Studioray - you do in fact 'get it'. Good job listening - it really is a headcracker since it flies in the face of everything that we know as "audiophools".
Once you get the data out of the PC, getting great sound is all about everything you know and are used to. Power supplies, cables, speaker selection and placement, component synergy, tweaks. ie All the stuff that makes this such a rewarding obsession.
The miracle here is that you can use inexpensive PC gear to replace a very expensive transport. The reason that a truly premium transport is so expensive is of course that it is an incredibly complex electro mechanical optical device. In direct contrast PC gear is inexpensive because it is much simpler, and because it is mass produced to a single global standard. Stuff made by robots in the millions is a lot more cost effective then stuff made by hand.
This concept can be extended. The stock Squeezebox has a decent DAC and analog out. The big mod everyone goes for is $20 for a better wall wart. The thing to note here is that this is an effective demonstration of what is possible when you work with chips and silicon. You can get a lot of functionality for a very good price. An iPod is another example, as is the Nano. 14 million sold in Q4 2005 is going to change the game quick.
The other big piece of this is the joy of having instant access to your entire music library. It's really fun, really easy and very convenient. Most people, myself included, end up listening to a lot more music then the ten CDs that happen to be piled up by the player.
Beyond the very helpful folks in this forum, you will find a lot of good info in the PC Audio Forum on www.audioasylum.com
Once you get the data out of the PC, getting great sound is all about everything you know and are used to. Power supplies, cables, speaker selection and placement, component synergy, tweaks. ie All the stuff that makes this such a rewarding obsession.
The miracle here is that you can use inexpensive PC gear to replace a very expensive transport. The reason that a truly premium transport is so expensive is of course that it is an incredibly complex electro mechanical optical device. In direct contrast PC gear is inexpensive because it is much simpler, and because it is mass produced to a single global standard. Stuff made by robots in the millions is a lot more cost effective then stuff made by hand.
This concept can be extended. The stock Squeezebox has a decent DAC and analog out. The big mod everyone goes for is $20 for a better wall wart. The thing to note here is that this is an effective demonstration of what is possible when you work with chips and silicon. You can get a lot of functionality for a very good price. An iPod is another example, as is the Nano. 14 million sold in Q4 2005 is going to change the game quick.
The other big piece of this is the joy of having instant access to your entire music library. It's really fun, really easy and very convenient. Most people, myself included, end up listening to a lot more music then the ten CDs that happen to be piled up by the player.
Beyond the very helpful folks in this forum, you will find a lot of good info in the PC Audio Forum on www.audioasylum.com