Archive for the ‘Audio Formats’ Category

Better Sound Through Computing, for Audiophile Masochists

Friday, March 9th, 2012

People who make stereo and home theater fidelity their hobby are rare.  I’m talking about the person who subscribes to the equipment review publications and who has, at any given moment, equipment upgrade plans.  This person is what’s known as an audiophile.  (You may be surprised to know that custom installation a/v companies rarely see these people.  As a matter of fact, a cliche in the business is the prospect who tells the system designer that he or she isn’t an “audiophile” or “stereophile.”  Almost all prospects say that.)  Rarer still is the computer audiophile.  This person pursues the best sound by processing the audio through a computer.  Computeraudiophile.com caters to this person.  Media Center 17, published by J River, is software that caters to this person.  And, let me tell you, when that computer audiophile gets the urge to tweak, Media Center 17 is paradise!  I just spent two solid days with it.  I can’t wait to get back to it.

Media Center 17 is software that manages audio, video, and image files.  The audio portion is the only one I’ve explored.  With Media Center 17, audiophiles get to use 192/24 resolution (i.e. studio quality) music files, higher resolutions should those ever come, and all the usual lower resolutions (e.g. MP3 resolutions).  There’s upsampling, of course.  There’s equalization;  users can choose any frequency range (e.g. 40hz, 40hz to 60hz, 10khz, etc.) and make it as loud or soft as they like.  Both stereo and multichannel playback are accomodated.  My Radio Shack sound level meter in hand, I’ve been playing different frequency tones (http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Test-Tones/dp/B007H9H6JA)  and measuring their  loudness at my listening position.  Then, I’ve been adjusting the Media Center 17 equalizer so that all frequencies are of equal loudness (i.e. so that the frequency response is “flat”).  I’ve also been using adjusting the equalizer just to hear the effect.  It’s fascinating to hear how bringing 125hz up or down affects the sound of this or that instrument.  Of course, as with any audiophile. I’m mainly after this to see if I can achieve better overall sound.

Computers are a headache.  So, of course, using software to play, to manage, and to adjust one’s music files is not for the typical listener.  A computer-based media management tool this versatile is for enthusiasts who can handle pain.   An A/V system that is manually controlled via a keyboard and mouse is the antithesis of an a/v system that has been automated via a programmed remote (see http://www.dhaudioandhometheater.com/blog/2011/09/20/is-your-home-theater-hard-to-use/).   With the former, you may not be able to listen to music tonight.  With the latter, you press the button that says “Music” and you’re all set.  Like some kind of audiophile masochist, I’ve suffered with Media Center 17.  For starters, there’s an open laptop on my equipment cabinet and I’m sitting on an ottoman next to it to play my music.  I’m not sitting in the ”sweet spot” in my ergonomically excellent Ekornes chair.  The cables connecting both my external hard-drive–where music files live–and the stereo, to my computer, won’t permit it.  Control via an iPhone app, so I can sit in my comfy chair, hasn’t cut it.  Some iPhone apps I couldn’t get to work, others don’t offer complete control.   Media Center 17 freezes often.  There is no one to call, just email support and user groups.   Finding out how to do something is painstaking.  Mistakes come easy.  I accidentally removed a key element of the software and could get it back only by downloading the software again.

Did I mention that I can’t wait to get back to playing with it some more?  J  River kindly offers a one-month free trial with full system features.  At $50, if this is your thing, it’s a bargain.   http://www.jriver.com/

 

Share on Facebook

Posted in Audio Formats, Automation, Home Automation, Internet Music, music apps, Music Server, Stereo, Surround Sound, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Logitech Touch Media Player

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

Advantages (many):

Put your CDs in storage

Lots of audio formats supported:

MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, HE-AACv2, HD-AAC, Apple Lossless

WMA Lossless, APE, MPC and WavPack supported through transcoding

Some formats may require additional software installation (e.g. QuickTime), depending on platform

Crystal clear radio reception for every station on the AM/FM dial, via the internet

Receive Sirius satellite radio

Receive internet-based music services  (e.g. Rhapsody, Pandora, Slacker, and others)

Plenty of add-on features available (e.g. see artist biographies, get cover art) and the list is growing

Unit measures only 3.57 x 5.90 x 3.18

Unit costs $300 and includes Squeezebox server software

No computer required to operate

Passes the following streams through its digital out:

16 bit / 44.1 kHz, 16 bit / 48 kHz, 16 bit / 88.2 kHz, 16 bit / 96 kHz
24 bit / 44.1 kHz, 24 bit / 48 kHz, 24 bit / 88.2 kHz, 24 bit / 96 kHz

Will play higher sample rate files than above, by halving the sample rate.  So, you can listen to 192/24 files.

