Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

[Oggy]

Re: Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

If you had a CD player connected and you were to play CDs and not the JRiver at you preferred (loud) listening level and you still blow the speakers, then it is likely that the level is way too loud.

If you are able to play CDs and you don't blow the speakers, then it is likely you have a problem with the JRiver/Soundcard setup...

Agree on this, even borrowing a budget CD player, either straight into an analogue input, or digital out, into the Rotel, DAC, you are bypassing a potential degradation in sound.

Certainly have no issue, playing AIFF files, in preference to CD, but, you do really need to improve the signal, into the pre-amp.

mville's suggestion, will cost under a fiver to try, you will get a sonic improvement, and may reduce the tendancy, to blow, drive units.

[MadFish]

Re: Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

Jriver is/was the only source I was using when the speakers blew. I have hooked up my record player two weeks ago. It is hooked directly to the Rotel pre-amp. I really notice a cleaner sound. Currently I am at 75 hours towards 100 hours of break-in per Bowers and Wilkens tech support recommendation. Jriver has total control of the soundcard. Jriver audio device options: 1.Default audio device (direct sound) 2. Asio4all (Asio) 3. Creative SBZ Series (Asio) 4. Rotel audio Asio driver (Asio) 5. Sound Blaster ZxR (WASAP), Number 5 is selected. Other options Kernel streaming, sound blaster ZxR (direct sound), and Null output. Jriver Audio-selected:open divice for exclusive access and maximize divice volume during playback. Seriously considering the Rotel or price equivalent DAC.

[mville]

Re: Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

Jriver is/was the only source I was using when the speakers blew. I have hooked up my record player two weeks ago. It is hooked directly to the Rotel pre-amp. I really notice a cleaner sound.

You may well hear better sound if you have a very high-end turntable, but I still suspect an issue with the JRiver and soundcard setup.

I am not a JRiver user, so right now, I think you would be wise to post on the JRiver forums and get some feedback on the optimum setup for your soundcard and JRiver.

Seriously considering the Rotel or price equivalent DAC.

Before you spend any cash, I would try connecting the soundcard optical digital outputs to the Rotel RC-1590 optical digital inputs.

[Oggy]

Re: Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

Jriver is/was the only source I was using when the speakers blew. I have hooked up my record player two weeks ago. It is hooked directly to the Rotel pre-amp. I really notice a cleaner sound. Currently I am at 75 hours towards 100 hours of break-in per Bowers and Wilkens tech support recommendation. Jriver has total control of the soundcard. Jriver audio device options: 1.Default audio device (direct sound) 2. Asio4all (Asio) 3. Creative SBZ Series (Asio) 4. Rotel audio Asio driver (Asio) 5. Sound Blaster ZxR (WASAP), Number 5 is selected. Other options Kernel streaming, sound blaster ZxR (direct sound), and Null output. Jriver Audio-selected:open divice for exclusive access and maximize divice volume during playback. Seriously considering the Rotel or price equivalent DAC.

Hi MadFish,

I am a big vinyl fan, but to "really notice a cleaner sound", over a lossless CD rip, something is substandard, somewhere in the digital playback chain, and it's not the AIFF rips.

Your Rotel preamp, has a good quality AKM DAC, built in, so you could connect your Soundblaster card via the Toslink, optical output. You may well already have a Toslink, optical cable, but they are not expensive.

[Oggy]

Re: Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

You may well hear better sound if you have a very high-end turntable, but I still suspect an issue with the JRiver and soundcard setup.

I am not a JRiver user, so right now, I think you would be wise to post on the JRiver forums and get some feedback on the optimum setup for your soundcard and JRiver.



Before you spend any cash, I would try connecting the soundcard optical digital outputs to the Rotel RC-1590 optical digital inputs.

Just seen your post, mville, couldn't agree more.

[MadFish]

Re: Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

I really want to thank everybody for their input. I am going to install the optical cable to the sound blaster sound card. I posted on the forum for Jriver and hopefully get some ideas. Hope to talk to yall by the end of the week.

Thanks again.
MadFish

[MadFish]

Re: Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

This is the information I received today for Rotel tech.
Thank you for your email regarding the CM10&*8217;s and RB/RC 1590.
Based on the description of your setup it may be possible that if you have the volume on the computer (SB ZxR) turned up beyond the input sensitivity of the RC-1590 it could be enough to cause audio clipping at higher volumes which could be damaging the CM10 drivers.
In your current setup the RC1590 would not be doing the digital to analog conversion (DAC) &*8211; the SB ZxR would.
If you change the setup so you are outputting a digital optical signal from the SB ZxR to the RC-1590 it will ensure that the RC-1590 performs the digital-to-analog conversion and should ensure there is no clipping.. as long as the source material is not clipping or over-EQ&*8217;d.

