Nee Lewman
बैस्टर्ड
Well there you go. Lol. Hope they resolve it quick.
The Dark Side; Digital audio equipment recommendations and setup.
- Thread starter Ed Selley
- Start date
Jbraswell
Well-Known Member
Yeah it's no biggie. Qobuz still plays through BluOS.
They just have a piece of code jacked that worked fine 48 hrs ago.
SnowmaNick
Well-Known Member
This is my first experience with Denafrips. People aren’t joking when they say they are built like tanks. The Pontus is a nice DAC, it’s mellower sounding than the Mytek, with more solid imaging and a fuller, riper sound.
I’m waiting on getting my new (to me) integrated and then I’ll switch to balanced interconnects, as the reviews I’ve read mention that they’re the preferred option, and then a DDC so I can use the I2S input. I wish the Iris DDC came in silver, as it’s only in black I find myself looking at other options like the Holo Red. If it’s not it going to match, at least it’ll have flair.
Last edited:
Mather
Unknown Member
I find it very amusing that just about every time Tidal updates there app they break their MQA unfolds. I don't know how they keep doing it. Although it really doesn't matter as the same files just play as high res FLACs which may actually be better. But still.
And yes, same day that BluOs bricked their own app with an Android update.
And yes, same day that BluOs bricked their own app with an Android update.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
Tidal is getting rid of MQA fully right? did it already happen?
Mather
Unknown Member
I don't know are they? I figured they might but the tracks are still labeled MQA but perhaps they're just behind in switching the labels.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
oh maybe they are doing both....thought i had seen somewhere quickly that Tidal was moving everything to FLAC but a quick glance now seems they might be doing both/giving you an option.
Mather
Unknown Member
Yeah I'm not sure if this is a bug or a feature to be honest. But it says MQA and DAC says Noooo
MikeH
Well-Known Member
keep me posted on impressions once you have everything all set up! i really love my denafrips ares. I got a good deal on it (think I paid $600 for a like new one). I also have a Singxer SDA-2 on my office computer which is nice, but the Ares just has a nicer overall sound. feels a bit more natural and mellow.
Mather
Unknown Member
Just did some tests. They didn't actually break MQA but a lot of the MQA labeled tracks have been changed to FLAC but not relabeled. There are still MQAs that are functioning but it does appear they are trying to get rid of them.
Last edited:
Nee Lewman
बैस्टर्ड
Bluetooth question. All things being equal. If one source device supports AAC and another device supports aptX HD and my headphones/speaker support both, I should probably use the aptX HD source? Or does it even matter at that small of a sample rate (48 kHz)
LeSamourai
Well-Known Member
The short version according to the Internet is that on Apple, AAC Bluetooth is best, on other devices AptX, but I personally can't really hear a difference when I switch between the two on my headphones.
Nee Lewman
बैस्टर्ड
I mean it depends on the dac.
Mather
Unknown Member
But also correct me if I'm wrong but an apple dongle is a $9.00 device. And if you're listening to something low res like airplay or Spotify no you likely wouldn't notice a difference.
Nee Lewman
बैस्टर्ड
I didn’t even know what an apple dongle is, does that even count as a dac?
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
It does. New Apple phones don’t have a headphone port and the internal DAC only powers the speakers. For headphones it’s wireless or you use a usb DAC. The dongle is a little lightning to 3.5mm cable that contains a DAC. They bundles it with the first one or two phones after the switch (I think it was the X and following years XS) but since that you have to buy it. I don’t think they even make one for the new usb c iPhone I just got, I suppose they expect 99% to have now moved on to wireless and the other 1% to be enthusiasts who wouldn’t likely touch their their thing anyway.
Like @Mather says it’s very cheap. It does the job and I agree it’s likely hard to differentiate with highly compressed Spotify. As you go up the bit rates to CD and then hi res it’ll likely show it’s weaknesses but I’d already moved on from wired headphones by the time Apple Music went lossless and hi res.
DACs do make a difference but like anything in this hobby you have to decide what your budget and sound preferences are and use reviews and, if possible, testing to figure out what’s best for you
duke86fan
Well-Known Member
I was just told by certain people (YouTubers like crinacle and people on forums and discord) that DACs don't really make much a difference and all you need is the dongle or a Chinese knock off. Specifically probably because I'm currently just on Spotify or maybe it's just me overthinking
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
Well I suppose I can only speak from my own experience. I have owned a cd player, and several streaming boxes, all that used internal dacs. When I got my better DAC/preamp and bypassed their internal DACs to use its DAC the improvement was stark.
Again, source in terms of the device and files feeding the DAC is important, but I’ve found that a DAC can make a big difference.
But actually the single most important thing is what you hear and what you enjoy. If you can’t hear the difference and are enjoying your music using the dongle or through your laptops speakers then great. Keep on enjoying it. Having fun and enjoying music is all that matters.
Angsty
Well-Known Member
The Apple dongle measures pretty well, objectively. After owning a few DACs, I’m of the opinon that there is not much audible difference above a certain level of performance.
Review: Apple vs Google USB-C Headphone Adapters
This is a review, detailed measurements and comparison of Apple's USB-C adapter to the current and last version of Google Pixel headphone adapters. The Apple adapter costs just $9 including one day shipping for free. The Google dongle costs $12. Not that any of these are large by any stretch...
www.audiosciencereview.com
Last edited: