new interface/front-end for audiophile system


hi, for 6 years now i have been happily running this system for my music:

music storage: lacie hard disk containing my cd's downloaded using apple lossless
interface: dedicated 2nd hand ibook running itunes
primare pre-amp connected to ibook via a hag usb (thanks jim hag), from usb socket to preamp digital in
genelec active monitors
rel active subwoofer

the music has recently developed intermittent 1 second pauses averaging every minute or so, so something is wrong. it seems ok using my macbook pro as interface, so perhaps the ibook is the problem. maybe it's just a loose usb socket? might a usb hub using the other socket solve the problem?
this might be an opportunity to upgrade the system and perhaps replace the ibook with something better. can anyone suggest something that would leave the majority of my system as it is? thanks
garbo
Check to make sure the HD on your ibook is not almost full. Also, make sure that there are no extra programs/processes running that you don't usually have.
There are two parts to your question: troubleshooting your current setup and suggestions for something new.

About suggestions for new: directional la, you want to have a computer dedicated only to audio, so no unnecessary programs are running (and if you can make it headless, the better), and an a synch USB DAC. What in particular will be mostly driven by your budget and if you want to stay with Mac.
thanks for the replies. the problem is resolved but still want to consider a new system. (the music worked straight from the external hard disc; the pauses only happened once itunes was used. i have changed the hard disc and itunes now appears to work with it.)

for the new: i am not tied to mac and there is no fixed budget. of primary importance is good audio quality and good flexibility in playlist selection (e.g. to shuffle within a user defined genre). currently the dac is that within the primare p30 sound processor; i thought that was pretty good?