How do you stream high resolution music files?

[PaulyT]

Question: Is it really a 1000 song limit, or is it a folder level limit? I've reported elsewhere on my frustrations regarding my Sony BD players' 1000 folder limit and the problems that has created in streaming my song library to it, and how my simple solution / workaround is to break a given 1000+ level down into two sub-levels of not more than 1000 each. I've had way more than 1000 songs on a stick at any given time (in multiple folders / levels) and have played them without issue on a number of makes of vehicle.

In other words could the first level of your stick not contain multiple folders where the contents of each folder did not exceed 1000 songs?

Jeff

My music is separated by folders according to album and artist, so it's rare for a given folder to contain more than ~15 tracks. But yes, it's really a song limit, as far as I know. The manual for my car's player says quite explicitly, 1000 songs total, up to 12 (I think) levels of directories deep. But, I haven't tested this in detail, to see if I really can put >1000 songs separated by various directories. I have multiple sticks, so I have more than enough music to listen to, especially since I work at home and don't drive a whole lot.

 

[heeman]

...WMAL to Squeezebox

WMAL through the SqueezeBox...

I'm unfamiliar with the WMAL acronym. Windows Media Audio Lossless[/b]??

I'm not a streamer nor a Squeezebox owner so maybe that's why I don't recognize it. Then again, maybe I'm just ignorant.

You got it.............

 

[PaulyT]

Then again, maybe I'm just ignorant.

Is this a vote? ... <raises hand> ...














:angelic-green:

 

[mcad64]

Clarification please!!
What are we calling hirez audio? Anything above redbook? Anything over 128kb mp3? Most of my music is in simple redbook cd format. I rip those to flac and stream over the squeezebox. DVDA, SACD, HDCD, those I pop in the OPPO. I don't have any files from HDTracks, PONOmusic service or the like.

 

[PaulyT]

Good question. In this context I think "hi res" simply means lossless rips from a CD, rather than some lossy format like MP3. It's pretty hard to deal with "higher res" formats like SACD or higher bitrate/sampling PCM with most portable or streaming devices. There are some that will do it (my iBasso can, for example, or my external DAC), but very few people, it seems to me, will deal with anything other than physical discs (SACD, DVD-A, BD) for these sorts of things, as the size and/or cost of the files and compatibility with most devices, even the ability to do rips in the first place, is extremely limiting.

 

[Flint]

For me, hi-res is 24 it and at least 44.1k sampling rate. I have ri-res copies of much of my own recorded music plus music from friends in the music biz who shared with me. I also have a few SACDS a daudio Blu Ray discs. So, for standard redbook, in my reference audio room I play the CD and everywhere else I use squeezebox, windows pc, or my phone. The catalog is entirely stored at WMA-L

 

[PaulyT]

Wait, are you asserting that there's an audible difference between playing a CD directly (via digital output from a CD player) vs. FLAC rip over squeezebox with digital output?

 

[Flint]

Assuming absolutely no transcoding is happening, no, I am not asserting that a CD player inherently sounds better than FLAC over a network. .

I am asserting that when it comes to truly critical listening the experience of picking a CD, retrieving it, turning on the CD player, putting the disc in, and pressing play all make the following 56 to 75 minutes more pleasurable as that time consuming process allows for the warm up to a very special experience. Our minds, no matter how brilliant, cannot go from scattered multi-tasking of music, tablet, kids, news, and cooking dinner to concentrating on the best 52 minute piece of the music you've ever heard and fully enjoying it.

I don't bring up the term "hi-res" audio in conjunction with background music I may enjoy while working out, reading the news, enjoying my coffee, or driving my car. I don't need reference quality if I am not concentrating, and I am not concentrating if I am not focusing.

 

[Flint]

In fact, it is my belief that the huge growth in LP record sales is, at least partially, due to the experience of playing the LPs. After all the love and care that goes into cleaning, setting up, and even placing an LP on the turntable then careful settling the needle into the groove - after that magical ritual - how can you not be ready for the delight of the music you have chosen to put so much love into.

 

[PaulyT]

Gotcha. So for you, putting the CD in the player is part of the ritual of preparation. That makes sense. For me, the main prep for this sort of session is getting the kids in bed (or ideally out of the house completely, at school or elsewhere), closing doors and windows to block as much ambient noise as possible, turning off the phone, and dimming the lights in the room.

But I still use the squeezebox 99% of the time. Which is why I asked, really, as my assumption is that data from a CD player vs data from flac->squeezebox->spdif are effectively identical once it hits the receiver/dac. I've done the comparison with my DAC that has multiple inputs, so I can instantly switch between a CD player and the squeezebox (always set to 100% volume) playing the same song, and haven't been able to hear any difference.

Yes, I was thinking about the descriptions of people playing records when you were talking about your CD ritual.

 

[Zing]

So for you, putting the CD in the player is part of the ritual of preparation.

It is for me and it's one of the reasons - OK, the largest reason - why I like the MoFi discs. They're like a four and a half inch vinyl LP. I enjoy grabbing one and putting it in the tray equally as much as I like listening to it.

 

[lulimet]

I've ripped my collection to 4 different formats, FLAC, WAV, MP3, and ALAC. Files are on a NAS. I usually use my receiver's network feature. Sometimes I use Kodi (formerly XBMC) on the Fire TV.