Let's talk about bass!

[@cfiliz1]

Doesn’t really matter the topic, but the voice, calmness and storytelling makes me watch these videos 😊

[@PearlAcoustics]

🙏

[@jimmyhopkins1]

I am so glad i found this channel a few days it has quickly become one of my favorites. Lovely videos mate.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you Jimmy!

[@InsaneCarville]

Same here only 3 months later, Jimmy

[@iandugdale6366]

I think you’re right about mastering for what the audience will be listening with. An old friend who played bass in a well-known band always tried to listen through cheap cd players while mastering because he was well aware that reference speakers mix was very different to how most people would hear it.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for this contribution to the topic.

[@julzm7067]

I played baritone sax when I was young. In the practice room there was carpeting, performing on a stage was always a treat as I could make the stage shake with no amplification. I was the only female allowed to wear trousers instead of a skirt as I put my foot on the bell to get the low A.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Wow, what a great story! Thanks for sharing. You brought a smile to my face this morning

[@papabear1417]

Ahhhh Harley, you're a secret drum n bass fan. I've been rewstching your episodes. Learnt a lot. Thank you.

[@PearlAcoustics]

😀😉 thanks for you very kind comment

[@przemyslawpraski8985]

Absolutely agree about the wine! To continue the analogy - after adding sub to my floorstanders, it was constantly clear, the music became so much richer, as if i added salt and pepper to it.

[@colindixon3304]

Your videos are an eloquent education on the finer points of Hi-Fi, listening and equipment. Many many thanks and I want a pair of your speakers too.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Dear Colin, thank you very much. You are very kind. Feel free to reach out to us via the website, whenever you like. Best wishes, Harley

[@rambe2449]

Absolutely wonderful lesson about music and sound. My respect mr.Harley!

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome. Thank you 🙏

[@ronnronn55]

My friend told me for the woofer, bring the volume up till you hear it, than bring it down so it blends in with the rest of the speakers. And it doesn't appear as a separate sound. I have found that this works for me. I've also got 2 surround amplifiers playing in parallel into similar speakers. One amplifier is clearer on the high end and the other emphasizes the lower end. So they compliment each other nicely. I didn't expect so much noticeable difference from amplifiers. Ronn

[@PearlAcoustics]

Interesting

[@audiononsense1611]

This video made me a Subscriber, another must watch! One of the top 5 ever on getting bass right!! As a Audio Consultant/Acoustics, this is spot on. Me: Once you hear bass the right way you know 80% of your system is dialed in... Note: Had to edit only as I will disagree on placement of subs (acoustically this is the second worse place to put them, I say them as you will need two and it's extremely difficult to get them setup properly, as mentioned here. My recommendation is unless your willing to spend some $$$$$ on a consultant, don't bother.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your comment and support

[@MilGrip76]

Really enjoying these "talks". Level headed ideas and facts.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks Matthew. Much appreciated

[@bbrekke]

I like your channel, and I agree about the bass. I have a very small listening room, with surround sound and a big subwoofer with cutoff controls. And about 90 SACDs. Oppo player. The coolest bass demonstration I have is a 1999 Kodo Taiko drummer SACD called Tsutsumi, surround sound with only a DSD layer. I recommend it. It takes a while to arrive from Japan. Cheers.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks and thanks for the tip! Enjoy the music

[@ronnronn55]

I also have an incredible OPPO player. It may start either skipping tracks or being inconsistent loading. The solution is to clean the rails that the laser carriage rides on with alcohol on a q- tip, followed by light oil. The original lubrication on the rails eventually dries in the warmth and becomes sticky. I have had success with several players with this service. Ronn

[@fredmclaughlan7574]

"Thanks For The Memories" Harley! In my youth I listened to "transistors" and console type stereo systems. All we had in those days (early 60s). Also had a chance to listen to Radio Caroline while driving through Belgium & Holland in the late '70s. I enjoy your vlogs so much and so look forward to each new one! I wish I had the space for your Sibelius in my small living space!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Dear Fred. Thank you so much for your very kind words and happy memories! Until the next one!

[@Horichdaslicht1858]

Mr. Lovegrove's lucidity and objectivity should serve as a lesson to so many self-proclaimed experts, and once again chimes with my experience, not as an "audiophile" but as a lover of music. I look forward to the next edition.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you Douglas, your kind observations are gratefully appreciated. Best wishes, Harley

[@Bentoboxblax]

💯 agree and so refreshing. The D & B track at the end was just the icing on the cake for me! When would you ever get a self proclaimed audiophile playing that. Super! 😊

[@chrisrud5158]

New to the channel, and I am truly loving what you have to say about music and hifi. Very interesting, and I happen to agree with so many of the points you make. Looking forward to seeing all of the videos on the channel. Cheers!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Wow, that’s very nice to hear! Welcome! You’ll see that I alternate between music reviews and equipment reviews and general hifi topics. Enjoy

[@PearlAcoustics]

Wow, that’s very nice to hear! Welcome! You’ll see that I alternate between music reviews and equipment reviews and general hifi topics. Enjoy

[@martinmullen71]

So glad I discovered this channel in these early hours of the morning, very insightful video thank you so much.

[@danielmarshall4587]

The piece of music was splendid many thanks.

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re welcome!

[@kindface]

I was first diagnosed with impaired hearing about 33 years ago. It is primarily in the midtones (today the loss is 30-40% on both ears) while my hearing is intact in the upper frequencies and the bass. As a result, I'm partial to and influenced by music with attractive bass instruments (double bass and the cello being my favourite instruments and especially in jazz music) and/or particularly tuned in to them. What little midtones I do hear in particular circumstances, it is profoundly enabled/enriched by the bass notes emitted by the same source. This is something that the far majority of listeners are not aware of - that when you listen to particular sound frequencies, your perception of that frequency-specific sound is not independant of the other frequencies inherent in that sound. In other words, there is "cross-enrichment" of sound frequencies in our hearing experience. I came to this video for that reason: my preference for bass. Mr Lovegrove is spot on about good bass sounds from capable loudspeakers. One of the test tracks that I take to audioshops to test any amp-speakers combos that I'm looking at is Peter White's guitar rendition of 'How Deep Is Your Love'. Throughout that entire 3:11 recording, there's a very deep bass floating in the background of the track with periodic dips into the lowest registers that just emanate from my German speakers (Canton Reference series) in delightful layers. As Mr Lovegrove has alluded to, and the way I often characterise it to friends, when you have wonderful loudspeakers that can resolve the bass notes properly, it comes out layer by layer like sheets of bass instead of a blob of base.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you. Very kind and interesting comment. I love the ‘layers instead of blobs’ of bass!

