How do you listen to your music...

[Pau1]

How do you listen to your music...

Interested to hear how you listen to your music in your home set up. What I mean is how have you connected your equipment and what are your sources for music.

For example:

CD player > DAC > Amp > Speakers

PS3 > Spotify > Amp with DAC > Speakers

MP3 player > Aux Input > Amp > Speakers

Laptop > iTunes > USB > Amp with DAC > Speakers

I generally listen by means of iPad > Airplay > Spotify > Amp > Speakers. I have a modest enough system - Marantz MCR510 and Q Acoustic 2020i speakers so I am looking to upgrade so interested to hear how others do their listening as this will help choose what Amp I should choose with regards connectivity and functionality.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

How do you listen to your music...

Interested to hear how you listen to your music in your home set up. What I mean is how have you connected your equipment and what are your sources for music.

For example:

CD player > DAC > Amp > Speakers

PS3 > Spotify > Amp with DAC > Speakers

MP3 player > Aux Input > Amp > Speakers

Laptop > iTunes > USB > Amp with DAC > Speakers

I generally listen by means of iPad > Airplay > Spotify > Amp > Speakers. I have a modest enough system - Marantz MCR510 and Q Acoustic 2020i speakers so I am looking to upgrade so interested to hear how others do their listening as this will help choose what Amp I should choose with regards connectivity and functionality.

CDs on my home cinema system, and music via IPad and Beats Studio headphones and B&W Zeppelin Air.

 

[SteveR750]

Exactly as my signature. Either CD as FLAC files, or Spotify. I use the latter most.

 

[jjbomber]

Interested to hear how you listen to your music in your home set up. What I mean is how have you connected your equipment and what are your sources for music.

PS3 > Spotify > Amp with DAC > Speakers

Never thought of it before, but I have 3 systems and I use them all listen to Spotify Premium a different way.

1. Spotify Connect on Unitilite>Mission speakers

2. Spotify on Android Box> Naim n-Vi> Kef Reference

3. Spotify on laptop>Turtle Beach Micro II> Naim Uniti> Focal speakers.

The vast majority of my listening is FLAC files on system 3. Secondly I listen via streaming from a WD MyCloud, which is so easy to use.

 

[MrTeroo]

Turntable > Amp > Speakers

Squeezebox > Amp > Speakers

 

[philpot1001]

CD Player >> Amp >> Speakers

 

[MajorFubar]

Computer -> DAC -> amp -> speakers

Not sure how looking at how others listen their music will help you decide how to upgrade your amp.

 

[chris_bates1974]

CD or TT through amp to speakers, or iPod/iPad through 3.5mm/RCA through amp.... Would like a DAC but no cash at present!!!

 

[iMark]

CDs: ripped to Apple Lossless. Streamed. Mac Mini -> Airport Express -> DAC -> receiver -> speakers. iPad is remote control.

SACD/Bluray Audio: Bluray player -> receiver -> speakers

FM radio (cable): receiver -> speakers

Digital radio (cable): TV -> DAC -> receiver -> speakers

Internet radio: iPad -> Airport Express -> DAC -> speakers

Records: Record player -> receiver -> speakers

Minidisc: Minidisc deck -> receiver -> speakers

I have setup different activities on the Logitech remote so switching between different components is easy and we only have one remote. Highly recommended when you have many different components in your setup.

 

[jamesrfisher]

Vinyl - TT -> phono amp -> amp -> speakers

FLAC/Spotify/Radio - Vortexbox -> Squeezebox Touch -> DAC -> amp -> speakers

Youtube/internet - iphone/ipad/imac -> airport express -> DAC -> amp -> speakers

No cd player (in loft) cds all ripped to FLAC on Vortexbox, still buy cds and rip them as like something physical. Vortexbox is backed up to external HDD

 

[Native_bon]

System 1: ripped lossless-> oppo player-> dac-> amp-> speakers.

System2: Ripped lossless-> Computer-> soundcard-> Active speakers.

 

[jimm]

I use my phone's bluetooth aptx to stream Tidal/flac which is sent to my arcam r-blink/Musical fidelity v90 dac, the sound is almost identical to having the v90 connected to my cd player. I have a project debut 3se which i use when the wife is out, vinyl and whiskey is a treat, thinking about getting a pipe/jacket combo for these evenings to go with my new beard.

