Listening to the Radio 3 i-player

[Petrushka]

What's the ideal way to listen to Radio 3 on the I-player? I ask this question because the only way I can obtain anything like satisfactory results is to connect my laptop to my DVD recorder, phono to phono, which in turn is connected to my Cambridge Azur 651A amplifier.

The resulting sound is no more than ok but it needs a hefty volume lift to get there and even then it sounds underpowered.

What should I be doing to get the best, or at least better, results?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I get much better sound than that from my laptop speakers when I listen through headphones.

[jayne lee wilson]

What's the ideal way to listen to Radio 3 on the I-player? I ask this question because the only way I can obtain anything like satisfactory results is to connect my laptop to my DVD recorder, phono to phono, which in turn is connected to my Cambridge Azur 651A amplifier.

The resulting sound is no more than ok but it needs a hefty volume lift to get there and even then it sounds underpowered.

What should I be doing to get the best, or at least better, results?

Hmmm... can you give us more specifics Pet?
Is the "phono to phono" a single digital co-ax interconnect to the digital input on the DVD Player i.e feeding its DAC? Then the DVD player feeds the amp through stereo analogue rcas?

If so, the potentially limiting factors are: the digital output from the laptop (computers are very noisy places electrically); the quality of the DVD's DAC itself; and the quality of its analogue audio output. The DVD Recorder's DAC settings may be processing the computer input unnecessarily, reducing both level and resolution....can you check that via onscreen menus? Your DVD may have an unusually low output voltage (most CD/DVD Players output quite high, at 2 Volts), though this seems less likely. But it's unlikely to match that of a dedicated CD player for soundquality anyway.

The quickest best solution would be a new DAC. You'd connect the computer to the DAC itself, then the DAC to the amp. Since you have a Cambridge amp the Cambridge DACMagic would be a great place to start. (A classic design with a decades-old tradition, I lived with the 2009 one for 4 years and loved it). If you did this, then £40 spent on an Audioquest Jitterbug, connecting laptop to DAC via USB Asynchronous instead of coax, would be a high-value SQ upgrade. The DACMagic may well improve the sound from your CD Player, via another input (e.g. coax/optical), too...

https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/products/hifi-and-home-cinema/dacmagic-plus

https://www.stereophile.com/content/audioquest-jitterbug-usb-noise-filter

[Petrushka]

Thanks for a great response, Jayne. A pricey solution perhaps, but solutions often are, and worth investigating.

The only way I can find to listen to the I-player at present is by using a headphone jack in laptop to two pin (red/white) jacks into the DVD recorder. T have a Panasonic DVD recorder model DMR-EX83EB but I can't find any mention of the DAC settings either on screen or in the specifications. I should add that I listen to a fair amount of streaming from Dutch Radio 4, the Chicago SO, Boston SO and NYPO websites via the same method and these are mostly fine. The BBC I-player, though, is something different and needs a hefty hike in the volume setting, hence my question.

[Dave2002]

Agree about using a new DAC - though which one is an interesting question. Can we assume our OP is using a Win PC? If a Mac, by any chance, most have an optical output which can be fed to a DAC. There are some fairly decent DACs available from £30 upwards - or Chromecast Audio might be good enough, and can sometimes be bought for less.

[Petrushka]

Agree about using a new DAC - though which one is an interesting question. Can we assume our OP is using a Win PC? If a Mac, by any chance, most have an optical output which can be fed to a DAC. There are some fairly decent DACs available from £30 upwards - or Chromecast Audio might be good enough, and can sometimes be bought for less.

I'm using Windows 8.1, Dave.

[Beresford]

Have you tried connecting the PC direct to the amplifier? That will tell you if it is the PC or the Panasonic that is reducing the sound level.

[jayne lee wilson]

Thanks for a great response, Jayne. A pricey solution perhaps, but solutions often are, and worth investigating.

The only way I can find to listen to the I-player at present is by using a headphone jack in laptop to two pin (red/white) jacks into the DVD recorder. T have a Panasonic DVD recorder model DMR-EX83EB but I can't find any mention of the DAC settings either on screen or in the specifications. I should add that I listen to a fair amount of streaming from Dutch Radio 4, the Chicago SO, Boston SO and NYPO websites via the same method and these are mostly fine. The BBC I-player, though, is something different and needs a hefty hike in the volume setting, hence my question.

