Moving on to the Music . . .

CJSF

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OK, had some very useful information and help from members on the Morantz603 thread. Moving on, my plan is to down load selected tracks, probably older 'vintage?' circa 50's to 90's rock/country/classical. My era of being involved with HiFi as an 'Audio File'.

As my experience is very much analog, and having had a 16 year break of virtually no music other than car radio! I worry about the down load quality . . . MP3 and all that?

I have don a bit of searching on T'internet . . . found Gimell and am aware of Linn's site. But what is the criteria these day, is MP3 quality poor? and where do I go for the best choice/price/quality . . . ?

CJSF
 

The_Lhc

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Honestly, as long as you stick to 320kbps stuff if all you've been listening to is car audio I don't think you'll have any trouble with mp3. Not sure how much 50s country you'll find online though (legally at least).
 

chebby

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Get iTunes on your PC and you can import 320k mp3 and CD quality Gimell Records dowloads to it.

In reality you are not going to be able to tell much difference between CD quality and 320k.

Probably worth downloading one album at CD quality and comparing it to a version you have converted to 320k AAC yourself in iTunes just to make sure you are not missing anything before committing yourself.

iTunes will allow you to rip your CDs (or track selections from CDs) at any level of compression.

You can set up playlists to your heart's content (country and Western by decade or by artist for instance) and just drag and drop stuff into them.

If you are using some level of compression (like 320k or 256k AAC VBR) you will probably be able to 'sync' your entire iTunes to a 32GB iPod touch (or iPhone) and use 'AirPlay' (£39 for the Marantz) to play it all wirelessly without even having the PC switched on. (So long as the Marantz is connected to your network with an ethernet cable into the back of your internet router.)

Doing this (AirPlay) will free-up the digital optical connection on the Marantz whether you have an iPod Touch or not. (Airplay works from iTunes on your PC too.) Then you can plug the digital optical connection into something like your television, or Blu-ray player, for high quality stereo from TV/DVD/Blu-ray.

Many BluRay players (and TV's) now give access to BBC iPlayer either via Freesat or an ethernet connection.

You dealer should be able to advise on what is possible and demonstrate it (if they can't - find another dealer).

Internet radio (on the Marantz) will give you plenty of choice of classical and Country stations as well as the usual FM/DAB stations.
 

CJSF

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The_Lhc said:
Honestly, as long as you stick to 320kbps stuff if all you've been listening to is car audio I don't think you'll have any trouble with mp3. Not sure how much 50s country you'll find online though (legally at least).

I might only have been listening to car radio in recent years, I was a 'fully paid up Audio File' in the 80's and 90's . . . so, whilst I dont want to go back to listening to 'equipment' as audio files did in those days? I want the best quality sound I can get from my new HiFi system, what ever it might end up being?

So the original question stands, what and where? On the point of Country music, one may have to compromise on quality??? but it must be available on line for down load if only at MP3 quality, its part of the music scene, which we are told is moving to online download?

I suppose the question is 'where and what is the best quality' for any of these down loads?

CJSF
 

The_Lhc

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"audiophile". Chebby's reply is a good place to start. As for everything going online, that's true, however older stuff, unless it's VERY popular (ie Elvis), will be the last to be made available, labels will concentrate on getting their current releases online first and then move backwards through their catalogs as and when they get to it or as demand dictates.

There's stuff I like from the 90s (not country) that is not available online at all, for example.
 

oldric_naubhoff

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CJSF said:
So the original question stands, what and where? On the point of Country music, one may have to compromise on quality??? but it must be available on line for down load if only at MP3 quality, its part of the music scene, which we are told is moving to online download? I suppose the question is 'where and what is the best quality' for any of these down loads? CJSF

there are many people around here commited to streaming music from computers. and it's true that discs are a waning medium but they're not dissapeared completly yet. IMO the music industry is much more reluctant to go discless or is slower to adopt new technologies than consumer electronics manufacturers hence you've loads of streamers and DACs on the market but it's difficult to find a store which would sell decent quality (read: at lelast CD quality) downloads and offered wide variety of artists. therefore I think if you want to get your favourite albums of the past you should look for CDs. I guess that way you will be more lucky to find what you're looking for. a good start point would be Amazon. another place which probably offers even greater choice of "hard to get" and alternative music choice is Discogs. onced you have CDs you can always make your own PC files (it's called "ripping" the CD). no need to download anything. good luck

hope this helps

P.S. I don't know why but some people act as Apple's salesmen sometimes. there are cheapper options outthere too. and just as convenient to use. albeit not using "airplay" but who cares.
 

CJSF

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Hi Chebby, you are a glutton for punishment mate . . . I'm so far behind in this techie stuff, I feel like Noah. I've been on 'Gimell' and 'Linn' sites and had a play with there 'samples', MP3 v CD quality . . . obviously, only through my computer and the Yamaha speakers that currently passes as my HiFi system, sad ain't it! I can hear difference between MP3 and CD quality at this level, mainly a lack of openness in the MP3 offerings, obviously much more to go with a proper system!!!!

