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Your Computer Based Transport Setup

I am on the verge of moving to a Mac or Windows based transport setup but I am not sure which route to go.

I am pretty good with computers so a custom pc setup is what I have decided because of:

1. economically better than packaged music server
2. ability to experiment and change settings and software

However, I do not see a lot of info or thoughts on peoples computer based transport setups, (or ones that or pretty recent considering how fast the computer landscape changes so fast)

I will be going through a Chordette QuteHD dac to a Bryston 4b SST amp.

So, what is a good looking and performing computer setup?
Do you like mac mini's, big macs, windows 7 or 8 and any pro's and cons?

I am leaning towards a mac mini with something like audirvana. The mini is a nice looking small format and the OS is pretty solid and it runs quiet and cool from my experience.

Thank you fellow computerphiles.
photonman
rlwainwright
1,904 posts
 
One thing I forgot to mention is that I am using a 4 year old Toshiba laptop (Satellite, A505-6980) which has an Intel Core 2 Duo processor running at 2.2 gHz. I am running Windows 7, the latest version.

It has 8GB of RAM and a 500 GB drive built in. The cost on that was about $700 when I bought it. Newer models from Toshiba are blazingly fast and cost about the same.

Setting up a PC-based playback system is really quite easy to do and the cost for the performance you get is really quite low. If you have not looked into PC-based playback, perhaps you owe it to yourself to look into it. I think you will be quite pleasantly surprised...

-RW-
pbnaudio's avatar
pbnaudio
1,610 posts
 
I bought a 21" iMac specifically for digital playback and nothing else . I run Audioniorvana Plus then via USB into my own DAC. User interface is easy with either iPhone or iPad via the remote software. I use iTunes for my library.

I'd state the this is better sounding than any transport system based I've ever owned, and I've had some pretty heavy ones, including the big Wadia, dCS and the big Esoteric stacks.

Good Listening

Peter
photonman OP
96 posts
 
Well I am up and running on my maiden voyage into the world of PC playback. I am doing a quick proof of concept test this weekend before I take a monetary plunge. So I borrowed a mini mac from work with OS 10.7, 2 GB ram with duo core processor.

Ripped about 7 cd's with XLD in AIFF format

Loaded Audirvana + and the QuteHD driver and voila!

I have not done any optimizations to the Mac OS.

I am remote controlling the headless mini via my Linux laptop VNC connection. So cool to control from my couch.

First impressions are "It works and it sounds like music" but I cannot tell whether it is better or not than my CDP setup.

PBnaudio,
What remote app do you use on your ipad?

thanks
ddd1
261 posts
 
I use the laptop I had on hand + Stellu U3 + Benchmark DAC-1 (as preamp direct to power amp using balanced). I took the battery out of the laptop.

JRiver for player. Memory playback.
pbnaudio's avatar
pbnaudio
1,610 posts
 
PM

Its called REMOTE and is available free from the app store

works like a charm

Good listening

Peter
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