Hi Fi question

[fullyspooled]

I know this is the wrong forum, but here's hoping my post may be answered regarding the stereo system I need for a new house.

I want two separete "zones," and for music I am only interested in using that which is on my ipod, which I guess will somehow be connected to my amplifier. Can I get a remote that reads and displays the menu of music contained in my ipod, and use that remote to select the music of my choice - in the zone of my choice?

Any help would be appreciated because te only solution so far offered has been quoted at 5000 quid!! Thanks in anticipation.

[Gary Brown]

Depends what that 5k includes. If it's speakers, wiring, amps, electronic music sources and remotes, then it's not a bad price..... But the purely control end of what you want can be got - in a variety of packages - from eg Logitech Squeezebox for about 1k. I have two zones here at AGB Towers, each driven by a wireless Squeezebox Classic decoder, and all controlled by a single Squeezebox Controller - allowing me to choose exactly what I hear, where and when. Less than 1000 US for the control system (amps, speakers, wiring all extra....).

One thing though - if you want to use your IPod itself as the physical source of the music stream you are, imho, complicating thaings a bit. Easier would be to use a PC or Mac as the music source, with a dedicated drive that is set up to always exactly mirror what you have on your IPod. Software for doing this is usually free; obviously you need a home computer too - but dangling a dedicated hard drive off that will only be about 100 bucks or pounds.

AGB

[Saab Dastard]

I know this is the wrong forum

No problem, as the music is on your ipod! :ok:

It's hard to find any entertainment system that isn't in some way connected to computers and / or networks these days. Anything remotely digital (TV, photography, etc.) is fine here.

SD

[Keef]

I'd echo what AGB says. You'll have to synch your Ipod with a computer, so will have Itunes on that. It will be a lot more practicable to use that computer to drive your "zoned" system. You can get quite sophisticated with that.

I have a technofreak friend in the USA who has his house divided into sound (and lighting) zones. As he walks around, or goes up stairs, the lights come on for him and the music follows him. That's done with a transponder and remote in his pocket. He can also change what's playing from wherever he is.
I suspect, thought, that he paid something well over $10k for the lot.

I've done it much more cheaply in our cottage, using the Ipod as one of the input sources, with an amplifier in the lounge with two speaker outputs, and a "signal" line running round the house to separate main amplifiers and speakers. That only allows one programme. If M wants Radio 4 rather than my music, she uses a portable radio.

[Loose rivets]

I hope you'll agree, this is not so much thread drift, as thread stretching.

What is the quality like - really like - when taking the data from a small device like an i-pod?

Even with noise damaged hearing, I'm still critical of modern CDs. Also, one of my lot has an older Sony amp, which is physically large, and gives spectacular reproduction. (is spectacular a good word for sound? :confused:) I mentioned how impressed I was, and he said, 'That's as it should be, it cost $700.' So, just how much has the quality of music been downgraded by downsizing?

I come from an era of carefully biasing KT66s so they sounded right. I can't believe one can get quality from something the size of a matchbox. :\

Probably one of the most desirable bits of kit I've seen in recent years, was a huge radiogram shown on a Radio Restoration Forum. It had separate amps at each end and each of them had four KT66s or similar. Four men to lift it, so a bit difficult to take with one whilst jogging.

[Sprogget]

Not necessarily what you're looking for, but my brother has this in his house...and it rocks.

Sonos - How it Works (http://www.sonos.com/howitworks/)

[Gary Brown]

@ Loose Rivets

That was one reason why I suggested not using the iPod as the source...... For my home collection I have all my music encoded in FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) - with a properly set up speaker and amp system (and with the digital end handled by the SqueezeBox line of products, as mentioned), I have astonishing final audio quality for when I want it.

But those FLAC files are big - not a problem for a HDD (my 1TB box only cost 150 bucks US....), but a big problem for iPod or other similar portable players (and FLAC flies, even if playable, will drain the battery too....). So, by a miracle piece of free software called "flac2mp3", I can accurately mirror my whole FLAC collection (preserving the folder-and-file structure, and all tags) to an identical, but compressed, MP3 set. And that's what I use on my portable player (not an iPod as it happens.....).

AGB

[fueldump]

Sonos is the way forward. I have installed it and it is amazing.

regards

Fueldump:ok:

[Keef]

KT66s - yes, they are excellent, if in AB1UL. They save on heating bills, too.

I retired mine in the early 1970s and switched to 2N3055s in the Quad 33/303 which I still use in the lounge.

I agree that the sound quality from the Ipod isn't up to that standard, and sounds pretty ropey. The Ipod sound is in the "£100 amplifier" range, at best.

What I did notice was the improvement in sound quality when I dumped the Sony CD player and got an upmarket Arcam. I now play CDs in preference to vinyl - the sound is as good in most cases, and the scratch and hiss is gone. I don't think I've played one of my LPs in some years.

The Quad FM tuner does an excellent job on Radio 3, although I had to put up a Yagi pointing at Wrotham last year. I know the BBC say they haven't turned down transmitter power, but the signal was getting noisy. I changed the valves in the tuner and checked the alignment, but it made no difference. The Yagi solved the problem completely.

[Saab Dastard]

What I did notice was the improvement in sound quality when I dumped the Sony CD player and got an upmarket Arcam. I now play CDs in preference to vinyl - the sound is as good in most cases, and the scratch and hiss is gone. I don't think I've played one of my LPs in some years.

I agree Keef. I bought a Meridian CD transport and DAC in 1991 (the arm grew back, eventually), with a Musical Fidelity B200 class AB amp and Arcam speakers.

