delita

I'm an audiophile myself but I gave up on FLAC once I went to Spotify. FLAC was more in the days where I was torrenting music - I tried TIDAL for a while but I hated the UI and the price. And honestly even for someone like myself with a nice DAC/Amp and $1000 headphones, the difference between Spotify and TIDAL was minimal at best....FLAC you could definitely tell. It's a shame Spotify never went high fidelity - I started a thread on it probably 5 years ago at this point on their forums and had a TON of people thumbs up and second the request and pushed Spotify hard and they ended up never doing a thing about it. Oh well.

Funz51

I disagree. I went to all FLAC and not turning back. I also download Tidal tracks onto Iphone if I want a bit of selection. Waiting for Amazon or Spotify to get close to Tidal 14 K. Spotify seems to sound better than Amazon tho, with the better bitrate. But mobile appears to be always less rate. I can really tell in the car, and with my new amp/sub, man, huge.

oblio98

Has anyone tried to play a USB 24/48 Zero Compression 5.1 .flac file in a base model RDX (2019/2020)? Someone asked me about that and I wasn't sure. I never tried it because I only looked at the A-Spec and the Advanced when I bought my car ALMOST 2 YEARS AGO!!!

dblwishbone

The Acura manuals don't seem to indicate a difference in media capabilities between the base level and premium audio systems. I'm also puzzled as to whether the base model has an actual CD player; it is mentioned in the specs but not in the manual.

4th Acura

I would like to thank oblio98 for his superlative instructions about getting the best sound out of the RDX magnificent sound system using old DVD-A‘s. I traded in a 2008 RDX tech model for my 2020 RDX. While the 2008 played DVD-A discs it didn’t come close to the distortion free surround sound of the 2020. My DVD-A discs live on! I’m glad I didn’t throw them out when they stopped selling Oppo DVD players.
I set the sound up by one vertically on the 3D sound setting, GLORIOUS!

oblio98

Thanks! It's so nice to hear some positive feedback around here. Usually it's all doom and gloom.
Good job getting it done. It certainly is worth it.

Funz51

are you able to play the 5.1 tracks off the ripped DVD's? I have done quite a few and the system sounds terrific.

4th Acura

I would be lost without following oblio98’s step by step instructions. They do sound great and you can really crank them up with no distortion.

Smilin_Jim

I also agree that Oblio98 did us all a great favor. I have gone on to getting numerous 5.1 FLAC files on my phone and love to listen to them on road trips. Also great when showing the system off to friends.

oblio98

Are you sure you are playing 5.1 files through the phone? I could never get that to work. What format are they on your phone, and what type of phone are you using. I am not sure the system will accept 5.1 files that way without turning them into stereo first.

DrWoo

I agree with oblio98, I experimented with some 5.1 flac files on my phone, and I played them using Vox. They are converted to stereo. They don't sound near as good as the 5.1 files played via usb.

Smilin_Jim

From the phone, using Poweramp via Android Auto. If it's not 5.1, then it is a damn good impersonation of it. Seems to have all the directional sonics as when I played them off the USB. I can go back and specifically do a side by side comparison, but it sure seems that way.

Funz51

And make sure you actually have 6 channel music on your stick. The ELS does a great job of fooling us with a stereo source.

oblio98

Someone PM'd me to say that my original post with the test files had a link that no longer worked, so I just recompiled a new test file zip. This time I added segments of 5.1 tunes that most of you will recognize. Because of copyright restrictions, I am only including a minute of each of the song samples, which is allowed as they are demonstration/sample material, not entire songs.

The first track is channel identification shout outs, so you can be sure that your Acura 5.1 decoding is working. I hope this file helps some of you to experience REAL 5.1 audio from your car.

This is a zip file, so just unzip it, copy the 11 files as they are to a USB stick and play it in the car. These are all tagged with graphics and titles and are 24/48 zero compression, ready to go for the car.

Let us know what you think in this thread!

https://mega.nz/file/CcojyQza#dpn0pj...qDGnkx3fyBdXlM

Gregory Kozlowski

Wow....sounds unbelievable..cant believe what we are missing out on!

So for the hell of it, I downloaded the trial period for 'Tidal' - they have 'HiFi and Master' quality audio streaming but it sounds nothing close to your sample files. Any idea why that would be? Also is there a source where you can go to buy the full version of the true 5.1 tracks?

