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JJZolx;364915 Wrote: > The "spotty" thing may be impossible to diagnose remotely, but I think > it's fair to say that everybody has recordings that just sound like > crap on their system, no matter what they do. Could be the original > recording, the transfer from old tapes, the CD mastering, or any of a > dozen other things making for a bad sounding recording. > > You have a lot of options at the point where you find yourself. I > don't I'd be completely out of line saying that you should consider > starting all over. > > First, if you want optimal sound, I'd give some thought to the file > format that you use to encode your ripped CDs. If you're using lossy > AAC or MP3, then you're at a disadvantage right from the get go. You > may or may notice a difference by ripping to a lossless format like > Flac or ALAC, but at least you could eliminate one source for sound > degradation. > > Next is the source. An iPod can sound Ok, but seldom as good as a fine > CD player or a player such as a Squeezebox or Transporter. I'd say > you're at a point where even thinking about the Transporter should be > out of the question. Get a Duet or Squeezebox Classic first. See how > you like it. Upgrading either one can take the form of either adding a > nice sound external DAC or upgrading to the Transporter. > > Then there's amplification and speakers. If you like the Z5500, great, > but I'm sure you could improve upon the sound with better amplification > and speakers. I would be very surprised if a Transporter would sound > much different than a Duet through that system, particularly playing > lossy files. Thanks JJ. Your post just amplifies the others. I am using MPEG-4 format, so that is probably alright. As I said to the other guys, thanks for just telling me that IPOD as a source is probably not that good. It is nice to just hear it, since nobody at an audio store will say it. You say get the Duet first, which is now the consensus. That is what I am doing. If it works, though, maybe somebody can tell me what other bells and whistles exist in the Transporter. The thing looks great, and maybe it will even make a greater difference. I agree I can improve on the sound of the Z5500 -- that is obvious from the specs -- but yet it sounds good coming from the Phillips TV source? However, it makes no logical sense that I could clean up a Z5500 with an expensive Transporter. But, I'm crazy enough to do the test for you. Just walk me through it. I'm starting with the Duet (will arrive Tuesday) and will report back. If the Duet makes a difference in my own ears, then I'm ready to do the test with the Transporter. I read somewhere that -- with digital -- there IS NO distortion so the amplifier specs don't really matter that much if the DAC and file formats are right. So, it appears we are about to find out what is more important: DAC/file formats . . . or amplification methods . . . or both. Thanks a lot for your answers. The consensus it creates makes me know I'm on the right track. -- Mitchell J. Stein ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mitchell J. Stein's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=21520 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=55712 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/discuss
