Author Topic: High bit-rate internet radio stations  (Read 58608 times)

Offline mfsoa

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High bit-rate internet radio stations
« on: January 13, 2012, 10:41:48 AM »
Long boring post coming, but I'm home recovering from a kidney stone (owch!)

I began a thread like this a long time ago, in a place that doesn't exist anymore http://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?topic=2249.msg46617#msg46617
I'd like to continue to try to gather info on high-rez internet radio stations, and describe some recent experiences. This seems like the best place to put it, but if not please move it.

I'm no expert on this, so if I can make it work so can you!

- At the end of the above thread, I had been playing with the "Hi Rez" BBC Radio 3 320 kb/s feed. After much frustration I found that the 320 stream won't play through the SBox duet, unless you have the Logitech Media Server do the transcoding first. So, if you use a Duet you can't just pick the BBC Radio 3 feed and get 320. Does seem to work on the Touch thogh, and it sounds great!

- But how to play from the PC if I want to use PC > headphones w/out the SBox involved?  I copied the URL for the 320 BBC feed (thanks to the Harbeth user forum http://www.harbeth.co.uk/usergroup/showthread.php?1258-World-s-highest-quality-on-line-classical-music-feed-(BBC-Radio-3)) and pasted it into MediaMonkey, thinking it would play just fine. Nope - I don't think MM can do the AAC something or other format. So I try in Windows Media Player and can't seem to find how to paste in a URL. So no luck there. As per the Harbeth link I downloaded VLC media player and it works great! There is an "Open location from clipboard" feature, so you just copy a URL, hit this button and off you go. Then, drag from the Playlist into the Media Library to build your list of saved radio stations.

Some stations mentioned on that Harbeth link - all play great through VLC:

BBC Radio 3, 320 kb/s: Classical and more
Codec: MPEG AAC Audio (mp4a)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/listen/live/r3_aaclca.pls


German WDR-3, 256 kb/s:  Jazzy stuff 
Codec: MPEG Audio layer 1/2/3 (mpga)
http://www.wdr.de/wdrlive/media/wdr3_hq.m3u


Eastern European classical station,
Codec: FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) (flac)  at 16 bit / 48k  I see content bitrates (as per VLC read-out) up to 850 kb/s. This guy sounds really good:
http://radio.cesnet.cz:8000/cro-d-dur.flac


Linn Classical, 320 kb/s  (also Linn Jazz and Linn radio, URLS not handy)  Codec: MPEG Audio layer 1/2/3 (mpga)
http://radio.linnrecords.com/cast/tunein.php/linnclassical/playlist.pls


AVRO Classics, 256 kb/s  Codec: MPEG Audio layer 1/2/3 (mpga)
http://opml.radiotime.com/Tune.ashx?id=s55517&Formats=mp3,wma,real&username=sampletime&PartnerId=16

AVRO Baroque, 256  Codec: MPEG Audio layer 1/2/3 (mpga)
http://opml.radiotime.com/Tune.ashx?id=s55512&partnerId=16

All of these stations sound wonderful, give 'em a shot.

Please add other HI(er) Rez stations to the list!

Enjoy - Mike




Offline mfsoa

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Re: High bit-rate internet radio stations
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2012, 12:43:38 PM »
Tried to dump some of these into "My Favorites" on mysqueezebox.com

The AVRO Classics didn't work (locked the whole thing up actually) but this URL did http://shoutcast.omroep.nl:8072/  Sounds really nice - listening to Pictures at an Exhibition now.

So now I can do this station via the Touch as well.

The FLAC station didn't work in My Favorites.  I'll look for another way to add this.

Offline mfsoa

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Re: High bit-rate internet radio stations
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2012, 01:27:43 PM »
Pop this in your Touch or PC:

320 kb/s classical station, 91.7, Houston public radio

http://129.7.48.200/KUHF_Classical_Hifi

Offline mfsoa

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Re: High bit-rate internet radio stations
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2012, 07:05:25 PM »
Talking to myself, I know...

