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New to HiFi, need digital advice.

I am not an audiophile but I recently acquired a really nice high end system for free. (AR LS16 preamp, Madrigal Proceed HPA2 amp, Arcam CD92 CD player, Aerial Acoustics 7B tower speakers.  I have been learning as much as I can over the last week since I got it.

Now I'm trying to figure out how to put together a decent but not necessarily high end digital input system for as little money as possible.

So here is my plan. I know it is not high end and probably not commensurate with my system but hopefully will meet my needs:

Old iMac using iTunes to manage flac or alac files plugged into Schiit Modi 2 via USB cable and then into preamp via USB cable. I can us Apple's remote app on my iPhone to select/play music remotely (Works great).

Does this sound reasonable? If so it will only cost me about $100 for the Schiit DAC and $25 for a decent set of RCA cables (already purchased) and whatever I might need to spend on the USB cable. Anything I should know about the USB cable for this?

Thanks for the advice and apologies for my ignorance in all of this.

George
n80

Showing 3 responses by mahler123

mahler123
3,479 posts
 
I recently set up a NAS—network associated server-and am currently burning CDs to it.  I added dbpoweramp to burn the CDs. I compared one CD that I had ripped in iTunes to the same ripped with dbpoweramp and it wasn’t a subtle difference.  The dbpoweramp rip was so much more alive with presence and impact.
It was like everything else in Audio—the iTunes sounded fine until you discover what you are missing.  Dbpoweramp is also better at finding metadata.
  I use Audirvana Plus for playback.  The 2 programs together cost about $150 and IMO justify the expense, but you sound as though the budget might be tight, and you would definitely need a new computer.  You may just want to stick with iTunes and get an accessory hard drive for now, and if you can, save the CDs and re rip them later when you can afford to upgrade, or after spending some time investigating what works for you.
  Alternatives to consider are streaming services, such as Tidal, or dispensing with the Computer and dealing with an audio component customized for digital playback and/or ripping
mahler123
3,479 posts
 
@n80 know I’m being pedantic, but technically CDs are “digital”.  A CD player is actually a very specialized computer, optimized to extract digital information from spinning disc, and then convert those 0s and 1s into analog sound, and feed that analog signal into a preamp.  Some have additional functionality, in that their DACs can be accessed by other digital sources, or can send their own digital feed into another DAC, but it’s all digital, regardless.
   CDs may be “old school “ but that doesn’t make them inferior.  In fact, after trying the Mac&DAC route, or using a dedicated music server such as Bluesound, I am realizing that most digital replay is at best, equal to be the best CD players, and frequently not up to that standard.
  If you are happy with your current CD setup, it may not be wise to go down the road that you have embarked upon.  After all, there has never been a better time to collect CDs, as the major labels are dumping their back catalogs at bargain basement prices, and frequently in newly remastered versions to boot
mahler123
3,479 posts
 
@n80  Bluesound Node has analog and digital outs.  If you prefer to use the included DAC, then connect the analog outputs to your pre amp.  If you wish to use another DAC, then connect the digital outputs of the Node2 to the digital inputs of the DAC.
  Some preamps now come with a DAC included, which makes these generic explanations less clear...
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