Last night I added a optical output to the soundcard. Tonight hook up the optical cable.

[mville]

Re: Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

This is the information I received today for Rotel tech.
Thank you for your email regarding the CM10's and RB/RC 1590.
Based on the description of your setup it may be possible that if you have the volume on the computer (SB ZxR) turned up beyond the input sensitivity of the RC-1590 it could be enough to cause audio clipping at higher volumes which could be damaging the CM10 drivers.
In your current setup the RC1590 would not be doing the digital to analog conversion (DAC) - the SB ZxR would.
If you change the setup so you are outputting a digital optical signal from the to the RC-1590 it will ensure that the RC-1590 performs the digital-to-analog conversion and should ensure there is no clipping.. as long as the source material is not clipping or over-EQ'd.

Last night I added a optical output to the soundcard. Tonight hook up the optical cable.

This is pretty much what Oggy and I suspected. Good luck with the optical digital output setup.

... out of interest, can you explain:
I added a optical output to the soundcard

Does the SB ZxR optical output appear as a separate playback device in Control Panel >> Sound >> Playback tab and how have you configured the properties Advanced tab options?

[MadFish]

Re: Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

http://asia.creative.com/p/sound-car...nd-blaster-zxr, will explain the sound card setup instead of me trying to explain a field I am limited in. A mini mother board was installed through my ex-mentor so I added a larger one with more options and opportunities.

I have not looked yet to see if the device shows up

[MadFish]

Re: Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

http://asia.creative.com/p/sound-car...nd-blaster-zxr, will explain the sound card setup instead of me trying to explain a field I am limited in. A mini mother board was installed through my ex-mentor so I added a larger one with more options and opportunities.

I have not looked yet to see if the device shows up

[MadFish]

Re: Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

http://asia.creative.com/p/sound-car...nd-blaster-zxr, will explain the sound card setup instead of me trying to explain a field I am limited in. A mini mother board was installed through my ex-mentor so I added a larger one with more options and opportunities.

I have not looked yet to see if the device shows up

[MadFish]

Re: Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

http://asia.creative.com/p/sound-car...nd-blaster-zxr, will explain the sound card setup instead of me trying to explain a field I am limited in. A mini mother board was installed through my ex-mentor so I added a larger one with more options and opportunities.

I have not looked yet to see if the device shows up

[Oggy]

Re: Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

This is the information I received today for Rotel tech.
Thank you for your email regarding the CM10&*8217;s and RB/RC 1590.
Based on the description of your setup it may be possible that if you have the volume on the computer (SB ZxR) turned up beyond the input sensitivity of the RC-1590 it could be enough to cause audio clipping at higher volumes which could be damaging the CM10 drivers.
In your current setup the RC1590 would not be doing the digital to analog conversion (DAC) &*8211; the SB ZxR would.
If you change the setup so you are outputting a digital optical signal from the SB ZxR to the RC-1590 it will ensure that the RC-1590 performs the digital-to-analog conversion and should ensure there is no clipping.. as long as the source material is not clipping or over-EQ&*8217;d.

Last night I added a optical output to the soundcard. Tonight hook up the optical cable.

Yes, that was mville's and my fears.

The good news, is that hopefully, you get an almost free, but big, sonic upgrade, with no blown drive units.

Win / win!

[MadFish]

Re: Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

Update, Success, everything is sounding great. The optical sound card shows up as "ZxR DBpro". Now to check my music library to make sure it is all AIFF. When I ran perfect tunes it pulled up several MP3 files.

Thanks for everyone's input, very much appreciated. Great forum. Jriver not so much.

[Oggy]

Re: Ripping/Quality of music HEEEELP

Update, Success, everything is sounding great. The optical sound card shows up as "ZxR DBpro". Now to check my music library to make sure it is all AIFF. When I ran perfect tunes it pulled up several MP3 files.

Thanks for everyone's input, very much appreciated. Great forum. Jriver not so much.

Hi MadFish,

Are your AIFF files, now more in line with the sound of your vinyl?

Hope you got a nice little, sonic upgrade.

Regards,

Oggy