Two rock stations that work in VLC player, each in 16/44 flac. Full lossless CD quality over the web.
Takes a bit over 1 mb/s internet bandwidth though.

Rock:  http://icecast.as34763.net/vrflac.ogg

Classic rock:  http://icecast.as34763.net/vcflac.ogg

I think the prospect of unlimited, free, commercial-free full CD quality or better streamed audio is pretty cool, but maybe it's just me.

Really, someone please check out the "cesnet" station mentioned above - The SQ is really stunning! Better than CD quality. 16 bit 48k over the web. Free. Neverending. And the music I've heard the past few days...just super.

Technical info on what cesnet is up to with the flac stream:
http://www.cesnet.cz/doc/techzpravy/2008/using-flac-encoding/using-flac-encoding.pdf

-Mike

Offline richidoo

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Re: High bit-rate internet radio stations
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2012, 07:58:49 PM »
Feel better Mike!

Offline mfsoa

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Re: High bit-rate internet radio stations
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2012, 06:33:32 PM »
Crickets, man, nothin but crickets... (and a well-wish, thanks Rich. Yes this too has passed)

Outstanding jazz station, broadcasting at 256 kb/sec. Really good SQ, excellent bass. Works great on the Sbox:
http://www.rozhlas.cz/audio/download/jazz_high_ogg.m3u

Their website:
http://www.rozhlas.cz/jazz/english

Typical day's playlist
3:00   Modern Mainstream   Across the jazz past and present. Occasional trips to jazzrocku, world music and current mergers. (300 min)
    8:00   Mostly Bop   Not only bopovou classic one is alive. In this block, it adds a pop jazz, cool jazz, Latin and straight ahead. (60 min)
    9:00   Modern Mainstream   Across the jazz past and present. Occasional trips to jazzrocku, world music and current mergers. (240 min)
    13:00   Mostly Bop   Not only bopovou classic one is alive. In this block, it adds a pop jazz, cool jazz, Latin and straight ahead. (60 min)
    14:00   Modern Mainstream   Across the jazz past and present. Occasional trips to jazzrocku, world music and current mergers. (60 min)
    15:00   Modern and Experimental   Most contemporary jazz spiced with a touch of free jazz and experimental music. (120 min)
    17:00   Modern Mainstream   Across the jazz past and present. Occasional trips to jazzrocku, world music and current mergers. (60 min)
    18:00   Future Shock   Nu-jazz, e-jazz, acid-jazz, and electro-swing? Call it what you will, but with this block look into the future. (60 min)
    19:00   Modern Mainstream   Across the jazz past and present. Occasional trips to jazzrocku, world music and current mergers. (180 min)
    22:00   Mostly Bop   Not only bopovou classic one is alive. In this block, it adds a pop jazz, cool jazz, Latin and straight ahead. (60 min)
    23:00   Modern Mainstream   Across the jazz past and present. Occasional trips to jazzrocku, world music and current mergers. (60 min)

Offline satfrat

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Re: High bit-rate internet radio stations
« Reply #6 on: January 25, 2012, 07:21:31 PM »
Being a jazz freak myself, I'm bookmarking this link for my J.River Music center. Sounds pretty damn good Mike, thanks!  :thumb:

Cheers,
Robin
Butler 3150 amps, Sunfire Theater Grand 4 processor, Mhdt Havana w/Vitamin Q cap bypass, HTPC, Empirical Off-Ramp 3 w/Ultraclock & Hynes PS, Odyssey Audio Lorelei's, Usher X-616's, Ridge Street Audio Poiema!!! IC/SC, BPT & UberBuss power conditioners

Offline richidoo

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Re: High bit-rate internet radio stations
« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2012, 08:09:50 PM »
I'll check them out next time I sit down for some listening. Thanks!