[@kindface]

@@PearlAcoustics I should thank you, I’m learning so much from your videos! Greatly looking forward to your future videos.

[@PearlAcoustics]

@@kindface more coming soon!

[@kindface]

@@PearlAcoustics Wonderful news! Thanks!

[@D1N02]

Wise words. I will always worry about soundstage when placing different speakers close together like Gabor Did. Listening position will be different too. Your ears filling in for lacking parts is true. When I switch between speakers it is very accentuated. Where did the bass go? Where did my resolution go? But after listening for a while you adjust.

[@davidnguyen5028]

You have the perfect voice to talk about bass.

[@PearlAcoustics]

😉

[@obscurazone]

Absolutely fascinating! Your channel is a treat!

[@jmbaug1229]

Your content is beautiful and very pleasant to watch. Regards from Greenwich, London. J

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you. Very kind

[@dougg1075]

I have two Carver Sunfires I bought new in 1998. They are beasts when needed

[@peterthompson9854]

Recently came across you. loving the look of your speakers. I enjoyed your musings and thoughts in this post. My interest in hi-fi started in 1984 when I listened to an AWIA "walkman" while doing my paper round and noticed that I could hear more through my headphones. I also recall, while my old brother wanted a double cassette deck to tape tapes, I wanted one with an EQ and detachable speakers. Not entirely sure where it all came from. Around six years later I saved funds from my summer job to get a separates system, with a budget of around £800. Like you, I also had resistance from my Dad, who had a Technics system at the time, disgusted as to how much I wanted to spend and that it was a waste of money and wouldn't be an improvement on what he had. It arrived and I set it up in the lounge, play him some music and his response was "Ah, I see what you mean, that sounds better". He is a man who rarely gives out credit or admits error. He still has the same Technics system, but I have forced my hobby on him slightly by replacing the speakers and getting him a decent set of headphones.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Nice story Peter. Thanks for sharing!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Nice story Peter. Thanks for sharing!

[@carminedesanto6746]

Bass is appealing to our primeval memory ..it goes back to the drums 🪘 of our ancestors and as you said ..it’s the first thing people notice on any playback system, speakers, headphones and IEM’s.

[@derekcottrell2448]

That's great Harley, thanks for sharing your early days - my first music player was a little cheap transistor radio. My mother had bought it for me as a Christmas present. She had purchased it from a company advertising in the back of a newspaper. I loved it, I also listened under the bed clothes to pirate and European radio stations. Sure the quality was dreadful, however, for for this this particular 12 year old (who lived way out in the sticks) it was my portal to a whole new world of music. That love of music and willingness to explore music has continued to this day and slowly over the following 55 years I have built a hifi system that enables me to to listen to music reproduced in a quality way. However, even today, if I had to chose between a brilliant hi fi system that only played James Last 🙂and a cheap retro cassette player that only played my all-time favourite music, the choice would always be the latter. As for young people not being into sound quality, when I wander around our small town here, I am amazed at the the number of shops now selling records and hi-end retro/modern secondhand audio equipment. These shops always have young adults in them. Thus, I am assuming the vinyl revival has also created an audiophile revival.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Dear Derek, thanks very much for your kind words and very interesting back story and observations. Wonderful. Can only agree

[@peterwu831]

“Direct drive” without high current crossovers is a sound concept, and I certainly admire people who have pushed the concept this good and this far. My approach to the same concept is still by multi amp, which retains signal phase cohesion just the same, but with a flexibility on driver selections. My preferred set up is a three way design consists a “sub” band of 40Hz and below, a “bass” band of 40 to 3300 Hz, and a treble band of 3300Hz to 30kHz, each with its own speaker box all stacked for each channel. I’ve found some amazing results under the set up, with all kinds of drivers, expensive or not.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Indeed Peter. There’s always more than one way to ‘boil an egg’! Thanks for your comment.

[@PetraKann]

Housing each driver in its own speaker box and stacking them for each channel doesnt give sound separation when your listening to music? (Your hearing must also be very sensitive to the high end if you’re managing 30kHz) Cheers

[@peterwu831]

@@PetraKann I’m aiming for that upper frequency limit for my amplifier cutoff, not really sure how far my tweeters can reach and how they really behave up there. I have instruments to show my speaker’s output levels in the spectrum of between 35 and 18,000Hz, only. As far as my ears are concerned here is the reality - not so long ago I’ve done a hearing test by feeding my system with sine waves of various frequency, and shockingly discovered that my hearing dropped sharply above 10kHz. Above 12kHz I’m nearly deaf, sinusoidally that is. Depressed for a moment, I went back to my system, switched around a few tweeters and confirmed that I can clearly hear the difference between tweeters with specs at 20kHz and above 24kHz, musically that is. The music sensation is there along with a good tweeter. So my conclusion is our hearing sensory is built around natural sounds and not so much around sine waves, and combined frequencies is very different to our hearing sensory over a pure single frequency. You can easily verify the experience with signal generator Apps on an iPad, and feed the signals from its earphone port to your system, or just use earphones or headphones. I think we “sense” the low end frequencies with a complex sensory system as well, maybe different from the upper frequencies, by “feeling” the air pressure change, superimposed over to our regular “hearing” system. Try to feed your music system with some sine waves below 35Hz, the “floppy” sound would be terrible, nothing musical. But when you present your system with music, the sweetness of sub 35Hz makes big difference.

