I downloaded high-res files and...
My best player is my Audio Research Ref CD9.
The Reference CD9 incorporates four digital inputs: Asynchronous USB 2.0HS, AES/EBU, RCA, and Toslink. All inputs handle 24 bit / 192k resolution.
I recently downloaded a few albums in FLAC and WAV files that I would really like to play via the CD9.
But how?
Try 1. I purchased some 700MB TDK CDR, with a view to burning the tracks onto the discs to become standard cd's.
But, as you know, traditional cd players, esp this one, ONLY play Redbook cd's. And the files of these cd's are .CDDA. So I started to convert the files using an online service and it delivered me a .cdda file. All good, I guess.
Then I went to 'test it' by trying to play the single .cdda track I had back on my Mac. Nothing would play it. Nothing. Not VLC, Not Apple Music. Nutz. Test 1. Fail.
Probably, I need to convert whatever the CDR will hold, probably 18-20 tracks and then burn them onto the CDR, run over and insert into the cd9 in the living room, and push play...
Now I am thoroughly sick of thinking about what will it take to play these great tracks through the CD9.
As far as the digital inputs in the CD9, the only media player I have right now is a spare Apple Macbook Air that I could probably use. I have a nice USB cable... but the MBA is not an ideal and potentially noisy digital player. It is what it is... I also have an Apple 4K tv not in use, if that helps?
Does anyone have any thoughts about driving this pursuit to completion? Especially how this can become a longer term solution for all my digital files to play through this analog (and DAC) CD9 unit?
The options seem endless yet the experience is also start-less! Oh, I do have my LG tv optical connected to the CD9 to play Tidal, not too badly.
Quick fix is to use your Mac Book but your CD9 will operate on WAV or FLAC. I don't know if Apple can play WAV and FLAC, it uses AIFF and ALAC. Maybe you need a Windows emulator? Long term solution is to get a server/streamer something like an Aurender N200 or similar and use your CD9 as a DAC. Then you can play Hi-Rez WAV, FLAC and DSD via DOP. Review here may help: https://6moons.com/audioreviews/arc5/1.html |
It can be very frustrating because you have to make sure the type of files that you want to play are compatible with both your player and your DAC. One additional variable is the hand off between the DAC and the player if they are separates. The CDR experiment was doomed from the start for the reasons that you cited. Most people will play these files from a flash drive or some other hard drive. I also tried using a spare MBA from circa 2009 and it didn’t end well. Macs can be made to play FLAC but it’s a lot of work and you are better off using an Apple Format, another hassle, and the MBA just isn’t a high end player. It also tended to stop playing when an email would come in. A program like Audirvana Plus might solve all of these issues, but it needs a fair amount of computer processing power to work well, and my MBA used to get hung up a lot @lordmelton hit the nail on the head. Life will be easier if you get a streamer, one that can handle external storage such as a flash drive, and that can handle various resolutions. You could get one without a DAC if it has outputs that are compatible with your DAC. Something from the iFi lineup will probably fit the bill for a few hundred dollars. Obviously try to do a home audition or get a return policy that will allow for the possibility that the player and the DAC don’t play nice |
I have been looking to create digital files from my purchased cds and store away the originals. Since I do not have the time, nor the patience, to run around finding the “best” way of doing that on site, I have been lately looking into services that do that for you into flac or wav.. (probably would do wav and I have a NAS and hundreds of cds.) such as : https://www.russandrews.com/us/cd-ripping-service/ Has anyone had any experience with this type of business? |
I own a ARC CD9SE which I use as my DAC… the best sounding DAC I have heard by the way. The device you play them from (streamer) will have more to do about the sound than the format in most cases. You need a streamer. I recommend an Aurender. You can put them on the internal storage or play them from NAS, or attach a USB drive to it. I have experimented in my system and the same recording sounds exactly the same from a CD, from the streamer storage, NAS, or from Qobuz streaming service (this is a function of my top notch streamer). FLAC sounds better than WAV. The most important thing is the streamer. PCs do not make great streamers. Single purpose streamers sound the best… the higher level ones sound much better. My Aurender sounds as good as my high end vinyl side. My systems are shown under my USERID. |
As others have said a good streamer is your easiest/best solution, and if you don’t already have Qobuz I’d highly recommend getting it as for $13/month you’ll have access to tons of music — a lot of it in hi res — and likely never deal with downloading and conflicting formats ever again. Life’s too short. |
I’m not familiar with the Mac Book Air but I use this program on my MacBook Pro when playing DSD files via USB to my dac. I also use it to convert DSC to .WAV for storing files for playback. Not sure how to help you with FLAC as I don’t use it (unless over a streamer). It’s free to download and use- you can find it here.. |
Thanks to all for your suggestions. @ghdprentice I agree with your assessment of the Ref CD9. I guess my next steps are to explore servers. I have a perfectly good Pioneer N70ae in my other system, and wonder if I am missing the opportunity to connect a NAS or USB stick there and then take digital out (coax or optical). The GUI on these older players is not perfect, although ok. Seems odd though, to just use it as a reader. And its in the wrong room, and its already in use, and there is no room for it in the same media unit as the CD9. So not a practical solution. I read this article with interest: https://6moons.com/audioreview_articles/singxer-su2/
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@eagledriver_22 do you have a dap in mind? I sold my onkyo dap… yeah as long it has a digital output it’s worth the experiment 👍 |
I am using a Fiio X7 MKII and a Fiio M9. Actually, M11S, M11+, M15S or M17 are on the market. There are many DAP's of other brands which will do nicely as well (Astell&Kern, Shanling, iBasso), provided that they have digital out. If you will use the DAP mainly as a transport, you don't have to spend a fortune on the DAP (but you could can if you want to) A new product is the Fiio R7 desktop transmitter Depending on your eyesight, you may want to look for a DAP with a large display. In addition, you could stream Quobuz via DAP to your CD9 if the DAP allows downloading of the corresponding app. Second hand might be ok as well. If battery life should be below average, you could run the DAP using wall power or a powerbank. Hope this help.
