HiBit Internet Radio

I have a hard drive full of ripped CDs, but spend most of my time listening to high quality internet radio on my Squeezebox, anything at or over 128Kb/s matches or betters my Quad 77 FM Tuner.

How about a forum experiment focussing on one station that streams in many formats and at a number of bitrates?

D-dur is what I have in mind - a Czech station

http://www.rozhlas.cz/d-dur/english

I ask members to listen by whatever means they can and report back to the forum with their assessment and a description of the digital and analogue equipment used.

We may need to help each other with technology.

Let's concentrate on the higher bitrates, though I have noticed not all streams are available all the time. Bandwidth limitations?

I chose D-Dur because there is a FLAC stream not linked on the Webpage

This is about 800Kb/s !!!

http://radio.cesnet.cz:8000/cro-d-dur.flac

It is FLAC in an OGG container and not many softwares will stream it.

Foobar on the PC will, and VLC will, presumably on all platforms.

There is a technical page here

http://www.cesnet.cz/doc/techzpravy/2009/universal-transcoder-flac/

And do note there is a bonus here

http://www.rozhlas.cz/d-dur/download_eng/

you may download a free performance of the Bach Brandenburg Concertos in FLAC or MP3.

I hope some of you may have the time to listen and report.

 

I'll have a listen tonight Brian.

 

This may help - I cut and paste into my Squeezebox Tune facility, or into Foobar | File | Add Location.

D-DUR Streams

MP3 128

http://www.rozhlas.cz/audio/download/ddur_high_mp3.m3u

WMA 128

http://www.rozhlas.cz/audio/download/croddur-128.asx

WMA 192

http://www.rozhlas.cz/audio/download/croddur-192.asx

OGG 128

http://www.rozhlas.cz/audio/download/ddur_highogg.m3u

OGG 256

http://www.rozhlas.cz/audio/download/ddur_maxogg.m3u



OGG FLAC up to 800 or 900 Kb/s
(Works with Foobar and VLC player - maybe others, but not Squeezebox)

http://radio.cesnet.cz:8000/cro-d-dur.flac


---

Some of my other favourites on Squeezebox:

AVRO Klassiek Beste NL MP3 256
http://opml.radiotime.com/Tune.ashx?id=s55517&Formats=mp3,wma,real&username=sampletime&PartnerId=16

Vltava (Czech Republic)
http://radio.cesnet.cz/cgi-bin/cro3-256-ogg.pls
OGG at 224kbps

Devín (Slovakia)
http://live.slovakradio.sk:8000/Devin_256.ogg
OGG at 256kbps

NRK Alltid Klassisk (Norway)
http://media.hiof.no/streams/m3u/nrk...sk-172.ogg.m3u
OGG at 172kbps

Radio 4 (Netherlands)
http://shoutcast.omroep.nl:8106/listen.pls
MP3 at 192kbps

Baroque Ottawa MP3 128
http://opml.radiotime.com/Tune.ashx?id=s65422&Formats=mp3,wma,real&username=sampletime&PartnerId=16

Classical Quebec MP3 128
http://opml.radiotime.com/Tune.ashx?id=s96897&Formats=mp3,wma,real&username=sampletime&PartnerId=16

Radio Swiss Classic MP3 128 (Remarkably clear ay "only" 128)
http://opml.radiotime.com/Tune.ashx?id=s25582&Formats=mp3,wma,real&username=sampletime&PartnerId=16

O, there are so many out there.

Let's stick to a direct comparison of the various D-Dur streams first.

 

That's me

I tried listening to some internet radio stations on my PC the other night and most of them wouldn't play. A few would but I was getting all sorts of different error messages for most of them. It didn't seem to make any difference which format they were in. I've no idea how to make it work? I assumed I'd be able to listen any of them???

I can listen to BBC 'listen again' no problem.

FYI I've got a fairly new quad core PC with Windows 7 and an average Broadband download speed of around 6mb.

Any clues on where I should start? Do I need some sort of special media player for this?

 

Try this

Go to

http://www.rozhlas.cz/d-dur/english

and click on the WMA stream (that's Microsoft's own format.)

Does that work?