 

[p_m_brown]

Lossless rips stored on a Synology NAS or Qobuz accessed and controlled by a Sonos Connect played through my Leema dac > amp

or

Turntable > phono amp > amp

 

[GeoffreyW]

sources are:- turntable, cd, occasional radio, or HD Flac downloads from my laptop, all fed through my Uniti, mainly listened through headphones, and speakers to a lesser degree.

TV sound is usually boosted via the amp, too.

 

[Jota180]

CD's ripped to FLAC on a NAS > UQ2 (digital out) > Hegel H160 using it's DAC > ATCSCM 40

It's that or the internet radio instead of ripped CD's.

 

[Leeps]

Mainly Tidal > ipad > Airplay > AVR > speakers, although I would like to cut out the wireless element of this chain at some point. I'm either looking at a Bluesound Node 2 (I particularly like the included decent headphone amp on the second generation model and its fairly generous connectivity options), or possibly I might add a separate 2 channel system altogether through a Bluesound Powernode or now one of the many Naim streamers/Unitis that now bundle Tidal. Although my AVR handles Airplay pretty well in terms of SQ, I'd just like the extra stability a wired connection affords.

I also use Youtube for quite a bit of music videos. There are some fantastic channels out there catering to all music genres. I particularly like Deezer Sessions, Mahogany Sessions, NPR music and some bands' own channels like The Staves, Birdy, Jose Gonzalez et al. I discover new channels along these lines pretty regularly.

When its Youtube, the chain goes: Youtube > Roku 3 > TV > AVR > speakers.

The other source I really like is the new BBC radio app on the ipad. It's beautifully laid out and BBC radio offers some fantastic insightful programmes that are really world class, although that tends to be more documentary rather than music. I did listen to a super documentary once all about the origins of Bossa Nova. Referring to the English translated version of the famous Girl from Ipanema, the Brazilian commentator offered a superbly Latin put-down (comparing it to the Portuguese-language original), "It just doesn't groove" she said. Couldn't argue really.

 

[Pau1]

Very interesting reading, good to understand a lot of different approaches to listening in the home. It's no wonder choosing equipment is so hard!

 

[matthewpiano]

Most of my listening is fully concentrated, sat in the right place, and avoiding distractions. I rarely play single tracks, and mostly listen to full albums and works. Listening to music is, for me, an activity in itself and hardly ever an accompaniment to other activities. CD is by far my main source, followed by vinyl.

I use Spotify to try new releases before buying, but plan to use it more to really test out some material before committing to it fully, hence my recent thread about adding Spotify etc. to my main system. CD and vinyl will continue to be the main focus though.

 

[cse]

CD's chosen via Gramophone magazine and ordered from Amazon. Or BBC Radio3 on FM Tuner. Again, in a dedicated listening room, mostly undistracted apart from trying to read similtaneously. Don't fully understand the purpose or really have the need for streaming/downloads (yet).

 

[steve_1979]

K.I.S.S.

 

[ID.]

Computer>DAC/preamp/headphone amp > active speakers or headphones

iphone > ATV > DAC/preamp > active speakers

 

[SteveR750]

CD's ripped to FLAC on a NAS > UQ2 (digital out) > Hegel H160 using it's DAC > ATCSCM 40

It's that or the internet radio instead of ripped CD's.

Off topic sorry but are these the curved SCM40s? What do you think of the pairing?

 

[Andrewjvt]

Flac - amp - speakers - ears

 

[Leeps]

CD's chosen via Gramophone magazine and ordered from Amazon. Or BBC Radio3 on FM Tuner. Again, in a dedicated listening room, mostly undistracted apart from trying to read similtaneously. Don't fully understand the purpose or really have the need for streaming/downloads (yet).

This suggestion may not work if your interests are entirely classical, but if you're determined to stick with CD's rather than streaming from a music service, you might find the music app "Discovr" interesting.

For me one of the advantages of a streaming service is the easy way to discover new artists based on music you already like. Discovr allows you to enter an artist and allows you to follow suggestions in a very interesting spider web graphic way. You can then double-tap an artist you'd like to learn more about which leads to an article providing the artist/group's backstory.

It offers you some of the benefits of a streaming service without having to resort to a subscription if you didn't want to go that route.

 

[record_spot]

Music listening is either via my Cambridge 752BD player or my AVI Lab Series CD player. Currently, this goes to my Acoustic Energy AE22 actives via my Onkyo TX-NR818 amp, but seriously thinking about revising that amp to a dedicated pre.

Maybe an Icon Audio passive, but the Cambridge 851E looks very persuasive. All TBC for now.