Beosound 4 SD card playback or Airport Express A.AUX playback. Is one better than the other when listening to the same digital music track?

Richard:

Is one better than the other when listening to the same digital music track?

Interesting question !

I am surprised no one else answered.

There has been some previous discussion about the virtues of using a (e.g. Cambridge) DAC to provide a better quality input than straight from the Airport Express.

Also there is a question of whether you would lose quality by using Wireless (certainly mine drops out every so often) ... I have always wanted to see if the Airport Express would output if it was ethernet attached (thus getting around the drop outs) but I have never go to try it.

My "gut" tells me that the SD card sounds better - but I have not blind tests of the same track ...

My "brain" also tells me it should be better - less translations and components along the way ...

I hope my reply will stimulate more views/opinions for you 

Update:

I just conducted a small test - All Angels singing Songbird (happened to be the first track on the SD Card) versus Airport Express.  My son (better ears than mine) and myself could hear differences, but swapping back and forth we did not come to a firm conclusion as to which was better

I still say my logic must "prove" that the Airport Express link would have to be inferior:

MacBook (iTunes MP3 decode processing to digital sounds packets) -> Ethernet cable -> Wireless Router -> wireless -> Airport Express digital sound packets to analogue output -> Aux Cable -> BeoSound 4 analogue input to ML output processing ->

than the:

SD card -> BeoSound 4 digital MP3 input & decode processing to ML output processing ->

(I think that (maybe inaccurately) explains what is happening)

Thanks, elephent. I rip with iTunes Apple Lossless but I'm convinced it doesn't sound anywhere near a CD. Therefore, I was interested in the benefits of the very seldom used SD feature.

My experience is that the big difference is between mp3,  aac or lossless when using the AirPort Express. Not the analog or optical connection with my non B&O-receiver. The internal DA converter in the AirPort Express is not the weakest link in most cases.

So the best result should be analog connection from a AirPort Express to your B&O equipment using lossless encoded music. Even aac sounds better then mp3 in the same bitrate.

But the best result in my home is using a CD-player with upsampling to 192 kHz and 24 bit. Pure magic.

Richard:

I was interested in the benefits of the very seldom used SD feature.

For me the surprise benefit of the SD feature was that I loaded my wife's favourites into a 2GB card so all she has to do is press A.MEM ... and watch the names of the display when her visitors ask "what music is that"

I had thought the benefit was going to be the interoperability with my BS2 ... I posted that concept on the old old Beoworld and at the time some people agreed with that idea ... but sometimes ideas don't play out in the real world 

It will be interesting if the BS5 "light"/"lite" or iPod connect rumour comes closer to my ideal ... walking into the house listen to the portable music being picked up by the house's intelligent music system and having the track completed with speakers not the earbuds ... very airy-fairy !!!

I carry my music with me in my iPod touch. In the bedroom it's connected to my old B&O Beomaster 2400-2 through Apples universal docking station. An idea is to get an inexpensive bluetooth adapter to the Beomaster so I can  play music wirelessly from my iPod.

Than I take my iPod with me and listens to the music in earphones.

In my living room i use the iPod touch as an remote control over wifi controlling my AppleTV where I also have all of my music. While listening to the music I can surf the internet and use my iPod in any way I want. This is what BeoSound 5 should have been.

In the guest bedroom/home office I can choose between using the iPod touch connected to the Airport Express and the stereo over wifi or playing the music directly from iTunes using AirTunes in my computer connected to the AirPort Express with ethernet.

I can do the same in the living room using the computer connected to my AirPort Extreme and the AppleTV through wifi.

Or I can use the AppleTV and play the music directly to any stereo in any room except the bedroom where my Beomaster is. I could get an extra Airport Express for my bedroom if I want to extend the reach.

The bedroom and the guest bedroom/home office is on our second floor. So the AirPort Extreme(router on first floor) and the AirPort Express(repeater on second floor) is connected with an so called WDS bridge wireless. They also functions as printer servers for my computers.

