Pic: Your desk...RIGHT NOW

crinkleshoes · 18 Jun 2012 at 21:20

YarwoodUK said:
How was this done?

Take a photo -> Photoshop -> Filter menu ->

And it's one of the "artisitic" / "brush strokes" filters

NXZT · 18 Jun 2012 at 22:05

Thorper said:
Looks like the window has a blind, I reckon he just opened it for the picture

of course...on a sunny day I would get fried there :cool:

without proper blinds

slylittlefox · 18 Jun 2012 at 23:04

bobo696 · 18 Jun 2012 at 23:09

Just bought a new desk !

A little bit disappointed though because the keyboard shelf is too narrow, not a lot of space for gaming with the mouse

InKursion · 18 Jun 2012 at 23:10

crinkleshoes said:
And here's mine, yes - I'm a messy bugger

Can't wait for my new speakers and DAC to show up...

Don't you think it's a bit of a gimmick having analogue tube-amp driven sound when it's (presumably) running digital audio files? Get a turntable and it makes sense. Harsh digitally encoded mp3's and FLAC have terrible frequency flattening.

mrk · 18 Jun 2012 at 23:14

Why would that matter? You don't know what soundcard he has, could well be using a decent DAC too. The amp will output to the speakers a nicer sound from the music regardless of source format.

Plus, FLAC (lossless) or at the very least, 320Kbps/LAME is just fine.

The issue here really is the odd speaker placement, you're not going to get the best sound by having the speakers aimed at nothing

This one is for Devrij, I finally found proper use for one of your SS gifts

Azza · 18 Jun 2012 at 23:14

bobo696 said:
Just bought a new desk !

A little bit disappointed though because the keyboard shelf is too narrow, not a lot of space for gaming with the mouse

Got water?

slylittlefox · 18 Jun 2012 at 23:34

InKursion said:
Don't you think it's a bit of a gimmick having analogue tube-amp driven sound when it's (presumably) running digital audio files? Get a turntable and it makes sense. Harsh digitally encoded mp3's and FLAC have terrible frequency flattening.

What mrk said in the main, plus you can get remastered FLAC files quite commonly too (i.e. the same as the Vinyl mastering)

crinkleshoes · 18 Jun 2012 at 23:37

InKursion said:
Don't you think it's a bit of a gimmick having analogue tube-amp driven sound when it's (presumably) running digital audio files? Get a turntable and it makes sense. Harsh digitally encoded mp3's and FLAC have terrible frequency flattening.

Turntable's in the other room at the minute

I can't stand MP3s anymore, that's for sure - the truncating of the highs and lows is really grating on me.

I'm surprised to hear you say that about FLAC though - I thought it was pretty decent & the only difference vs SACD player I can hear, I can put down to the relatively low quality sound card currently in my system (Asus Xonar D2X).

Might hear more of a difference when the Kef Q900s arrive though. I never thought I would hear a sound this good out of the CA S30s - but it's still not good enough

InKursion · 18 Jun 2012 at 23:39

slylittlefox said:
What mrk said in the main, plus you can get remastered FLAC files quite commonly too (i.e. the same as the Vinyl mastering)

FLAC still makes high-end sound overly crisp and unavoidably digitized, even if it is ripped from a 'vinyl mastering'; it's the digital format as much as anything else. If you want the best digital format for quality dynamic ranges in the waveform, go for .wav. Still won't be that good, though. And still senseless having an 'analogue' soundcard in my opinion if you are playing a digital source-file.

Also I fail to understand mrk's point about having a quality DAC. 24-bit/96000hz is pretty much the standard for any decent mid-range sound-card and it doesn't make that much of a difference if you're still playing **** you downloaded from torrents.

@crinkle the problem isn't so much FLAC, it's the digital file format and the way tracks are mastered for it. Waveforms are just chunked out to huge rectangle blocks, lows and highs are edged off and muddied. Digital music is just one big compromise, really; it's rarely done right. The tendency nowadays is for digital tracks to be louder and louder and with no real dynamic range, which is why being particular about analogue gear can sometimes by a fruitless task. Seeing it plugged in a PC anyway is painful

crinkleshoes · 18 Jun 2012 at 23:48

mrk said:
Why would that matter? You don't know what soundcard he has, could well be using a decent DAC too. The amp will output to the speakers a nicer sound from the music regardless of source format.

