky science getting in the way and actually learning something...

 

[panteragstk]

It's a great idea tho. Create your own little bubble where everyone agrees with you and you don't have to worry about all that pesky science getting in the way and actually learning something...

I mean, there are flat-earthers now so this is just the audio version of that...I guess. Science is dumb, feelings are more important.

 

[Bucknekked]

It's a great idea tho. Create your own little bubble where everyone agrees with you and you don't have to worry about all that pesky science getting in the way and actually learning something...

Pogre
We do this all the time ! Seriously, we tend to surround ourselves with people that will generally agree with our points of view. Most of the time, its what helps to keep a small group of friends as "friends". Its when we extend that small group bonding to a much larger sphere where the objective truth of a matter is important that we run afoul of something we do all the time back at home. Know certain folks that you can pal around with but you good and well you can't talk politics with? Yup. Its that same set of social rules. Useful in many respects but not very handy when its an objective fact or figure you may be interested in.

 

[bombadil]

Yes, this is a good video and emphasizes something I believe is true and that is there is a much greater variation in SQ between different recordings than there is between the file type, sampling rate etc. I subscribe to Pandora and Spotify Premium and I believe that overall Spotify music sounds better, but that's just another opinion. I keep Pandora for the car/garage and because of its easy thumbs up/down and "put in on the shelf" features.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I can't hear the difference either between 320KB/s vs Lossless, same with DTS vs DTS-HD MA and DD vs TrueHD.

These days I only stream 320 KB/s from my iPad/Phone to my Yamaha with MusicCast.

 

[sterling shoote]

What I'm understand here is you can't playback multi-ch gapless unless you spin a disc?

My problem with the using the 205 as a network streamer with my own DSD file, ripped SACDs (stereo or multi-ch), any hi res file on my laptop is stability.

I think the Salk Streamer (Gen3, with Ethernet connection) would cure both of or problems...I know it will cure mine. Until I get the new streamer in, I've given up playing any of my computer music files on the main system.

You can get multi-channel gapless from: HDMI, drive port, or disc input; but, for sure, disc input is most convenient.

 

[lovinthehd]

You can get multi-channel gapless from: HDMI, drive port, or disc input; but, for sure, disc input is most convenient.

Drive port?

 

[sterling shoote]

Drive port?

The OPPO-205 has 3 usb drive ports, 1 usb B input, optical/coax S/PDIF inputs, and HDMI input. The HDMI, and usb drive port inputs decode multi-channel and stereo gaplessly. The usb B input decodes stereo gaplessly. Network connection, wired or wireless, supports multi-channel and stereo but is not gapless, which is problematic playing music like The Firebird when movement IDs in metadata are seen as separate tracks by the player; thus causing a brief pause at each ID.

 

[lovinthehd]

The OPPO-205 has 3 usb drive ports, 1 usb B input, optical/coax S/PDIF inputs, and HDMI input. The HDMI, and usb drive port inputs decode multi-channel and stereo gaplessly. The usb B input decodes stereo gaplessly. Network connection, wired or wireless, supports multi-channel and stereo but is not gapless, which is problematic playing music like The Firebird when movement IDs in metadata are seen as separate tracks by the player; thus causing a brief pause at each ID.

Thanks, just usually call them usb ports.