Thanks!!!

oblio98

Greg,

None of the download services give you "real" 5.1 discrete files like I put into that demo file I posted. I really wish the industry would sell this stuff because it's a royal pain and we have to jump through so many hoops to be able to hear it for real.
Sadly, there are no legit places to buy this stuff on the web. I have tried through my forum to get places like HDTracks to sell RDX compatible 5.1 audio files, and they said that the labels did not think they would sell. I then went straight to Warner Brother/Rhino, and asked a VP if they would do it. He told me that they would certainly do it if there was interest. I then went back to HDTracks and heard nothing. Zero. I even tried to get the ELS folks to get behind it, it's their freaking audio system, but all I got was a pat on the back and silence.

Very frustrating!

DrWoo

I’m very appreciative of all the work oblio98 has put into this topic, and I’ve spent many hours creating 5.1 flac files for my RDX using his instructions. Another frustration is the range of quality in 5.1 source disks. Some sound amazing. Donald Fagan’s “The Nightfly” is my personal favorite (“The Goodbye Look” intro just dances around your head), and the Beatles’ recent “Abbey Road” 50th anniversary blu-Ray is fabulous (the crickets in “Sun King” Sound like they are all around you). (Yes, I know I’m dating myself, but there isn’t much new material in 5.1). Others, after making the effort to create the files, don’t sound any better than hi-res stereo.

Funz51

Quite true. I have over 40 5.1 albums and they do sound different, depending on who mixed them. It also makes a difference on the format. Compressed/not compressed. Not the FLAC you are converting to, but the source. Like DTS is a compressed format. It will sound different than a truly lossless format. So given the choice in your ripping, try not to use any Dolby or DTS (and others) provided sources on the DVD. Look online for format definitions. Sometimes you don't have a choice. Tears for Fears - Big Chair I just ripped/heard yesterday. Wow, what mix. incredible. A nice side effect with 5.1 files is that I can turn up the ELS without detriment. Superb. Enjoy!

Smilin_Jim

Okay, mea culpa. Android can't handle a 5.1 audio stream, so even though PowerAmp can decode it, it has to shove it out in stereo. Ergo if I had bothered to turn off the neural enhancer, I would have realized it. Still, the high quality files that are the source material for my surround files sound really fine and I would not have gotten to that point without Oblio98's tutorial. I never bothered copying the channel identification track over to my phone or I definitely would have picked up on it. Back to the thumb drive...

oblio98

No one else tried the download I put in Post #54? It will really light up your RDX 3D for sure.

DrWoo

I did download to see the samples you provided, but I have not listened in the RDX yet. I already have a few of these (Steely Dan, The Beatles, Norah Jones), and agree that they do sound terrific. I do plan to listen to your samples to get a list of future 5.1 acquisitions.

A song I highly recommend is a more obscure Elton John song with some fantastic percussion and guitar is the 5.1 mix of "Writing" off the "Captain Fantastic..." album. It's a feast for the ears.

For those that have not experienced what the RDX sound system can do, I highly recommend you take oblio98's samples for a spin.

JB in AZ

Yeah....I decided this morning, (against my better judgement) to download and listen to the file you graciously created and made available. I say against my better judgment, as I knew it would sound absolutely amazing, and I would never be satisfied with "normal" music again. HUGE SIGH It sounds even more than amazing! Everything else now sounds like AM radio in comparison......well, not quite, but I am not sure finding and being able to listen to enough 5.1 content to not make it redundant, sounds (no pun intended) like it would be difficult.
three cheers to you, oblio98! Thank you!

markm929

I, like @JB in AZ , tried your little download and am at a complete let down listening to "normal" music now. Those samples make the system show its true colors. This will push me to start updating my library with 5.1. UGH!

Thanks!!

4th Acura

Once you’ve experienced 5.1 audio through a great surround system it’s hard to go back to every day stereo. My wife, who cares little for my DVD-a collection, says they sound great in the RDX. For some reason it took 30 years, since all my DVD-a’s were purchased 1990-2000.

dblwishbone

I'm a big fan of SACD; it's getting harder to find a quality player that will do 5.1 output. You think the labels would realize there's a market for this in auto systems now that they're not tied to physical media. In my tests the system also appears able to play multi-channel m4a and not just flac.

Funz51

see here: https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...-969380/page3/

Smilin_Jim

I missed that you had included samples. I stopped reading at the channel identification track because I had snagged that from your earlier posts and had seen it again on the Acura Demo Discs.

As much as I really enjoy the fidelity of these tracks, every once in a while the remix that was done by the engineers makes me wonder. A good example of this is the Gimme Shelter track. The reverb on Mick's voice just seems to be in one channel (maybe two) instead of what probably should have been distributed somewhat to all channels. It just sounds odd.

