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RDIO now streaming 320K!!!

This morning I did a "shootout" between Rdio and my CD source. It was a somewhat scientific comparo, because both sources were routed through the same DAC--a Wolfson in my Pioneer SC-07. So that removes the biggest potential difference in sound, different DAC's. Also level matching was rendered moot.

In the streaming corner was my Toshiba tablet (Android) via HDMI; in the shiny round spinny corner was my trusty Sony DVP-NS900V (an excellent standalone player...) via SPDIF. Musical selection was PF DSotM, 2011 remaster (Rdio) and 2003 remaster hybrid CD/SACD, on CD layer.

The rest of the system is highly unconventional, but very good sound to my ears.

Results: The two sources were very evenly matched. I heard no discernible difference throughout the bass and midrange regions. The real difference was up in the treble region. Not that Rdio did anything wrong, but the CD was a little more resolving up top. This is the sound of cymbal shimmer, slight "breathiness" in vocals, etc. There was nothing wrong with Rdio's sound. No compression artifacts or anything like that. Just a little less detail; sometimes noticeable, sometimes not.

Now of course I used an album that was recorded before I was born (barely). And the sources used different masterings, so I may have been hearing that difference. Did one mastering EQ slightly accentuate the treble? Maybe so. I will do another, more modern album later, if I have time. But it was a fun exercise that shows that compressed audio has really closed the gap between it and lossless...but not completely.
 
Lunchtime followup:

I tried to do another comparison with the Norah Jones album Feels Like Home. Disqualified -- terrible recording! I made it through just a few songs, and heard multiple instances of clipping in each song. It sounded like it was mastered with barely any room before clipping. Forget it, I'm done with her music.

Next I tried an old standby and old favorite of mine, Stevie Ray Vaughn Couldn't Stand The Weather. I love the warmth and richness of this album, and it did NOT disappoint! To the point, there were no discernible differences between sources at all. Both playbacks were simply amazing, the best I've ever heard this album sound. I heard all kinds of studio noise (cool!), guitar fingering noises, and such like. And the richness was there--just like audio molasses. I have the Sony Epic Legacy edition, and it's one of my collection's gems. One of the most satisfying listening experiences I've had!
 
jhoyt said:
Lunchtime followup:

I tried to do another comparison with the Norah Jones album Feels Like Home. Disqualified -- terrible recording! I made it through just a few songs, and heard multiple instances of clipping in each song. It sounded like it was mastered with barely any room before clipping. Forget it, I'm done with her music.

Next I tried an old standby and old favorite of mine, Stevie Ray Vaughn Couldn't Stand The Weather. I love the warmth and richness of this album, and it did NOT disappoint! To the point, there were no discernible differences between sources at all. Both playbacks were simply amazing, the best I've ever heard this album sound. I heard all kinds of studio noise (cool!), guitar fingering noises, and such like. And the richness was there--just like audio molasses. I have the Sony Epic Legacy edition, and it's one of my collection's gems. One of the most satisfying listening experiences I've had!
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I am not surprised.

I am going to compare more files over the weekend, if I have time.

I have been comparing some of the Rdio features against Tidal and Rdio is more full featured by a long shot. If sound quality is on par with Rdio over several songs, I am just going to stick with Rdio even though I would love to support a service that is using lossless. I would even be willing to pay double just to encourage lossless, but I am not willing to give up the vast amount of useful features if there is not a noticeable difference.
 
After a pretty big let down (sound quality wise) from Tidal...I started checking out Rdio now that they have 320kbps.

Very impressed. Comparing it to Spotify, sq is comparable but I'd give Rdio the edge. Bass is slightly tighter on my system but not night and day.

The thing that impresses me most is the way this site recommends music for me. Spotify has it (actually more) but it's harder to find....it's like Rdio knows what I'm looking for and gets it for me. How cool is that?!!

The thing that's frustrating is that the desktop app for my Windows computer is extremely flaky and the web app is almost as bad. It keeps locking up.

So right now I'm carrying Spotify and Rdio. Comparing both I still prefer Spotify for certain reasons but much prefer Rdio for music discovery. Spotify has been rock solid for me. Extremely reliable to my surprise and sounds very good. If I'm able to figure out the issues with Rdio I guess I'll just have to flip a coin....or just keep them both....still cheaper than Tidal alone.:D
 
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SWL3600 said:
After a pretty big let down (sound quality wise) from Tidal...I started checking out Rdio now that they have 320kbps.