As I said in the other thread, I'm finding, its like riding a bike, one does not forget. On the one hand its exciting . . . then again, I remember those 'good old days'? . . . listening to 'equipment' then 'components' and room placements of individual items like ornaments!!! . . . madness but I was young(er). I dont want the extreems of those heady days back, but cant ignore what my ears and experience tell me?

This craving all started a couple of years back when I installed a 'HiFi/Radio system' in my boat. Working from scratch based on a Blaupunkt Casablanca MP56 car radio and a cheap (£10) pair of 5" speakers, 'Aldi specials!!!' I made spcial speaker housing, with a port.

Not a promising set up . . . well, to cut a story short, after a little bit of tweaking, I produced a sound-stage that on the right recording can make the cabin disappear, the artist walking on water . . . sound is a little coloured as you would expect, but open and very listenable IMHO?

It was this that started the 'I want HiFi/music' back in my life. Old, silver surfer type me, I'm finding it difficult to understand all the iPod-iPhone-AAC-etc bits, they mean nothing to me as letter and words . . . you young'uns have grown up with it as part of your world

I'm doing my best to get my head around the new world of HiFi, thanks for you help . . .

CJSF
 

CJSF

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oldric_naubhoff said:
CJSF said:
So the original question stands, what and where? On the point of Country music, one may have to compromise on quality??? but it must be available on line for down load if only at MP3 quality, its part of the music scene, which we are told is moving to online download? I suppose the question is 'where and what is the best quality' for any of these down loads? CJSF

there are many people around here commited to streaming music from computers. and it's true that discs are a waning medium but they're not dissapeared completly yet. IMO the music industry is much more reluctant to go discless or is slower to adopt new technologies than consumer electronics manufacturers hence you've loads of streamers and DACs on the market but it's difficult to find a store which would sell decent quality (read: at lelast CD quality) downloads and offered wide variety of artists. therefore I think if you want to get your favourite albums of the past you should look for CDs. I guess that way you will be more lucky to find what you're looking for. a good start point would be Amazon. another place which probably offers even greater choice of "hard to get" and alternative music choice is Discogs. onced you have CDs you can always make your own PC files (it's called "ripping" the CD). no need to download anything. good luck

hope this helps

P.S. I don't know why but some people act as Apple's salesmen sometimes. there are cheapper options outthere too. and just as convenient to use. albeit not using "airplay" but who cares.

As Chebby worked out on the other thread,I'm not as green as I sound where understanding 'music/HiFi' is concerned . . . however all my experience is based on my analog days. I have dipped in and out of various download sites over a few years, the 'free' music was not my thing . . . nor was 'HiFi' at that time, so anything went.

Now things are different, what I want, and, it seems what is available on line. I do listen occasionally to the radio via my computer. Thats where I get most of my country music fix, problem is, they push the new country, same as pop . . . much of the latest is preity dire, manufactured garbage. Hence the hope, I could find a retro down load site?

One suspects the old rock and pop classics are available as you say Oldric. Its obvious I'm not going to use any new, modern HiFi equipment to a fraction of its potential. As with most things I get these day, by the time I work them out . . . every body else has moved onto the next level, I'm still happy with my mobile phone that makes and receives calls! ho-hum . . .

CJSF
 

chebby

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oldric_naubhoff said:
P.S. I don't know why but some people act as Apple's salesmen sometimes. there are cheapper options outthere too. and just as convenient to use. albeit not using "airplay" but who cares.

iTunes is free software - if you only want to rip CDs or import music files downloaded from other sites like the OP wants to - and 'AirPlay' is completely optional. Downloading music from iTunes is optional. I only pointed out AirPlay as a way to free-up the digital optical connection on the Marantz.

iPlayer just happens to be my music organising software of choice. I haven't used others because I don't need to.

I frankly don't care that you don't like it and wish you could have suggested alternatives to the OP in a constructive manner rather than having to include a criticism of me and my choice of software at the same time!

I am not, and never have been, a salesman for Apple or any of it's affiliates, paid or unpaid.

We use a PC tower, a laptop and an iMac. I use an iPhone and a Sony Ericsson. We have iPods. Bite me!

We don't favour Apple over anything else and I am not some kind of glazed eyed Apple fanboy.

I leave the OP to your advice.

I'm out of this one.
 

matthewpiano

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For classical music downloads, The Classical Shop (www.theclassicalshop.net) is excellent and has a superb range of recordings. A real treasure trove of quality music.

The Linn site is brilliant but the B&W Society of Sound website is also well worth exploring. Most of the music on the B&W site is fairly obscure but I've found some real gems on there and the sound quality is, unsurprisingly, first rate.

For other stuff ripping your CDs into lossless files is a great way to go and it means you always have a back-up hard copy should anything go awry with the PC/Hard Drive etc.

Outputting from your PC into a good quality DAC will give you stunning sound quality with the right quality files. Like Chebby, I've found iTunes to be very good for organising music but there are other option out there. I just haven't felt the need to explore them yet. My use of iTunes isn't tied to use of an iPod - I don't use any type of portable/personal music device, preferring to enjoy music at home and in the car (or preferably at a live performance) and keep me ears free for enjoying the atmosphere of wherever I might be when I'm out and about.

