matthewb.eth on Warpcast

Content pfp

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

matthewb.eth pfp

by popular request (okay just @ted and @nicholas) here is an overview of our hi-fi setup: * but first, why? listening to music can be either a passive activity, like background music while cooking or commuting, or an activity that demands your full attention. if the latter, then the quality of your experience is shaped by the ability of your system to reproduce music. this means everything from source (streaming, CD, vinyl, reel-to-reel tape) → amplification → volume control (preamp) → speakers and all of the cables in between. maybe this all sounds dumb (who cares about cables???) but until you have a once-in-a-lifetime experience listening to a really great system, you won't know what you're missing from your favourite music. not just technical qualities like detail or extension, but emotion, texture, and meaning. hi-fi is a great real-world example of plato's cave, because once you've heard what you're missing... you can't unhear it. [1/4]

6 replies

27 recasts

85 reactions

matthewb.eth pfp

* streamer/dac: roon + 8c contrary to most hi-fi gear, the 8c have streaming built in via ethernet as well as digital → analog conversion (otherwise known as a DAC). this works with an audiophile music app called roon, which is a slick interface for playing lossless and high-res music via tidal, qobuz, or similar streaming services. it's a bit more clunky than say, spotify, but it's not bad. roon requires a dedicated box (basically a NUC) to act as a server which sits on our little coffee table stand. it does all of the heavy lifting while the small "player" chip inside the speakers handles the rest. this may seem complex but it is actually among the simplest and no fuss setups possible for hi-fi. typically the goal is to separate each function to its own dedicated device, which can mean 5-10+ boxes to handle everything you need from streaming to volume control and amplification. this setup is just one box connected to ethernet + ethernet to the speakers.

1 reply

0 recast

6 reactions

Gramajo pfp

Fucking love roon, one of my favorite pieces of software I use daily

1 reply

0 recast

3 reactions