Very impressed. Comparing it to Spotify, sq is comparable but I'd give Rdio the edge. Bass is slightly tighter on my system but not night and day.

The thing that impresses me most is the way this site recommends music for me. Spotify has it (actually more) but it's harder to find....it's like Rdio knows what I'm looking for and gets it for me. Very cool.

The thing that's frustrating is that the desktop app for my Windows computer is extremely flaky and the web app is almost as bad. It keeps locking up.

So right now I'm carrying Spotify and Rdio. Comparing both I still prefer Spotify for certain reasons but much prefer Rdio for music discovery. Spotify has been rock solid for me. Extremely reliable to my surprise and sounds very good. If I'm able to figure out the issues with Rdio I guess I'll just have to flip a coin....or just keep them both....still cheaper than Tidal alone.:D
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I carried both through the summer and cancelled Spotify when Rdio increased their bit rate. As you use Rdio more, the recommendations improve, so you benefit by just using their service.

Strange that you are having issues with the desktop app. Have you tried to delete it and reinstall it?
 
Desktop app has been running smooth as butta' for me. I really like that with the app you can change the screen skin to a dark background. I haven't had time to mess with the features much, but so far it fits like a comfy old pair of MOG's.
 
uofmtiger said:
Strange that you are having issues with the desktop app. Have you tried to delete it and reinstall it?
Click to expand...

Yeah, several times. I have windows 8.1 and prior to installing it, a message comes up that says "publisher cannot be verified". I install it anyway and it has a tendency to lock up after a while of playing.

Another thing is the Rdio icon does not show up on my 'desktop'....it only shows up in the 'tiles' menu. This may not matter but all other desktop apps I've had or still have show up on the desktop.:scratch2:
 
SWL3600 said:
Yeah, several times. I have windows 8.1 and prior to installing it, a message comes up that says "publisher cannot be verified". I install it anyway and it has a tendency to lock up after a while of playing.

Another thing is the Rdio icon does not show up on my 'desktop'....it only shows up in the 'tiles' menu. This may not matter but all other desktop apps I've had or still have show up on the desktop.:scratch2:
Click to expand...
I have a computer running 8.1, so I will see if I have the same issue this weekend.
 
Re-installed the desktop app and it's been running smooth for about an hour now. Really wish I could mellow out the skin....BUT.....

These radio stations are fricken awesome. Especially "Scott FM". Based on my entire collection it plays different genres of music in bunches....maybe three to five(?) songs at a time then to another genre.:thmbsp:
 
Rdio works great on my various 'droid devices, in Sonos and on the iPad. Don't own a PC, can't install anything on the locked-down corporate-imaged Windoze 7 work PC.
 
SWL3600 said:
Re-installed the desktop app and it's been running smooth for about an hour now. Really wish I could mellow out the skin....BUT.....

These radio stations are fricken awesome. Especially "Scott FM". Based on my entire collection it plays different genres of music in bunches....maybe three to five(?) songs at a time then to another genre.:thmbsp:
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Glad to hear you got it working.

It's funny how people have different tastes in the skins that these services use. My favorite of all the services is Rdio. I love the way the skin ( when you pull up the album cover of the song you are listening to) matches the color of the album cover.:thmbsp:.
 
SWL3600 said:
Where did you find that? I've been looking for that option!
Click to expand...

Like uofmtiger said, just click on the little album cover icon in the lower right hand corner of the screen and presto...the intrusive, stark, bright ass white screen is history!
 
tomlinmgt said:
Like uofmtiger said, just click on the little album cover icon in the lower right hand corner of the screen and presto...the intrusive, stark, bright ass white screen is history!
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I found that out right away...and it is cool....I thought you were able to change the skin on the rest of the site as well. No biggie. In fact, you can click anywhere on the bottom of the screen where the song title is to get the skin to change.:thmbsp:
 
uofmtiger said:
Glad to hear you got it working.
Click to expand...

Thanks.....I had smooth sailing Friday night and Saturday morning but the problem is back.

"User defined breakpoint" is the message that pops up now. I went on a Rdio troubleshooting forum and this is apparently common for quite some time now for Windows desktop users.

Rdio says they are aware of it and claim they will eventually fix the issue. The archives on this site show that users have had this problem since 2013.:scratch2:
http://help.rdio.com/customer/porta...countered-a-user-defined-breakpoint-?b_id=681
 
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