I believe the only way I can control the volume is through the SMSL DAC. I use the SMSL remote. I bypass the NODE DAC and use a USB cable to send the signal to the SMSL. Under ‘Audio Settings’ and ‘Select Output’, once I have connected the NODE to the SMSL it reads ‘Default’ ‘SMSL USB AUDIO.’ The Beolabs have no volume control. For my subs, they have their own volume settings for their volume in the system.
Why Do Some Recordings Sound Great and Others Dead?
I listen to Radio Paradise MQA on my NODE 3, SMSL M400, B and O Beolab 8000’s and Hsu 15in sealed sub. The acoustics in my room are poor. I’ve noticed that some recordings sound very realistic. For instance the vocals on a Stabat Mater dolorosa hymn sounded great. But a Nora Jones recording was terrible. Her voice was lost in back of some murky instruments. I’m familiar with this recording listening to it on my iPod, where her voice shines out and the music is good. I’m wondering why the big differences?
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Too much compression (dynamic range), overuse of limiters, microphones not set up properly, bad mixing engineer, bad recording engineer. Or it could be the (most likely) Wolfson DAC chip in your iPod. Many people agree that Wolfson DAC chips are on the sweeter side of neutral, rather than clinical sounding. [Verse 1] [Chorus 1] great song |
A couple suggestions: 1) I assume you have 'Audio Level Fixed' set on the Node? Not sure that is settable if you bypass the DAC, but make sure it is set to pass through. 2) Try listening to RP's FLAC lossless stream instead of MQA. MQA adds a lot of complexity, maybe some songs are not being expanded correctly. 3) Looking at the M400 manual, it is pretty lean on explanations, but I see reference to various filters, phase and brightness settings. Not sure these are all relevant, but maybe some adjustment could make a difference.
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@ghdprentice Thx for your comments, as it’s good to know that you have consistent excellent sound quality. My system is basic, but I’m tinkering to see if I can fix a week spot. I just ordered parts to create a fiber optic link to my NODE. @tomcy6 I noticed that older recordings from around the 60’s often don’t sound that well. I’m surprised at the Norah Jones recording, as it’s more recent and I am familiar with it. I don’t think that it’s the recording - it’s just not coming to me well from Radio Paradise. I just added a thick rug to my room, but it’s mostly glass, so it’s never going to have good acoustics. @zlone Yes, I’m on ‘Audio Level Fixed.’ I tried the SMSL filters and really don’t hear any difference. I’ll try the FLAC stream. @mastering92 Thx for singing! Norah sounds good on the iPod. But why would one vocal recording sound good on my system, but not another that I know is a good recording from another source? I will probably leave out from my Favorites list any recordings that don’t sound good, like Nora’s. I have found many others that sound excellent, so I’ll still have plenty to enjoy. |
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