[@darkblueturbo]

I was always a floor stands guy, not a stand mount, for reasons of more bass from the bigger box. But I have never gotten over just how much better a sub woofer makes the system. Yes you get more bass, but it really helps you appreciate everything else the music has to offer too.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Hi, that’s true… but some floorstanding Loudspeakers (ours included) can give a level of detail that many sub-woofers simply cannot. It was fun to see the entire Rel team come and visit our room at the HiFi Bristol show…. To listen to something they didn’t believe was possible. But of course, we cannot okay anywhere near as loud as a big Rel sub! 😀

[@darkblueturbo]

Thanks for the reply@@PearlAcoustics My budget doesn't stretch to your fine speakers. I'm slumming it (relatively speaking) with some old B&Ws. The sub is great for drum n bass and when the family are in a dancey mood, but when it's class of wine and jazz or classical time, the sub is not needed.

[@moritzhummel9747]

Your videos offer much more than just information on HiFi: They let us share some general wisdom - humility shines through about what really counts (in life). But what I like best is what your videos are not: Pretentoius. And that's a great relief 🙂 P.S. 8:53 I can spot a common hobby 🙂

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks! Much appreciated

[@davidcarter9156]

Thanks for the honesty of how to tune a sub thoroughly but… another great video Ty sir

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks

[@Enemji]

As with everything else it is about convenience. I have always loved single driver speakers, and As of last month I transitioned to listening to Hi res lossless audio on a pair of the best sounding wireless single driver earbuds connected to my smartphone. It took me years to find the right earbuds, but thankfully I did. They are the Technics EAH-AZ60.

[@PearlAcoustics]

That’s great- glad you found them

[@dangerzone007]

When I was a kid the first record I ever bought was the single smoke on the water which I played on my dad's Hi-Fi system. I loved the bass. Who knew that song would become iconic. From then on I was an audiophile. My father taught me about electronics and loudspeak acrossovers. His Hi-Fi system had an annoying resonance in the mid range so I built a new Hi-Fi speaker system for the family. I fine tuned the crossover. Everyone in the family enjoyed my speakers. I then went on to study electrical engineering and became an electrical engineer. Kids should never be deprived the opportunity of listening to music on their dads Hi-Fi system or at least a good quality Bluetooth speaker or iems.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Nice comment, thanks for sharing! Designing crossover filters was such fun, I remember designing my first 12db per octave crossover, I felt so grown up. Look where it ended up!

[@dangerzone007]

@@PearlAcoustics Yes crossover design is a lot of fun especially if you like maths. What's even more fun is using a good measurement microphone to check the frequency response then fine tuning the crossover to get it sounding incredibly nice.

[@sacredink4177]

That was a wonderful treat.thank you kind sir

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome.

[@rolletroll2338]

Very interesting. That explains why I usually don’t hear a big difference with or without my subwoofer despite having only bookshelf speakers.I always wondered why most of he music seem to stop something beetween 40 and 50 Hz.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Glad you found my video insightful

[@PanAmStyle]

Thank you so much for this video. What I love about your videos is both the technical detail (explained clearly) and the social/psychological context. That’s really important, and many people in the ‘audiophile’ world ignore the latter. I’m not a ‘bass head’ but as I evaluate speakers I focus a fair bit on bass because for me, it’s the foundation of music. If it’s not right, then the listening experience is compromised. I also use an evolving selection of good recordings to be consistent, along with taking my own amplifier in to the dealer so that I can understand the synergy. Thanks again!

[@Kobryner1]

An excellent presentation. It is all about the whole system, interconnects included, as much as the quality of source. There are artists that spend more money on the acoustic quality of the recorded material. As far as reference sound is concerned, since many years I use The Famous Sound of Three Blind Mice. The spectrum of sound effects is ample enough to build an opinion about the final effect of the sound.. with best regards..

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you.

[@thomass.9167]

Mr. Lovegrove, thank you for yet another great video about the intricacies of sound. I enjoyed it very much. What I didn't enjoy quite as much though was the hour following the video that I spent in my basement looking through old boxes of vinyl records, not touched in decades. And for that I need to reprimand you publicly (with a smile) :) I know it was but a footnote in your video but your mention of James Last's recording of Hair sent me down memory lane. My dad was a musician in the 60's and played the piano and Hammond organ in a few bands (nothing famous). One of his favorite records that I heard often back in the 70's when I grew up was James Last's Hammond A Gogo album. I had all but forgotten about it until you mentioned James Last in connection with bass reproduction. So, I wasn't quite sure exactly where it was but after lifting many boxes, fighting off spiders, and doing some subtle cursing, I finally found my dad's old Hammond A Gogo record, along with others from that period that I remember he liked, such as Elvis, Engelbert Humperdinck, and Porgy & Bess. Anyway, that brief mention of yours sent me on a nostalgia trip, and for that I thank you.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Dear Thomas, what a lovely message. Thank you. I am so pleased that my story touched a happy memory nerve. This surely, has to be what our passion is about.

[@scrambaba]

Like many boomers, I sneered at the James Lasts of the world for most of my life. In recent years I am discovering that artists like him made some great music. I am greatly enjoying Engelbert H., Tom Jones, Sinatra, and many others for the first time. It isn’t nostalgia for me.

[@Radugazon]

Very nice talk... For what it's worth, I am only aware of two records in the classical range that feature an heavy 20 Hz sine. Both from organ, and coincidentaly both from french composers (St Saëns & Poulenc) and both from the Decca label... To push out this tune, you need something big. In the days I had a active system and an infinite baffle and help from DSP EQ.

[@artsound8638]

Thank you for another wonderful video with excellent information, and a great outro track too! As your London Ambassador, I can certainly confirm that the Sibelius have a superb bass response (and of course the entire audible frequency band), and my customers are continually very impressed with the performance of the Sibelius. It's a pleasure to be representing Pearl Acoustics here in London, U.K.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you Ajay, you’re very kind.