Lets just keep it simple and say we are comparing mp3 (encoded above 230 kbps).

I have tested this myself and found there to be a difference in sound quality (imac vs SD card)

 Wth exactly the same file/s, imac connected via cable directly to a.aux of beosound 4 and Beolab 1's connected directly to beosound4.

I cannot fault the SD card plyer, and yes the title and track on screen is a big plus! The sound to me is clearer; much more open. Ultimately, as good as CD, with these still rather good speakers.

If you can get a smooth routine working, between uploading albums onto a large (2gb) SD card on your computer, then it can work to be a very convenient and enjoyable way to listen to your music, better than loading up a BS9000 in my opinion, and of course, better than going back and forth to the compter to select music

Cheers Dave. I'll do a listening test with the AAE v SD v CD this weekend. 

So as I see it, with the Airport Express route I can rip my CD's using Apple Lossless Codec and listen to them on the BS4. But with the SD card I would have to use a lossy compressed file type MP3 or WMA which is inferior. So logically AAE has to e better.

Not in a million years will mp3 sound better than Apple lossless.

Not a chance.

Science in high school showed us that just one extra variable in an experiment had the potential to completely affect the result...

An mp3 file and an apple lossless file, when put through excatly the same processing will obviously demonstrate that the apple lossless file is superior.

However, you put that immaculate file through all of that poor processing and compare it to the same mp3 file which is still delivered untouched by any extra processing; What do you get? A chance. So don't speak so soon Macus...

You will find that the processing in the BS4 is very good, and it shows up quite clearly how poorly the computer / airport express fairs against it.

Which speakers are you using?

elephant:

MacBook (iTunes MP3 decode processing to digital sounds packets) -> Ethernet cable -> Wireless Router -> wireless -> Airport Express digital sound packets to analogue output -> Aux Cable -> BeoSound 4 analogue input to ML output processing ->

Remember that the Airport Express enables you to output your audio through a digital cable. No reason to convert to analogue. You can even stream lossless digital audio to the Airport Express, via a digtial cable, to your device (as long as it has a digital input, like the BS3).

It's going to be highly negligible if you stream a high-quality audio track via the Airport Express, compared to the the SD card. ie. you would have to be incredibly picky and have super-sonic ears to hear any difference. Pretty much a moot point to me.

I know that you can use a optical cable from the AirPort Express, but only if your other equipment has an optical port. I'm not shure if all B&O systems has that.

Me myself uses the optical cable, but the difference in sound depends which DA converter is the best, the one in the AirPort Express or the one in the receiving end.

I do hear the difference between mp3, aac and lossless. But if you don't why then ask what is best?

I think you should ask your self what is the best solution for me?

If it's just casual listening your after a sd card with mp3 might be the right solution. It probably sounds good enough. But if you want the best sound you can get it's not. 

Make your pick!

I'm currently re-importing all my Cd's with Apple Lossless. I've abandoned the Mp3, which was my favoured format due to the requirements of the B&O system. I've now fully embraced my iPhone/Airport Express.

Well that's strange, because i have painfully sensitive hearing, and i can't pick the difference between 320kbps mp3 via the brilliant SD function vs CD. I think it's all in your minds! ;)

moxxey:

You can even stream lossless digital audio to the Airport Express, via a digtial cable, to your device (as long as it has a digital input, like the BS3).

To the best of my knowledge the BeoSound 4's "AUDIO IN/OUT" is not an optical capable port ... but I would happy to be wrong :)

to Dave!

I believe that a higher bitrate might compensate for a inferior algorithm.

So if  you can't hear any difference the convinence with an SD card in the BeoSound is good enough.

My problem is that my SACD player with upsampling of CD is superior to all other digital formats. I'm there for stuck with my CD records.

Dave:

Well that's strange, because i have painfully sensitive hearing, and i can't pick the difference between 320kbps mp3 via the brilliant SD function vs CD. I think it's all in your minds! ;)

Yes hearing is one thing, its how your brain processes that information which can make a difference. Hearing, not listening.