Audiophile Software Roundup: The Case For And A Comparison Of HiFi Software

[tumpom]

Love your "3rd camp" Ryan.
Just a quick question about the harmonic distortions of the square wave you talked about: to which extend does it matter since the square wave is a just a medium for representing 0/1 bits, as long as the processors are able to get the binary information right from the square wave, is it that important of the square wave is not so square? Unless the square becomes so distorted that its binary shape can not be recognised anymore or is it only about the distortion noise which could possibly be transmitted to the analogue components after conversion or else?

 

[RichB]

For BDP-105 USB/DAC users, I have found these settings work best in with J River and Foobar2000:

Wasapi (Event Driven)
24 Bit (unpadded)

and with the Oppo USB Audio Control Panel

Buffer Settings:

USB Streaming Mode: Minimal Latency

- Rich

 

[eturk]

this great article mentions "optimizing Spotify".
A search of the blog doesn't return an article on that.

To what does this refer? what's a great way to get the very best sound (not just premium version) of spotify, to deal with the lossy compression?

cheers!

 

[djreef]

So, what's the verdict? What is currently the most reliable software from an execution standpoint. I've been fighting with Channel D Puremusic for 2 years now and can't get that buggy POC to consistently play anything. I consistently get tracks of silence during playback. I'm constantly having to reset the handshake with iTunes. At this point I don't give a crap what sounds best, I just want something that plays my Hi-Rez files, period. I'm ready to chuck this and move on to something considerably more hassle free.

 

[MNSLD2]

I was curious that you had not included Power DVD and Amarra in HiFi softwares for the same price ranges.

 

[sterling shoote]

As I see It, all players sound the same. Seems to me, what sets players apart are convenience features and ability to play files perceived by the listener to sound best. For me, iTunes satisfies completely. Now, my DAC will only accommodate up to 24/96; but, since I can not discern any difference in sound when comparing my 24/96 ALAC files from HDtracks to the same material from Apple Music in AAC, when each is played by my iTunes player, I am not at all concerned that AAC is not delivering everything my ears can hear. BTW, the only way I believe a player can be made to sound "better" is with some sort of DSP.

 

[bullitt5094]

Rip CDs using dbpoweramp in FLAC Lossless. Play with JRiver. Your DAC counts too! A PC sound card or an internal DAC in a receiver will not get it done. ifi makes some excellent, reasonably priced DACs. Feed it with USB from the motherboard.

 

[rojo]

Rip CDs using dbpoweramp in FLAC Lossless. Play with JRiver. Your DAC counts too! A PC sound card or an internal DAC in a receiver will not get it done. ifi makes some excellent, reasonably priced DACs. Feed it with USB from the motherboard.

Read this: Do you need a DAC?

Spoiler: tl;dr

Most likely not.

 

[bullitt5094]

READ THIS: Not with your system, apparently. I can certainly hear a difference in mine. And I've backed that up by blind tests with my favorite test equipment... my Wife and Daughter who both have zero knowledge of the signal path and bat hearing. But believe everything you read on the internet that suits you.

 

[djreef]

READ THIS: Not with your system, apparently. I can certainly hear a difference in mine. And I've backed that up by blind tests with my favorite test equipment... my Wife and Daughter who both have zero knowledge of the signal path and bat hearing. But believe everything you read on the internet that suits you.

You need to video this and youtube it.

DJ

 

[MuchoReverbo]

Whether or not you can benefit from an external DAC definitely depends on your system. With my hi-end AVR I didn't experience any improvement but can see why you might on lower-end AVRs. The article linked above is dead-on as far as I have experienced.

 

[Bucknekked]

Your DAC counts too! A PC sound card or an internal DAC in a receiver will not get it done. ifi makes some excellent, reasonably priced DACs. Feed it with USB from the motherboard.

"An internal DAC in a receiver will not get it done". I'll call B.S. on that statement.
I just upgraded my AVR and it contains an internal DAC that's as good or better than most DAC's you could purchase as standalone units. Based on what criteria would you base a statement like yours?

The job of a DAC is simple: convert digital information to analog audio. Period. Add in no DSP capabilities, no sound coloration, no artifacts of any kind. A properly functioning DAC is colorless, tasteless and ordorless: you can't tell its there. That's the mission of a DAC: simply take 1's and 0's and make little waves out of them.

Whether or not you can benefit from an external DAC definitely depends on your system. With my hi-end AVR I didn't experience any improvement but can see why you might on lower-end AVRs. The article linked above is dead-on as far as I have experienced.

MuchoREverbo
I think your reply here is much closer to the pin: you may or may not get any benefit from an external DAC depending on what you have. I just upgraded from a nearly 10 year old DAC/AVR and notice no difference at all in sound quality. If an existing DAC is not functioning properly, you may indeed see an improvement. If an existing DAC is part of a piece of equipment that's coloring the sound due to setup or defect, again you might see improvement. But that's not apples to apples.

I feel a gigantic rant coming on so I'm gonna sign off this thread and listen to some soothing tunes.