Long time lurker who's got the bug again...

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garyk

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Long time lurker who's got the bug again...
« on: 20 Nov 2017, 12:08 am »
Hello all.   

After many years of being 'satisfied' with my rig, I recently had a relapse of audiophilia nervosa, much to the chagrin of my bank account.   I'm located in the audio wastelands of Western NY, with little in the way of dealers or even fellow audiophiles, from what I gather.   

I'm trying to assemble a computer-based front end and I'm now knee-deep in reading material, opinions and questions about what, for me, is an undiscovered country.

While I've lurked here for a long while, I'm planning to be more active in reaching out for advice, ideas and gear on the trading post.   I look forward to learning a lot.   Thanks.

FullRangeMan

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Re: Long time lurker who's got the bug again...
« Reply #1 on: 20 Nov 2017, 01:46 am »
Welcome abord Garyk :thumb:
Maybe this help:
http://www.empiricalaudio.com/computer-audio/

Phil A

Re: Long time lurker who's got the bug again...
« Reply #2 on: 20 Nov 2017, 01:47 am »
Welcome!

dB Cooper

Re: Long time lurker who's got the bug again...
« Reply #3 on: 20 Nov 2017, 03:03 am »
Skip the filigreed metalwork of the 'high end' server/streamer boxes, buy a $35 Raspberry Pi and spend (some of) the money you save on a DAC, where it counts in terms of SQ. Orders of magnitude less bank account trauma, no penalty in the SQ department.

Here are just a couple links for more info:

http://www.pimusicbox.com/index.html
http://www.raspyfi.com/

The available options range from serious DIY to 'turnkey' solutions with the OS and needed software preinstalled on an SD card.

And lest I forget, welcome to the sweet spot.

JLM

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Re: Long time lurker who's got the bug again...
« Reply #4 on: 20 Nov 2017, 10:55 am »
Welcome.

How itchy are you?  Do you listen to ripped files from a computer now?  Do you have a substantial high-resolution library?  What does the rest of your system consist of?  Are you computer savvy?

As a computer idiot I use iTunes on a general purpose laptop via a 10 ft USB cable (listen near-field) to listen to Redbook in a $2,500/5,000 system (depending on the speakers I'm enjoying at the time).  IMO at this level any extra fidelity of a dedicated computer would be lost on my old ears (and everyone in my small audio club who all rip Redbook).  I'm waiting for a consumer friendly, stable dedicated music server to come along that's at least on par with my MacBook.

JakeJ

Re: Long time lurker who's got the bug again...
« Reply #5 on: 20 Nov 2017, 01:03 pm »
Hello and welcome to AC, garyk!

ArthurDent

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Re: Long time lurker who's got the bug again...
« Reply #6 on: 20 Nov 2017, 04:25 pm »
Greetings & Welcome to AC garyk   :thumb:

garyk

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Re: Long time lurker who's got the bug again...
« Reply #7 on: 20 Nov 2017, 10:31 pm »
Thank you all for the warm welcome.

Right now, I'm listening to my secondary system as the "Big Rig" is broken down in various states of disassembly.   System two consists of the following:

    Elac 403 speakers (love the ribbon HF drivers)
    Job 225 amplifier
    EAR Acute III cd player/dac
    Audience cabling and Rpt2 power conditioning
   
I recently hooked up a Lenovo NUC computer to the Accute III via an Audiophilleo 1 USB/SPDIF converter to try out Tidal streaming.   I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality, but realize this is just a 'toe in the water' of what's possible with PC-based audio.   

I'm trying to learn more about ripping files to hard drive and/or NAS and looking for feedback on the best sounding software player(s) with mature user interfaces.   Thanks for those who provided links, I'm looking forward to reading this material.

dB Cooper

Re: Long time lurker who's got the bug again...
« Reply #8 on: 21 Nov 2017, 03:14 am »
Lots of knowledge here- but also check out Computer Audiophile, it's more focused on the 'discless' arena. Some of us hold 'dual citizenship'.