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Sound levels: Apple lossless vs. original CD

I have been following many threads on this as I try to set up my computer based server system. I have gone out and purchased a Mac in order to simplify all the issues vs. a PC based system.

I have been recording in Apple lossless format and I find there is a noticable difference with lower quality as compared with my inexpensive CD player that I am using (an inexpensive Panasonic).

I am playing both methods back through a DAC - Musical Fidelity X-Dac v8 (the latest model).

The data stream from the CD player is via optical output miniplug - through an optical converter to digital coax cable (there is no cable available directly from optical mini to coax). The data stream from the Mac is via USB output to the DAC USB input.

First - the music via the inexpensive CD player sounds better. There is a noticable difference in the voices being more forward from the music (less compressed?). The Mac sounds excellent - but the CD still sounds better.

Second - the sound level from the CD player is much louder (perhaps 25-35%% louder). If I am streaming digital bits from both sources, why is the CD player much louder than the Mac? This doesnt make sense to me??

Lastly - would there be any reason to copy in AIFF rather than Apple lossless? It seems now - but I just want to get the lastest view.

Any help is appreciated ! Thanks !
markny
rbstehno
1,495 posts
 
i have compared the different import methods and i settled on apple lossless. i use a toslink cable that goes into a jitter reducer device then that feeds into an external dac. i also feed my cd players into these jitter devices and they work well. they clean up the signal before feeding into the dac. the jitter reduction devices make a big differencein the quality of the sound. i use an audio alchemy dti in my den with an adcom gda-700 dac and a monarchy dip with a manley dac in my audio room. the monarchy is a better device. in my rec room, i go straight into an audio alchemy dde from an airport express device using a toslink cable.

i read a couple of articles on the web that indicated usb connections were not recommended for audio connections. stereophile also did a review of a new dac a while back that provided usb connections and they preferred the other toslink/coax connections.
markny OP
7 posts
 
Thank you for confirming this ! It is exactly my experience thatyou also seem to have confirmed. The USB output is initially very disappointing when doing an A/B comparison between the CD player and the Mac. However, when I raise the volume on the amp when the Mac is playing, it does sound much better and the detail re-emerges.
The question is - while both sound good - why do they sound different if it is a lossless format, and in both cases I am playing a digital stream through the DAC which should be identical ?
Thanks,
Mark
spiritualized
138 posts
 
MarkNY I'm not sure how the USB input is implemented on the Musical Fidelity X-DAC. But, my initial suspicion would start there. Perhaps some more knowledgeable members can chime in and shed some light on the USB implementation in the Musical Fidelity DAC?
rdc2000
27 posts
 
On my XP playing apple lossless through a Sonos the gain from the Sonos was definitely lower than from the cd player. Once the levels were matched (I can do this permanently on the preamp) the sound quality from both sources was as close to identical as I could tell.

ALL is not the issue...
gonzalo's avatar
gonzalo
38 posts
 
I have heard in audio buddy's home his Mac absed system with lossless conectded uSb to a home brewed single chip DAC, and man is sounded better than the Bechmak Media DAC I have we did compare 1 on 1 and indeed his project looking DAC based on a german bard and and NOS sngle chipset, no oversampling straight 16 bits has beaten hands down avery DAC we compared it against (on USB).
now 24 bit 192 KHz is another story.

Hope this helps.

Gonzalo
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