Mutltiple units may be used to pipe the music throughout the house

Disadvantages (few):

It doesn’t come with a wireless touch screen controller

I own the Touch.  The reason I wanted a media player at all was to play audio files off of a hard drive.  My hard drive happens to be a network attached storage device, otherwise known as a NAS.  You could use the hard drive in your computer or an external hard drive or whatever storage device you want.  My audio files came from the CDs I copied to the NAS.  I copied my CDs to a NAS mainly because I thought that being able to browse my titles on my computer would help me rediscover what I own.  And, in particular, I envisioned listening in shuffle mode so that music would play that I forgot I had.  I was right.

Since I started using it in 2008, I’ve banged my head against a lot of wall on account of Logitech’s Squeezebox software.  This is the software one uses to control the various Logitech media players—the Touch included.  You see, there’s a right way and a wrong way to use Logitech media players and software.  Perhaps what I’m about to tell you is good advice for other media player solutions as well.  I’d play it safe and assume so.

First, when you copy CDs to a hard drive, make sure you create files that will preserve the meta data (e.g. track name, artist name, album name) should you ever copy those files.  For instance, .wav files, once copied from, say, your overflowing computer hard drive to an outboard hard drive, will lose their meta data.  So, when you copy your CDs to whatever storage device, don’t create .wav files.  I settled on .aif files as they’re compatible with both Logitech and iTunes and they maintain the meta data when they’re copied.

I used iTunes to copy my CDs to the NAS.  It doesn’t matter what software you use to copy your CDs to a storage device.  Just pick a file type that will preserve the meta data when that file is copied.  Squeezebox software is not for copying your CDs to a hard drive, by the way.

Second, load the Squeezebox software onto the same drive as the music.  This is huge.  I started out with the Squeezebox software running on my laptop and the music stored on my NAS.  Lots of headaches ensued.  They usually involved the software not syncing with my NAS.  So, no music.  And, many computer restarts and many hours on the phone with tech support.  The tech support is pretty bad, by the way.

Third, assign a fixed IP address to your Logitech Touch and, if you’re using one, to your external storage device.

Having the Logitech Touch, now that I implemented the three lessons above, is like having a microwave oven. You never want to go back to not having one.  I use the Touch for Rhapsody.  Rhapsody is awesome if you’re a music lover.  For $10 a month you can listen to just about anything you want and it sounds pretty damn good.  And, I play vinyl for its superior sound quality, so I’m picky about sound.  Indeed, if I fall in love with a record I buy the vinyl or the CD because I hope it will sound better than it did on Rhapsody.  But, the quality of Rhapsody is enough to let me enjoy the music.  If I don’t fall in love with the record but I want to hear it I can play it anytime I want as long as I keep giving Rhapsody $10 a month.  What’s not to like?

I love Sirius satellite radio.  Deep Tracks is the best radio station I’ve ever heard.  This is the radio station I always wanted, probably because I’m a 43 year old white guy who likes classic rock.  Deep Tracks mercifully avoids all the songs you’ll hear on the classic rock stations and plays the other cuts and, at least as important, the other bands from roughly 1965 to 1975.  I’ve been turned on to great music by the James Gang, Loggins and Messina, Renassaince, Stephen Stills, Robin Trower, Poco, and the list just goes on and on.  What a rich era.  I always knew it was, and there was never such an easy way to get exposed to it all.  The Logitech Touch serves it up.  Oh yeah, and Sirius has a couple hundred other stations—providing music and talk radio for a variety of tastes.

Having Squeezebox and the Touch also gives you access to any terrestrial radio station anywhere.  Or, at least, that was it seems like.  Want to hear what radio is traveling through the air in Portland, New Orleans, Madison, LA, NY, Honolulu, London, Paris, Istanbul?   I don’t think any of that is a problem.  So, no more worries about ugly antennas and static.

You get still more music sources, and other niceties, as well.  There’s a live music archive.  You won’t necessarily find the big name bands here, but there are tons of live recordings to check out.  There’s Pandora and Slacker, Last.FM, a podcast player.  And, both Logitech and 3rd parties write plug-ins for the Squeezebox software.  I’ve downloaded ones that find cover art and that give me bios of the artists.  And, way cool, is software that I got for $10, called iPeng, that puts all of the above sources and plugins onto my iPhone.  I use my iPhone4 to control my Touch.  It works great.