If you go to

http://www.classicfm.co.uk/

and click listen. Does that work?

 

Hi, thanks for getting back to me.

The first one worked fine - and I tried it at 192 kbps.

I'm using Firefox as my browser. It just opened up a little Windows media player box and played away....

the second one - Classic FM - no joy. It opened up a different box which said it was Windows media player but said that Firefox need 'plug-ins' I said 'ok' but it wouldn't install the plug - ins??? So it wont work.

It's usually at this point that I give up and say "why oh why does everything have to be so bl**dy complicated?" why can't I just turn it on and tune it in???

 

I have just tried to run ClassicFM from Firefox and it won't. It will be a plugin issue

What happens if you open classicfm.com in Internet Explorer.

My guess is that will work.

Depends what you want to do now.

The OGGs will not play in Windoes Media Player without installing a plugin, and I haven't tried that for a year or more.

Songbird is a sister of Firefox and a nice free player - looks very much like iTunes. It will play the OGGs, but not the very high quality OGG FLAC

You need Foobar or VLC player for that - both free.

Next question - are you listening on headphones, cheap PC speakers or have you plugged your PC into a decent HiFii?

No point in going for quality if you cant hear it.

 

I have just got Classic FM via Internet Explorer

 

I will devote this evening to downloading and playing around with the various players you mention and have a play around.

At present I'm only using my Logitec speakers.

I want to start ripping CDs to FLAC and streaming to my HiFi (via my Dacmagic for now) but it's all going over my head at the moment to be honest. I'm browsing various forums to try to find out EXACTLY what I need to do and what, if anything, I need to buy. However, as I say, I'm drowing in a sea of techno babble that I don't really understand. I've never bothered with ipods or Mp3 or anything like that so the whole digital music world has passed me by and now, as a complete novice, I'm struggling to get it all straight in my head. I get bits here and other bits elswhere but no overall view from a complete beginners perspective

Edti: just tried Classic FM from IE and it works. Quality is poor though. Also, I'm getting pop-ups asking to do things that my security settings don't like.... this is half the battle a lot of the time.

 

I have solved the Classic FM problem

Install an add-on to Firefox called Coral IE Tab

In firefox go to Tools|addons|get-add-ons

Search for Coral IE and install

Restart Firefox

Open Classic FM page

Right click

Select "View Page in Coral IE"

Select "Switch Rendering Engine"

Now you are effectively running IE inside Firefox

Classic FM will sound.

I have used IE Tab before to read badly written pages Firefox would not open.

---

Other issues

You are wise to stick to cheap speakers till you ave mastered this.

Players. Personal Choice

Lots just use iTunes - you must then rip to Apple Lossless - its as good as FLAC

Songbird is maturing fast

http://www.getsongbird.com/

Nice interface

VLC is very technical and business like - will play almost anything, and useful to have installed even if its not your regular player.

Some use Media Monkey

http://www.mediamonkey.com/download/?ClickID=bdun1ylvngde1d1guzfqkkzmyzssssfnsvqs

I use Foobar

http://www.foobar2000.org/

not the prettiest, but very powerful.

With Foobar in Vista and Windows 7 if you also install the WASAPI plugin you can switch Windows into "Exclusive Mode" The bitstream bypasses all Windows processing and is delivered to you DAC bitperfectly. You can play with the Windows volume control all you like, in exclusive mode it does nothing - which is what you want it to do.

I use a`Squeezebox which also by passes Windows audio routines.

Have you connected PC to Dacmagic by optical cable (Toslink)?

Stay in touch.

Believe me, it's worth mastering this.

As I type I am listening to

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi - Gillian Fisher, Michael Chance, The King's Consort, Robert King - Stabat Mater (Hyperion CDA66294)
AVRO Baroque
File Format: MP3
Bitrate: 256kbps CBR
URL: http://145.58.33.95:8068/

It is absolutely stunning

Squeezebox>Caiman DAC>Top rate Headphones

 

DrMartin (and all) read

http://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/

 

Another resource for newbies and experts

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?act=idx

 

Brian, thank you very much for all of this - a lot to digest - but I will get around to it. thanks for taking the time to put it all together.

