I hate doing this. I'm afraid of the reactions. Be nice to me ;-) After being able to discern FLAC and MP3 @ 320kbps I digged a bit more into my assumed securities. Despite proven bit-perfectness, different digital sources indeed sound different. I have done some extended blind listening during the past few days.
I don't understand why, but even software players and streaming methods sound different. ASIO, WASAPI, Kernel Streaming with USB or HDMI: everything is different. In my setup, Squeezelite with Kernel Streaming over HDMI out of my Windows 8 laptop into my NAD M51 sounds the best. The difference between this setup and a plain Touch-SPDIF connection is not subtle at all, a LOT bigger than FLAC vs. MP3. Honestly I wasn't too much into this audiophile thing. I was quite happy with my average but decent CD transport until I bought my first Squeezebox a couple of years ago. Because of intelligent and helpful people in this forum, I didn't question the sound quality of a Squeezebox. Everyone kept telling and explaining everybody that a Touch is true audiophile gear, which is not possible to be inferior than any big-bucks voodoo digital source. Shortly after I stored all my CD's in the basement, I started being unsatisfied with my listening experiences. The consequence was an upgrade of my music chain: pre-amp, power-amp, speakers, cables. I spent a lot of money and didn't spend a minute to question the Touch as a source of my problems. Anyway, I'm glad there is Squeezelite now. I love the LMS architecture, iPeng and all the plugins. I can use my Radio for the bedroom, the touch for the living room and Squeezelite for the real thing. Unlike others, my experience with serious blind testing was not humbling, quite the opposite. I strongly encourage everyone to do tests like this for themselves. Don't trust anyone but yourself. Be it audiophools or radical rationalists. I didn't say 'trust your ears', that certainly is not enough. But trust your own empirical observations, which have to include some kind of objectivisation. cheers Quad ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quad's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=20234 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=98374 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
