2. pc-audio
  3. 1196013673

Music Server vs. PC vs. Transport vs. ?

I don;t really want to add another rack in my living room. If I do, I may end up sleeping on one of the couches. Ideally, I would like to do the following:

1. Either use a pc or a server to store discs and have them accessable.
2. Have a way for the kids/wife to hook up their ipods
3. Have a way to get digital radio (xm, sirius or even computer streaming, doesn;t matter)
4. Do all of this WITHOUT degrading the sound quality ( i know, the ipod, by definition will do this)

My understanding of most high end DACs is that they do not have USB ports, but that is the ideal port to use to negate jitter. As I was researching this, I got the latest issue of the absolute sound, and they address some of this a bit. My feeling seems to be that one pays a HUGE premium for a server, that both their DACs and PCs DACs suck, and one has to get a USB to AES or other adapter, and still use an external DAC. It also seems that if one is willing to use a lossless system, that the universal opinion is that a hard drive rivals or beats any transports.

So my initial thought would be to get a pc with an ipod dock, run lossless, get an additional adapter say from Wavelength, and use the current dac. That adds at least two pieces, maybe three.

Help?????
Thanks,
Chris

Help??????

Thanks,
Chris
128x128mount_rose_music
ckorody
643 posts
 
1630 -

Dude, don't you think you are being a little harsh? There is no reason to be disrespectful.

Read - and understand my post. A USB card is NOT a generic sound card. It is a USB card. Nothing more or less. One can use it to run any kind of USB device - including DACs.

If you know enough to want the electrical isolation between the PC and the DAC that Toslink provides (because it is fiber) you can achieve the same thing at a lower price with the Opticis USB Fiber Optic cable.

I have been helping people do this for a long time. The point I always make is that there are a lot of different solutions.

Some involve roll your own solutions - because a lot of people who are geekish wouldn't have it any other way. Some prefer buying prebuilt servers as you did. Good choice you are obviously an analog guy.

Posting here is about making people aware of those choices. The best solution is the one that meets your needs. For some people it is budget, for some it is ultimate resolution, for some it is ease of use.

As for zipcord, had you taken one minute to look at my system you would see that we both use Cardas GR...
david_01
2 posts
 
I finally purchses the cambridge audio server. I have burned about 200 cds uncompressed and they sound great. I think they are coming down in price. This unit is fairly flexible. It can get internet radio-which has lousy sound-never use it. But it can be wireless-with purchase of wireless connector, and can hook up to your internet. I still have my cd player hooked up but the cd player that comes with it is better than the one I have. I would recommend the server and so far so good.
under1630
3 posts
 
Using the Card Deluxe is not about the outputs, it's about the quality of the sound card itself. It has received numerous accolades from the Audiophile media. These reviews can be easily found on Digital Audios website. That's why your post didn't make any sense to me. You said for $10 you could install a USB card and use the USB DAC of your choice. Sure, but then you're still using the Pc's generic sound card. I apologize for my quick and terse response, if you were offended, I was just pointing out the direction I have taken and provided company names of all the major components. If one wants to put down my venture, please research the components and the reviews they have received.
Once again, I'm sorry if I offended you. Peace and happy listening. (Nice preamp in your system)
ckorody
643 posts
 
Thnx for the kind words.

I would like to clear up one misconception. That is, if you use USB you do not need an internal soundcard. The whole point of both USB and Squeezebox (Ethernet/WiFi) approaches is that you remove the conversion of data to audio formats from the computer environment which is filled with all kinds of nasty stuff (drives, power supplies, video cards etc)

That is why most people after some experience opt to spend their money "outside" the box.
hdomke
40 posts
 
This is a great discussion, but it has left me with a few questions.
If anyone could help me out with these as I go about turning my Mac into a "Music Server" I would appreciate it.

1. What is the right DAC to get?
2. What is the right format to import files into iTunes for the best sound?
3. Is there other software out there besides iTunes that should be considered on the Mac?
4. Is the drive on the Mac optimal for importing music to the drive?
5. Does transmitting the music over a wireless Internet (Airport) degrade the music in any way?
6. Is Ethernet superior to Wireless for music transfer?
7. Are there any good websites to learn more about this?
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