As for connecting my PC - which is a desktop - to a DAC - not yet. Primarily because my hifi is all upstairs and the PC is downstairs.

So I also need to get into routing / networks etc, etc. or perhaps buy another computer - dedicated to the hifif - which I'm happy to do if it makes life easier.

I can understand: PC -> DAC -> AMP (using cables) but ...

I hear a lot about 'Squeezbox' but I don't really undrstand what it is? Is it just a wireless router? Where does it sit in the 'chain'?

Martin

 

The Squeezebox is a streamer. Through a special Server Software it reads your music library stored anywhere on the home network and delivers it to the audio replay chain. It has an internal DAC which is as good as or better than the average CD player but also has a digital out which you could (should) connect to your Dacmagic.

The Squeezebox will also replace your FM Tuner. It will pull in 1000s of stations from all over the world.

The advantage is you do not need a noisy PC in your listening room. The Squeezebox can be wired into the network or will connect by WiFi. About £170 for a Squeezebox classic. You could have a device in every room, Each could be playing the same, or something different, either from your library on your PC, or an internet radio station.

A new model is about to come out - the Squeezebox Touch. Up till now the Server "Squeezeserve" has had to be installed on a computer or NAS drive, but the Touch has enough processor to run it's own Server, and has a USB socket into which you can plug a USB drive turning it into a stand alone audio player whci can still share audio on the home network. Exciting prospects.

Apple's Airport Express will do most of the things the present Squeezeboxes will do, but ties you to iTunes.

There are other systems which will also stream Video to your TV.

See

http://www.ripcaster.co.uk/

and

http://forums.slimdevices.com/

As you say, too much for one evening.

There is a section on streamers here

http://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/Intro/Streaming.htm

But keep at it, the pay off is great.

 

Thanks again Brian. This is all very helpful and understandable.

I was looking to buy a new CD player but since joining this forum I think I will divert the resources into a decent computer-based set up.

I didn't realise there was a hifi angle to it, all I knew about was ipods / itunes and mp3 and I wasn't interested because I thought the quality wasn't up to much. But since being on here I have been educated.

I really do need to catch up - at least now I'm in with a chance.

Thanks again - very helpful.

 

I have seen the thread on ripping in which you chat to Rob.

A Macmini, as he says, is certainly an easy way forward, and an Airport express if you want to work wirelessly. You need a controller, and an iPhone does that if you have one.

But I use squeezebox and control it from the laptop which is never far from me. The squeezebox has its own remote, but I hardly every use it. I could control the squeezbox from an iPhone or from most other smartphones - the software exits.

Too much all at once.

But yes, your Dacmagic is almost as good as the very best CD players - how you get the bitstream to it doesn't matter.

 

I 'think' I need a squeezebox

My PC is downstairs.

My hifi is upstairs.

Can I buy a Squeezebox and connect this to my hifi upstairs and then expect it to access my PC downstairs, wirelessly?

If so, where is the transmitter on my PC in order to send the signal / data to the sqeezebox? This is the bit I don't understand?

How does the Squeezebox talk to my PC?

PS I don't have a wireless modem at present.

Any help very much appreciated.

 

Yes, you do need a wireless router/modem to tie it all together.

You install "Squeezeserver" on your PC which manages your music library. Your Squeezbox upstairs accesses the library via the wireless network. There is no transmitter in your PC for the Squeezebox to see. The PC will be wired or wirelessly connected to your wireless router/modem which is the data transmitter for everything.. Or you can hard-wire your Squeezebox to the router with a network cable.

Squeezebox is only one option. You could use an Apple Airport Express - that uses a copy of iTunes as its Server - and iTunes will run on a PC or a Mac.

There are other systems too.

Sorry if this is causing a lot of head scratching.

 

Thankyou Brian - you are my saviour. Every other explanation I have sought whilst trying to get to grips with all this has neglected to mention that you need a wireless modem in the first place. It might seem obvious to a lot of people but it wasn't to me. All is now clear. Thanks once again Brian.

Off now to do more research ...

 

I think it could be clearer, but look here

http://www.logitechsqueezebox.com/how-it-works/overview.html