Why Do I Own This?

[Mike Lavigne]

Hi Mike,

How is the functionality of the TAS interface compared to Roon?

Ken

hi Ken,

apologize this might ramble a little.

honestly the simplistic answer is that overall at this point it's not in the same realm of functionality as Roon. but i'm using not the final version, or the Beta version, i'm using the initial Alpha version. so it's very early in it's life. not nearly ready for prime time. not fair to judge much yet. i'm not sure i've yet fully explored the various Taiko TAS navigation tools. and it's easy to switch back to Roon if i desire......takes a minute to do it.

that said, let me expand. if you mostly stream with Quboz then the experience is much closer to Roon. if you are mostly files then it's more restricted in how it functions. with Quboz the cover art fully works and it's easy to navigate. my big issue with the Quboz interface is right now i don't see the resolution with the cover art. i have to play it to know it's resolution.

and for files the lack of resolution is a bigger issue since i sort my files in Roon by resolution many times. i also miss being able to sort files by most used or most recently added. this is not yet possible with TAS.

maybe the biggest issue is load time. it only loads one track at a time and it can take from 3 seconds to 15 seconds depending on resolution and track length.

i know you use Roon for your volume adjustment; i see a volume icon on the TAS page; but i've not tried it. so i don't know how it works at this point.

i do expect in 2-3 months most of these restrictions will be eliminated or at least worked through.

but it does sound superb. last night i selected 20 cuts into a Queue and sat back and let those tracks play. it's a winner pure and simple.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Anxious to hear impressions of W20SE vs Taiko Extreme as to their sound differences ...

not personally done that comparison. my references are my vinyl and tape. but here are a few links that do mention both units.

Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Creme de la Creme | What's Best Audio and Video Forum. The Best High End Audio Forum on the planet!

Taiko Audio SGM Extreme : the Creme de la Creme | What's Best Audio and Video Forum. The Best High End Audio Forum on the planet!

 

[aKnyght]

mike L - thanks for the post. i have been through the modern cool album three times now and the production values / recording quality are indeed off the charts. if it sounds this good on my quirky, working-man's system, then i can only imagine what it sounds like on a proper rig like yours!

btw: if this release is, as you seem to suggest, a guilty pleasure - then, i plead no contest.

 

[TheOctopus]

I completely understand and agree with the point of view that there are many phases to music appreciation. One grows into, falls in love, feels indifferent about, rediscovers, gets excited, excitement fades, new interest and genres grab your attention and inspire, for a while... The key is to keep exploring. Keep digging. I think music is not about the final destination, it is about the journey.

Much like it would be rather boring or perhaps even depressing to sit down and say, “well, that’s it. I’ve built my end game rig and this is the final destination.” The excitement of that moment will be short lived...

Where I diverge and differ is that to me personally, I don’t need or want to have 7-10 different versions of the same thing. I don’t even want that “thing” on my shelves period. Why not? See above. I can stream it today, fall in love, listen 20 times and forget about it for a few years. When I suddenly want to comeback to it, it will be in my Roon folder. I didn’t have to buy it, I don’t have to be the custodian of it either. Too many of the CDs and LPs that I bought before simply sat on shelves for over a decade with no play action. No more.

Of course that’s me and FWIW and YMMV

 

[Mike Lavigne]

I completely understand and agree with the point of view that there are many phases to music appreciation. One grows into, falls in love, feels indifferent about, rediscovers, gets excited, excitement fades, new interest and genres grab your attention and inspire, for a while... The key is to keep exploring. Keep digging. I think music is not about the final destination, it is about the journey.

Much like it would be rather boring or perhaps even depressing to sit down and say, “well, that’s it. I’ve built my end game rig and this is the final destination.” The excitement of that moment will be short lived...

Where I diverge and differ is that to me personally, I don’t need or want to have 7-10 different versions of the same thing. I don’t even want that “thing” on my shelves period. Why not? See above. I can stream it today, fall in love, listen 20 times and forget about it for a few years. When I suddenly want to comeback to it, it will be in my Roon folder. I didn’t have to buy it, I don’t have to be the custodian of it either. Too many of the CDs and LPs that I bought before simply sat on shelves for over a decade with no play action. No more.