Plus, FLAC (lossless) or at the very least, 320Kbps/LAME is just fine.

The issue here really is the odd speaker placement, you're not going to get the best sound by having the speakers aimed at nothing

Currently using just an Asus Xonar D2X.

Arcam rDAC is on the same order as the new Kefs - which are floorstanders, so easier placement for me. The reason for the S30 placement is as simple as cabling - just have some crappy short stuff that came with the package of amp and speakers from richer sounds + I had to bodge it (see tape above right monitor - lol). Proper stuff coming with speakers.

Going from a cheapy solid state amp to this valve thang was a gigantic improvement - even only on onboard audio! I swapped in the D2X - another nice big jump. I expect another notable improvement with the Arcam

I swear I can still hear flattening with 320 MP3s - I just can't stand that codec anymore with this setup!

FLAC however, I can barely detect a difference between source. I reckon the small difference I can hear is just the relatively crummy DAC, which will soon be gone.

From the reviews I've been reading - the rDAC competes with and exceeds some cracking standalone SACD players with the right source files.

I still prefer the warmth of vinyl - but the media is a PITA when you just want to set some stuff playing. Winamp is bad enough (I like itunes, believe it or not)... but it's better than unwrapping a sleeve every time I want a change

High quality PC-based audio is an interesting pursuit and one that's still evolving.

I love how it removes the high-end harshness, just seems to add more mid-range and I've never known such tiny speakers to carry the lows so well! Really surprisingly good sound from a pair of cheap bookshelfs! Can't wait to see what the Q900s are going to do

crinkleshoes · 18 Jun 2012 at 23:52

slylittlefox said:
What mrk said in the main, plus you can get remastered FLAC files quite commonly too (i.e. the same as the Vinyl mastering)

I've ummm... "discovered"... a few of those too

They don't sound the same as true vinyl to my ears - but could well be the soundcard I'm using.

InKursion · 18 Jun 2012 at 23:54

I'm a total vinyl purist. PC sound - audio qualms notwithstanding - is just such a soul-less exercise. The way you acquire it, the way you 'play' it, the way you engage and listen (or rather don't listen) to it... it just relegates music to background sound for other primary tasks (e.g. browsing, gaming, reading, etc). It removes the primacy and actuality of music. Vinyl for the win

Have my 1210M3D on the desk right next to my computer monitor, for easy changes, haha.

Digressing now anyway, back on topic...

mrk · 18 Jun 2012 at 23:57

Seeing it plugged in a PC anyway is painful

Maybe this applies to some

But for most it's perfectly fine and quite enjoyable too once set up right. I know my setup doesn't have any harshness but I spent the good part of a year trying different floorstanders, upgrading sound cards and then trying different stereo amps before going back to the NAD C325 Bee.

Music is subjective though, and I like the the sound NAD amps give off but they're quite picky with speakers and at present I'm really liking them paired with the Tannoy V4. Combined with the Essence STX and upgraded Opamps, I experience a nice warm sound with plenty of detail across the range and absolutely no harshness!

Of course, I'm no die hard when it comes to audiophile business, I just like to enjoy crisp, natural sounds when playing music and watching movies

crinkleshoes · 19 Jun 2012 at 00:06

InKursion said:
FLAC still makes high-end sound overly crisp and unavoidably digitized, even if it is ripped from a 'vinyl mastering'; it's the digital format as much as anything else. If you want the best digital format for quality dynamic ranges in the waveform, go for .wav. Still won't be that good, though. And still senseless having an 'analogue' soundcard in my opinion if you are playing a digital source-file.

Despite the logic, the sound is more pleasing to my ears & still less harsh at the high end than any solid state amp I've heard (from digital sources), I dislike solid state "highs".

Also I fail to understand mrk's point about having a quality DAC. 24-bit/96000hz is pretty much the standard for any decent mid-range sound-card and it doesn't make that much of a difference if you're still playing **** you downloaded from torrents.