[@ianjones1034]

I suppose it made sense for recording engineers to cater for the masses as it were back in the sixties, i recall buying Dark Side of The Moon when it first came out and was amazed at the sound even on my fathers Ferguson radiogram , this record pushed me on the road to hi fi nirvana which i am still on

[@PearlAcoustics]

Great memory, thanks for sharing

[@markbrooks4471]

These are great discussions and I have learnt a lot as you are tackling complicated sound issues and explaining them in a straightforward manner, without me needing a degree in high mathematics and physics like most other similar clips on KZbin. Gotta pull you up on your reference to Walk On The Wild Side though. Guitarist Mick Ronson did the lions share of production and arrangement on Reeds's Transformer album as Bowie was tied up at the time with Press and legal issues and could really only contribute backing vocals. Splitting hairs I know, but Ronson was overlooked so often it just irks me a little when folks assume it was all Bowie. Thanks.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Dear Mark thanks for your comment. That’s very interesting

[@tterrab999]

Very enjoyable and informative talk. Some other tracks that I have found to demonstrate very low bass - "Human" by Sevdaliza. "Night Bass" by Beat Dominator.

[@Glaubwuerdigkeit]

Try „Limit to your Love“ by James Blake. Some seriously low Bass in this one.

[@davebutler3905]

Interesting chat. Our brains add so much to our sensory inputs. They also subtract. Listening pleasure is the goal, and some people can have that pleasure stimulated by dreadful ear buds or phone speakers.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Indeed!

[@edmaster3147]

Thank you for this insightful piece. Really learned something. Another thing, following your line, amazing sound isn't always found there where expected. Yesterday I listened Genie in a bottle by Christina Aguileira. I had never heard how special it really is. Cheers.

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome

[@howardskeivys4184]

Excellent video. I’ve only recently discovered your channel and the more I watch, the more I find myself drawn in. Your story narrating in this video, hit a lot of audiophile home truths. The story of your friend and 2 daughters put me in mind of my own situation. When I want to attentively listen to music, I draw the curtains, dim the lights, turn off all screens and sit in my favourite armchair in the optimal listening position, armed with the control pad and a large glass of aged malt! My 24 year old son, on the other hand prefers to don his Bluetooth headset connected to his smart device. My wife, if she can drag herself away from the tv, to listen to music will turn on her little DAB radio which sits on the coffee table. They both detest my hifi rig and it’’s ability to reproduce music the way I like to hear it. I guess, that’s what categorises me as an audiophile and them, not. I would never criticise or belittle their listening preferences, though they frequently criticise mine. My advice to anyone setting up a audiophile rig for the 1st time, is to forget about subs. Spend your time choosing a pair of speakers that satisfy your listening pleasure. Get the best pair your budget will permit. Live with your system for a while, become familiar with it’s compromises and virtues, for there will be both. Then, and only then, if you still feel the need, get yourself a sub. Preferably 2 small musical subs, not 1 huge rumbling powerhouse, intended for home theatre use. Keep up the good work and interesting and entertaining videos.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Dear Howard, thank you so much for your encouragement and for your wonderful added contribution to the topic. I totally agree, in the end it doesn’t really matter how someone listens to music as long as they find a connection to it. (Don’t tell anyone, but in my house, on Friday nights it’s music streamed to the little DAB radio in the kitchen while we prepare supper, those moments are priceless and put us in the right mood for the weekend).

[@ThePdxster]

@@PearlAcoustics Same here! I have a nice stereo setup (Cary Audio tube amp w/ Martin Logan speakers) for when I really want to appreciate some jazz music. But on the weekends in the kitchen while making dinner and cocktailing it's (free) streaming classic rock via my iphone to a pair of small Bose bluetooth speakers. Absolutely no high fidelity there but at least it's stereo and they get pretty darn loud and certainly lots of fun!

[@draskogagula2073]

I can't belive what i hearing ., A radio under pillow 😊 I was doing the same thing it was so nice to me .. Only me and radio international stations .. I was 9 years old .. Thanks for the video

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome! 😉

[@stephenarcher6519]

I’ve arrived late to this party but I love this channel. On this particular video my Velodyne wouldn’t push out the lowest bass note so the bass phrase had a not missing in the middle. On the Spotify playback of the same mix, however, it came back. Maybe KZbin compression wipes out extreme lows?

[@stephenarcher6519]

*note missing 😂

[@PearlAcoustics]

Hi, thanks Stephen. You can download the original 24bit file from our website. KZbin certainly does compress like mad.

[@thomaswipf7986]

I like my pair of Fathom 10s. Setup seems dialed in and not too tricky.

[@stevenreyes3680]

So towards the end and you mention playing out, I turned off the tv sound and switched to the stereo. And then here about the loud rock music. So for the last 30 years I’ve been listening to my Dynaudio, DIY, 7W 75EXT’s (D’Apollito style) with a sub pair powered by an old Adcom GFA 555. The main amp is a Parasound HCA 750 A, (130 watt ?) So at 71 now, I’m an upgraded teenager. So I’m going to plug in bass guitar....and listen to some music Not great biking weather.

[@clivesilver463]

Very good video, I also found this channel by accident, what I found interesting was the comparison between your music experience via small transistor radio and the young ladies with their touch pad and every record known to man at their finger tips. as youngsters most of us start our musical journey listening though very poor equipment, but to us that time is magical, and I think we spend most of our lives trying to capture that magic once more. Music should be fun and now in my 60's, I do like the detail my system reproduces, but I still love blasting Motorhead, music that would still sound great on a cheap radio. I think we spend too much time tweaking this and that, for musical nirvana, when it should be about crank it up and enjoy I love bass and my Dali speakers with 2 subs give me enough to blow a sizeable hole in my floor, but its detail I love and Chris Squire one of my favourites. thank you for your insight look forward to more.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you Clive. You’re welcome

[@InsaneCarville]

I'm not even 30 but I'm "old enough" to tell tales to 18 year olds of listening to most of my music 20 minutes at a time and having to get up and flip the record over and the only means of going about my day with music in my ears was to carry x amount of rectangular plastic cases and fragile windings that if it goes poorly I would have to sit down with a pin and carefully pull it apart and wind it back together. They have no idea what I'm talking about nor do they even know what a 1970s Hi-Fi system sounds and how much time was taken to simply be a passionate listener of music. How so much can change in so little time

[@clivesilver463]

@@InsaneCarville You so right about cassette tapes, keep forgetting about them, and the problems they could cause. Yes times have changed in how people listen to music, as you have noticed in a short period of time, but one thing will always remain the same, our passion for music.

[@Bob.martens]

James Last, played on my grandparent's B&O system... memories.

