Ok - I believe you. I won't ask for the double-blind test.

You don't have to. As I mentioned at the start of the thread, I compose, record, mix and master my own music. I know it intimately, listening to it both with studio monitors and studio headphones. The master wave files are 96k, 32-bit. There is, of course, noticeable degradation when rendered to MP3 (less so when rendered to 44.1k, 16-bit for CD). The difference between mp3s at 192k and 128K is very noticeable, and between 192k and something lossless, or even Apple's lossy 328k codec is, similarly very noticeable.

This is a Fiio X5 digital player.

http://www.fiio.com.cn/products/inde...nuID=105026016

This is a high-quality digital player that uses microSD cards for storage. Currently, it supports to 64g cards for a total storage of 128g. However, future firmware updates will permit use of 128g and 256g cards for a maximum amount of storage up to 512g.

The specs are pretty impressive, and it retails for only $350 (Amazon will have them in March).

I just bought a Fiio headphone amp for $129. It just came today and I haven't tried it yet, but it's solidly built, has gotten excellent reviews and also has very good specs. This is the amp that I got:

Fiio E12 Mont Blanc



http://www.fiio.com.cn/products/inde...nuID=105026001

I'm definitely keeping an eye on the Fiio X5.

Thing is, 128GB and 256GB MicroSD cards don't exist yet. SanDisk has a 128GB under development, but it isn't out yet. I have their headphone amp, and use it over USB2GO on my phone, works quite nicely.

As a scientist I get excited looking for an opportunity to construct an experiment, eliminate bias, and reach for the gold standard of a double blind test. Challenging your own beliefs is the best way to learn, IMO. I love being assigned to defend positions that rival my own views. Sounds like a fun weekend to me! I can see as a musician that suggestion was taken a different way. No offense was intended.

I forgot these were microsSD, rather than SD -- the latter is out in 128gb. Still, I doubt it will be that long.

I just tried out the headphone amp -- this is really nice. I had a Total Airhead amp that I used for years, but I couldn't find it since we move in December. This thing is a lot cleaner (and can go a lot louder). Teamed with the iPod, the sound is REALLY good.

None taken. I'm pretty much a left-brain kind of guy -- I'm far more interested in the result than how to arrive there.

For what it's worth, over on homerecording.com -- a forum for . . . well . . . home recording -- we have the bit-depth/sample rate debate all the time. The short version is this: the Nyquist rule requires a sample rate 2-1/2 times the highest frequency you want to reproduce. For 20 KHz, which is pretty much the highest frequency the human ear can hear (and only younger people can hear it), you need a sample rate of 50 KHz (and note that is 6 KHz higher than CDs, which are 44.1 KHz). Many on HR claim that a 48KHz sample rate is therefore sufficient. My view (totally unscientific, but it makes sense to me) is that audio processing (effects, mixes, etc.) at the Nyquist frequency can result in rounding errors:

2+2+2+2+2 = 10

2.1+2.3+2.2+2.1+2.3 = 11

This introduces digital artifacts. Also, music has harmonics that go well above audible frequencies. Though these harmonics can't be heard, phase differences result in cancellations which produce lower frequencies that can be heard. For this reason, I always record, mix and master at 96KHz sample rate, 32-bit depth. Professional studios use 192KHz and either 24- or 32-bit. My gear only supports up to 96KHz so that's what I use.

If you listen to music that was mastered from a direct track at 48KHz and 96KHz you won't hear any difference -- the Nyquist rule kicks in. However, if you track (record), do extensive editing, correction and effects, and mix at 48KHz, and then master at 48Khz, you'll definitely hear a difference when the entire process is done at the higher sample rate. Bit-depth primarily effects dynamic range but, because of the harmonics factor, I think you'll get a better sound with greater bit depth.

With all that said, MP3 (or any other lossy codec) adds another layer of complexity that, I think, can result in more rounding errors and other distortion. I don't know enough higher math to understand how Fast Fourier Transforms work, but I know they're a key component to audio compression.

The net result is, as I said, i.e. I can definitely hear the difference between an MP3 at 128K, at 192K and at Apple's lossy codec, which is variable bit rate 328K. Though Bose QC15s aren't the best headphones in the world, and I would never use them for mixing (I have studio phones for that, along with near-field monitors), they're not bad at all. When used with a good headphone amp, the noise-cancelling is sufficient to shut out virtually all outside noise and the resulting sound field is reasonably close to what you'd hear at home. At this point, the weakest point in the link is the iPod itself, which has okay, but not superlative, DACs. That's why I'm real interested in the Fiio X5. Its specs are extraordinary -- for all intents and purposes completely flat from 20-20Khz, THD comparable to home audiophile components. It handles most compressed codecs, as well as non-lossy formats. Once the higher capacity microSD cards are available, 512 Gb should be enough to skip compression altogether. At that point, the combination of the X5 and E12 headphone amplifier should be magnificent.

Mediamonkey is a great alternative to iTunes. I use it for my two iPods and Galaxy S4.

I'll give it a try. Thanks!

Be sure to read the online help on how to use it to manage your iPod because it's not very intuitive the first few times.

Given that the interface is almost exactly the same as iTunes 10, I agree -- it's not in the least intuitive. I was able to do enough with it to determine that it will meet my needs very well AND that it's not saddled with the ridiculous DRM nonsense of iTunes that insists on using only a single "registered" iPod with a single music library, which made maintaining the iPod on the road with my laptop virtually impossible. I bought the purchased edition.

Thanks again for the recommendation. iTunes is now officially banished from all my computers.

Glad to hear it worked for you.

Join the iTunes haters club,
https://discussions.apple.com/thread...art=0&tstart=0

http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?p=25728433

That's the best part about MediaMonkey. Glad somebody mentioned it. I've been using it for a few years now and it just takes every device I can throw at it in stride. I currently use it with a Sony Network Walkman, iPod nano, a plain SD card (which I use in my car's head unit) and an Nexus 5.

Sums up pretty much all their products^

Sick to death of my Macbook Air