Superb sound. Great kit, still going strong - I doubt I'll ever bother to use the cassette deck again, though - even if it is Nakamichi.

Don't you just love dropping hi-fi names! :):ok:

SD

[Loose rivets]

Back home, in its original box, in a place full of my life's detritus, lies a Panasonic tuner/amp. Zero crossover or summit like that. I never thought much about its quality, other than it was quite good, but when I came to clear the house out, I realized that it weighed a tonne. Most of the weight was concentrated in the corner with the transformer in it.

Looking back, I think that it might just be better than I'd realized, but after years of languishing in storage, I guess the power caps will have to be nursed back to life. I gather the trick is to use a variac, but I guess a few light bulbs will have to do. What are the odds of it working do you think? I'd ask the radio forum, but I think they'd cast me out for not being a purist.

[innuendo]

An option for a source of music is using an Apple TV as a music server.
You can rip your CDs in lossless to the ATV. The ATV has a digital output via Toslink which can be fed to an external D/A converter then to your amplification.
A news letter from PS Audio outlines the process. Scroll down the page at this site.
PS Audio - July 2008 : Fresh & Informative Stories of High-end Audio, Video & Music (http://www.psaudio.com/ps/newsletters/july-2008/)

If the 160 GB ATV is not big enough there is an aftermarket source that will install a 250 GB drive. I have all my CDs synced to an ATV, (the CDs themselves stay in storage) and use an iPod touch with the Remote app to select what I want to listen to.
I think the sound quality is pretty good through an FM Acoustics amp and an older Goldmund pre-amp.

PS. If you don't want to spend the money on an ATV the Apple Airport Express, the small router, can receive your iTunes transmissions from your computer via the Airtunes feature, then into your amplification. What is not widely realised is that you can take the signal from the Airport Express in digital form to an external D/A converter, you need the optical connection cable. The D/A converter in the Airport Express is pretty minimal so an external can be a real benefit to sound quality

[fullyspooled]

Thanks guys for the valuable input - I like the look of the Sonus!!

[ORAC]

Also take a look at the Philips WACS7500 (http://www.trustedreviews.com/multimedia/review/2008/05/22/Philips-Streamium-WACS7500-Music-System/p1).

[P.Pilcher]

I hve spent plenty of time experimenting with my Quad 33/ELS 63 setup with the sound sources of its generation - CD players - my Ipod and my tiny .mp3 player. I usually use the latter on their own with some humungously expensive headphones plugged in and get excellent results, but when comparing these devices with a computer playing back a .wav file or the CD player there is "something" different. If anybody played back two tracks to me and asked which was the .mp3 and which was the .wav I could not tell, except that they were slightly different, which suggests that probably the best original source these days for sound is an appropriately decoded .wav file. This again would suggest that sourcing in this instance should be some form of computer with a very large HDD to carry the .wav files. Of course if your ipod carrys tunes that you have downloaded, these will be in a compressed format anyway so I should disregard the above.

P.P.

[Squawk7777]

Also take a look at the Philips WACS7500.

ORAC I am surprised that you're being so "unpatriotic". I had thought you'd suggest the Naim Uniti (http://www.naimuniti.com/). ;)

7 7 7 7

[Ancient Observer]

Loose,
(or is it Marvin?)

My kids have never adopted my component approach to hi-fi. (Rega, NADs and big KEFs). They're in the i-pod world, and probably won't come out.
That means that every now and then I have to set stuff up for them.

IMHO the modern stuff does get better and better. An i-pod staright in to Sennheiser HD265 linear will still be "missing" something, but it does actually sound OK. Younger daughter has just gone off to college, and we acquired a modest, neat, Sony does-it-all micro hi-fi for her. In the UK it is called a CMTLX 401, (or 40i). About UKP 120.
When I put her i-pod on it and played "Tears in Heaven", I shut my eyes and it did sound good in a small room. I don't rate it for multi-over laid and complex tracks, but for simple stuff it sounds very good. Not up there with components, but not that far off.
The latest consumer electrics are worth a try.............

[ORAC]

7777,

The Naim is lovely. But it's also 2K and is only a stream player, it doesn't stream anything itself. It is also a single unit, so you need a second one for the other room. Oh, and you have to buy the speakers to go with it, say 500 for a decent pair.

So that's 5K for 2 rooms; and you still can't share between them without a NAS streamer.

Apart from, as a multi-zone media unit, it seems fine. :hmm:

-----------------------------------------

A confession.

I used to have a 8-10K Home Cinema system. Top of the line flagship amp, 10 speakers etc. Got rid of them all and now just have a Yamaha sound bar plus sub-woofer. Does me fine.

At one stage, may years ago, I had a Linn Sondek deck, Quad ELS speakers, mono 405 amps etc. Ended up with a Naim CD transport, Musical Fidelity AC3 pre and power amps, B&W Nautilus speakers.

Again, I got rid of them all. Not sure if it was my ears or my interest went. Listened to them less and less. Now I have a small Denon system in the study with a pair of Monitor Audio bookshelf speakers. Does me fine.

It goes back to what I used to tell people when I spent a fortune on Hi-Fi. Most people can tell the difference if they listen, it's just you get into diminishing returns for the amount you spend. My threshold has just reduced over the years.

Instead, I just spent 1600 quid on a new MacBook Pro 17" when my old 15" was still working. :ouch::O

[Saab Dastard]

My threshold has just reduced over the years.

I think that may be partly to do with the actual reduction in hearing acuity as one gets older.

SD

[Ancient Observer]

An "acuity"? I'm not sure that I've heard one of those. How does it compare to the Linn and the Rega?

(No hat, just grabbing coat)

[Sprogget]

About 10% in most restaurants.