The best way to stream hi-res audio from Apple Music
WEBJun 10, 2021 · The best way is the only way. In my previous post on hi-res audio on Apple Music, I detailed how Apple’s ‘hi-res lossless’ content – 24bit/96kHz or 24bit/192kHz streams – are often downsampled or resampled by the playback hardware, often unbeknownst to the end-user and thus negating the benefits of streaming a hi-res file. To recap briefly: AirPlay and Apple TV OS are limited to ...
Second opinion: Cambridge DacMagic 200M - Darko.Audio
WEBJun 22, 2021 · The Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M is feature-rich, checking most boxes on today’s DAC to-do list: MQA, PCM resolutions up to 32-bit/768kHz (!), DSD256, Bluetooth (AptX), plus balanced and unbalanced outputs; a headphone output adds the final check. And the DacMagic 200M stuffs all of this stuff …
Schiit Modi 3 DAC review - Darko.Audio
WEBNov 29, 2018 · The Schiit is 100% a homeboy. Shanling’s M0 is another $100ish unit – a DAP that can also be run as a USB DAC. It etches player outlines more deeply than the Modi 3 to contrast the Schiit as a little less specific. The American bounces back from the ropes with marginally weightier dynamic punch and a wider range of tonal shading.
A super-integrated for the rest of us: Marantz’s PM7000N
WEBApr 9, 2020 · The newcomer also resets expectations on super-integrated pricing, ducking under the four-figure barrier in two of the most oft-specified currencies: £999, US$999 and €1,199. That’s under half what NAD asks for its M10 and Naim for its Uniti Atom. In fact, it was Marantz’s sharp pricing that prompted this review.
What is gapless playback? - Darko.Audio
WEBby John Darko May 7, 2020, 14:35. Gapless playback – “the uninterrupted playback of consecutive audio tracks” – is a concept that’s well known to veteran music streamers. Newcomers not so much. Less than twenty-four hours after the following video went live on YouTube, numerous commenters seemed baffled by the concept of gapless playback.
5 more dongle DACs for your consideration | Darko.Audio
WEBJul 30, 2021 · 5 more dongle DACs for your consideration. by John Darko July 30, 2021, 16:02. Dongle DACs. Their job is to externally execute 1) an audio stream’s conversion from digital to analogue and then 2) that analogue signal’s headphone amplification. Many dongle DACs sound better than a laptop or smartphone’s 3.5mm headphone socket.
Marantz’s Model 30 sounds like how a big warm hug feels
WEBOct 26, 2021 · And yet each of these rivals is more costly than the Marantz Model 30, and only the Technics includes a phono stage. By contrast, the Marantz Model 30 offers a very nice sense of detail, air, and flow, making music come on like a big warm hug. Further information: Marantz. Marantz Model 30. A 'Master-tuned' HDAM + …
10 'must-hear' active loudspeakers - Darko.Audio
WEBJun 19, 2018 · If the Grimm LS1 is the Grandaddy, then Kii Audio’s Three is the younger, cooler uncle. Also from the mind palace of Bruno Putzeys but with a Future-Fi twist, the Three is a large active standmount loudspeaker with optional custom stands (€more) and Kii Remote (€more) for volume attenuation, digital input extension and DSP-powered output customisation (which we’ll get to momentarily).
Raspberry Pi audio streaming 101 - Darko.Audio
WEBJan 30, 2020 · Raspberry Pi audio streaming 101. by John Darko January 30, 2020, 14:14. IT 101. An Apple Macbook or Windows-based PC is made up of two fundamentals: the hardware; and the software that runs on the hardware. We can see the hardware if we pop the lid and take a peek inside: the CPU, the RAM, the storage (SSD or HDD) and the inputs/outputs (I/O).
10 ways to remove the room with EQ - Darko.Audio
WEBAug 27, 2019 · REW (Room EQ Wizard) is a free download for Windows, MacOS or Linux. Setup and signal routing is as easy as 1-2-3: 1. Install REW. 2. Connect a room measurement microphone (like the UMIK-1) to the host PC or Mac’s audio input. 3. Route the Mac or PC’s audio output to the loudspeaker system. We are now ready for REW to run frequency sweeps ...