From what I've sampled - various DACs make a massive difference!

I won't pretend to know exactly why - but I would guess it's not just the sampling rate - but "how" it samples (although, I could very well be talking out my ass

)

A decent portion of the music I listen to is ripped from my own CDs - I'm also a member of both waffles.fm & what.cd - the two best music trackers I know of - they even offer a screening service to check that the flac files match the source. Pirating has come a long way in a few years, lol!

@crinkle the problem isn't so much FLAC, it's the digital file format and the way tracks are mastered for it. Waveforms are just chunked out to huge rectangle blocks, lows and highs are edged off and muddied. Digital music is just one big compromise, really; it's rarely done right. The tendency nowadays is for digital tracks to be louder and louder and with no real dynamic range, which is why being particular about analogue gear can sometimes by a fruitless task. Seeing it plugged in a PC anyway is painful

Fair point - but then you also need to consider the type of music that someone listens to.

I spend most of my time listening to electronic - currently blaring out Tiesto: In Search of Sunrise 6 - so digital source -> digital master -> digital codec -> analogue output

It's the output that's the mis-match in this system - yet it still sounds better than any solid state amp i've heard

Nexus18 · 19 Jun 2012 at 00:09

mrk said:

Your GS 3 almost matches the colour of your wallpaper there!

InKursion · 19 Jun 2012 at 00:11

I am a huge techno-head and love proper avant-garde electronics. Some of my records are just 40 minutes of pure sine-wave bliss. Getting a warm and dynamic sound is very important to me because of that. I'm sure piracy has come a long way (and I still download lots of music from more specialised, small-scale trackers than what/waffles) but the digital listening experience still feels incredibly stale and sterile to me. And you're right, there are so many factors and so many points in the chain that can interfere with sound quality in digital formats. Nothing quite like a quality Shure/Ortofon needle put to a record and played thru as simple a loop as possible

mrk · 19 Jun 2012 at 00:14

Nexus18 said:
Your GS 3 almost matches the colour of your wallpaper there!

It's like a mood ring, it changes colour!

crinkleshoes · 19 Jun 2012 at 00:14

InKursion said:
I'm a total vinyl purist. PC sound - audio qualms notwithstanding - is just such a soul-less exercise. The way you acquire it, the way you 'play' it, the way you engage and listen (or rather don't listen) to it... it just relegates music to background sound for other primary tasks (e.g. browsing, gaming, reading, etc). It removes the primacy and actuality of music. Vinyl for the win Have my 1210M3D on the desk right next to my computer monitor, for easy changes, haha.

Digressing now anyway, back on topic...

I know what you mean... but this is "just" a second system for me, it's for me to listen to while working/gaming/browsing - it is just to be there when I'm doing other things

My primary system includes a roksan radius 5.2 - that's what's sitting in the other room - cracking TT

crinkleshoes · 19 Jun 2012 at 00:20

mrk said:
Maybe this applies to some But for most it's perfectly fine and quite enjoyable too once set up right. I know my setup doesn't have any harshness but I spent the good part of a year trying different floorstanders, upgrading sound cards and then trying different stereo amps before going back to the NAD C325 Bee.

Music is subjective though, and I like the the sound NAD amps give off but they're quite picky with speakers and at present I'm really liking them paired with the Tannoy V4. Combined with the Essence STX and upgraded Opamps, I experience a nice warm sound with plenty of detail across the range and absolutely no harshness!

Of course, I'm no die hard when it comes to audiophile business, I just like to enjoy crisp, natural sounds when playing music and watching movies

Nice - I've struggled to lose the harshness with solid state.

I've found it's usually more of an issue when you like that extra bit of clarity... so my preference towards Kef probably doesn't help.

I've been through Cambridge Audio / Naim / Arcam / Denon / Onkyo and more I can't remember the names of right now... funnily, I was considering a NAD when I purchased this

I too am an audio "pleb", despite enjoying it quite a bit. I know what sounds good to me & chase that sound. This one was a bit of a chance purchase - although the reviews have been rather positive.