What Is The Best 24bit Setting Using My R DAC?

[admin_exported]

Hi Guys,

In the main, although I have tons of music stored as Flac Files I am mainly playing most of my Music from Premium 320kpbs Spotify from my Samsing laptop........

(linked to 1tb external Hard Drive if needed where my Flac Files are stored) )

.....out to my Wireworld USBand into my R DAC.

Then out using Quinex Cable phono cable into my newly purchased Cyrud 6XPd Amplifier.

The setting options I have with my R DAC are

24 bit.........44100hz.....48000hz or .........96000hz

They are all supposed to be Studio Quality and almost everything sounds just lovely on my setting of 96000hz.

However, the odd track sounds a bit odd and I am wondering if my hz setting, or even the 24bit setting is O.K. for my wired link from my Netgear router. (I don't use Wi Fi for my music)

Or is this just Spotify sending out dud files?

Incidentaly, I am allowed 3000 odd tracks to keep on my hard drive fro off line listening and the experience is the same.

Thank you for any help or advice.

 

[quadpatch]

For my 2 cents and what I have noticed:

I don't think there is any differences between any of the higher sample rates, anything above 16/44 is "full quality", but that being slightly controversial feel free to lock it as 24/96 or use ASIO / WASAPI. Since you are asking if Spotify is at issue I assume you are only noticing it there, and as they use 320kbps compressed I'd say that's the most likely issue you are noticing. I also don't think it will make a difference if they are streaming or coming off your drive.

 

[Anonymous]

Your input is worth a lot more than 2 cents M8...you are trying to help me here :clap:

Yes, I know that bit rates and the hz combination is a rather complicated issue and generally speaking it all sounds lovely, particularly while playing FLAC files.

But, I just wondered if perhaps my setting was too high...after all, all the settings are supposed to be so called 'Studio Quality'.

Best Regards

Boozercruiser

PS...any more for anymore?

PS...I had a little Google for WASAPI but that looks like mistakes are easy with it if you don't know what your doing.

I best stick with the driver that is already comes with the R DAC.

 

[quadpatch]

Hey Boozecruiser,

ASIO and WASAPI enable bit-perfect audio transfer over USB but if you are using a driver from Arcam anyway I'm not sure if this will improve anything. I think something like ASIO4ALL would be a driver replacement but WASAPI is a component/add-on for the software player (Foobar or Winamp afaik) so can be enabled without overwriting your existing driver... I think. If you use Foobar you can get the component from here: http://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_out_wasapi

If you use that anything you play through Foobar (with WASAPI enabled in the settings) will dynamically change your sample rate to whatever files you are playing. You could try this on the Spotify files that you have downloaded. I don't think upsampling the files could cause issues but I don't know for sure. If you just want to check that quick you could change the sample rate in Windows to the standard 16/44.1 and see if it still happens.

I probably should have asked this first but can you elaborate on the music sounding "a bit odd" - does it sound a bit flat or are there other sounds being introduced on the recordings?

 

[Anonymous]

Hello Quadpatch and thank you for all of that usefull info. :clap:

I am loath to try and mess with the current driver used by the Arcam R DAC. I remember I once deleted a driver from the sound drivers, could not get it back and only after tons of messing about managed to install a new one.

Regarding 'Bit Odd' sounding..........I mean like a bit 'tinny'.

Obviously the bottom line is that I am just trying to get the best sound mainly from Premium Spotify.

For convenience and all of the music I can get off there I am finding that I never use CDs now....I have transferred all to FLAC files.

They do sound just a bit more dynamic and clearer than Spotify on my new Cyrus Amp into my KEF Model One-2 floorstanding speakers.

BUT 320kpbs (I think Spotify use OGG) sounds suprisingly good to my anchient ears! (is that how you spell anchient? my spell checker will not work here.

Thank you for your helpfull input again M8

 

[quadpatch]

From what you say about the driver there I'm not sure if you got what I meant about WASAPI. It won't mess with your current driver so shout be safe to try out. I know some DAC manufacturers state that if you use ASIO4ALL then you invalidate your warranty which is kinda scary. I don't think WASAPI will work directly with Spotify so do you have Foobar or Winamp? I only started using Foobar recently and really love it!

I would say that "a bit tinny" sounds like a characteristic of the compression, if you are only getting it with Spotify and files downloaded from Spotify then I'd say that's a pretty good bet. 320kbps is the best compressed quality you can get but it still only holds about 1/3 of the detail of an uncompressed or lossless file like FLAC.

Yeah it's annoying about the spellchecker not working in here right, we don't even get a replacement one in the options, this forum is very basic but hey at least we don't get adverts . I can't correct you on your spelling as I am awful but you could always write out your comment somewhere else and then copy/paste it in here when you are done... too much trouble right? Yeah I don't bother.

 

[Anonymous]

Ta for another reply....I will look into the alternative driver situation later.

I hope that I have spelt alternative and situation alright.

Talking about Spotify....this prog helps! :shhh:

http://audials.com/en/tunebite/index.html

http://audials.com/en/how_can_i/record_music_from_internet_sites.html

Cheers.