01-16-2021, 11:14 AM | #23 | |
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01-24-2021, 11:29 AM | #24 |
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MZ, meant to thank you again for your advice.
I installed the MEC module with a USB input and connected it to a Fiio with the tethertools cable you recommended. I used my laptop to select the various options, but initially it would not work. After checking any number of possible problems and exhausting my knowledge of profanity, I eventually discovered that the "global priority" that is supposed to enable administrative-type messages to override the MEC USB input in fact caused all the head unit input to override the MEC USB input. Once I disabled "global priority," it worked. It does sound very good. I am using lossless files I ripped from CDs using iTunes. I am not great at A/B comparisons, but it seems to me that music sounds more resolved through the Fiio and the MEC USB input than the same files do through a thumb drive and the USB input in the console in the front seat. |
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01-24-2021, 03:15 PM | #25 | |
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Unfortunately, iTunes doesn't provide lossless file AFAIK. I found this site: https://vox.rocks/blog/10-best-sources-to-download. I'm into both classic rock and classical music. I've downloaded several Rachmaninoff albums-amazing clarity. |
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01-24-2021, 07:19 PM | #26 |
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Sorry to have to bother you again, but I could use some additional explanation.
(i) Where does the driver figure in? After having ripped a lot of CDs, I copied the iTunes folder onto a micro SD card and then mounted that card in my Fiio. The Fiio had no trouble reading these files. (ii) If you are using iTunes to rip CDs, one of the options is lossless, which I believe is ALAC. It would be great if I could put the DSD layer of SACDs onto the card, but I don't know if there is a legal way of doing so. |
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01-25-2021, 09:45 AM | #27 |
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Not a problem.
The driver is a bit of software the laptop uses to properly interface with the amp. The problem is that files from iTunes are likely either MP3 files or converted MP3 files. Why? The MP3 algorithm was developed so that a complete album could fit onto a CD. A CD can hold a maximum of 700MB. An album of lossless format songs can easily exceed 700MB. So, several "tricks" are used to reduce the size of each file. These include deleting any "music" with a frequency of 15khz or greater, compressing the "music" (think elevator music) and stripping out supposedly inaudible artifacts. Together, these decrease the number of MBs stored on the CD. Why FLAC is a lossless format, it can not improve the sound of an MP3 derived song. That is, the missing music can not be retrieved nor can the music be uncompressed. Last edited by MarcoZandrini; 01-25-2021 at 09:53 AM.. |
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