[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: switching vs. linear - on a scope
Wayne is a great guy from my experience. He's passionate about audio and loves his Squeezebox. I am never going to argue with anyone about what they can or can't hear. I've never heard a stereo system that could reproduce the sound of, for example, a tuning fork two inches from my ear. It is 100% obvious to me that we're not there yet, As such I am quite open minded about any improvements that can get us closer to perfect sound reproduction. However, if you want to step from the realm of "I can hear it" to "I can measure it" then we will fire back with specific demands for scientific rigor. We're all on the same team here - we want better sound. -- seanadams ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: switching vs. linear - on a scope
Davey Wrote: > Well, you could have fooled me. :) > > Am I the only one that thinks it's pretty slimy for Wayne to pop into > Sean's forum and tout his "upgrades?" > > Sean, maybe you and Wayne have talked privately about this and have an > understandingif not I admire your restraint. Or maybe I'm just > hyper-sensitive to this kind of thing? > > Cheers, > > Davey.I agree. His unsolicited infomercials are growing old. -- mac ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: switching vs. linear - on a scope
Wayne1 Wrote: > Max, > > I am in NO WAY dissing the SB2. > > Well, you could have fooled me. :) Am I the only one that thinks it's pretty slimy for Wayne to pop into Sean's forum and tout his "upgrades?" Sean, maybe you and Wayne have talked privately about this and have an understandingif not I admire your restraint. Or maybe I'm just hyper-sensitive to this kind of thing? Cheers, Davey. -- Davey ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Is there a difference in the digital signal?
JJZolx Wrote: > Theoretically, is there a difference in the s/pdif out between when the > server setting is fixed volume and when it's variable, but set at the > maximum level? > > I use the Squeezebox2 with an external DAC and often listen to the > system from my home office, which is in a partly-enclosed alcove off of > my living room. For background listening like this, it's convenient to > be able to control the volume, but for serious listening I fix the > volume. I find that it's not very convenient to switch between the two > settings. I'll admit, though, I haven't really noticed a sonic > difference. It's the same data (you can verify correct passthrough using a DTS track). In fact it bypasses the multiply function altogether when gain is unity in either case. -- seanadams ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Removeable wireless hardware on SB2?
Thank you! I removed the card - that was easy (as long as you have a t10 driver). Mini-PCI - hmmm...a standard PCI bus...my dreams of SB2 hardware hacks are dashed when a google shows only wireless cards for Mini-PCI...no video cards, co-processors, serial ports, scsi, usb ports, A/D + D/A samplers - nada. bummer. -- usualsuspects ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Removeable wireless hardware on SB2?
1) Can I easily remove the wireless card, and still have a working SB2? Yes 2) Will it void my warranty? If you use a hacksaw, possibly. 3) Might it improve the SB2 sonically to not have the wireless hardware in it? I'd estimate not. The wireless card is inactive unless you choose it in setup (keep in mind these are used in laptops, ie low power requirements). 4) Hopefully the removal of the wireless is reversible, and I can put it back the way it was if I need wireless in the future. Yep. HOWEVER: you can't buy a SB2 wired and make it wireless just by adding the card, because it won't wave the requisite mini-pci slot and antenna hardware. -- seanadams ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Removeable wireless hardware on SB2?
I bought a wireless SB2 because I was not sure if I could get a network wire to where my squeezebox lives, but I was able to hardwire it. I seem to recall that the wireless part of the SB2 was a "card". I have no use for wireless right now, so: 1) Can I easily remove the wireless card, and still have a working SB2? 2) Will it void my warranty? 3) Might it improve the SB2 sonically to not have the wireless hardware in it? 4) Hopefully the removal of the wireless is reversible, and I can put it back the way it was if I need wireless in the future. I have the stock power supply, but I am considering getting a linear PS. Dont know if that has any bearing on the wireless aspect, but thought I would mention that. I currently use the analog outs directly to my power amp, but might use the digital out to a DAC in the future. -- usualsuspects ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Is there a difference in the digital signal?
