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67 yrs. old computer audio

I've recently have become interested computer audio... at 67 I'm not very computer savvy. Have a ASUS Eee PC 1000HE XP netbook (2 GB upgrade, 1.66 GHz and 1.75 GHz in super high power mode)... don't use except for internet radio. Would like to start downloading cd's and using computer as source sometimes. Read, you can upgrade this computer to Windows 7 and 64 bits... can I use this computer or buy something else? (50's 60's Be-Bop jazz, old rock, movie scores)

ASUS Eee PC 1000HE netbook (2 GB upgrade, 1.66 GHz and 1.75 GHz in super high power mode)
Microsoft Windows XP (32-bit)
Digital to Analog Converter: Musical Fidelity M1 A
Preamp: Quicksilver Line Stage (non-remote) 2010 new model
Amps: Quicksilver 90 watt silver monos
Loudspeakers: 12x15x9 room... Fritz Rev 5 (with upgraded drivers: Scanspeak Illuminator 5 inch woofer, Revelator tweeter)
Interconnects: Kimber KCAG (amp to pre)
Kimber Silver Streak (dac to pre)
DH Labs digital (Theta Miles CD player as transport to dac)
DH Labs usb
Loudspeaker Cables: WyWires Blue
Power Cables: Kimber PK 10 Gold (pre to API Power Wedge 1)
DH Labs Encore (from dac and CD transport)
Amps: hard wired
zoot45

Showing 5 responses by mapman

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,698 posts
 
I can offer a relatively simple and effective approach similar to what I adapted a couple years back. I am 52 and deal with computers for a fairly large and well known company for a living.

I'd say your computer can be used, but use external USB hard drives to actually store any music library files.

You also need 2 such disks and an automatic backup program to keep an extra copy of files at all times in case the main drive dies.

I use Seagate drives from Best Buy. These work well, have been quite reliable for several years now, and include the backup software needed.

Then, use a separate Squeezebox Touch connected to your system for playback. You will need a network connection from Squeezebox to computer/music server. Any good quality modern wireless router can provide this.

This solution covers all the bases, is inexpensive, reliable, very flexible and provides excellent sound guaranteed. Adding an external DAC later (connected to SB TOuch digital output and in turn then connected as source in your stereo) provides a means to tweak or improve sound quality further down the road if needed.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,698 posts
 
One thing I forgot to mention is you need software to rip the CDs to disk. I find WIndows MEdia Player does a good job and is included in windows. You will need to set the output format. For best sound use a lossless format, which will make bigger files but also provide best sound. I use .wav, which is most like CD format. The down side of .wav is you have to get the metadata tags (artist, album name, etc.) correct prior to the rip process in that editing after the fact is nearly impossible. TO change tags/metadata, you have to re-rip a file. Also, WMP automatic tagging using the integrated web service works very well for most CDs, however getting correct metadata ags with classical CDs is often problematic. THere may be better tools that do a better job with automated tags for classical CDs. If you are willing to manually edit tags in WMP prior to ripping, it is not a problem, but manual editing can be very time consuming in general and I try to steer away from having to do that. FLAC lossless format is better for editing metadata tags but WMP does not support FLAC.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,698 posts
 
One final thing. There is some overhead involved with setting up and maintaining a music server. With the recipe I provided, I find this to not take much time overall and I spend more time listening to my CDs off the server than I would otherwise due to all the ease of access convenience features Squeezebox provides. However, even the simplest music server can be a challenge for those not inclined to have the patience needed to use a computer to good effect. So think twice if this seems to complicated and you do not have the patience to spend the time needed to get up the learning curve.

The feature I like most with a music server system like the Logitech Squeeze system is the ability to queue up random or manually compiled playlists of tracks. Cueing up your CD tracks randomly on a music server is like having your own personal radio station. You do not know what to expect will play next, but its yours that you bought, so chances are you will like it. My music server has been a great tool for better familiarizing with me CD collection, including many tracks there that I would seldom or perhaps never play or discover otherwise.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,698 posts
 
With existing computer, as OP asks, I think it best to offload the player function to a separate device and run server only. I have done this with SB server (now called Logitech media server) on older more limited PCs with similar good results as with newer more powerful PCs.

Using a wireless connection from server to player then also keeps computer noise artifacts out of the picture completely helping insure the sound quality. So this is the happy path that I would recommend anyone use to avoid potential sound quality issues associated with using a general purpose computer to produce excellent sound quality.

Steve, can you quantify in any way the shortcomings you believe exist with WMP versus dmpoweramp? I don't doubt db poweramp to be a very solid and safe choice, but the results I have been getting using WMP and .wav is quite good. If there is loss occurring, I have not been able to hear it so far, though I have never done any valid a/b compaarisons.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,698 posts
 
Dtc,

Yes, I recall that feature of DBpoweramp which sounds useful.

With WMP, the only tools available to determine quality are my ears. I trust them so that is where I have stayed despite thinking about giving more elaborate tools a try.

I do get solace in knowing that it takes WMP a lot longer to rip a CD in poor condition generally than one that appears pretty good. That tells me that when I configure it for best quality possible rather than speed it is actually trying to accomplish that.

I can't imagine that most here would not be quite satisfied with the resulting sound quality I have gotten consistently using WMP over the years, but who knows, maybe there are other tools that are really better and can make a difference. My digital sound quality is already at all time highs off my music server so hard for me to complain really.
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