Sorry for the very obvious but - you checked the iplayer volume setting is up to 11? You need to do this each time as it often defaults back to 8. Distinctly quieter.
(I do wish you'd get a home trial on that Dac though. I think you'd be thrilled..., and it could transform the lossless Proms...)

[Petrushka]

Sorry for the very obvious but - you checked the iplayer volume setting is up to 11? You need to do this each time as it often defaults back to 8. Distinctly quieter.
(I do wish you'd get a home trial on that Dac though. I think you'd be thrilled..., and it could transform the lossless Proms...)

Yes, I make sure that the I-player volume setting is always at 11 and also that my own laptop volume setting is at 100%. I've noticed that it defaults to 8 and also that a careless slip of the cursor can make it go lower. I'd love to have the Cambridge Audio DAC but £350 is a bit heavy on the bank balance at this time of the year as a fair amount of my hard earned goes on Proms tickets, train, accommodation and food costs until mid-September. Perhaps a good win on the horses tomorrow...?

[jayne lee wilson]

Yes, I make sure that the I-player volume setting is always at 11 and also that my own laptop volume setting is at 100%. I've noticed that it defaults to 8 and also that a careless slip of the cursor can make it go lower. I'd love to have the Cambridge Audio DAC but £350 is a bit heavy on the bank balance at this time of the year as a fair amount of my hard earned goes on Proms tickets, train, accommodation and food costs until mid-September. Perhaps a good win on the horses tomorrow...?

Go Neddy Go!

[Sir Velo]

I'll say it again, you can't beat the iphone/android iplayer app for all round user convenience. I link mine to the Arcam Mini Blink DAC, a little nugget of audio brilliance, at a fraction of the cost of a full blown all singing all dancing DAC. The sound quality (which is my priority as I'm sure it's yours) is as good as you'll get until they restore the FLAC service. Moreover, the app offers the convenience of being able to fast forward/rewind at 30 secs intervals (handy for skipping those irritating presenters), select from genres of programmes (eg concerts) and generally offers far greater flexibility than the web version. Oh and you also don't have the unsightly mess of cables from your PC to your stereo cluttering up your designer living space.

[Beresford]

This cheap usb dac has got some praise for its smoothness, unusual for the price - £16.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Electronics-Photo/Muse-Coaxial-Converter-Decoder-Convert-Digital-Analogue/B00XY5ORCK/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1499508032&sr=1-2&keywords=Signstek

[Dave2002]

I have one of these FiiO DACs. which is OK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
but seems to be currently unavailable.

However, this one seems to be similar, and is affordable - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Ana...words=FiiO+DAC at a tad over £20.

[jayne lee wilson]

For only a little more money this will get you audio performance way above the £20 class... (and you can upgrade it later with a Jitterbug)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/AudioQuest-Dragonfly-Rosso-Audioquest-Black/dp/B01DP5JHHI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1499523266&sr=1-1&keywords=audioquest+dragonfly

Dragonfly Red is even better, but you pays your money....

I've used many Audioquest cables, Jitterbugs and other accessories over the years, they're a great company with a long tradition of good-value high-quality designs (like Cambridge...)

[Dave2002]

For only a little more money this will get you audio performance way above the £20 class...

You may be right - though I would query the use of the word "little". £20 is more or less "throw away" (only around 10 bought cups of coffee), but £90 is not. Some people might find even small sums difficult to justify. Personally I might prefer to spend £200+ rather than £90 to get something significantly better again. Each listener/purchaser has to make up his/her own mind. I know people who are happy to pay over £2000 for a TV every few years, but they justify it by saying they don't spend much else, don't drive a car, don't drink etc., etc. One friend spent a large amount (I think over £5k) on an audio system a few years ago, but on the grounds that he didn't ever intend to replace it. I am assured that it sounds extremely good, and better than your average JL or Richer sounds kit.

I'm not rushing to change my own DAC - but I recall it was rather more than £100 when I bought it. I'm not convinced that it would be worth spending more for the R3 streams - whereas for some HD downloads or even CDs it is worth having a good DAC. It's still hard to justfiy spending large sums of money unless there are clear advantages. Sometimes there are - but not always, and sometimes a change in another part of the overall system can have a very big effect. Speakers might make a bigger difference if the amp and DAC are at least adequate, but even very good speakers can sound bad if not matched well to an amp (which itself might also be very good).

I still think that the Chromecast Audio gadget sounds quite good for R3 - and that is affordable - but for best results it still needs an external DAC and a digital input which put the cost up quite a bit.