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Recommendation for Computer/Digital

So I've been doing research into various solutions to my issue- most of my music is on my computer. I don't have a pretty low-end CD player right now and instead of spending money on a decent player I have been exploring computer based audio solutions- Squeezebox, Roku, new soundcards (M-Audio etc.). I have a laptop and its internal soundcard is all I have.

I've been getting caught up in the idea of a squeezebox right now, and with the cost of mods it's getting out of my range. I'm looking to spend up to $500 max. An M-Audio transport, which is the basis of the Red Wine Audio USB Select solution (a $500 solution) costs $99. I'm having a huge problem in figuring out how the variety of solutions compare and where the most bang for the buck lies. I've even been using my XBOX as my digital music player for awhile now.

My request- your views on the best way to get great sound in my price range from a computer with a crummy soundcard. Personal experiences are greatly appreciated. Is a stock Squeezebox a good thing? It seems that all the raving is from the modified end.

My system so far: I have a McIntosh MA500 Amp and B&W Nautilus 803D speakers (I think that's the right Nautilus model- I'm away from home for several months for work). Any suggestions to improve that would also be appreciated. I'll admit I bought without knowing too much- my wife's ears were the main reason we ended up with what we did, even though I'm more of the music lover.

Thanks for any responses.

Nick
uzelacn4bc2

Showing 4 responses by karavite

karavite
36 posts
 
Can I jump in here please?

I am also looking for a $500 ish solution to use a Mac iBook g4 as a music server (no fans on this puppy and I have a few extra 300 GB very quiet firewire drives as well), but I am confused about a few things. First, what about jitter? I read about it, but is it a problem I need to consider? From what I have read (or comprehended) only a USB DAC is "jitter free"? Alas, seems USB DACs are either $200 or $1000+ - nothing in the middle no? Should I be jittery about jitter (sorry, that was a bad pun) or at my $ point am I dreaming? Also, am I letting super discrete audiophiles scare me off? I have a decent system and it sounds very nice to me - HH Scott 222 integrated, Rotel 1070 CD player, Omega Super 3R speakers and decent interconnects, speaker cables and stands. Sure, this isn't the pinnacle of audio, but it sure sounds better than most (everyone notices right away) and the thing I do not want to have happen is for a music server solution to not sound as good as what I have now with the CD player. Advice and knowledge appreciated in advanced! Thanks.
karavite
36 posts
 
Thanks Ckorody - also for the advice to have fun! After I posted this I was reading all night about the SB3 and mods. I think that is the way to go for me.

Can I ask one more dumb question? What about Apple Lossless? Seems the rest of the world is all about FLAC, and I could get some software to rip all my CD's as FLAC (puts iTunes out of the picture, but...), but since both are "lossless" I am having to assume I won't be losing anything - except maybe hours of my life re ripping all of my CD's some day in the future.
karavite
36 posts
 
Hi Ckorody,

Yes, I just discovered the inability of .wav files to contain metadata. Good thing I found out before ripping all my CD's! :-) One thing confuses me - I do have a few CD's ripped into iTunes as wavs (I have iTunes set to import as wav) and yet, these CD's have information on them within iTunes (album, artist...). Is it that iTunes does some type of propiertary "meta tagging" when importing CD's as WAV (or any format), but that the same information would be lost when those same wav files are accessed by something like the SqueezeBox software?

I'm going to do it. When I get my modded SB3 all set up, I will try a "blindfold" AB between ALAC and wav just for kicks. Do you think any human could tell the difference? If ALAC is lossless, then I am not sure how that could be.
karavite
36 posts
 
Alas, I am in the midst of big bucks home rennovation with no $$$ end in sight and it seems like all the worthwhile USB DACS are 1k - 2k or more. Originally I though a modded SB would be the way to go, but there are a few things that keep me from making the plunge.

1. Modded, it will cost about 1k after all is said and done.
2. I have a spare iBook and firewire drives up the wazoo I can dedicate solely toward music serving, co-located with my audio system. I don't need or really want wireless. Honestly, I like the idea of a little white iBook on my rack - you can always close it.
3. I don't know if I would like the user interface of the SB. I am really really picky about such things (my profession and education is in UI development/usability - I am the hardest person to satsify on this type of thing).
4. I really really like the iTunes interface (have used it for years on my computers) and I have a wide range of Bluetooth options for controlling my Mac if and when I am too lazy to get up and walk 10 feet to the computer.

So, it seems to me I should either lie to the wife and get a USB DAC (look honey, it is small and only cost $250 - so evil of me to even think this!!!) or maybe just wait as new and better products come along. The latter seems to always be a good option. Then again, is there no sub $1k USB DAC worth a try? Any other direct from the computer options less than/equal to $1k worth a try?

Thanks in advance.
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