The Unwound Third > Phonograph Blues

HOW Are You Listening?

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dj:
Yep.  My listening setup has changed a lot, too.  Probably half my listening is done streaming from my phone directly to my hearing aids - sorry, my steam-powered mechanical ears - via bluetooth.  Like most people my age, my hearing is worst at the high end, with another dip in the range of the human speaking voice, so those ranges are emphasized, and there's very little low bass.  Not perfect, but very convenient.  It actually works very well for most country blues.   

eric:

--- Quote ---My setup is now completely different, simpler, and a lot better quality for straight listening from multiple sources.
--- End quote ---


Rivers, could you share some details about your setup?

Rivers:
dj: Cool! Bluetooth is one of the technologies that has improved exponentially in that time period in connectivity, reliability and especially audio quality.

Eric: What drove my changes were areas of improvement in the tech available. These include HDMI connectivity (audio as well as visual). I found HDMI practically unusable 10 years ago unless you wanted to spend hours of time troubleshooting it. These days it's mostly plug and play. I stopped using PCs+sound cards and switched to Macs in 2012. I now connect the Mac audio-out via HDMI to a Pioneer 1019 hifi receiver. A Sirius/XM satellite radio boombox plugs in to the receiver from the boombox's headphone-out to an analog-in on the receiver, I just turn the input selector knob to switch. Plenty of free inputs left on the back of the receiver. Plus the onboard FM radio is just another click away.

The receiver, since it's also a power amp, drives the passive speakers, NHT towers, old school monoliths and really nice. I also received a pair of wireless Sony bluetooth noise cancelling headphones for my birthday. They are startlingly good compared to the BT headphones of 10 years ago. The only improvement I'd want to make is upgrading the receiver to one with Bluetooth I/O and 4K video output; the receiver I have is older than this thread, but its HDMI ins & outs have always worked.

I'm still using the same Dell U3011 monitor using DisplayPort at both ends, works fine. Mac is plugged in direct to the monitor. I'd send a photo of my desk but it's even more untidy than it was 10 years ago...

eric:
Thanks, Rivers.  My set up is a good one, but a relic of my LP and 78 days.  Do you use music library on your Mac, and if so what import settings do you use?  I don't use video because there is no reliable broadband where we live.

Rivers:
Yes I sub to Apple Music and don't buy CDs any more unless I really can't find it online. The quality is, generally speaking, better than or equal to what I would get from ripping a CD. Also for $9 per month I can download as much music as I need. I'm lucky to have a fiber optic broadband branch running down my rural street, thanks to the Obama admin's rural broadband initiative.

Re import settings, I seem to recall there being a post on here somewhere that talks about the whats, whys and wherefores of iTunes (now obsolete) import settings, with links to articles elsewhere. I'll see if I can find it.

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