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My two cents: Get a dedicated digital player.. i.e Bryston BDPIf you use your laptop or even a mac mini, the software updates are endless and history here will show that these updates do impact playback. It's been a can of worms until i switched to a dedicated player. Some dedicated players have their own drawbacks, but they all tend to have rather good user interfaces. Some drawbacks require uPNP servers running on a computer, which as you noted is streaming, but the key thing is how much is buffered before playback. Others have their own touch of uniqueness that can make it difficult to backup if it's a weird filesystem or even an encrypted media format.
Bumping this to see if anyone has any thoughts for me... given the price of Mac Minis on ebay that I'm seeing, might be worth the investment.... n'est-ce pas?
I think Option 3, the mini, is the way to go. You can use toslink to your Decco. You'll have a system that will work and a platform for exploring the other things (USB DACs, hi rez, etc) when time and money allow.Also: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=131.0
On this - I'm not sure what prices you are seeing, but considering the resale value of minis, look at what you get with new ones and weigh it up. The cheapest current mini should last quite a while.
Thanks for your input, John. I agree that the Mini makes sense, considering all the options it opens up for the future. I had one, a PPC G4, back in the day that I used to record on, when I used to make music instead of obsessively listening to it. It was a great, rock-solid little machine, more reliable than the G4 tower I had before that. As far as prices go, I'm seeing 2011 models w/ 8 GB of RAM for $400-$500, 16 GB $450-$600. I don't think you're giving up much except for maybe Apple Care, and USB 3, which I'm not sure matters much for audio. Correct me if I'm wrong. The base current Mini with 8 GB installed would set me back about $675. The 2011 Mini is actually better for graphics (dedicated VRAM, as opposed to the 2012's integrated VRAM), but I probably won't be gaming, so whatever.One question for you, as I know you've been around the block on this (skimmed your beginner's tutorial): It won't be headless (I have an HDTV in place), but I'd like to also have to option to control the Mini using my laptop, that's now simply done in OS X, correct? Does it work smoothly?
As far as prices go, I'm seeing 2011 models w/ 8 GB of RAM for $400-$500, 16 GB $450-$600. I don't think you're giving up much except for maybe Apple Care, and USB 3, which I'm not sure matters much for audio.
Hey y'all.Currently my listening is as follows:60% is 320kbps Spotify streaming from my Mac Book Pro (2009 15") over wireless (either via OS X ML Airplay or Airfoil, when I want to add a touch of EQ) to an Apple TV (2nd gen), connected to Peachtree Audio Decco (16/44.1) via Toslink... (see my system for the rest of the gear). Also stream from iPad Mini and iPhone for casual listening.30% mostly 320 kbps AAC from iTunes, streamed the same way. Some AIFF, and some lower quality compressed stuff. No hi-rez (for the moment) as my current DAC can't do it10% CDs, Marantz SACD player via coax to Decco.My issues with the wireless streaming, while extremely convenient, are the following:- Not 100% reliable. This is the main problem. There are times when my network or my computer or something sort of gets 'tired' or finnicky during playback, and I get noise, dropouts, etc. When this happens at a moment when I really want to get into the music, it is quite a letdown. I usually fall back on CDs, but my collection is quite limited in an absolute sense, and ridiculously so when compared to the 20 million songs I have access to on Spotify.- Not convinced that I am getting the best possible sound quality.- I would like to at least be able to explore hi-rez audio. Ok, so here are some routes I have been considering. I'll go from least expensive to most:1. Stick with current setup, simply add a USB -> S/PDIF converter, and plug my laptop in when listening, select USB out, and send audio through the converter to the coaxial input on my 16/44.1 DAC. Pros: cheapest, potentially better sound, no dropouts (I imagine). Cons: have to have a pretty long cable run, maybe 15' total in order to be comfortable, maybe run it under the rug from couch to system.2. Add a good entry level USB DAC (*Note: My Decco's USB input does not work). Pros: potential for hi-rez exploration, could be bus powered and compact, better SQ (maybe). Cons: Again, long-ish cable run, potentially more expensive than option 1.3. Mac Mini (or equvalent) music server/ dedicated audio computer. Have the space for this, have a big ass HDTV already in place as monitor. This would give me more options as far as connectivity (HDMI, Thunderbolt (?), Toslink, USB 3). I would still have to deal with the converter or DAC question with this, but it seems the most future proof method, and I could have it stripped down software wise to iTunes, Spotify, and whatever other (better) player I might want to instal). Also, I could connect easily to my network via Ethernet very easily, as mt modem is right nearby. Pros: Most upgradeable, no awkward cabling issues, direct connection to DAC, Ethernet, potentially best sound quality. Cons: $$$.What do you think I should do? Any pros/cons I'm not seeing here? If you have a preference for an option, what equipment do you recommend? Winning recommendation will get their avatar stenciled on the wall of my listening room, mural sized. TIA.
