Squeezebox sound quality vs CD, and Panny XR55 info

[BradJudy]

Can you point me to a link where people are saying the Squeezebox + lossless files sound better than CD players?

This is a pretty popular topic over on AudioCircle, especially in the Bolder or Red Wine forums (they both modify SBs). Some people have ditched pretty pricey CD players for them. I haven't listened to one myself.

[rajacat]

<<Can you point me to a link where people are saying the Squeezebox + lossless files sound better than CD players?>>>


http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/v...er=asc&start=0

Raja
]

[curtis]

Thanks you guys....some good reading.

[Gov]

You may also want to try "7 channel stereo" mode or something similiar. I use this only my Pioneer 1014 and really love it with redbook CD's!!

[Eddie]

Grayson,

1. One of the nice things about the Panny is that when you bi-amp it offers you the ability to regulate how much power goes to the tweeter vs. the woofers. If you are finding the Panny/Ascend combo to be overly "bright" you can thus send more juice to the woofers and less to the tweeters...since tweeters are generally much higher sensitivity, this makes a lot of sense and also can allow you to "tame" an overly bright tweeter.

2. In bi-amp mode the Panny also lets you do phase correction, i.e. compensate for the different depths of the tweeters vs. the woofers. Though to be honest I personally cannot really hear much difference doing this...of course I was not inputting very precise numbers just guesstimating.

3. Rather than use various EQ/sound-processing modes, I'd add to Shane's advice not to do that. Instead, I'd advise you to try something that I *only* advise owners of the xr55 to do: adjust the treble setting. Why? Because on the Panny, the treble control affects the topmost 20Hz frequencies rather than the typical 10-15Hz frequencies that most analog receivers use. So you can effectively reduce that topmost layer of brightness without unduly screwing up the rest of the sound.

[rajacat]

Grayson,

1. One of the nice things about the Panny is that when you bi-amp it offers you the ability to regulate how much power goes to the tweeter vs. the woofers. If you are finding the Panny/Ascend combo to be overly "bright" you can thus send more juice to the woofers and less to the tweeters...since tweeters are generally much higher sensitivity, this makes a lot of sense and also can allow you to "tame" an overly bright tweeter.

2. In bi-amp mode the Panny also lets you do phase correction, i.e. compensate for the different depths of the tweeters vs. the woofers. Though to be honest I personally cannot really hear much difference doing this...of course I was not inputting very precise numbers just guesstimating.

3. Rather than use various EQ/sound-processing modes, I'd add to Shane's advice not to do that. Instead, I'd advise you to try something that I *only* advise owners of the xr55 to do: adjust the treble setting. Why? Because on the Panny, the treble control affects the topmost 20Hz frequencies rather than the typical 10-15Hz frequencies that most analog receivers use. So you can effectively reduce that topmost layer of brightness without unduly screwing up the rest of the sound.

Excellent advice! I wish I was aware of that use of the bi-amping function before I sold it. That addresses my two main complaints about the XR55: 1) harsh treble, 2) relatively weak bass.

Also I didn't realize that the treble control only affected the very upper range of brightness.

[Grayson73]

Thanks for the info.

I found that I liked the 340SE when playing in stereo and in full range, so I think the problem is that the crossover (100hz) is too high.

What I'd like to do is have the speakers set to 'large' with sub on for 2 channel (music) and 'small' for multichannel (movies), but it seems like I'd have to switch this manually every time because the Panny can't remember the settings. Have you found this to be true?

[Eddie]

I found that I liked the 340SE when playing in stereo and in full range, so I think the problem is that the crossover (100hz) is too high.

What I'd like to do is have the speakers set to 'large' with sub on for 2 channel (music) and 'small' for multichannel (movies), but it seems like I'd have to switch this manually every time because the Panny can't remember the settings. Have you found this to be true?

Yes unfortunately those are my 2 strongest complaints about the xr55: no 60Hz crossover setting, and no separate settings for different inputs. I wish you could at least just hit one button on the remote to switch to a "Pure Direct" (no crossover and no sub) or a "Stereo" (no crossover but with sub) mode like on my old Marantz. On the other hand the Panny's remote does allow you to adjust the subwoofer output level, which is kind of an unusual feature.

[Eddie]

Excellent advice! I wish I was aware of that use of the bi-amping function before I sold it. That addresses my two main complaints about the XR55: 1) harsh treble, 2) relatively weak bass.

Also I didn't realize that the treble control only affected the very upper range of brightness.

Yeah the Panasonic manual kind of sucks --- I only found that out from the mega-thread xr55 thread on AVS.

[rajacat]

Yeah the Panasonic manual kind of sucks --- I only found that out from the mega-thread xr55 thread on AVS.

Wow, I guess I just got a little impatient with the XR55. Perhaps the default setting on my unit was a little out of kilter. I should have kept track on what was happening on tha Panny megathread .I did like the imaging, quietness and sounstage of the XR55.

Well, all is not lost, my search for amps has taken me down many more roads and expanded my horizons. I toyed with the idea of purchasing a traditional muscle amp such as an Odyssey Stratos (150/ch on the used market or buying a T or D amp and running them through a tube preamp to tame the hard edges. I wish I had tried the tubed pre with the Panny. Well, for now, the road has ended and this morning I made the commitment to purchase a 100w @4 ohms /ch Gainclone chip amp at a very reasonable price. I will combine this with a used Mapletree 3A SE tube pre which, by most reports, will be an excellent and synergistic team. I believe that the 340SE's really like to have lots of power at their disposal and the Gainclones are reputed to be very powerful for their rated output and this dual bridged version should be the cat's meow.

Raja