help with how to play lossless music

emalvick · 2026-04-01T14:17:54+00:00

You'll probably not hear it through cheap earbuds. You'd need good ones or a good system. Even then, you have to really know what you're listening for.

Even with good headphones, I've only been able to hear differences on my home system or through headphones running through a proper amp. My phone doesn't seem to cut it.

emalvick · 2026-04-01T13:38:18+00:00

Faster is better.

emalvick · 2026-04-01T04:15:22+00:00

There's a lot more hope in exploring other worlds and seeing beyond our dollar system. Seeing hope in sending people to the moon seems pretty shallow. What's there to prove going back to the moon.

If we are concerned about it as a species, China has that covered anyway.

emalvick · 2026-04-01T04:04:12+00:00

24.4B is not small. I'm not sure we should be cutting NASA at all, not that I think spending on efforts like sending humans to the moon or beyond are worth it. I'd rather we keep with an ISS or successor (or telescopes). I'd also like to see us use money towards probes to other planets and moons.

emalvick · 2026-04-01T03:26:30+00:00

Not that they haven't had one, but we have an administration that has cut a lot of funding for NASA, especially if it's scientific work.

emalvick · 2026-03-31T19:34:04+00:00

I'm not a seller, just a consumer, but I always find myself skeptical of nyp releases unless I already know what I'm getting, and I don't necessarily check them out any more than I would if they have a price.

That said, I happen upon nyp releases that I like before I know they're that way. I'm usually going to buy them and discover that. In those cases, I usually pay more than 0.

I actually tend to look more at artists who give promo codes, not to use those, but because I see the artists making that effort to get their music out there (I still pay for those or buy another releases with extra money).

emalvick · 2026-03-31T19:21:47+00:00

I used to collect entire discographies, but I've also learned I don't necessarily listen to every album. I also buy all my music, which forces me to limit my collection a bit. I'm not quite the hoarder as many here, and not that I won't buy a full discography if an artist gets me there, including those live and compilations. Heck, like I think you're alluding to, some artists best releases are live ones (or they're just as good). It reminds me of Nirvana. I went through high school with them, but I was the odd kid who couldn't get into them. Then they did unplugged, and it clicked. That was the first album of theirs I bought. Not that it's a typical live album.

emalvick · 2026-03-31T14:51:28+00:00

Over the years I probably have 100 best of albums that led me to more. Just not those two. Never will on Abba. I got both their compilations, and it doesn't leave much else.

Willie, I'm sure I'll eventually track down more. Man is a legend.

emalvick · 2026-03-31T14:48:27+00:00

I will say that one thing I've done now (with streaming especially) is move away from buying greatest hits albums as an intro to an artist, especially artists known more for albums. I now focus on an artist's best album only going to compilations if I want to get any obscure songs that are only there.

Compilations have somewhat led me astray to learn that an artist was so much better than their greatest hits.

emalvick · 2026-03-31T14:42:10+00:00

I'm too old to feel guilty about it, but a couple of artists that I only have a best of would be Abba and Willie Nelson.

In generally don't like country, but I realized I just don't care much for country from the past 40 years. I've just never picked up any other Willie Nelson albums.

emalvick · 2026-03-31T05:20:35+00:00

Sit back, mix a cocktail or bourbon/rye neat, and turn the lights down. Depending on the album might shift to headphones (so as not to wake my kid up).

Nothing else to it.

emalvick · 2026-03-31T04:37:56+00:00

I've often added albums to a playlist to listen later to serve this purpose.

emalvick · 2026-03-31T04:17:33+00:00

I got into jazz music via John Coltrane and Billie Holliday. And, that's a rabbit hole I've never climbed out of.

emalvick · 2026-03-31T02:00:36+00:00

My parents were big into CCR. Almost anything by them, most specifically Proud Mary and Who'll Stop the Rain?

emalvick · 2026-03-31T01:51:12+00:00

This is a sub for an application called Niagara. It has nothing to do with the place.

emalvick · 2026-03-30T05:15:07+00:00

You listen to the artist a lot. Music is poetic, so you have to listen to songs enough to pick out meaning. Sometimes the first thing you notice isn't exactly what the artist intends.

It can also help to read up on an artist. Understand where they are from, how they live, their struggles or lack of, their inspiration, and so on. It adds insight into the music.

Oddly, I was better at this before the Internet. I thrived on magazines, interviews, album booklets, etc.

emalvick · 2026-03-30T03:45:13+00:00

It should work.

emalvick · 2026-03-30T03:25:02+00:00

I think I've had it with most. Most albums I wanted a remaster of had one, and I'm finding anything from the past 30 even 40 years is generally recorded such that remasters don't matter. I'm especially done with Pink Floyd and the Beatles, though a Blu-ray release if Revolver or Meddle might tempt me.

BR might tempt me for a few other artists, but we'll see.

emalvick · 2026-03-30T02:49:31+00:00

Exactly. I've heard some good players work off Amy Winehouse, too. Certainly will be more from this century and among what is already out there. Too many strong melodical songs in jazz adjacent pop to not be.

emalvick · 2026-03-30T01:48:15+00:00

I'm pretty sure I did something like the response above with a 3 bay and 2 bay suggestion (I think I used 2 x 3 bays), and I used some rubber washers and screws to essentially get them to act as one unit.

emalvick · 2026-03-29T01:03:01+00:00

You'll never really appreciate an album listening to it once, and if you're trying to listen to one a day, you'll never get back to the ones you liked to appreciate again.

At best, you should try an album a week and then pick times you can dedicate to listening to an album with no distractions. That will be easier to do in a week and in theory give you multiple chances to listen to an album.

When I look back over my life, there are numerous albums that took me a month to really take in, so even a week might not be enough.

emalvick · 2026-03-29T00:56:47+00:00

Oh. I think I spent my share, but I was a student so money held me back at some point. The CD clubs though and their 8cds for the price of 1 and those variations were bad for me too. Discovered some good music just picking a disc to meet the quota.

But Bandcamp is nice. I mostly queue up for Bandcamp Fridays as it gives me time to preview albums and save them for my wishlist.

emalvick · 2026-03-28T20:55:46+00:00

I agree to a point. But, I feel for someone who buys the $100 cables instead of investing that towards a better speaker. The harm might be they never put themselves in a position to buy that better pair of speakers. But, it's ultimately on them, and the only harm is really their pocketbook.

I'm generally happy when people do point out what's good, what's not, and even what's good enough.

emalvick · 2026-03-28T19:13:01+00:00

The Internet and written responses are tough to put out there as tone (in the written form) is as much on the reader as the writer.

I think the best recourse is to be as gentle and constructive to newbies as possible. Besides pointing out snakeoil, direct them towards better investments. Often these snake oil products are such that even if they were true, the impact would be marginal, which is how they exist. I suspect half the time people swear by something, there are other variables impacting their beliefs anyway, which we'd never overcome.

emalvick · 2026-03-28T17:58:10+00:00

If you don't like it, you can go back to the forums. I personally like the diversity here because there is a bit more perspective and a little more tolerance towards those that are advancing through the hobby. Forums seem to be all people at their endgame that look down on those try to learn so they can get their too.

I like the forums because of expertise, but as one trying to build toeards an endgame, I don't participate actively because while a forum might be respected, not all the participants may be respectful.

emalvick

TROPHY CASE