Theoretically, is there a difference in the s/pdif out between when the server setting is fixed volume and when it's variable, but set at the maximum level? I use the Squeezebox2 with an external DAC and often listen to the system from my home office, which is in a partly-enclosed alcove off of my living room. For background listening like this, it's convenient to be able to control the volume, but for serious listening I fix the volume. I find that it's not very convenient to switch between the two settings. I'll admit, though, I haven't really noticed a sonic difference. -- JJZolx Jim ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Buying advice - Amp & Ceiling Speakers for SB
If you fancy a Tripath amp and are not averse to a bit of soldering (Surface Mount) have a look at the amps on www.41Hz.com. I've built an AMP 3 - cost for the kit 25 euros plus shipping. To this you need to add a case and some basic mounting H/W and a PSU. Using a cheap CB radio PSU from Maplin I found the quality of this amp was at least the equal of a Linn Intek (yeah old I know now), and suspect that with a good PSU it'll get even better. Chris -- lostboy ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: switching vs. linear - on a scope
Rupert, We had a few folks stop by for the listening session. There were some fairly obvious differences between the stock power supply and the one I build. There were also audible differences between the stock and modded SB2 using digital out to a modded Panny SA-XR70. I felt the best sound was from the analog outs from a modded SB2 direct to the amps. There are some comments about the session on Audio Circle. There is also a post on Audio Asylum PC- Audio section that I find rewarding. The person was thinking of selling his SB2 because he felt the sound was "too digital" http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=pcaudio&n=6743&highlight=SB2&r=&session= He bought one of the power supplies I make and then posted this: http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/pcaudio/messages/7098.html -- Wayne1 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: DTS file for tests ?
smst Wrote: > My understanding is that, ordinarily when playing a WAV on the SB2, the > PCM data is taken from inside the WAV and then encoded into a specially > formatted stream to be spat out over the S/PDIF interface. If I was to > do that encoding work on the server, wouldn't I need to tell the SB2 > that the data is ready for spitting out? Ah, I think I understand this better now. There are two formats, IEC60958 and IEC61937. The latter could be considered to be at the same level as PCM data (the sort of thing embedded in a WAV file), I think; either IEC61937 or "normal audio" (according to what I've been reading) can be sent over IEC60958. So when I asked about the SB2 encoding data for S/PDIF transmission, I think I was talking about encapsulation in an IEC60958 stream, which is a valid thing to do for WAV audio data or IEC61937 data. I was worried that encapsulation would occur twice, but now I think that's not the case. Does that sound right? -- smst ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: DTS file for tests ?
seanadams Wrote: > I'm not really sure of all the details beyond here. A starting point > would be to get the IEC spec (sorry I forget the number) which is about > 60 CHF. Then figure out the source bit-rate, see what a DVD player is > transmitting (maybe record it with an s/pdif input sound card) and go > from there. I expect it could be done in less that 100 lines of code > (perl, C, whatever) as a standalone app taking DTS in and outputting > WAV. Easy to hook in via convert.conf. Okay, thanks. One more thing though -- if the S/PDIF-ready data is wrapped in a WAV, won't it get formatted -again- for S/PDIF output when the SB2 plays it? My understanding is that, ordinarily when playing a WAV on the SB2, the PCM data is taken from inside the WAV and then encoded into a specially formatted stream to be spat out over the S/PDIF interface. If I was to do that encoding work on the server, wouldn't I need to tell the SB2 that the data is ready for spitting out? Anyway, I'll look into all this when I can next find a spare few hours. Thanks again. -- smst ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: DTS file for tests ?
smst Wrote: > > > I'll look into this some more later. If you could point me in the > right direction, server config-wise, to streaming the padded file, I'd > appreciate it. I'm not really sure of all the details beyond here. A starting point would be to get the IEC spec (sorry I forget the number) which is about 60 CHF. Then figure out the source bit-rate, see what a DVD player is transmitting (maybe record it with an s/pdif input sound card) and go from there. I expect it could be done in less that 100 lines of code (perl, C, whatever) as a standalone app taking DTS in and outputting WAV. Easy to hook in via convert.conf. -- seanadams ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: DTS file for tests ?