[@joseluisscpt]

the paradox is that I am indeed watching your channel on my 6" mobile. I'm loving it anyway. perhaps one day I'll be able to have the right conditions to have a pair of good loudspeakers, not up to the Pearl Acoustics Sibelius which I'll maintain as a dream. an E. J. Jordan could make me a very happy man, ready to learn to adapt to a new system. who knows building it for myself, or assembling it. for now I will keep my bookshelf low end system playing Cross-Currents from Zakir Hussain as soon I finish to watch and learn something. on a mobile, nevertheless. thank you sir!

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome. Lovely comment, thank you

[@donk1822]

Icehouse - Great Southern Land. Bass content to die for :).

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for the tip!

[@davidsteiner7155]

I am old school I have Ar3s. Acustic suspension bass is something special. You just need a lot of power to get the best out of them.

[@antonyedge2098]

a really good Bass track also to try is an album by Oblique Occasions, called Anathema Track 3 Spending Saturday Scorned, the bass is amazing and i don't have a high end system, I recommend it.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for the tip!

[@antonyedge2098]

@@PearlAcoustics The Whole album is bloody amazing, the artist is also known as Macroblank

[@dinsy512]

Hi Harley, just a quick response to when you talk here about the daughters of your friend listening to music on their phones despite having a much better system right there. I see it like this: I became an “audiophile” (there’s that word that everyone hates) in the late nineties when I decided to get my first CD player. To that point, I had a vague idea that when it came to sound systems seperates were better than integrated units, so I had this entry level Akai system for several years and was perfectly happy playing my classical music and progressive music and then my punk and alternative music using the Akai’s entry level turntable and cassette deck. But I decided to get my first CD player, and I bought the AUD $400 NAD 510 and to my non-audiophile ears it sounded up with the sound quality of my turntable, a certain airiness, no problems. BUT there was a problem: it didn’t have the track programming features the consumer electronics store I bought it from assured me it had. So, with the words of Choice Magazine (the consumer product group test review mag) ringing in my ears that all CD players sound the same and you need only concern yourself wirh features, I swapped the NAD for an equivalent-priced Sony 5-disc CD changer. Yikes! Piano notes sounded unrefined and hard edged, like teaspoons tapped against tin cans. The sounds didn’t have much beauty associated with them. So hi-fi became about the beauty of sound itself. It doesn’t have to be music. A while ago I heard dozens of birds in a tree treeting their hearts out, and I thought it would have to be a very good system to portray that. And so, I think that the average person has an appreciation for and relationship with music, but not necessarily with the beauty of sound itself. Some people might never develop such an appreciation, some might have it from an early age, and some (like me) might come to it later in life. But if you don’t have it, music can engage you from any old source. I can flip it on and off. Hope all that makes some kind of sense!?!

[@jonathansturm4163]

The Sure Grooves track is also available on Tidal. There was a quantum leap in quality compared to YT through my VAF DC-Xs. They’re 3dB down @ 30Hz and to the chagrin of a friend who sells subs, don’t need one. If I didn’t have these DC-Xs I’d certainly be thinking of your Sibelius speakers given your remarks in this vlog.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Great. I didn’t know about Tidal!

[@dudemastermaster8944]

I have smaller floor standers; Dynaudio x34 and I love their form factor. The second I added a Canton Sub it really took the entire music to a next level. It took quite a lot of fiddling around, but If you get it right, you get it right: And if you think about it, it’s also quite nice having a direct control of the bass and being able to fit it to your room and preferences. You need patience though. But yes: getting the bass right (harmonic) really matters. Comparing it to the contour 3.0 of my father I must say, it’s actually on par, and that is a speaker that has very potent bass drivers. Can’t wait to get my second sub :-). Cheers and thanks for the vid

[@PearlAcoustics]

Excellent result. Good luck

[@dudemastermaster8944]

@@PearlAcoustics thanks. I like the look of your speakers by the way. Good job.

[@al5152001]

I love your intro…..sooo relaxing 👍

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you!

[@danielmarshall4587]

VERY GOOD points, and pretty much spot on.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you

[@imarobot3757]

thank you so much for this video , you really explain the subject well . I would love to test out your speakers ,Agree with you source and speakers are key . I never use bass or treble filters . thanks so much for the mps and download suggestions , Will give them a tryjust donated for the mps3 thanks

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome! Glad you enjoy them

[@1622steve]

As a designer of electronic musical instruments (that are meant to sound acoustic) for over 40 years, I've always been interested in what characteristics are important. My colleagues and I often discussed the subject of why, on a cheap transistor radio, you can tell the difference between a fine concert piano and an "affordable" one.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Absolutely- isn’t that an amazing thing! But the amazing thing here is our brains and how little information they need to form a picture

[@sinbadMcCaffrey]

I have some old Goodmans Magisters that go down to 26hz. Paul Chambers sounds grest on them. Sadly my ears don't hear much above 6k now but I still love music.

[@davidspendlove5900]

Had a pair of these in the 70s , loved them.

[@Geoff0711]

This was really interesting and also somewhat re assuring for me as well. I have merely dabbled with sound engineering , mostly live and also worked in HiFi Shops in the past - as well as played and listened to live music - so I feel I have a rounded appreciation and my tastes are somewhat eclectic. In my Lounge I have tried, so hard, with floor standers sealed and ported - and realised they would always overwhelm the room somewhat - the room itself is prone to a small peak at around 130 hz which isn't awful but I know its there. I have settled on a 2nd pair of Stand mounts that seem to have a very natural clean sound and done exactly what was mentioned in this video - got an SVS SB 1000 and tuned it to start as the Stand mount is falling away - played with phasing to smooth out lumps and bumps until its virtually impossible to tell when its Sub bass playing or Stand mount - only on the deepest low notes would I realise it has to be the sub. - I actually have 2 systems front and back room where I have done much the same to very good effect although the SVS /Klipsch RP500Mii setup sounds like real instruments playing always. Interesting that the RP 500Mii alone (for me) was by far the most integrated and natural sounding of their affordable ranges of speakers.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks Geoff for your kind words and interesting contribution to the topic

[@guilboy]

Very well put into words. Most floor standing speakers even thoug covering a decent range, even down to 30hz, they rarely convey that physiologic bass. That sub is a must. I guess to get it all in one speaker, you must shoot for a different price range....

