Feelings such as loneliness, longing or love are sometimes hard to put into words; maybe that’s why we all love music, because it resonates with something we can’t share.
-Agnes Obel
It’s been a week since I got to California, and it’s been even longer since I got to listen to a record on my stereo. In a recent video on Instagram, I talked about how my amp died right before I shipped all my household goods.
It takes about 30 days for a shipment to get from Hawaii to California including packing, loading, shipping, and unloading. While I’m not so patiently awaiting the arrival of my housewares, at least I have my portable listening setup.
The Sound
Telling you that I put in my ear buds and I am transported to my listening room when Stan Getz & João Gilberto – Getz/Gilberto (192 khz/24 bit) [Verve, B0020749-02] plays would be a lie. I will tell you that my portable setup took me out of the environment I was sitting in (Waikiki at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center). Tourists all around, the noise of the city buzzing, and I put my music in, and all of it disappeared.
I’m not a high volume listener, finding myself isolated from the environment had a profound effect on me. I wasn’t in my listening room, but I wasn’t in Waikiki anymore. It was like being in a listening booth looking out at the passers-by.
“What about active noise cancellation headphones that are in the same price range?”
I’m not a fan of active noise cancellation unless I’m on a plane. To create that sense of silence the sound quality has to suffer. I’m always going to lean toward quality over isolation, but these IEM’s fit the bill for both criteria.
As I write this I’m listening to Corinne Bailey Rae – The Heart Speaks In Whispers, my girlfriend is hosting a webinar, and I can’t hear a word she’s saying. That’s with the volume at just under 3 of 5 on the low gain setting.
“Bullshit, Tom!”
You may be thinking. I assure you there’s no bullshit to what I heard. The sounds I was hearing didn’t happen by mistake. There is no mystical snake oil; I didn’t put my earbuds in a red solo cup overnight, dance around my iPod counterclockwise during the harvest moon to find pleasure in this setup. I researched, impedance matched, and set up my portable rig to sound great. Get my MP3 to Hi-Fi guide by signing up here.
The Gear
- Apple iPod Touch 64GB – The ever ubiquitous iPod has been around in several iterations since 2003. Selecting the iPod touch was a no-brainer for many reasons, with capacity being the foremost. Out of the box, the iPod will only play files, up to 48 kHz @ 24 bits through Apple Music.
- RHA T20i – These IEM’s (in ear monitors) are amazing if you like a flat response, with just enough bass. The key to in-ear headphones is fit. The most expensive in-ears are custom molded to your ear to address fit. The RHA’s come with a wide assortment of ear tips that will fit nearly any ear. These earbuds sound great and don’t break the bank.
- Oppo HA-2 SE – This DAC (digital to analog converter) makes High-resolution music playback possible on your iPod. The HA-2 SE supports file formats up to384kHz/32 Bit or DSD Quad Rate (11.28 MHz), but I listen to a more plebeian 96-192 kHz @ 24 Bits. You can use the HA-2’s internal battery to charge your playback device or phone on the go, and it works with everything, Apple/PC/Android.
High-Resolution Music
I didn’t bother putting any of the music from my cloud-based iTunes library on the iPod. If you want to listen to your MP3’s, help yourself. I want the source to match the gear, so I’m only putting high-quality tunes on my iPod.
I have been a Tidal Hi-Fi customer for just over a year and I’m well pleased with their catalog. The sound quality is top notch, but find myself just a little insatiable. The downloaded music is in whatever quality you select in the options of the app, make sure you choose before downloading.
Why do I need a dedicated music player, can’t I just use my phone?
You can use your phone in a similar setup, but you would be missing out on something. Think of your portable music solution, like your stereo. Separate components may not be something that appeals to those who like lifestyle audio systems like the McIntosh RS 100. I’m reminded of a recent Sonos commercial, shared below.
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I want music, not Facebook updates.
Our phones do much more than they did when the first portable music players were released. My iPhone 6S Plus has more memory, storage capacity, and capability than my first 3 computers combined.
The iPhone as a music playback system, finds itself overwhelmed when asked to be a phone, high-resolution music storage repository, activity tracker, payment method, flashlight, HD video camera, GPS, and paper weight. A dedicated device will serve you better in terms of listening.
A dedicated device will serve you better in terms of listening, and there are all-inclusive solutions available. The Astell & Kern players are excellent. Their price point is further upmarket that the solution I described above. Many of you have iPods already, as did I. Before you condemn your iPod to the closet or even if you have, use my [iPod to Hi-Fi Guide] to get on the path to portable Hi-Fi.
Where can I get these Hi-Fi tunes?
Now that you have decided that you want a portable Hi-Fi, where do you get the tunes to match the capabilities of your setup?
There are many choices you for you to get your high-resolution files but as I am a record collector, I want to listen to “my music.”
- You can download music from an online retailer, like HD Tracks, Primephonic, or Linn Records (for you KISS fans). Albums start around $18 and go up depending on your preferred bitrate.
- Streaming in Hi-Fi is also an option with premium services offered by Tidal which allows for downloads with quality up to FLAC 44.1/16 (Hi-Fi membership $24.99/monthly) or Spotify with streaming and downloads up to 320Kbps (Premium membership $9.99/monthly).
Or
If you’re like me, you love the sound of your records. The ritual of listening: liner notes, cover art, stylus dropping, and sitting in your favorite chair are an event. Not something you can recreate on the go, right?
Since all albums aren’t available in prepackaged digital formats (as I discover more and more), having a recording studio with a wealth of recording knowledge helps in fulfilling that desire.
Vinyl for The People offers vinyl conversion service, which converts your LP’s to high-resolution digital files for playback on your home or portable systems. Click here to schedule a discovery session.
How large are these Hi-Fi albums?
Norah Jones – Come Away With Me
This album is a stalwart of the audiophile music collection. Unlike some other albums, it sounds good and has good music (that almost everyone can agree upon).
Below are the file sizes for the album in various formats:
- MP3 – Lowest resolution and smallest file sizes. MP3’s are the most common digital format of music. They are small and don’t sound bad if you don’t know better or only listen through your bundled earbuds.
Album Size – 103MB
- FLAC – A cousin to MP3, is a lossless compression format that is half the file size of WAV files (depending on bitrate). I prefer FLAC for my digital files as it gives me the best size to sound performance ratio.
Album Size – 192/24 1.8GB, 96/24 996MB
- DSD – The newest digital music craze. With the promise of bit-perfect playback and a more “analog” sound, it is aimed squarely at audiophiles. DSD comes in a few flavors Single Rate, Double Rate, and Quad Rate.
Album Size – DSD (2.8MHz) 1.78GB, Quad Rate DSD (11.2MHz) 7.12GB
Listen to your favorite LP’s anywhere
“Listen to your favorite LP’s anywhere” is what drove me to offer this service. The thought of not being able to hear to my records for at least a month is a tough pill to swallow. I have some of my favorites here, and not just in low fidelity, and that is comforting. Nothing will ever replace my records, even if it’s something more convenient.
Here is an article to help you learn more about DSD. I’m an info addict, and this article is a hard read for me. The article is excellent, but between the numbers and amount of information…it’s been placed on my read later list a few times.
If you’re ready to learn more about vinyl record conversion, click here to schedule a discovery session.
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