Offline Carlman

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Re: High bit-rate internet radio stations
« Reply #8 on: January 29, 2012, 05:32:10 PM »
Out of all the stations listed, I've only gotten 2 to play through my SB3.  http://shoutcast.omroep.nl:8072/ and http://www.rozhlas.cz/audio/download/jazz_high_ogg.m3u

Not sure why it won't play.  I play flac's from my PC all the time wirelessly so I don't think it's a bandwith over wifi issue... Any other ideas?

Thanks for starting this thread and making this list.  Would love to have a rock station... or folk or alternative folk/rock type stuff.

-C
I really enjoy listening to music.

Offline richidoo

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Re: High bit-rate internet radio stations
« Reply #9 on: January 29, 2012, 06:30:03 PM »
Not sure why it won't play.  Any other ideas?

Try Mike's discovery  of VLC
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

or

If they play in a browser but not hardware client like Squeezebox then check this out:
http://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?topic=2321.0

Many stations use streamtheworld app nowadays to hide the real address of the content, forcing only browser access so you see ads while you listen. The link above shows how to bypass streamtheworld middleman so you can connect directly to the original source of the stream with whatever client you damn well please.

The AVRO links are already on radiotime domain with the code number already in the link so you are halfway there.

Offline etcarroll

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Re: High bit-rate internet radio stations
« Reply #10 on: January 29, 2012, 06:42:29 PM »
Thanks Rich!

I was wondering why I couldn't add some of these things to my SB.
"...if you want to enjoy your gear, don't listen to anything that might be better."

Offline Carlman

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Re: High bit-rate internet radio stations
« Reply #11 on: January 30, 2012, 05:34:58 AM »
Awesome, thanks!  :)
I really enjoy listening to music.

Offline mfsoa

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Re: High bit-rate internet radio stations
« Reply #12 on: January 31, 2012, 01:16:45 PM »
This does get confusing really fast, with all of the different types of streams and the software/hardware players needed.

Then, there is the issue of if one uses a Squeezebox or not to interface w/ the stereo - apparently different Sboxes have different capabilities (BBC3 plays beautifully @ 320 kb/s through my Touch but not through my Duet).

The 16/48 Czech flac station (http://radio.cesnet.cz:8000/cro-d-dur.flac) won't play through the Touch - I can only listen via VLC on my PC w/ headphones as I have no other connection to the stereo - but man does it sound good through the cans.

I am disappointed with the NPR classical station from Houston (http://129.7.48.200/KUHF_Classical_Hifi) - everything sounds very bright, like they juiced it up...

I've been listening to the Czech jazz station all day (http://www.rozhlas.cz/audio/download/jazz_high_ogg.m3u )  - excellent quality and selection, IMO


-Mike

Offline richidoo

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Re: High bit-rate internet radio stations
« Reply #13 on: January 31, 2012, 01:57:54 PM »
Each station manager gets to tweak the processor settings. The local music stations here all sound a bit different, some very different.

Weird that one would play on Touch but not Duet..

Offline mfsoa

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Re: High bit-rate internet radio stations
« Reply #14 on: February 02, 2012, 09:03:53 PM »
The Linn trio: (320 kb/s)
All work in VLC and in mysqueezebox.com favorites:

Linn Jazz http://89.16.185.174:8000/stream
Linn Radio http://89.16.185.174:8003/stream
Linn Classical http://89.16.185.174:8004/stream

Yet when I just checked the links I already had in "My Favorites" on mysqueezebox.com (entered using Search on the Sbox remote) I got:

Linn Jazz http://opml.radiotime.com/Tune.ashx?id=s122120&partnerId=16
Linn Radio http://opml.radiotime.com/Tune.ashx?id=s122119&partnerId=16
Linn Classical http://opml.radiotime.com/Tune.ashx?id=s122116&partnerId=16



I guess much of the internet radio content is available from several sources, and the Sbox used Radiotime?