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you for your kind comment. Personally, I do not think it’s a question of price. We could easily build a sub woofer construction into our loudspeakers. Many manufacturers do. It’s really about wanting a different outcome. With pure two channel listening to most music, a sub (in my opinion) is not necessary, or desired. But watching movies and very loud R&B etc. then I see it’s merits. But like all these things, its a matter of personal preference, and not necessarily, price. Enjoy your sub!

[@pennfootball71]

I really appreciate this video. There is a lot of good information about bass, adjusting it and recording techniques.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you!

[@scottchegg1209]

Lenny Kravitz 1st album, let love rule, used the valve mixer from the abbey road album.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks! Will check it out!

[@scottchegg1209]

@@PearlAcoustics surprised you haven't worked out my identity yet.............. Joke name you haven't noticed? C'mon Harley!!

[@PearlAcoustics]

@@scottchegg1209 Mr Scotch Egg, I believe I know you for your love of golf and Mr Ranglin! 😀

[@scottchegg1209]

@@PearlAcoustics bingo!! Hiya Harley!!

[@thomaswipf7986]

If you use jl audio setup procedure with a db meter @ listening position to match db and phase you are all set!

[@mosfet500]

Thanks once again for your generosity in time and energy. Well, another story! I just so happens that I have a set of Dynaudio Heritage Specials which I personally think are wonderful speakers. The thing is I'm fascinated with the Sibelius speakers, so much so that I've ordered a pair of speakers from Mark and plan on building my own clones, in fact they will be here today 10/16/23. Please don't be offended but I think I can make a nicer, at least looking, cabinet than Pearl and while French Oak is not as opened grain as Red Oak from my area in the US, it's still not my favorite wood. Maples with their tiger and bird's-eye highlights are more appealing to me. I'm an accomplished wood worker along with my engineering background. I do realize that your speaker is modded from the one I will get but I should be able to hear something close to them. I'll be happy to send a picture when they are done and let you decide for yourself. Thanks again, Rob

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your comment Rob. Good luck with your project! Looking forward to seeing your photo!

[@thecornycast]

The song at the end makes me miss California. a lot of EDM to be had there

[@pennfootball71]

Your speakers sound perfect even matched at all levels between high, medium and low frequencies and time aligned even though it is not the best quality recording since youtube compresses some things and your room had a little tiny echo reverberation where the mic was placed compared to the original recording I listened to on qobuz. I am listening to them through a pair of ATC SCM12 pro monitors connected to a Kef sub under my desk, a pass labs HPA-1 headphone amp that has an active preamp to a 160 Watt Parasound A23+ and using a Gustard X16 DAC with all DH labs cables. It took me 2 weeks to set up my desktop system on my desktop with iso acoustics stands, speaker position and setting up the little REL TZero sub took a long time to match perfect...You have to trust me on this one! I was impressed with how this sounded through your speaker recording!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you! You are absolutely right about the room effect. The worst thing about making these videos, especially as a sound engineer, is how poor our loudspeakers sound compared to hearing them in real life! But it is reassuring to know that people enjoy them. Maybe one day you’ll hear a pair in real life, Sounds like you have a great system there.

[@spelare2]

The day you hear classical music on OB speakers tuned flat down to 20hz, you will change your opinion. I discovered it on a pair of Audio Artistry Beethoven, designed by Siegfried Linkwitz.

[@Jack96993]

Well back in the mid 90's l had a pair of Paradigm Studio 20's book shelves on very nice heavy stands And l decided to add their Servo 15 sub woofer Most of my friends didn't know what a sub woofer for home stereo was! Fast forward and now l have the Definitive Technology Mythos ST's with built in sub woofers (also own Maggie's .7's ) that will go down to 20 hz I also have two SVS Ultra 13 subs with their upgraded plate amps all controlled with a app The subs are set for minimal input, but boy do they add to the musical presentation! I can't listen to my music without my subs!

[@willbuckley54]

I use 2 REL's at each opposite corner of the room. I have them set to roll off at 30HZ with the volume of the REL's set so that the main speakers appear to go to levels below their 30HZ low end - if this makes sense.

[@PearlAcoustics]

That makes sense

[@athanasiossismanis2367]

Excellent presentation! If you want to see the real potential of your speakers at low frequencies, just play the Weeknd After hours album, it has written information Up to 30hz. Also Billy Ellis's latest album do not smile on me, which is extremely well recorded with incredible information on low frequencies.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you for your kind appreciation. And thanks for the tips for good albums. I will certainly give them a listen

[@keithbertschin1213]

Thanks so much for these, an education

[@sydviscous7006]

Harley; at around twenty two and a half minutes into the video, you made a reference to "the Audiophiliac", Steve Guttenberg. Has he ever listened and reviewed your loudspeakers? If not, any plans to do so in the future? I really enjoy and appreciate his expert analysis and reviews of audio products. Would really love to hear his thoughts on your Sibelius loudspeaker.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Hi, thanks very much for your comment. No, I have not had any contact with Steve Guttenberg. I have a deep respect for him and his work. I would also be very interested to hear what he would make of our loudspeakers too. Maybe one day? Or, even better, maybe one day you can visit one of our listening rooms or visit a customer of ours to hear them for yourself… best wishes for 2023

[@johnsweda2999]

I think a good EQ in a valuable asset to any system every recording can be different and without adjustment you are really stuck! probably the best is a analogue pultec A1 that's too expensive warm audio replica are nice if you change the tubes at £600 each you will need two because they are mono.

[@danielgeiger7739]

Your point about music production for car/transistor/HiEnd is similar to digital images. All white balancing and color correction is powerless over the viewer's display. For electronic music the listener cannot know what is "correct". I've used acoustic instruments that I know as the benchmark, and the Sibelius SG is amazingly true to that sound. Acoustic "white balance" or "output calibration" is achieved (not a fan of DSP). Now I re-listen to electronic music, and although it is different (leaner lower mids, upper bass in particular), it sounds more effortless, less tiring. Thanks!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Dear Daniel. Thank you for your kind words. having clients like you, makes our business worth while. I truly believe that if one can reproduce acoustic instruments very accurately, then everything else takes care of itself. It’s only some badly recorded 1970’s rock music where the musicians recorded over, and over the same piece of tape, building quality loss and distortion, that’s the problem. And it’s only a problem if you don’t like the sound of what it actually is!

