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Has iTunes, etc. impacted your listening habits?

Long before there was MP3, or at least long before I knew about it, my only real choice for music was to pick a disc out of the collection, throw it into my player of choice at that moment, and press play. Want to hear something else? Take the old disc out, put in the new one, etc.

But since I've burned my entire collection (minus non-hybrid SACDs) into my computer, I find it's just so damned EASY to press play and hear it through the mediocre desktop system. No changing discs, file through every range of song, artist, genre, etc.

Now, I don't have those lovely audiophile listening sessions on the big rig quite as often. And when I do, I'm listening to those non-hybrid SACDs that aren't on the computer.

Solution? Upgrades, baby! Get that main system back to where it's just so thoroughly compelling that the little ol' Dell just won't cut it any more.

I suppose I could have invested in wireless solutions to beam those wireless tracks to the big rig, but somehow I'm not covinced that it's a fully matured tachnology/too expensive right now/limited capability/I can't totally give up the 5 1/4" discs/whatever the hell else I'm worried about.

Has anyone else had their listening habits impacted by the MP3/iTunes revolution?

--Brian
thedautch

Showing 3 responses by kublakhan

kublakhan
718 posts
 
I've never listened to as much music in my life as I do now with my computer system. it's changed everything. I can never go back.

What format did you rip the cds in? If you ripped in a lossless format you shouldn't have to decide between the 'big rig' and your computer. Use your computer as a cdp and get an external dac and you're set.

Right now I have a MacBook Pro with an external G-tech hard drive full of 700 cds connected to an Airport extreme for wireless connection. My computer has just one USB cable that goes to my Empirical Off Ramp Turbo (I2S) into my Empirical Audio modified Benchmark Dac-1 into a Cary 300SEI integrated to Sennheiser 60s and I'm in heaven. So simple. No cds all over the floor. I'm happy.
kublakhan
718 posts
 
schipo, i'm holding onto the cds in case of who know what...but as far as a computer crash, not worried about it. I have a spare hard drive back up. hard drives are cheap these days. i keep other stuff backed up on it as well
kublakhan
718 posts
 
Schipo, i agree with jax2. I used this setup with devore gibbon super 8
speakers and the sound was amazing. I don't think there's any difference in
sound quality between a hard drive system and an expensive cd transport.
Gordon Rankin of wavelength audio (who sells amps that cost tens of
thousands of dollars) has stated a properly set up computer system rivals
$10k cd transports. i'm not saying his word is the final say, but he's an
expert who has a reputation to worry about and he's a believer. It's the DAC
that becomes an issue once you set up your computer.

don't pay any attention to people who haven't heard both setups. it's a knee
jerk reaction to say a computer-as-transport sounds like crap.

...but frankly, even if the sound were a bit worse on a computer based
system, there's no way (even as an audiophile) i would ever go back to
spinning cds.

That said, i still haven't heard a digital system that beat an excellent vinyl rig
for true sonic bliss...although SACD rigs come very close. That's the only real
downfall to computer based systems...you can't rip sacd's...yet.
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