So, to get all this you need $300 for the Logitech Touch.  Once you have it you get the software for free.  The Touch can be connected directly to your stereo with either analog or digital cables.  If you want better sound you’ll use the digital output into a good digital to analog converter.  While you can choose want you want to hear by touching the Touch—this device is basically all touch screen on the front with inputs on the back—its need to be wired to your stereo prevents most people from having it at their side when they’re sitting on the couch.  (The Touch does, by the way, connect wirelessly to your hard drive and to the internet, if you like.  I like to go wired when I can, and that’s how mine runs.)  So, use a laptop for the most comfortable control of your Touch, or use the iPhone if you’re good with one of those.

For more info, check out:

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/speakers-audio/wireless-music-systems/devices/5745

To get a Touch installed in the greater NYC metro area contact DH Audio and Home Theater, (908) 686-4913.

Share on Facebook

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Audio Formats, Internet Music, Music Server, Radio, Stereo | No Comments »

Notes on Beatles 9-9-09 Abbey Road (for the hardcore)

Friday, April 1st, 2011

9:09 this morning I’m on line at my local Best Buy, to pay for the remastered Abbey Road CD. This morning at 9AM is when the Beatles remastered catalog went on sale. The promise of the remastered CDs is better sound than the last Beatles CDs, which were released in the 80′s. There’s one customer in front of me paying for the Beatles mono and stereo CD box sets. I ask him what he’s paying for the mono set, as I pre-ordered it from Amazon and wanted to see if there was any advantage in my doing so. Turns out, the prices are about the same but he tells me he got the last box sets in the store. Huh? Five minutes after the store opened? A clerk I asked said they had about 10 of each box set and they sold out immediately. I guess it’s good that I ordered ahead. By the way, Amazon sent me an email a couple of days ago saying that more mono box sets than originally planned for would be produced.

So, I get the stereo Abbey Road CD spinning–after warming up the system for 45 minutes, of course–and compare it to the ’87 CD release. The Beatles made Abbey Road in stereo only and so it’s not included in the mono box set–ditto Yellow Submarine and Let It Be. The results of the comparison are mixed. The new CD sounds cleaner, which is good, and it’s louder, which is neutral. But, something in the performance has been lost, resulting in a less engaging sound.

These differences were apparent immediately. On “Something,” you can hear on the very first notes of electric guitar that it’s lost a bit of bite and edge–as if it’s been squelched a bit. At 1:48 into the song you also notice that McCartney’s bass seems to stop short of the depth and resonance it reaches on the ’87 CD. I suspect that it’s largely this lack of snap and definition and dynamics in the bass that makes this new release of Abbey Road fall short. It’s apparent everywhere. The music loses some propulsion.

It’s always a pleasure to hear the overall sound of a recording become less murky. It’s like looking through a window after a thin film has been wiped away. I could imagine that if the bass didn’t suffer so, this new CD would be an overall improvement over the ’86 release because of its cleaner sound. Instead, the new CD has an overall flatter sound that is less attention-getting. If you’re in the market for one of these CDs then, based on how they compare in my sound system, I’d say the ’86 release will be more entertaining.

I’m fortunate to have the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL) pressing of Abbey Road on vinyl. Now that’s high resolution! This LP sounds as different from the CDs as they do from one another, and it’s certainly more musically involving than either. Neither CD has anything on it. There’s a rumor that remastered vinyl of the Beatles’ albums is on the way. I hope it’s at least as good as MFSL’s Abbey Road.

By the way, by all accounts, the Beatles’ mono remastered CDs are where the real sonic improvement, over the ’80′s CDs, is to be found. I should be getting that box set in a few days. Stay tuned!

Share on Facebook

Tags: , ,
Posted in Audio Formats, Mono, Music Review, Stereo | No Comments »

Vinyl, Sweet and Cheap

Friday, March 4th, 2011

My wife says to me, “What’s up with that storefront that says ‘Records’? We were travelling through our town on our way back home from a trip. Immediately I thought there must be some misleading signage—there’s no record store in Vauxhall, NJ that I ever saw, and if one opened I probably would have seen it.  She told me roughly where she saw it so I headed over later that day.
 

Well, what do you know? I see a storefront that says “We Buy Records.”  I went in and it’s nothing but boxes of unsorted used LPs. Some boxes were on tables, at least as many were under the tables. Someone had grouped the boxes by genre.  This was enough to make me very happy.

