2. digital
  3. 138371-82028

How to make low end digital sound "not terrible" on higher end systems?

Hi all,
So when I listen to my hyperion CD of Rachmaninov’s Vespers (Corydon Singers with Matthew Best) or The Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" on the below system it’s utterly fantastic. The Vespers is just amazing. I could go on about how wonderful it sounds.
However, when trying low end sources (my iPhone or streaming from Spotify) through the below system ....well, it’s essentially so terrible, it’s almost laughable. It’s just offensive to my senses and really can’t be listened to for any length of time as it’s just very annoying.Is there anything I can do to make it tolerable?
And here’s what I mean by "tolerable": when I’m exercising or just out and about, I’ve got some descent LG ear buds bluetoothed to my iPhone and while the music (either from files on the phone or streamed from Spotify) isn’t like the Vespers mentioned above, I enjoy listening to it. It doesn’t annoy me and I’m into it, I’m captured and can lose myself in the music. I’m "rocking." --I’m not gritting my teeth like I do when it’s played over my below home system.
What I want is to occasionally play a lower end source over my home system and not have it suck as bad as it currently does. ....To at least get it to the level of my cheap ear buds streaming Spotify.I know there are many reasons low end sources sound crappy over good systems but are there any fixes? Some EQ adjuster that’ll at least get it up to where my ear buds are? Or something else?Thanks!

PS Audio PerfectWave transport
Chord 2Qute DAC
Modwright SWL 9.0SE Preamp
Butler 2250 Amp
Modified Maggies (by Peter Gunn)
andrew-benn
mahler123
3,372 posts
 
What kind of files do you have on your phone?  Are they MP3?  Spotify streams in org vorbis, which is similar to MP3 
MP3 sounds fine to me as well through headphones or earbuds, but sadly deficient through a HE system.  Any system that will try to turn the pigs ear into a silk purse will do so at the expense of inaccuracy.
If that is really your goal, then I would get tubed equipment that is known for old fashioned tube sound (not all tubed equipment sounds this way anymore, but I’m talking Prima Luna, Jolida, maybe older Conrad Johnson) and try to expand the Soundstage and fatten the midrange.  Or, you could just stop listening to low rez recordings if you find them so offensive 
shadorne's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
shadorne
7,477 posts
 
+1 @mahler


A tube preamp and try Apple AAC 256 from your iPhone. Spotify is not quite there in compression quality. 
audioengr
3,282 posts
 

If you are feeding the system from the iphone and other devices with Toslink cable, then all you need is to reduce jitter using a reclocker like the Synchro-Mesh.

I listen to lossy low-rez tracks streamed from Amazon Prime all the time.  With low jitter they sound amazing.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

czarivey
5,946 posts
 
streaming and direct playback will be different no matter of the format. streaming is always very-very lossy. 
simple red-book cd will easily blow away same tracks played with streamer no matter of streaming resolution quality.
tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,597 posts
 
Maybe try a forgiving all-in-one system with some forgiving bookshelf speakers for background music and listening to your  poor sounding cds.   Keep your good recordings separate from the bad ones.
More to discover