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
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
2,586 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.
robelvick's avatar
robelvick
619 posts
 
If you're using your iPhone to send music via bluetooth to the 2qute dac, then that's your problem.

Numerous ways to improve the sound, some mentioned above.

-Directly connect your phone to the 2Qute.
-Get a wifi streamer (chromecast, auralic, bluesound) connect that to the 2Qute, instead of BT.
-Tidal instead of Spotify

Any of those should produce much better sound quality.
waterzlife
139 posts
 
Tidal...big difference.
andrew-benn OP
12 posts
 
Thanks for the replies.
I'm using wifi to stream (Spotify or music on my phone) to a Sonos Connect which is connected to the 2Qute DAC.
audioengr above mentions reclocking to reduce jitter.  I know nothing about it but this sounds interesting.  It would be easy enough to put one in between the Sonos and the 2Qute.Can one expect dramatic results from reclocking?

--I'm not trying to make these very lossy sources sound like my good cd's ...I'd just like to get my home system to sound as good as my crappy bluetooth ear buds and iphone when playing lossy music.I'd also really like to avoid a second "forgiving" system.
More to discover