I've got two separate iTunes libraries -- one of which consists of about 26,000 songs ripped to MP3 (most in 128kbps), and the other of which consists of about 6,000 songs ripped to AIFF (lossless).

MacBook Pro houses both libraries, which are connected via Ethernet cable to my network.

I use my 2nd-gen AppleTV to access both libraries.

I also have a Peachtree Audio DAC*iT in the system.

I can tell a HUGE difference between the MP3 files and the AIFF files. For one, the sound stage on the MP3's fits between my speakers; the AIFF files play sounds outside the speakers. SQ on the AIFF files is as clear as the original CD's played on my Oppo 93.

There's only a slight difference between SQ on either library when played through the DAC*iT -- it enhances the bass somewhat. On the AIFF files, that results in a better, "fuller" SQ; on the MP3 files, it seems to make the sound more muddy. So when listening to the AIFF library, I'll feed it through the DAC*iT; on the very rare occasions I play the MP3 files, I ignore the DAC*iT entirely.

I also have about 500 high-resolution files downloaded from HDTracks.com. I access them through the Integra DHC-80.2. Those files have a better SQ than either the MP3 or the AIFF files.

As for CD's sounding better than vinyl ... not in my house, they don't. Sure, my vinyl has the occasional static pop and tick, and I don't have to worry about that at all with AIFF files. But the vinyl almost uniformly gives me an even larger sound stage AND better dynamics. The music is more engaging in every way I can think of.

And my ears as bad as anyone else's -- I'm 52, and I've been to see Aerosmith on every tour they've done since I was 15 years old.

I admit that I do copy my discs to an SDHC card at 192bps for listening to in the car. The card plugs right in to the head unit in dash. It does beat the hell out of hauling my precious discs around everywhere and sounds just fine for driving around. However, when sitting in my listening room that format is unacceptable. And like mentioned above, I worry about my discs being damaged too. Many are out of print, rare, and very expensive. A $200 plus disc does not come out during the party, I assure you. But then, at the party, who really cares about SQ? It's just filler noise for the background in most cases isn't it? In that scenario, the streaming library is perfect. I myself spent far more time in critical listening sessions than in party time where convenience would be preferable. Both camps have their merits but the fact the industry can dictate how I enjoy what is probably my most favorite passtime is disturbing to me.

Interesting comments, if the one cannot tell the difference between Lossy(decent) and lossless playback, perhaps an expensive prepro vs. and inexpensive AVR would be difficult too? Or is the strong appetite for the 978 for other benefits besides perceived improvements in sound quality?

Bob

+2 to AusTexRocker and Beyond1000



Yes it is.

Strong appetite? I wouldn't be so sure. For every, "yeah, I'll wait til the cows come home for my 978" I think I've seen a corresponding "Got tired of waiting and bought something else" or "the 978 is missing feature X so I'll buy another product."

As a result, I don't see the 978 being popular at all. They are WAY too late to the party and are missing significant feature sets that are commonplace in the industry now. Sure, some diehard Outlaw fans will buy them, but these things aren't going to sell well. I wouldn't wish any bad luck on Outlaw, but that's what I see happening.

Best,

^^^^
I think for the pre/pro category it will sell very well. It all depends just how many people are waiting for a pre/pro with Audyssey XT32 and balanced outputs. There just aren't many out there with these two features.

I've scratched more than a few CDs in my car, a handful of very prized ones too, up until about 2003 when I noticed that some would miss-track and stutter when playing back on my home hi-fi gear. I have an Alpine CD player in the car but when the suspension of a car CD player is weakened after countless hits on the road caused by potholes and cracks (we hold the distinction of having the roads with the most of potholes up here ), well then your CDs take hits from the reading lens and you can end up with some really nasty scratches and whitish scrapes. I've had to buy an optical disc resurfacing machine to treat some CDs.

Although I intend to hold on to the actual CD discs, I want to put everything I can on a NAS compressed with FLAC. As for my SACDs, unless I can some day rip them and put them on a NAS too, I'll have to keep on using my Oppo BDP-83.

What's worse about the music industry is that they're trying to push on the market an inferior MP3 format that cost them much less to distribute through downloads and you don't even have a physical media. You can often buy up an actual CD these days for less than the cost of the downloads. If you loose your portable player or the hard drive on your HTPC or NAS crashes and you don't have valid backups, well then you're screwed. The music industry doesn't care, they just figure you'll back back what you lost, very disturbing indeed.

Ritz, sometimes it's better late than never my friend, unless a competitor comes out with a similar product and pulls the rug from under your feet, so there is a limit ultimately. AV processors are a fairly small market any way you look at it, partly because most of them are fairly expensive; separates are simply a more expensive proposition. Maybe this explains why Marantz haven't come out with an AV8005(6), as rumored, to replace the discontinued AV8003. Outlaw may indeed sell them in relatively small numbers considering that they've also lost sales from the last couple of years to people who got tired of waiting and bought another brand.

I myself don't own any Outlaw gear but I'm looking for an affordable processor with a good digital room correction system to help me tame the terrible acoustics of my square listening room. Audyssey's MultEQ XT32 has been awarded the "Accessory of the Year" award for 2011 by Stereophile. But above all, the criterion I place the highest emphasis on is the SQ. In regards to some of the missing features, as many have mentioned, most of them can be added by third party boxes you can connect to the 978. Time will tell how this thing pans out.

Dammit, I am not buying another car from Outlaw until they add the parallel parking feature!

But you're the same guy that said "if the Emotiva guys can pull this off the XMC will sell like hotcakes." You seem to have a lofty opinion of them over Outlaw despite Emo's awful UMC failure. I don't quite follow your logic there.

At any rate, only time can tell who will be successful, but it's a little early to be counting anyone out.