desutruction
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- Joined
- Dec 3, 2020
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I have the Waxwing and I'm very happy with it!
You should check out the Facebook pageI’ve moved over to the Waxwing from the Puffin. Would love to see some measurements as to how it performs. To my ear it’s the same as the Puffin, but with the better form factor and convenience of remote operation. I’m particularly interested in the PEQ filter. If anyone has a resource for its implementation and settings, I would be very grateful. I hear it can remove baked in mains hum from records. I have a Detroit Cobras record that has terrible AC hum, and would like to get rid of it!
It caught me off guard how small it is.
It is sublime in its design and simplicitySame. It might even be smaller than a miniDSP 2x4HD. I see that as a good thing.
You could ask Shannon Parks.Anybody knows about the internal ADC in this preamp?
Is the purpose of this device to make vinyl LPs sound more like CDs? If so, I will consider getting one.
This looks amazing! What is the deal with ripping records, could I ditch my audio interface and still capture at 24 bit 44.1?
I’d assume the ADC in this is going to be more than good enough. For comparison right now I have a Behringer 202HD and NAD PP2e and hate all the cables.
I have not got around to ripping yet. You will need one of these to convert optical to USB.
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Hifime SPDIF Optical to USB converter, record DAT/minidisc to computer
The UR23 accepts SPDIF optical sources and transfer this to USB. Suitable to record DAT tapes, minidisc or other digital source to a computer.hifimediy.com
I have one - have not tried it yet, but it is on my list of things to do. Sample rate outputs of the Waxwing are 24 bit at 48 KHZ or 96 KHZ. I use 24/96 into my Schiit and am completely satisfied by ear. I don't know which resolution for recording I'll use - obviously save some storage at 48 KHZ. For MP3 files - to use in the car - I use dbPoweramp to convert WAV to MP3 at 320 bitrate with great results.
Is the purpose of this device to make vinyl LPs sound more like CDs? If so, I will consider getting one.
Take some online ABX tests between red book resolution and hires or even MP3 320 and red book ... very few people finds a difference.
Is your audio system really ready for lossless?
Do an ABX test in your browser, and see if you can tell the difference between lossless and lossy audioabx.digitalfeed.net
It seems that after one century Nyquist/Shannon are right and red book is all you need to capture audio signals ... and that psychoacoustics aspects taken in mp3 algorithm really works also.
From my understanding the reason to rip at eg 24/96 would be more accurate processing like click removal. I’d be exporting to AAC redbook.
I am in the middle of trying to figure out rips. I am set on using Acon Digital Acoustica Standard for processing, it’s click and crackle removal is literally magical to my ears especially considering the price.
The hurdle I have run into is I bought a Behringer UMC 202HD for this, and at line level my test rips are clipping pretty heavily. I could use the pad buttons but the input gain knobs are extremely sensitive and impossible to tell if they are aligned.
I was looking to get a slightly better interface but I’d prefer to spend the money on the Waxwing if it work well, and then I could ditch both the interface and my NAD PP2e phono stage.
At current gains I set, the ADC peak inputs run around -14 db for the average record.
My understanding is ADC’s behave a bit differently than reel to reels and the cassettes decks I used to record LP’s to for car playback. If you exceed 0 db on tape you can go a bit higher without audible distortion. On the other hand, the ADC is not going to react well to exceeding 0 db. So, best to stay away from 0 db and normalize if you need it louder without cranking the volume control. I wouldn’t expect normalizing the recording to make any difference as long as you keep the dynamic range the same. Don’t compress or expand during normalizing and all you should get is an initial volume difference.Thanks for the info! Sorry for getting off topic but maybe you could help me.
Line is slightly too hot for whatever reason. There are pad buttons on the inputs, if I engage them this drops the inputs to around -20dB average with -16dB peaks. With nothing playing input registers about -86dB. If I record at this level and normalise everything sounds great to me.
I am confused by a few things however. Firstly, is normalising benign in that nothing is lost or gained just kind of scaled? Secondly, wouldn’t it be better to record closer 0dB to avoid the noise floor? Without understanding this well enough the recordings at -20dB just look and sound so soft before changing their volume.