After ripping with EAC, what?

I think you want a good player, like foobar...

Definitely go with USB repeater cables for a run that length.

If you rip to WAV, then the tags are not going to be recognized.

I use EAC to rip to FLAC, which you can integrate with EAC to add tags. Check out this site for detailed instructions.

http://users.pandora.be/satcp/eac-qs-en.htm

Also this site will help with setting the compression options in EAC for FLAC.

http://www.teqnilogik.com/tutorials/eac.htm

I use a Squeezebox to connect my computer to my audio system. The computer is in a different room than my audio system. With Squeezebox you can hook it up wirelessly or with ethernet cable (even without a network if you use a crossover ethernet cable). The Squeezebox is controlled by a program called Slimserver, which reads the tags that you created in EAC/FLAC, and you can search by song, artist, album, date, genre, etc. and you can set up playlists.

You can get more info on Squeezebox and Slimserver here:

http://www.slimdevices.com/

Good luck. By the way, I am not affiliated with any of these products....just a happy user of them.

+1 on the Squeezebox... great solution.

As said, FLAC provides tags (wav doesn't), so FLAC imo is friendlier, not to mention the benefits of (lossless) compression.

You can use a combination of folder structure and tags to organize your music. I use a folder organization of artist\album\ .flac Folder organization can be set in EAC so that when you rip it names the files with whatever naming convention you like (can include artist, album, track#, etc etc) and create the folder structure and put the files in the correct place. This is done on the "Filename" tab of "EAC Options". I use:
%D\%C\%N - %T

Tags will be pulled from freedb while ripping if you set that up in EAC. As mentioned most of the players will use the tags to help sort and provide album/track info, so it's vital to get good tags. Inevitably you'll have some cleaning up to do - use either TagScanner or Tag&Rename (or one of the other good tag editors to your liking) to help make sure your tags are useful to you.

One of the nice advantages of the Squeezebox software (slimserver) is the ability to organize and search on tags - all the files' tags are stored in a SQL database.

Another advantage is that it seems that FLAC computer-based audio produces relatively high-quality audio compared to even high-end mechanical transports, according to what some of the folks here have been saying, perhaps due to reclocking/jitter-reducing inherent to computer/network technology used to play the files.

Good luck!

(lots more good info on hydrogenaudio.org)

This is very helpful. I have a lot of reading to do!

Is Squeezebox a DAC as well? I already have the DAC. Is there another cheaper option?

Thanks!

Squeezebox does have an internal DAC, but IMHO the best results can be had by using an external DAC. Squeezebox has both coax and optical digital out, so you can feed the digital signal to your own DAC. I'm using a Benchmark DAC1 right now with excellent results.

I think Apple Airport Express is a bit cheaper, but I have not used it and can't comment on it.

The main shortcoming of Airport Express is the lack of display and remote control. The usability of Squeezebox or Soundbridge is in a different league.

I think the concept with APX is that you are using it in conjunction with a laptop to provide the display/control. They are in different leagues; I use a number of SB3s in my house and find the remote control options limiting. Much prefer sitting on my couch with a portable version of iTunes...

Edesilva, have you tried using PocketPC remote control such as TelCanto for SB? I am curious if it is as good as it seems.

Haven't tried that route... In reality, I don't spend a lot of time listening in the places where I've got SB3s set up--the bedroom and the garage. In both cases, I'm content to hit a playlist and let 'em run. But, for the main rig, I've got a much more versatile setup--a headless small form factor PC talking to a viewsonic 10" touchscreen airpanel that interfaces with iTunes.

The other option versus the Viewsonic, is to use a Tablet PC which is what i use to control the web interface and build my playlist and surf.

Cytocycle, can you use a Tablet PC as a remote desktop under the windows RDP protocol? I find browser-based interfaces typically pretty bad--hence the Airpanel. But, I'd like to implement the same kind of touchscreen interfaces in other places and don't even know if they still make the Airpanel.

Yeah I use RDP (Remote Desktop Connection) to control my 4 other machines in the house... I can work on my work laptop while listening to music and it's just in a window. Slimserver only has a web interface and it's not bad. I got the table pc so I can also remote control my HTPC in the other room use Microsoft Media Center 2005. I considered the airpanel for cost and how light it is.. but ultimately I wanted to use a tablepc for more items, plus I wanted to control my HTPC and the airpanel would turn off the video on the projector, the same as using the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection on XP.

I am looking at using another remote control program for my HTPC like VNC or something (i used tinyvnc for a little while).

Keep in mind a Tablet PC is not a Touch Screen (can't use your fingers) you have to use the included stylus for everything (selecting writing etc..)

Get a small and light Tablet PC as even my 12.1" 4.2lb laptop gets heavy when you hold it up like a book. I am so glad I didn't get one of the 6.6lb 15.4" tablet PC's. Make sure it has a Centrio Chip so it runs as cool as possible otherwise it gets hot and the battery doesn't last long.

I read PDF books and Zino magazines vertically on it while listening to music.

Yeah, its too bad that PCs won't support a normal session and a RDP session at the same time; maybe Longhorn will be able to deal with that. My next project is rehabilitating a system I used to run on the Airpanel--the original impetus to buy it--which used Mario Casio's Cinemar software to control all my gear. I've got a USB/RS232 controller and a USB-UIRT IR controller that can be integrated with Cinemar's Mainlobby to control everything. I would have liked to have built up a good HTPC that would have done all that and been able to display HD material on the main video screen, but the inability to maintain the RDP session while displaying on the main screen precludes that. I'm now waiting for the next generation of the DIVX devices--something that can access network stores and play back DVD .ifo files with menus intact. If I can integrate that with the Mainlobby functionality, then I'm set. But, nothing yet seems to have everything I want--DVI/HDMI out, full menu support, programmable API, etc.

Never thought I'd have system integration as a hobby. Or that I'd spend so much time acting as a sysadmin for my home network. *sigh*

I originally installed my second HTPC with 2003 server for that very same reason to be able to support multiple RDP sessions.. but Slimserver for my Squeezebox wouldn't install the service..damn back to XP..

http://www.golod.com/2005/10/enabling-multiple-remote-desktop-sessions-in-windows-xp-professional-and-media-center-edition-2005/

Cool you caused me to find the hack to enable mulitple RDP sessions to XP!!

There are some DVD players that currently support playing Divx (my Momitsu does) and now some have network jacks and software to stream from your XP box... I was worried support for the OS would disappear, then again these players are only $200.

You aren't kiddinga about bringing the IT home... I have a Checkpoint Firewall, 2 gigabit switches, 3 network printers 5 machines, Multiple VM's for testing, everything has 3 gig of ram (highly recommended for you htpc and disabling the local pagefile for reduced noise.) I gave up on the IR repeater controller (aka Girder) and bought the logitech Media Center remote and an RF mouse pointer and I can control most everything automated..

I think we officially GEEKED out an agon thread!
Chris

Whups, I said DIVX when I meant TIVX--this concept seems cool:

http://us.gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/dvico-tvix-hd-m5000u-156770.php

Although I understand the execution isn't quite there. Maybe after the next firmware upgrade.

I'm right there with you--CATV modem, four network switches, five computers, airpanel, two NAS RAID file servers, two network printers, two squeezebox 3s, three audiotrons, one CD30, one ethernet RS232 server, one Wi-Fi access point. Never thought I'd ever have to troubleshoot IP address conflicts in my house!