[@PearlAcoustics]

So true about ‘white balance!

[@Ricky-cl5bu]

I was at a record fair the other day and it was full of young people buying LP ,s brilliant it’s definitely not dead 😊

[@vtkz]

Good bass for me starts def. with room acoustics. you can get the best speakers or subwoofers in your room but you will always have problems without well engineered Bass Absorbers and a room concept…. the sound demo.. mhh i hear A LOT of Drumnbass, but that sounds more like first steps in music production… as listening tip, check out Noisia, Alix Perez, Klinical, DLR, Monrroe, Visages, Monty, Bredren for well produced DnB :-)

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks!

[@elemercsikos]

Už

[@araghazarossian289]

Thank you for your contribution for music and critical listening explanations I love your programs I listen always PS I wonder who is the musicians playing in the beginning of your program it sounds jazz I will appreciate if you let me know cheers

[@PearlAcoustics]

Dear Ara, thank you very much for your kind words. The intro music is ‘Philia’ written and performed by Stefan Meylaers. It is taken from his piano suite ‘four loves’

[@anandshah71]

Nice video I don’t have liking for a floorstander cause I have my wife to please and building a 2 way Purifi woofer and berkelium tweeter that would give me down to 40hz let’s see how it goes. With a Hypex nCore amp

[@PearlAcoustics]

Good luck with your project and Thanks for your kind comment.

[@normally624]

If you are placing the Purifi monitors on stands they still take up the same space as do floor standers . But then again it’s a diy project . I have the Purifi P452 and it’s very good , across the whole frequency range, excellent bass and very clean top end , nothing sharp . The P452 sound is dependent on what you are driving it with , in this case a PS Audio BHK preamp and as it has twin triodes in the voltage stage the sound can be tweaked further by changing tubes . Good luck with your project

[@PearlAcoustics]

@@normally624 indeed, you make a very good point. The Sibelius loudspeaker has rather a small foot print. I think it purely is a visual thing!

[@thomaswipf7986]

Is this the single driver video that recommends Dynaudio for dynamics? If so, it inspired me to buy Heritage Special and then Confidence 30. I now work for Ayre Acoustics and would love to hear a pair of Sibelius in the factory listening room!

[@thomaswipf7986]

It is @ 27/28min! I love my dynaudio confidence 30 but would love to try sibelius.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Hi, feel free to reach out to us via our website and hopefully we can arrange an audition somewhere suitable

[@markmagennis2755]

I thoroughly enjoyed this video Harley and love how well you not only explain but totally embrace the subjectivity of the listening experience with your stories about the phones and the transistor radio. Spot on! At the risk of causing a slight bit of offence, I know a joke about James Last. What's the difference between a bull and the James Orchestra? The bull has horns at the front and an arsehole at the back. Sorry James, you're probably not an arsehole at all but I just think it's very funny.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Dear Mark, thank you very much for your very kind comments about my work. However, your joke was a bit rude 😉… so i absolutely cannot endorse it! I think it must have originally been told by a disgruntled horn player! 😂

[@bryandepaepe5984]

That's odd, on my surround system the music only came through the center channel all other speakers were completely silent. That's not usually the case when listening to other sound demos.

[@tomehCanada]

I just checked out the Evaline Gram Balmoral recording and it's costly to ourchase and fedex to Canada. To bad. I was really looking forward to it as a recording engineer who shares it's values of a stereo pair, insitu, uncompressed. :-(

[@PearlAcoustics]

Hi Thomas, it is available on Spotify, not sure what the quality will be. Maybe one day I can get permission to offer it as a download… I will check!

[@tomehCanada]

@@PearlAcoustics Thank you. I appreciate the recording approach. My favourite technique is still ORTF pairs after all of these years.

[@christopherward5065]

Bass is an exciting part of the listening experience but often less than well done. When it’s right the soundstage includes the acoustic of the recording venue. The reverb is better resolved and the decay tails clearer. The dynamic envelope of bass instruments becomes more apparent along with the subtleties of the instrument being played. It is rare to get everything from most systems. The other problem can be colouration as the drive unit puts energy into the speaker cabinet. The speaker is often coupled to the floor which sings along. Often people put oversized speakers in undersized rooms and the resonances can be constructive or, destructive. I have a friend who had some Tannoy D700s, bass in the listening room seemed quiet and in other rooms away from the listening room, it was annoyingly loud. It is difficult for most listeners to understand what well reproduced bass sounds like because they rarely if ever hear it. The odd thing is that many people love the excitement of loud bass sounds and will choose quantity over quality. I like the way that you opened up the subject so objectively and even demonstrated how well bass can be done in Drum and Bass recordings. Excellent discussion, Harley!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you very much for your enriching comment and for your kind appreciation Christopher.

[@ChickenPopGames]

Great video about Bass, do you know a way to correct phase cancellations in a room?

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you. That’s a complex question. But one easy answer is the Lyngdorf TDAI 1120 😉

[@scottchegg1209]

Try angling your system 3% off parallel with sidewalls

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

🤗 MR LOVEGROVE …I HAVE ALWAYS “APPRECIATED” MUSIC 🧐 QUALITY …BUT IT HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN IN THE BUDGET 😔 BUT WE DID THE BEST WE COULD AS YOU STATED ABOUT YOUR TRANSISTOR RADIO 😊. I also had a 10 transistor radio I bought with money I earned on a paper route 😅😍😍😍

[@PearlAcoustics]

10 transistors! Wow you must have been rich, (or you had a longer paper round) I could only afford 6 😂

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

@@PearlAcoustics NOT REALLY …it might just be a poor memory 😂😉😍😍😍

[@Rowuk2024]

Isn't 40 to 80 Hz more like "midbass"? C1 (low bass in my world) is 32 Hz and present in musical context by pianos, contrabassoons, tuba, 5 string contrabass, percussion and the like.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Hi, Thanks for your question. Of course it depends where you put your mid point. And it’s only words. Bearing in mind, the majority of domestic loudspeakers (especially stand mounts) roll off at 50Hz or above, and a kick drum is around 80Hz I would imagine their owners would think of it as bass or low bass. Most professional microphones are rolling off around 40Hz and generally there is very little information (in the classical world) recorded under 40hz. Of course the instruments you refer do go very deep, but are not scored for in that register very often. And as 20hz is the lowest we can hear, I would call it low 😉. But as you infer, it’s still a full octave below 40Hz. I hope that answers your question?