Of course that’s me and FWIW and YMMV

Serge,

agree completely about music being about the journey and how it adds to the value of my time every day. brings joy. reduces stress. something to look forward to daily. something i can have in common with others. it's not a finish line. it's a life-passion.

but mostly i see it differently regarding owning many versions of the same compositions. artists use compositions as part of the framework to express their art. depending on our sophistication and training as listeners, we consume and appreciate that artistry. and there is a steep learning curve to both understand and to acquire the taste for the nuances of each type of music, or even sub-types of music.

i was a teen in the 60's, so rock n' roll was hard wired into me. i 'got' it and the differences and nuances of rock groups was apparent to me. it was not until i was over 40 years old that i started to listen to jazz, then a few years later started to listen to classical. jazz has plenty of standard tunes, but each artist does his own thing with them. as jazz lovers, we don't care if we hear 50 versions of 'Stardust' since they will all be different. it does not take long for us to get to that point with jazz. but long time classical listeners will view 50 versions of the Emperor Concerto in the same way. yet for me after 20 years i'm just starting to get those nuances. btw; i'm in no rush to know everything about classical, just enjoying my progress. and not afraid of owning multiple versions of classical music i like and investigate each one. i read the jackets and learn, or reviews. get deeper into it as i go along. that has been fun for me. but it took me awhile to get to that point.

i do agree about owning multiple copies of exactly the same recording. i stop when i have what i consider a very good one. right now you see all these very expensive 'one step' pressings, at $100 or more. i typically already have a 45rpm version, or even a master dub tape of that recording. or.....it's a digitally sourced recording. why would i buy another? so i don't.

part of the hobby is collecting; and i do enjoy having lots of recordings on hand. but these days if you stream you don't need to own even one. nothing wrong with that.

i do see that maybe those 'one-step' pressings do appreciate, so maybe the idea is making a profit. so i get that part. it's just not how i view things.....or a reason for me to acquire music.

just my 2 cents, YMMV.

 

[TheOctopus]

Serge,

agree completely about music being about the journey and how it adds to the value of my time every day. brings joy. reduces stress. something to look forward to daily. something i can have in common with others. it's not a finish line. it's a life-passion.

but mostly i see it differently regarding owning many versions of the same compositions. artists use compositions as part of the framework to express their art. depending on our sophistication and training as listeners, we consume and appreciate that artistry. and there is a steep learning curve to both understand and to acquire the taste for the nuances of each type of music, or even sub-types of music.

i was a teen in the 60's, so rock n' roll was hard wired into me. i 'got' it and the differences and nuances of rock groups was apparent to me. it was not until i was over 40 years old that i started to listen to jazz, then a few years later started to listen to classical. jazz has plenty of standard tunes, but each artist does his own thing with them. as jazz lovers, we don't care if we hear 50 versions of 'Stardust' since they will all be different. it does not take long for us to get to that point with jazz. but long time classical listeners will view 50 versions of the Emperor Concerto in the same way. yet for me after 20 years i'm just starting to get those nuances. btw; i'm in no rush to know everything about classical, just enjoying my progress. and not afraid of owning multiple versions of classical music i like and investigate each one. i read the jackets and learn, or reviews. get deeper into it as i go along. that has been fun for me. but it took me awhile to get to that point.

i do agree about owning multiple copies of exactly the same recording. i stop when i have what i consider a very good one. right now you see all these very expensive 'one step' pressings, at $100 or more. i typically already have a 45rpm version, or even a master dub tape of that recording. or.....it's a digitally sourced recording. why would i buy another? so i don't.

part of the hobby is collecting; and i do enjoy having lots of recordings on hand. but these days if you stream you don't need to own even one. nothing wrong with that.

i do see that maybe those 'one-step' pressings do appreciate, so maybe the idea is making a profit. so i get that part. it's just not how i view things.....or a reason for me to acquire music.

just my 2 cents, YMMV.

Well, compositions, especially popular ones would require an enormous collection. I don't think in his wildest imagination Beethoven would have ever imagined that his "Moonlight Sonata" or Gershwin's "Summertime" would appear on Roon 3856 and 2483 times respectively, in the year 2020 and bound to only keep growing... I am not even sure if that would be possible to amass in physical media these days. Nope, that is a different passion all together to me, perhaps even an obsession. I am happy to see some remasters from time to time, they pop on Qobuz and Tidal when released.