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I play hires FLAC from my MAC on occasion. I play from VNC, but there's probably a better way. The DAC is connected via USB, but I've also used this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077D4GDPF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The above provides a TOSLINK output in the 3.5" connection - similar to how older MacBook Pro's did. You'll need to open Applications->Utilities->Audio MIDI Setup to set the bitrate/depth you want the interface to operate at. This is necessary for the device and the USB to DAC connection. If using USB, the DAC may appear by its name or may come up as "Speaker" or some other generic term. Short of a cable and a free download, you have everything you need, IMO. |
I must agree wiht the obvious, WAV files or some similar lossless format is the only route to go. And this is why I prefer to burn my music on DVDs. you can get a whole album on one disk and that is pretty much impossible for CDs as they just don't that the space for a whole album. I find that it is sad to see so few good DVD players on the market these days. |
I think in your case there are two things you need to address - first, where are you going to store your hi-res files and second, how are you going to access them for playback on two separate systems.
If you want to minimize purchasing new gear and are willing to experiment with some software on your MacBook Air, then my suggestion is to look into a free app called Kodi (https://kodi.tv/). Kodi can turn your MacBook Air into a media server using a protocol called UPnP (for more information see https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/blog/what-upnp). Store all your hi-res files on your Mac and let Kodi do the rest.
If I’m reading the N70ae manual right, Kodi will enable your Pioneer to browse the music library stored on your Mac and stream the file over the network (see pp.19-20 on enabling Windows media sharing which also uses UPnP).
You can connect the Mac to your Ref CD9SE via USB and control it through either the Kodi web interface or a UPnP app on a mobile device such as BubbleUPnP (Android) or mConnect (iOS). You can also stream from music services such as Qobuz or Tidal to either Kodi or your Pioneer from those apps as well since Kodi and the Pioneer also function as UPnP renderers.
I’ve used Kodi before to turn my Mac mini into a media server and it worked well. If you need any details, feel free to message me. |
No real experience with a CD ripping service. I actually hired my son to rip several hundred of my CDs into iTunes a while ago when he was between jobs. My recommendation would be to find a teenager or a retired person who wants to pick up a few bucks, sit them down with a 2 TB hard drive and an optical drive and a program such as dbPoweramp that can rip to FLAC or an Apple format, and off you go. I’ve ripped several hundred albums myself while listening to music and reading simultaneously. It’s a lot of fun because while doing it you rediscover a lot of discs that you haven’t listened to for years and play through |
I was going for this unit: M50 Topping, as a very simple link between my SSD and my old school ARC Ref CD9 player with awesome DAC sound via coaxial... when I came upon this discussion of cross talk that seems to tank this unit: link to quote: "I can also confirm the problem: playing a channel identification test (Stereophile Test CD 2) from an SD card with the M50, there is a considerable amount of crosstalk. To make sure, I detached my left speaker when the 'Left only' track was playing, and it was clearly audible in the right speaker. Please keep us posted on any reply from Topping. Does the M50 allow for firmware upgrade?" No upgrades noted anywhere... But if I am staying in the digital domain and transferring to a separate DAC, will crosstalk be an issue from the Topping? |
An update of this journey... 1. Reflected on my Oppo 205SE sitting there with 2 USB 3.0 at the rear and one at the front. Grabbed a USB Drive and my WD 2TB SSD. i) Well the USB Drive worked except one of the three folders is only .dsf files and it didn't play those. The others were flac files and wav files and no issues there. So then I took coaxial out to coax in on the Ref CD9 and I dropped the same cd in each, the CD9 then swapped it over to the Oppo and compared audio. Well the coax from the Oppo sounded harsher and more shrill, like it was somehow compressed compared with the cd playing in the CD9 itself. So I didn't get much of a glow out of that process. I haven't tried the files fed from the Oppo into the CD9 as yet. I got too distracted playing Hubert Sumlin Blues that was so well recorded via Tidal. Again the options are somewhat tiresome, everything has dual - do it all - functionality. My HT Marantz has HEOS/Tidal, my phone has MConnect Lite with Tidal that can be streamed UPNP much better the Airplay, and so on ad nauseam. ii) The SSD would not be recognised by the Oppo despite it was powering up ok. Still to try in this lot, files to CD9 via coax and streaming via phone to Oppo to CD9. 2. All of this activity testing just after making an online purchase of a used Topping M50 off eBay from a local sale. Cost $160AUD. At least it was cheap. Let's see if it adds any value over the Oppo. If not it can bounce back on sale again... Use cases are the situation here. Let's see what this Topping has to bring. Even for me, the idea these days of watching old movies on disc, is not continuously attractive to drive the investment. Despite having some 500 approx movies. I've seen them all and have no burning desire to see them again that often...given the convenience of Netflix etc. Yes the video and audio quality is so much better, but how often can you watch a movie? My 7 year old granddaughter is not attracted to many of the movies and everything she watches including Sing, Zootopia, and similar are on Netflix etc. Its like I haven't opened a vinyl or set up my TT in 18 months. On the other hand we recorded an amazing video together looking like two rockers to the Live at the Fillmore Santana track last week, she playing on her toy guitar throwing her long hair back and forth over her head and me bashing it out on a darbuka hand drum (like a djembe only middle eastern). That inspired me to unpack one of my two conga drums... Changing tastes and shifting convenience do battle in my audio spaces. More in this story as it unfolds after the Topping is installed...
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