Currently using an Xbox One for all streaming needs. Run Pandora through Xbox, TOS link to Rocketfish DAC, to older NAD receiver to Focal 706's. I'm somewhat pleased with lots of what I listen to but some music and movies sound terrible and I'm wondering what cost effective upgrades I can make. I know Pandora isn't considered audiophile quality and I'm guessing my Xbox doesn't improve on this.
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Would a better DAC help?
- Thread starter TankTop
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The first thing that comes to mind is this:
If it's just some music and some movies, then it's not your system. Then it's badly mastered music och bad sound movies. Can you give a few examples?
- Thread Starter
- #3
The worst for TV was “The Rain” S2E1, bass was excessive were it didn’t seem there should be any for starters.
For music I like Christian worship in the mornings when I’m getting ready, specifically Hillsong Worship station on Pandora. It almost feels like they’re using a filter for effect, vocals seem limited or capped in there range. It feels like it lacks depth, almost like someone using a cheap selfie filter on their cell phone to get rid of blemishes. I don’t notice it when streaming in my car or just listening to my cell phone speakers (iPhone XS).
Mumford and Sons, Norah Jones, Kail Bailey, Halsey and similar is all mesmerizing. Johnny Cash can take a minute for your ears to adjust, in fact if I haven’t listened at all for a couple days my ears need a few minutes break in as the Focal 706’s are very neutral and un colored like good studio monitors. Our church got Monitor Audio line arrays a couple years ago and they are similar, your ears take a few minutes to break in but then the music comes through and the speakers disappear. They do some things extrodinary, some things not too well and really expose others.
Note: I think I’m wrong about the brand of line array
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Issues like excessive bass will not be cured with a new DAC, since it will be a result of the speakers, the room, and/or the recording: most likely the latter two in your case, assuming the speakers are fairly neutral.
I'm not familiar with all the recordings you mention, but if good recordings sound good and others don't it would seem to me very likely that the issues you're hearing primarily come down to the quality of the recordings.
I'm sure the Xbox internal DAC is not state of the art, but even cheap DACs perform very well these days, and despite their price are almost always the least distorting component in any system.
You're likely to experience much bigger gains by adding room treatment, subwoofers, etc. etc.
I'm not familiar with all the recordings you mention, but if good recordings sound good and others don't it would seem to me very likely that the issues you're hearing primarily come down to the quality of the recordings.
I'm sure the Xbox internal DAC is not state of the art, but even cheap DACs perform very well these days, and despite their price are almost always the least distorting component in any system.
You're likely to experience much bigger gains by adding room treatment, subwoofers, etc. etc.
- Thread Starter
- #5
I do have SVS PB1000 as well, difficult to get under control without using an AVR and LFE. It shoots into a couch 18” away and I’ve got an over sized gaming bean bag sitting on top of it with it turned way down but it still rears it’s ugly boomy head with some sound tracks, I may stuff a sock in the port!
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If I were you I'd invest in a measurement microphone and use software and measurements to (1) properly integrate the sub and the Focals, (2) optimise the location of the sub empirically, and (3) correct the response in the room's modal region.
The MiniDSP UMIK-1 is perfectly adequate for this task and costs $75.
Let me know if any of the above doesn't make sense and I'll direct you to some further info
That lack of quality is most likely due to the classic SISU effect. (Shit in = Shit out)
If the Hillsong Worship station don't stream at a high enough bitrate, don't process the sound properly, then it's not your system.
Try another source, youtube perhaps?
Se if you can find the same music there to compare to.
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