 
I scored Rare Earth’s Ecology, James Gang’s Yer Blues, the Byrds’ Untitled, John Lennon’s, Walls and Bridges and Rock ‘n’ Roll. All were original pressings and prices ranged from $3 to $8.  Those are great titles at great prices and there were plenty more good titles to choose from.  I’ll certainly be back.

 

Steve, the owner, said if you come to his store and mention me, Dennis Hartwick, then he’ll knock 10% off of purchases $25 or higher.   The record store is called Big City Records and it’s at 2181 Springfield Ave, Vauxhall, NJ 07088-1233. (908) 688-1402. There’s another one at 521 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10009. (212) 539-0208.  Happy hunting!

 

By the way, if you’re playing records, and especially if you’re buying used ones, you’ll get much better sound if you wet-clean the records.  VPI makes record cleaning machines that are considered the standard in the industry. I use one and it’s fantastic.  You’ll also be extending the life of your needle. Do not use the fluid that you squirt on the record or brush.  You are leaving mud in your grooves and mucking up your cartridge!

Share on Facebook

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Bargain Media, Stereo, Vinyl | No Comments »

Careful With That Cable, Eugene.

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

HDMI cables promise so much.  Instead of 3 component video cables and audio cables running to your a/v receiver or to your high definition TV, one HDMI cable will do.  Instead of a 1080i image resolution limit, as with component video, HDMI was designed for 1080P and higher.  Instead of 6 audio channels at lower-than-CD resolution, HDMI gives them at greater-than-CD resolution.  Instead of having to run a separate ethernet cable, future HDMI enabled devices will be networked via the same HDMI cable that carries audio and video.  And, the copy protection that Hollywood enjoys courtesy of the HDMI interface, the entire reason HDMI came about in the first place, is no doubt why the studios are willing to give us movies in high-definition.  They weren’t going to let high definition DVD (e.g. Blu-ray) happen via the component video outputs. Component video didn’t provide a satisfactory copy protection solution.

Yet, anyone who makes his living designing or installing audio/video systems knows that HDMI can add days of unpaid installation time, can cause massive frustration, and can leave customers wondering about who they hired and the wisdom of their a/v investment.  In a massively frustrating and seemingly unknowable way, HDMI often doesn’t work!

Consider what goes wrong with HDMI cables; problems which, by the way, our old component video and audio cables don’t have.  Cable boxes don’t display on TVs when HDMI is used to directly link the two.  Video doesn’t show up on TV screens when HDMI is run through a switcher (e.g. an A/V receiver) on its way to the TV.  Or, consider this teaser, which cost me personally about 8 hours of troubleshooting.  A cable box runs HDMI to a receiver, as does a Blu-ray player. Then, from the receiver, HDMI is run to the TV.   If the customer wants to watch the cable box, the only way is to first bring up the picture from the DVD player!  The knowledgeable folks at Denon recently informed me that this is a known problem.

It’s a rare installer of HDMI who hasn’t had these problems.  Of course, he checks the source component, checks the switcher, checks the display device, and he checks the cable and they all check out fine when used with other associated equipment!  It’s certain combinations of equipment—for the most part unknowable until you try them—that don’t work!  As I was recently informed while attending the above referenced Denon training, a lot of this has to do with poorly manufactured HDMI cables.  They’re not made to the standards that they need to be and, as of now, there is almost no way for the buyer to know.  (Kudos to DPL Labs (www.dpllabs.com) for establishing HDMI ratings for HDMI enabled equipment and for HDMI cables.  Consumers need more manufacturers to sign on to this program.)

Aside from needing quality cables, consumers often need firmware updates to get HDMI to work.  I’ve seen such an update work for a Time Warner cable box.  That customer was lucky Time Warner had an update available.  Just this week I saw a homeowner pay out an additional $580 for a component video and analog audio solution because the necessary firmware update, to get HDMI to work between his Fios box and his TV, isn’t yet available.  The customer is out $580 while the installer spent 8 hours of unpaid labor trying an HDMI amplifier, failed firmware updates, the suggestions of three tech support departments, and various other solutions since repressed by his tormented mind.

But wait—it gets better.  Indications are that component video outputs—which reliably give high-definition (i.e. 1080i) resolution—are being phased out.  This means you may not see them anymore on DVD players or cable boxes or satellite boxes or on A/V receivers.  Furthermore, even if they are present on future products, they will not output HD signals!  And, if you do install HDMI cable and if it does work now, it’s likely still not the kind of HDMI cable that you need to pass full resolution 3D video—OK, you may not care—or that you need to carry the Internet.  I know of only one vendor of such cable.  For those of you pre-wiring your walls, one solution to all this mess is to make sure your a/v designer specs high quality data cable to handle your high resolution audio and video needs, as well as your networking needs.