As a basic method of getting lossless files from the PC to the hi-fi, the Squeezebox is superb. I use a Squeezebox 3 and rely on the built-in DAC and it really does sound superb. However, my next move will be a Rega DAC to take things up a level.
 

CJSF

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Hay fellas . . . its each to his own . . . I feel like 'Piggy in the Middle', not knowing which way to jump and nothing to hang on to??? Ho-Hum, just created an account with Linn, down loaded the 'Best of Carol Kidd', 39 track for a tenner, superb value. I remember when Carol released her first album . . . quickly became one of my favourites and one I would often reach for to listen and relax . . . Carol lost her way a little I think for a few albums after that, commercial, 'sell records', I suppose? Listening to the Best of is good, and a few of her later recordings . . . she has got the magic back, IMHO. Its amazing the variety of music Linn cover, the one thing guaranteed is its high quality recording, love or hate their philosophy. CJSF
 

Sorreltiger

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I don't think anyone has yet mentioned Spotify. One of the beauties of using this for streaming tracks (£9.99 per month for the 320kbs Premium service) is the amazing range of material that's available. I have even been able to find very obscure 1920's songs that I collected on 78 years ago. I'm sure the OP would find plenty to interest him in his chosen genres.
 

matthewpiano

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Sorreltiger said:
I don't think anyone has yet mentioned Spotify. One of the beauties of using this for streaming tracks (£9.99 per month for the 320kbs Premium service) is the amazing range of material that's available. I have even been able to find very obscure 1920's songs that I collected on 78 years ago. I'm sure the OP would find plenty to interest him in his chosen genres.

Good call Sorreltiger. Spotify is indeed excellent.
 
T

the record spot

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It's very good indeed is Spotify, but it can be patchy depending on the recording (or more accurately, the mastering) they've used. I listened to some stuff the other week and it sounded bad. Doesn't happen often, but the CD left it standing - other stuff is very good and I have a monthly subscription so I'm happy to recommend it with this minor caveat.
 

dannycanham

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I don't think mp3 quality is poor. I think it is a small step behind CD. The idea between mp3 is to remove the inaudible to less audible parts of the music and it manages it well but not perfectly. The imperfections don't necessarily sound poor. I would be more worried about making sure you have a quiet system to listen on as computers or other systems with fans often aren't. A noisie computer removes alot more of the less audible than an mp3. To me mp3s sound strangely thinner in a way that is difficult to describe. I only find it apparent it kit and music I know well. It is more apparent on expensive kit but never massively so. The increase in slight thinness tends to level out as kit quality increases. You won't hear a directly proportional difference.

Even with MP3s I would also still buy CDs and rip the audio myself. Computer systems are prone to failure and a CD backup is the most straightforward way to make sure you keep your music.

The problem with mp3 is more down to the aim of the audiophile which is to improve the listening experience. Usually at great cost. Using mp3 doesn't follow that path. So if I was worried about quality I would still choose to purchase either CDs and rip to one of the lossless formats or download HD tracks from places such as HD tracks.
 

CJSF

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I'm certainly getting lots of information . . . Problem, I get frightened at all the techie stuff that obviously goes with the new digital/computerised way of doing things? I ain't much good at it!!! I'm a screw diver and hammer man . . . O dear, what to do now??? Basic problem, dyslexic! No not stupid, but dyslexia is a real barrier in some areas . . . ?

CJSF
 

BenLaw

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I'd say you're probably at a stage where you just need to try a few things yourself, enjoy the music and progress from there once you're comfortable with what you're doing. Mainstream downloading tends to be lower than CD quality. High quality downloads tend to have limited selections and high price. Your type of 'niche' taste may well not be widely available on either.

Personally, I'd go for the Spotify premium option - relatively good quality (for the most part), you can try lots of new music and you may find some more obscure stuff. Then buy and rip CDs into lossless - you can buy things you like and have wider access to older, niche albums.

Good luck
smiley-smile.gif
 

Shanka

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Hi,

I am not a techy at all, I listened to Spotify for free to begin with it is easy to use and fun to explore, takes minutes to register and download and if not for you it can easily be removed.
Once I started using it it helped me to think about getting a dac to get HQ streaming and losing the adverts is a joy, give it a whirl , I promise it is painless, stress free and quite good fun, I personally enjoy the radio feature, great for finding new things or the odd tune that slipped away.
Honestly nothing to lose, have fun

Good luck
 

pwiles1968

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As has been suggested try a few things first see what you like and don't like, I stream pretty much all of my music, but not from on line, I buy CD's From Amazon mostly used, old stuff is dirt cheap, rip them to a PC, and play them, how I play them does not matter for this conversation we can go through that after you decide what setup you want ;-).

Try downloading ITunes it is free, and rip some of your current CD's I would suggest ALAC (it is lossless), there are plenty of how to help on the Internet but if you are stuck just ask that is what forums are for, it will cost nothing to try and you may learn a couple of things in the process you did not know before, you will like it or you won't but at least you will know, I never download music nothing against it just personal preference.
 

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