Right now I was happy to discover and trying to go through all the Rudy Van Gelder remasters of my favorite Jazz. He was the guy recording the jazz legends for various labels in the first place, in his studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. So it is a real treat to hear them in his own re-interpretation of what they can sound like today.

I am relying on Qobuz and Tidal to keep me busy. I listen to music 8-10 hrs a day, sometimes more.... Let's just say there is never a shortage of new albums to discover and to revisit the favorites from time to time. I have not pulled an SACD or an XRCD off the shelf in quite some time. I gave up on vinyl some time ago. Just too fussy for me. Stocking up on cleaning fluids, brushes and spinning vinyl on a VPI Typhoon cleaning machine instead of listening got old real quick for me...

Having said that, it is up to each individual of course to find joy in the way they interact with their music. A large collection, if one has that patience, budget and storage space is no different than having a large library of books. Something tangible to hold in hands and interact with. Definitely worth a lot to some, as for myself, not so much anymore.

 

[asindc]

When I first got into this gig, Diana Krall studio albums were all the rage. Since I was pretty excited about the prospect of enjoying some great jazz recordings, I bought em' before I even had a chance to hear em'. As it turns out - that was a mistake. The recording quality itself was fairly solid, but when it came down to the come down, I felt like I was listening to sappy soap opera music. And not the good, Star Wars or Game of Thrones kind either. I'm talkin' about something along the lines of vintage Childrens hospital material.

Funnily enough, I still listen to and thoroughly enjoy her 'Live in Paris' album. You can judge all you want.. I ain't ashamed!

You shouldn’t feel bad at all about Krall’s Live In Paris album, it is on point! Her live album makes me want to see her live. I agree about most of her remaining catalog, though.

 

[Calvin]

I’m sorry but I don’t understand the negative comments concerning Diana Krall’s albums. While I have all of her SACDs and only 15 of her CDs - with more on the way - I love the music on my Luxman D-08u. I guess it’s a matter of taste. I enjoy Patricia Barber too - 3 more of hers on the way.

 

[Mike]

I’m sorry but I don’t understand the negative comments concerning Diana Krall’s albums. While I have all of her SACDs and only 15 of her CDs - with more on the way - I love the music on my Luxman D-08u. I guess it’s a matter of taste. I enjoy Patricia Barber too - 3 more of hers on the way.

I agree!

 

[Mike Lavigne]

I’m sorry but I don’t understand the negative comments concerning Diana Krall’s albums. While I have all of her SACDs and only 15 of her CDs - with more on the way - I love the music on my Luxman D-08u. I guess it’s a matter of taste. I enjoy Patricia Barber too - 3 more of hers on the way.

it's the prevalence of her music used as demo material. and that her music reflects a more buttoned down vibe.

personally i think she is a fine piano player and mostly like her voice. most of her recordings are well done. a few are a bit tepid, but only a few. but i do have to be in that mood.

i am a jazz and jazz vocals fan. not everyone is.

at audio shows she is considered bad form. and i get that.

 

[Randy Myers]

I’m sorry but I don’t understand the negative comments concerning Diana Krall’s albums. While I have all of her SACDs and only 15 of her CDs - with more on the way - I love the music on my Luxman D-08u. I guess it’s a matter of taste. I enjoy Patricia Barber too - 3 more of hers on the way.

I enjoy Diana Krall music and have many of her albums, DSD downloads, vinyl, etc. Same with Patricia Barber although I do believe she is very much an acquired taste .

 

[Calvin]

Since Krall has sold over 16 million albums, I think she’s good at what she does! I guess with a huge positive fan club there comes a hater’s club as well. Many poor souls just don’t realize what they are missing.

 

[still-one]

Since Krall has sold over 16 million albums, I think she’s good at what she does! I guess with a huge positive fan club there comes a hater’s club as well. Many poor souls just don’t realize what they are missing.

In all of our many years of going to concerts Krall's has the distinction of being the only one we have walked out of.

 

[Calvin]

In all of our many years of going to concerts Krall's has the distinction of being the only one we have walked out of.

A person walking out of a concert doesn’t prove much of anything, seeing that others stayed and enjoyed the concert.

As I previously stated, it’s a matter of taste. Some people like certain singers, musicians, etc., others don’t. Some like an artist’s recorded albums, but don’t enjoy them them live, and vice versa.