Share on Facebook

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in 3D, Audio Formats, Displays, HDMI, Low voltage pre-wire, Surround Sound | No Comments »

Is 3D Video What Surround Sound Has Been Waiting For?

Friday, June 11th, 2010

Seeing Avatar in 3D in Imax—film not digital, I didn’t want to chance it—was a singular event in my visual entertainment experience.  Seated about 25 feet from a 72.6ft x 52.8ft screen, the experience was akin to being in the scenes myself.  More accurately, it was good enough for the willing suspension of disbelief.  No other 3D I’ve seen is close to being that good.  The technology got out of the way so that the illusion was maintained.  No projectiles were flying at me, for one thing.  This was not gimmicky 3D.  And no aspect of what I was seeing, 3D wise, didn’t seem true.  Minor distortion on fast moving objects was the only visual cue that fell short—and I was looking hard for something to fault.  I did feel dizzy for about 2 minutes when I first donned the 3D glasses, and the image went dark for about a second when I first put the glasses on.

So unobtrusive seemed the 3D that I thought I could easily slip into the same presentation for any drama or documentary.  That is, this wasn’t 3D solely for movement and action– this was better than that.  This was simply a better way to get into a story, because I felt like I was at the story.  I want more of it.

About 3 weeks ago I saw a Mitsubishi DLP display a 3D video game.  It was a good 3D effect, but nothing like the theatrical experience that I had.  The screen needs to be a lot bigger, is what I thought—it was about 65”.  Some days later I saw a 3D demo disc playing on a 65” Panasonic plasma.  Impressive though it was when compared to 2D TV, it was artificial in pretty much the same way as a stereoscope (e.g. the View-Master toy).   I’m not saying I wouldn’t want to watch programming that way, but it was way behind Avatar in Imax 3D.

How far out into the future are we talking about, to get the Avatar experience in the home?  I’ve not seen any other theatrically projected 3D, but by all accounts Avatar is uniquely good.  I think I’d feel better for the prospects of the Avatar experience in our homes if Avatar wasn’t so alone in its quality.  Home projector manufacturers are also disturbingly short on information about when they’ll be selling 3D machines.

Are there some steps in the right direction?  Sure.  Widescreen Review magazine reports that Hollywood already released 16 major 3D titles in 2009.   A search of 3D movies at Blu-ray.com turns up about 19 3D titles, representing a mix of discs available now or available for pre-order or scheduled for release sometime this year.  DirecTV just updated their customers’ receivers—automatically—to receive HD.  DirecTV says they will be showing 25 World Cup games in 3D.  They say that this month will see the launch of 4 3D channels.  Comcast says they’ll be showing up to 25 World Cup games in 3D via ESPN3D—presumably the same games and network as DirecTV is offering.  And, 3D flat panel TVs and Blu-ray players are for sale now, and at prices lower than when flat panel and Blu-ray debuted.

Wouldn’t that be something if video reproduction got as realistic as audio reproduction?  Am I the only one who thinks the juxtaposition of surround sound with a 2D screen is so incongruous that it’s distracting?

I know—them’s fightin’ words!

Share on Facebook

Tags: , , ,
Posted in 3D, Audio Formats, Displays, Stereo | No Comments »

Beatles Remastered Vinyl On Its Way

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

Beatles remastered vinyl is on its way!  (http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2009/11/beatles_vinyl_remasters_on_the.html)  Consider that the Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs (MFSL) vinyl pressing of Magical Mystery Tour trumps the remastered mono CD of 2009.  I compared them today.  Speak with your hands cupped around your mouth–like you’re trying to beam your voice–and that’s the sound of the new mono CD.  Speak without your hands at your mouth–that’s the sound of the record.  Maybe with the new vinyl pressings we can get sound at least as good as the MFSL vinyl pressings, but the mono versions.  That would be something.  I wonder if it’s even possible, given how the master tapes have aged.  The MFSL pressings were done in the 80′s, when the tapes were 20 plus years younger.

For more on the Beatles remasters go to http://www.dhaudioandhometheater.com/blog/category/music-review/

Share on Facebook

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Audio Formats, Mono, Music Review, Stereo | No Comments »