Now ain't it wonderful to be able to hear the recordings so well that you can even hear this stuff? This level of clarity would have made it much easier to play the listening game that Rundgren mentions in the "Intro" track of Something/Anything. <grin>

DrWoo

I finally sat in the RDX and listened to oblio98's sample files, and it was interesting. I have a "5.1" copy of the Norah Jones song, but it sounds nothing like the sample. As Funz51 pointed out, not all 5.1 files are the same, and I have a SACD version of that album, not DVD-A. So now I need to track down the DVD-A of the Norah Jones album.

Oblio98, I really liked the quad file of "That's the Way of the World", but that seems like a tough one to find. And I can't find any reference to 5.1 versions of "Moondance". Do you know album and year for those 2 songs?

Funz51, Tears for Fears - Big Chair does sound great, thanks for the suggestion.

oblio98

"That's the Way of the World" is available on SACD from Dutton-Vocalion, from the UK. You can get their stuff on Amazon here in the US or order directly from them. They have a whole series of quadraphonic releases of the '70s remastered for SACD and they are incredibly priced. For example, that SACD includes the stereo and quad mixes of both TTWOTW and their Spirit album, for what amounts to be about $20!

https://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/

The "Moondance" is from the WB USA Deluxe set of the album that came with a BluRay that had the 5.1 mix of the album that was supposed to come out on DVD-A in 2004 but was cancelled because Van wasn't happy with it.

It's out of print but you can see it here:
In order to convert SACD's to .flac, you need a free program called sacd_extract. Just Google it and you will find it. You need a certain SACD player for it to work, but you can find them cheap. Read up on the info you find when you look for sacd_extract

PS - The Norah Jones track I included, well the first minute anyway, is not from the SACD. It's from the multi-track masters and was created by a "fan"! You can't get it anywhere.

Funz51

For SACD's, I rip the ISO from the disk, then use iso2dsd_OSX_v6 (Senore) to convert to dsf files. Then I use FLAC Converter to convert to FLAC. This is a great little program that converts almost anything to FLAC. Simple, and it also can set the volume higher which I do with all my rips to be -2 or -1 . It sounds better and can get it louder and clearer.

4th Acura

This morning I finally got a chance to listen to oblio98’s RDX audio music samples. Steely Dan sounded the same as my vintage Gaucho DVD-a, but The Beatles, WOW, amazing depth of sound and clarity from a 55 year old recording. This was a revelation to me of how modern technology can bring new life to old geriatric music. The version of the Talking Heads song “ Breaking Down the House” was not one I’ve ever heard before, really wonderful. The quad songs all came across with great separation and clarity. I doubt any of the songs in this collection were recorded DDD but they came across like they had. Once again thanks oblio98. My interest in 5.1 has been reborn.

4th Acura

Oops, the Talking Heads song was”Burning Down the House”

EFR

Holy Hell oblio98. I finally just got around to copying those songs to a USB. I'm speechless. Music on steroids. I don't even know what to say. I saw your comments to someone that Tidals FLAC is not close to real FLAC or however you worded it. That's really too bad or I would sign up in a heartbeat. I don't have any 5.1 music so I will just have to play the hell out of your one minute samples. Thank you!!!

GW208

I'm a complete noob at this and have never copied a cd to a flash drive but looking on the internet I found this advice on how to do it. Realizing that it's not the ultimate audio but as a first baby step, does this sound like the right way to go about it?
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...click%20paste.

Funz51

looks about right. Try it!

GW208

Okay, thanks Funz, we will give it a try tomorrow. I don't have a cd slot on my computer so we will be using my wife's computer and I didn't want to mess anything up.

JB in AZ

You CAN do it. I have copied about 3,000 songs from CD to flash drives. I no longer have any CDs. I have all my music backed up several places.

Both of our computers lack CD drives, but I bought an external USB CD drive for about $20 years ago (2011) when I was using a Netbook and traveling a lot. The Netbook didn't actually work for me, as it was too slow. But I still have the CD drive and use it occasionally when I need to load Turbo Tax.

Let us know how it worked out.

DrWoo

Thanks for this. I've listened to the "That's the Way of the World" sample a few times, and will look at getting a full copy.

And I'm jealous of your "fan" source of music!

GW208

Success!!! Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Thanks to Funz51's encouragement we gave it a go this morning with me reading off the instructions and my wife operating the pc. It was a bit comical at first with a few fits and starts but we were eventually able to it done. The second cd was a piece of cake. Thanks again Funz and JB.

Padre Dave

I found a Vox app called Flacbox. I transferred some .FLAC files into the “Files” folder in my iPhone. When I was playing them through the app, I got a message that says “CarPlay limits the output” or something like that. So, they sound good but the USB drive is far superior