Lossy vs lossless

Great! Do you enter their stream links on WiiM’s Open Network Stream?

Found Naim Classical CD flac.
 
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Giulio said:
They are all 16/44 quality lossless streams with an average bandwidth of 1Mbps.
Click to expand...

Mother Earth Radio's three channels are actually 24-bit/96kHz, as are SuperStereo 2-6, while SuperStereo 1 offers the choice of either 24/96 or 24/192 streams. JB Radio had previously experimented with 24-bit streams, though I believe they eventually settled on 16-bit/48kHz.
 
Hi Team,

We're gearing up to introduce HD Radio Aggregation into the WiiM Home App and would love your input on naming and UI design. Your suggestions would be incredibly valuable. Thanks in advance!
 
Giulio said:
View attachment 2533

After trying numerous configurations, I believe I have achieved a more than satisfactory setup:

- Streamer: WiiM Pro
of course
- DAC: SMSL Sanskrit 10th MK III
same DAC chip as the Pro Plus, but with the versatility of a dedicated DAC and 6 filters
- Amplifier: Fosi Audio BT20A Pro
powered at 48V, of course
- Speakers: Chario Hiper 1000

The sources I typically use are Amazon Music Unlimited and various lossless internet radio stations.
I find Amazon Music unbeatable for its extensive selection and quality, but my heart leans more towards lossless radio.
Click to expand...
Speakers??

Also, I seen you something somewhere about how cheap this set up for the quality you get
I remember having a receiver, TT and speakers back in the day with FM Radio, an added cassette deck later & vinyl to spin that was probably more money in those halcyon daze that would not have the convenience, variety & economies of space & music collection

I don't think it's fair to compare just those components, however, because you really need to add at least a tablet and internet connect to the system to make it go

As for sound....I really remember vinyl/cassette being superior to early digital and much of that was because of early digital and my limited experience with it at the time

I do agree that your modern setup is superior but I submit only with good source material (same can be said on any system) but the price is closer than it seems and the improvement is also smaller than it seems
But the convenience, ability to expand your listening range and general stable quality is something my fondest memories cannot match

And ...what are your speakers?
 
WiiM Support said:
Hi Team,

We're gearing up to introduce HD Radio Aggregation into the WiiM Home App and would love your input on naming and UI design. Your suggestions would be incredibly valuable. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
I guess you will get some ideas from Roon Radio and Sonos, perhaps.

In terms of aggregation, would you compile your own database or even consider using something like the excellent Airable radio service that I have on my Linn amp (although that might have licence/subscription implications)?
 
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Giulio said:
I had listed the speakers, a pair of Chario Hiper 1000. They're nothing extraordinary, just decent, but I've had them for decades, and they produce a sound that I really enjoy.

The overall cost of the setup isn't high, excluding the speakers, of course.
With special offers and some coupons on Amazon, you can bring everything home well below €400.

This isn't the only configuration I've tried. Consider that I have three different models of amplifiers based on TPA3255 from two different manufacturers.
This is just the configuration that, in my opinion, sounds the best for my taste.

I couldn't say whether analog recording is better than digital; in my view, it's wrong to seek a "better" because they are different, intended to evoke different sensations in the listener.

I can assure you that this configuration powered by Mother Earth's 24/192 vinyl can deliver a very "analog" sound while also providing the absolute cleanliness needed for digital audio.
TPA3255 and AK4493SEQ are a combination that offers incredible capabilities.
Then, of course, much depends on both the speakers connected and the streams provided to them. This chip pair can handle everything quite well.
Click to expand...
Can you elaborate on where that mother earth internet channel is?
I seem to remember crossing it in my travels and think it was in the radionet or UK radio plugin on my LMS.....or was it I heart radio?? LoL

I seem to be listening to more podcasts & news feeds lately cause fall is coming hard but will likely listen more attentively in the winter which we all typically do
 
Although it’s slightly off topic and not amenable for use with your WiiM device other than using Bluetooth or Airplay, check out the Radio Garden app which presents radio stations thru a Google Earth-type interface. They could perhaps improve it by allowing filter layers say by genre, quality etc but it’s fun to use - just spin the globe and home in on any region to access its local radio stations.
 
Giulio said:
24/192 using WiiM Pro, both with or without external DAC.
Stream URL in the previous post.
Click to expand...
I just heard what I thought was a record fault

I believe this Mother Earth did actually move some vinyl like digital files and uses it as some of their streaming sources

I like this channel more now than I did a half hour ago when I first turned it on (well, I think I seen it somewhere before = heard)

2nd edit...update on the sound after hearing a very well known song (Blind Faith - Well All Right)
The sound is clean, it's smooth
Detail slightly soft (in a good way)
Instruments nice separation, images nice

it's a good sounding, good material station
Rating: add it to your damn favorites already


I think I was using this plugin in conjunction with radionet on LMS before, which adds metadata to the feed (a big deal for me personally, but not quite a deal breaker)

 
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For me… the best sounding radio streams still are from BBC Radio 3 chromecasted to the WiiM Pro from the BBC Sounds app on iOS. Not lossless but it just sounds right.
 
I have plenty of high res well mastered recordings to compare in a high resolution system, no need to enter in more details. My point is that the BBC UK streams are top notch. Wiim Pro reads them at 48kHz 24 bit.
 
Giulio said:
But quality is determined by the overall chain, so if I take an excellent lossless stream and then insert an element in the playback chain that sacrifices the least significant bits of the stream, like Chromecast, I end up with a result no different from listening to music from Spotify.

What's the point of striving for faithful playback of a stream that has already been compromised?
Click to expand...
Chromecast on thé WiiM Pro can support up to 24/192 so that doesn’t necessarily follow. Bluetooth yes, Chromecast not necessarily
 
dssme said:
I think I was using this plugin in conjunction with radionet on LMS before, which adds metadata to the feed (a big deal for me personally, but not quite a deal breaker)

Click to expand...

yeah, that can work really well for stations that have the necessary metadata as shown here for Radio Paradise. I tried Mother Earth but it doesn’t seem to provide sufficient metadata to feed that plugin.
 

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Giulio said:
A 24/192 FLAC stream requires up to 6.3 Mbps of bandwidth for the stream and 7Mbps considering the protocol overhead.
Have they really found a way to pass 7 Mbps through a Bluetooth channel?
This is the first time I've heard this statement.
Click to expand...
I was referring to Bluetooth compromising faithful playback compared to your statement about ChromeCast. Of course Bluetooth being a lossy protocol with limited bandwidth support couldn’t support lossless 24/192.
 
@Giulio
Quite sure I quoted this before, but learning means repeating 😎
"Dinnae teach yer Granny tae suck eggs."
 
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dssme said:
Can you elaborate on where that mother earth internet channel is?
I seem to remember crossing it in my travels and think it was in the radionet or UK radio plugin on my LMS.....or was it I heart radio?? LoL

I seem to be listening to more podcasts & news feeds lately cause fall is coming hard but will likely listen more attentively in the winter which we all typically do
Click to expand...
It’s one of the stations listed in Radio Now Playing LMS plugin with a bonus of cover art and full metadata when it’s available
 
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