[@MuzikSonics]

All bass frequencies matter not just 40 - 80Hz. That's why subwoofers matter not just to smooth out room modes but to augment sub - bass where most speakers can't execute effectively and certainly not with a 4" single driver.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your comment. However, with all respects, I think you’ll be very surprised if you were ever to hear a pair. Deep, detailed and powerful bass can be achieved quite easily with our five inch driver (4 if you exclude the roll surround)

[@DjRjSolarStar]

Most people underappreciate how important bass is. I recently went over an organist's house and listened to their 100 grand digital organ. Most high brow classical listeners scoff at the idea of a sub or big drivers in general, thinking only 5" woofer 2 ways are sufficient for their delicate little violins. WRONG. This organist used 4 two way speakers with 12" mid bass drivers, and a 15" 2000 watt Velodyne subwoofer. Even then, at near point blank range, it just barely managed to reproduce the bass of the air organ I heard at Disney Hall. So YES! Even delicate hoity toity classical music needs bass. I should note that I mostly listen to music like the last track you played, and I actually do not use a sub Even. My 2 way large bookshelf speakers play to 38hz, which is enough for most of my music, but it cannot play many classical pieces properly due to that 38hz limit. Unfortunately I live in an apartment, so even though I'd like one, owning a sub or speakers with large bass drivers isn't feasible for me

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for you comment snd observations

[@viincentfonkert2870]

Velodyne are some good subs! I stept over to a two sub configuration and I must say, even though they just go down to 25hz, two subs makes the bass under 60hz sooo much more articulate. Its a big difference between speakers/subs that go low and subs that actually articulate low

[@Bendix71]

I like my REL…

[@davidsteiner7155]

I have a 10 inch velodyn sub. I haven't been using it as my Ar3 speekers deliver plenty of deep bass.

[@mikeuk4130]

@@davidsteiner7155Does this just mean that you think it’s a good sub, but that you just don’t need it?

[@scottchegg1209]

Hi Harley, glad all is going well. Is that a substation integra in the system? PT.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Hi Scott, if you mean the big black box on the floor under the rack… that’s an ‘Isolate’ power conditioner. It works great with my old mono blocks but has little effect on my modern equipment

[@scottchegg1209]

@@PearlAcoustics isol-8?

[@PearlAcoustics]

@@scottchegg1209 Hi Scott, thanks for your question. Indeed, it’s an ISOL-8. I only use it with the tube monoblocks and other rudimentary tube amplifiers. I was advised it when I encountered some mechanical mains hum from the transformers. (Which ultimately I solved by have been covers made using 5mm steel)!

[@RennieAsh]

I had a pair of speakers with a Mark Audio driver once; they sounded fairly good. It's been a long time now since I had them, so I wonder how they'd sound now that I have more experience and more speakers ;p Have to be careful with the volume with them as they are pretty compliant

[@hushpuppykl]

Your speakers are so tempting. So so tempting. 😬

[@PearlAcoustics]

😀😉

[@bmjsoundstt6624]

I started my kids with basic factory earphone on their smartphones .....then gradually changed to better quality earbuds and headphones.....now I see them adjusting their eqs...

[@stighenningjohansen]

To properly hear bass you need to move a lot of air, and a very big listening space. I listened to PF Dark Side of the moon on a venue in a big hotel conference room, with a pair of DCM Timeframes and a Swedish active sub. It was an absolutely shocking experience, the concrete building and light fixtures started to rattle, and the music exploded So bass is bass, but real bass is a diffrent story

[@larrygaines7462]

All stereos sounds different to me. Built over 500 systems.

[@Benvos]

I’ve been looking at these speaker but have always thought they wouldn’t suit me as I listen to mostly electronic music, as well as vocal music. This demo at the end just made me think twice, do they do well in person with electronic tracks or was this purely to show their capabilities with bass?

[@danielgeiger7739]

I purchased a pair of Sibelius SG coming from B&W CM6 S2 bookshelves on stands. I listen to some electronic and even EBM music (Box and the Twins, Zanias, Ortrotrasce, Devo, Deradorian, l'Avenir, Martial Chantarel, Fad Gadget, Algebra Suicide, DAF, Eyeless in Gaza ..) and had some concerns as well before buying them. The Sibelius handles electronic and EBM music with ease and beauty. Bass goes certainly low enough. I am still fiddling with my REL T9/I and am not sure it improves the sound of the Sibelius on its own. The cleanliness of lower midrange and bass of the Sibelius is a complete revelation, makes the B&W sound bloated and tiring. The treble is amazingly clean. I also listen to and play baroque chamber music and the realism of the Sibelius is astounding. For the first time I experienced "hearing the room", which I thought was audiophile nonsense. I am a convert now!

[@morespinach9832]

@@danielgeiger7739 very inspiring and articulate comment. May I ask how you drive these SG? My source will likely always be a Mac Mini, and so I'l need a DAC or integrated amp?

[@danielgeiger7739]

@@morespinach9832 I have a rotel RA1572 integrated amp matched for the B&W speakers. Entry level, I know. plan on upgrading to separates. I am looking at Prima luna EVO 400 pre and possibly EVO 300 power. just ordered a holo audio may DAC L2, and have a VPI super prime scout with sound smith zephyr mimc* and an EAT Eglow petite phono stage. I built some absorbers for the walls.

[@danielgeiger7739]

@@morespinach9832 I have an old Mac Pro soupcan as a roon server. You could use the headphone out on the Mac and run it to a line in, but computer DACs are famously bad. cheapest would be a DAC USB dongle (see audio science review for some good ones) or spring for a real DAC, or use one in an integrated. See below for what I have done and where I am heading.