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Listening Area setup (not PC involved around)

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I have my setup in my computer in home but it is a work place indeed, but in order to listen while in the sofá on the living room I was planning on putting a little rack set with a DAC, Amp and Headphones... I lack the SOURCE... something little, not too expensive and that would allow me to listen lossless audio like TIDAL or something (not too complex). Any idea out there? (Also the same idea if you want to listen nice music while in bed... and not mess with a PC...) Please help.
Ideas to use: I have an iPhoneX (with camera adapter kit), a Raspberry, an AppleTV... some ideas to give me its usage at maximum lossless quality. HELP
About the camera adapter kit to an external USB DAC... does it keep the quality at maximum?
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While it USED to be true that you couldn't get 320kbps quality on any mobile platform, Spotify has updated it's iOS and Android apps to include the extreme setting that used to be a desktop exclusive. You will get the same bitrate from any common source there. Tidal is different due to MQA but the standard FLAC rate shouldn't be a problem with the idevices. Roon is an option with dedicated devices from Sonore supporting that media server as well as other formats. What you may get from swapping to a more dedicated source is greater fidelity but that's going to depend tremendously on your ears and goals. In the end there is nothing wrong per se with what you are currently doing.
My primary listening rig is in the living room: Laptop in the AV rack Teac UD-501 in the AV rack (feeds into my receiver/pre-reamp as well) XLR out put goes Cayin iha-6 which sits on the end table by the couch so the volume is within reaching distance
In the bedroom I mostly just use my my V20 but I have an Echo Dot in there as a Spotify connection to my analog only stereo receiver. I occasionally hook up a headphone amp in there as well.
rastus
1391
May 30, 2018
rastus
1391
Apr 14, 2018
DenonFanboy
825
Apr 13, 2018
Nvidia shield works great, even has a tidal app.
Makami
4237
Apr 12, 2018
Hello Daniel,
might be helpfull to know your budget and equipment given. Have you tried your iPhone - adapter - dac - amp - headphone? If yes, are you unhappy with the quality/sound?
You're aware how deeeep this rabbithole can get :)
DanielFerrer
391
Apr 12, 2018
MakamiHello @Makami!!! Keyboards and Headphones are my rabbit holes... jejjj
Headphones: - Grado 350i - Sennheiser HD650 - Sennheiser HD6XX - Sennheiser HD598 - HifiMan 4XX
DAC&Amp: - AloAudio PanAm - Schiit Jotunheim - Fiio Alpen - DragonFly Red
Amp (alone): - Massdrop CTX (tube) - Massdrop Cavali Amp (Linear) - Massdrop THX (Linear) —- coming
the issue is that I use the iPhone X as source using Spotify Premium, (with the Camera Adapter) and I connect it to the PanAm DAC > Massdrop CTX > Headphone ... but I have read that the bit ratios using this system is not good enough (bottleneck in the setup then) ... I have read that it may be better to use the AppleTV to the DAC may be better, or even a raspberrypi, but I do not want a complicated setup with a PC messing around just for listening music in the sofa... what would you do?
Makami
4237
Apr 12, 2018
DanielFerrerHonest answer from a friend :)
Logical: Stop reading and searching. The only reference should be your ears (hearing ability) and taste of sound. From what you've written it seems you're fine with your pc/office sound. Take a few songs over Tidal you know by heart and compare the quality with both setups and trust your ears. Even though "correct" a/b comparison isn't possible this way, you should be able to hear if there is a significant difference.
Emotional: Buy the next "big" thing having in mind, tomorrow there will be something better. Maybe that AppleTV or something like a FiiO X5 III or better. I'm running a Thinkpad T420 as Musicserver with an Cambridge AudioDac and Valhalla 2, works perfect for me. Bought used in perfect condition, a X230 would be even smaller: http://www.softwarebilliger.de/notebooks-laptops/lenovo/ If i'm tired of cables i like to use my B&W P7W, but i'm more a speaker guy than headfi.
Decisions, decisions, that rabbithole. The question might be, do those exist to make us feel better in getting a more pleasing experience, or are they invented by industry and triggered by influencers/websites ... to get our money.
Good luck my friend, it seems we're doomed at free will.
DanielFerrer
391
Apr 12, 2018
no help out there please???
rastus
1391
Apr 10, 2018
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