Swedish Radio (SR) have done some tests with multichannel audio and there are test files that can be download from http://www.sr.se/multikanal/index.stm Even if you don't understand Swedish you should be able to download a couple of files for testing purposes. -- Peterb ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: DTS file for tests ?
seanadams Wrote: > It's an extension of the s/pdif spec. Basically it allows any kind on > non-PCM data (including mp3, for example) to be sent over s/pdif by > sending the compressed bitstream as bursts with some headers and zeroes > in between to delimit them. In order to do this encoding, SB2 would need > to do some parsing of the stream in order to determine the average > bit-rate to be transmitted. I can't say this would be a high-priority > project or that we'd be able to implement this in the near term. > However it could be done on the server with a transcoding plugin if > somebody wanted to write it. Thanks for your reply Sean -- I appreciate you taking the time to explain this. And I do understand that firmware changes such as this are not necessarily going to be useful to the majority of users, so other items may take priority. I'm willing to help if I can, but before I try delving into the server code (I've not really used Perl in earnest so I'd be learning a language and a problem domain at the same time) I'd like to try some experiments. If I could transform my DTS file into a binary data file suitable for sending over an S/PDIF link, can I then configure the server (through the 'types' or 'convert' config files?) to pass that test file through? Does that also need some plugin assistance? I presume from what you've said that if this was done in a plugin, there would be no firmware changes needed. I don't have an S/PDIF connection from my PC to a receiver, but I bet I could convince some software player to generate an S/PDIF stream and write it to a file. After that (or instead of that), I reckon I could dig around for a spec to perform the process myself. I see that projects such as 'ac3iec958' (http://www.theiling.de/downloads/idx.cgi/ac3iec958*?lang=en) exist to do something similar for AC3. I would naively have thought that the process for DTS would be the same, again remembering that a DVD player doesn't need to know how to parse a DTS stream... but perhaps DTS/DD streams have a similar format (so a DTS stream's bitrate can still be parsed by AC3-aware hardware), or perhaps a DVD player can just make assumptions about the stream (this is more likely true, as a DVD-Video DTS stream can only have a particular bitrate and frequency, I think). So my first naive converter could start with similar assumptions to a DVD player (sort of) and convert the bitstream without looking into it. A more advanced converter would pull the bitrate from the header instead (not too tricky -- it's just a few bits near the start which index into a table). I'll look into this some more later. If you could point me in the right direction, server config-wise, to streaming the padded file, I'd appreciate it. Thanks again, Steve -- smst ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Buying advice - Amp & Ceiling Speakers for SB
Look nice (on sinewaves anyway!) - note that a previous one went for £140 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=22509&item=7534016937 -- Patrick Dixon www.at-view.co.uk ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Buying advice - Amp & Ceiling Speakers for SB
Jimmerz said the following on 11/10/2005 11:01: There's a couple on there, what a shame this guy only delivers to Germany: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7552202287 What makes you think that? The auction says: Item location: Hannover, Germany Post to:Europe And later on he says... International Bidders: please ask before you bid for the shipping costs or if you got any other questions. R. -- http://robinbowes.com If a man speaks in a forest, and his wife's not there, is he still wrong? ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Buying advice - Amp & Ceiling Speakers for SB
There's a couple on there, what a shame this guy only delivers to Germany: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7552202287 -- Jimmerz ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Buying advice - Amp & Ceiling Speakers for SB
Search Ebay for "Sonic Impact". There's a European seller sellng them with a "Buy it now" price of about £20 (plus £15 postage). But I haven't bought one off him, so I don't know how trustworthy he is?? Chris -- cbemoore ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Re: Buying advice - Amp & Ceiling Speakers for SB
IIRC you also need a PSU - which pushes the final cost up a bit more. -- Patrick Dixon www.at-view.co.uk ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