It’s ok to have different tastes in music.

 

[nicoff]

Do you own any music mainly because it is some audiophile workhorse and really don't like the music?

I'm going through my collection and wondering why I have so many different copies of the Fountains of Rome and the Pines of Rome by Respighi. I don't even like the music that much. One copy would be enough.

The other record is Grand Canyon Suite by Grofe. I finally got that down to one copy.

Back to the OP: to me it is all about music. After being able to enjoy streaming and have access to millions of albums, I have concluded that I do not need to OWN the music.
What matters to me is access to any MUSIC that I want, as opposed for physical stuff to own.
This took a mindset change. Initially I did not think that a company like Spotify had no chance. That’s because I thought that it was odd NOT owning the physical disc.
Today you do not need to settle for lesser quality recording or performance because that is what you own. You can explore, listen, and “lease” ten different versions of a particular classical composition and even create your own version by hand-picking movements from different artists.

 

[still-one]

A person walking out of a concert doesn’t prove much of anything, seeing that others stayed and enjoyed the concert.

As I previously stated, it’s a matter of taste. Some people like certain singers, musicians, etc., others don’t. Some like an artist’s recorded albums, but don’t enjoy them them live, and vice versa.

It’s ok to have different tastes in music.

My point was in response to you indicating that some poor souls do not know what they are missing. Just letting you know that I am not missing anything. You are correct that we all have different tastes in music and that is the way it should be.

 

[Calvin]

My point was in response to you indicating that some poor souls do not know what they are missing. Just letting you know that I am not missing anything. You are correct that we all have different tastes in music and that is the way it should be.

Respectfully, the fact that you walked out and the MUCH MUCH GREATER NUMBER remained behind to listen, reflects more upon your lack of taste then it does in the artist’s talents. With over 16 million albums sold the numbers speak for themselves.

 

[still-one]

Respectfully, the fact that you walked out and the MUCH MUCH GREATER NUMBER remained behind to listen, reflects more upon your lack of taste then it does in the artist’s talents. With over 16 million albums sold the numbers speak for themselves.

Horsecrap. Your response holds no water. If that was the case then all of the people who never purchased tickets for her show is an better indicator of how poor of a talent she is.

 

[Hear Here]

Horsecrap. Your response holds no water. If that was the case then all of the people who never purchased tickets for her show is an better indicator of how poor of a talent she is.

Interesting observation Mr Horsecrap

By your "logic" all the people who never purchased D'Agnostino, dSC and Wilson equipment is an better indicator of how poor it is.

I don't like Diana Krall much but I have the sense not to go to one of her concerts. Surely those who buy tickets to any artist's concerts should be a fan. What did you expect that you didn't get?

Happy New Year and enjoy the concerts you get to this year - but perhaps do your homework first.

 

[Calvin]

Horsecrap. Your response holds no water. If that was the case then all of the people who never purchased tickets for her show is an better indicator of how poor of a talent she is.

Respectfully, some people don't enjoy live music. And not everyone enjoys jazz and female vocalists so I wouldn’t expect the entire world to show up at a venue. As I stated earlier, it’s a matter of taste … Some people like jazz, others prefer rap, etc. And some aren't trained listeners, so they don't understand the beauty of what they are hearing, et. al.

Diana Krall has sung / played with the likes of Tony Bennett, Ray Charles and Paul McCartney. She's won 24 awards from 50 nominations. I guess all these professionals are deaf too? :hey:

List of awards and nominations received by Diana Krall - Wikipedia

As I stated earlier, Krall has sold over 16 million albums. The numbers don't lie - she's talented. While not the greatest amount of albums sold by any artist (Beatles, 183 mil, etc.), over 16,000,000 albums is still a lot. While you and some others don't, it is clear that some individuals appreciate and enjoy her musical abilities.

Let’s put 16 million into a little perspective. I remember reading about a guy who merely counted to 1 million. He counted app. 16 hours per day. 89 days later he reached his goal of 1 million.

So, you may get some perspective on just how many 16 mil is why don’t you begin counting right now. Then you may come back here in app. 3.9 years with a little more perspective of just how popular and talented Diana Krall really is! Of course, by then you may have to add a couple more million albums sold. Happy counting …