To get started in computer audio I recommend the following: Find a vise that is large enough for your head to fit in. Insert your head between the cheeks of the vise and rotate the handle clockwise until you feel massive pressure on your head. Leave your head there for 1 hour and then release the pressure. Now you can play with computer audio with a reference!
Seriously though, I would recommend the following to keep it really simple with excellent sound with very large return on investment.
1. You don't need a Mac. A good laptop (preferably) with an Intel i3 or 5 chip running JRiver with the JPlay plug -in works extremely well IMO and IME. A solid state hard drive may help as well but is not quite as crucial. Add your choice of outboard memory WITH backup and away you go. This way you can totally avoid iTunes. You do know it sounds mediocre, right? Your idea of having the computer just for music is best as well.
2. Using any laptop DVD drive to burn the discs may waste huge amounts of time depending on what system you use to burn the discs and the DVD drive. I use a Plextor PX-880U and db poweramp to copy the discs. It's about 5 times faster with less errors.3. My current choice might be along the lines of J Kenney's devices for re-clocking (yes you need to) as well as one of his DAC's. Very cost effective units IMO and the battery power has definite benefits. YMMV. Not too expensive but that is relative.
Wat.Ooooh, ok, phew, for a second there, I thought this was going to be completely inane and worthless snark. Alright, makes sense, I'm all ears...Oh, I see. So an inexpensive i5 based computer should do the trick? Rats, all I have is my $550 i5 Mini capable of running any OS, as well as JRiver for Mac OS X, should I choose. In all seriousness, I will be trying out as many players as I can, and evaluating them based on performance, sound quality, and user-friendliness. I'm not really digging the latest version of iTunes, so I'd be fine with finding a good alternative, and if it sounds better, awesome. Ideally I'd also like to have a quality suite of system wide plug-ins for high quality EQ and the like, so I might be dipping into the DAW realm a bit, just to see what's out there these days.I chose the Mini because 1. I used a G4 Mini for years as the center of my little home recording studio, and it was a stable, capable machine. 2. I am fairly knowledgable and very comfortable with OS X, use it at work and at home, and have done so since the early 90's when I had a Mac in high school, and 3. I find nothing tempting about the prospect of dealing with drivers and whatnot, which is what you get with a Windows machine. I am interested in checking out JRiver. I understand it has a comparable organizational aspect to it that makes it competitive with iTunes in that sense? One thing I'm not liking about the current player I'm testing, Audirvana +, is that it offers 0 organizational benefits, and it seems to interfere with other system audio functions after it's been active. But I'm still learning it, so I'll reserve judgement. Interesting. I'm not familiar with any of that stuff. If you have links, that would be appreciated. I am currently a bt frustrated with my current disc ripping options, not great... J Kenney? Wha? who? Re-clocking what, the PCM stream?Yeah, my snark was meant to show that you need a sense of humor and patience when you mess about with this stuff. It seems the point was taken. As regards the choice of computer system and OS, it just seemed that you were starting from scratch so therefore the suggestion. Regarding the software for playing the music, if you are still learning the AudioNirvana system IMO it goes to my original point. It has already taken too long. JRiver has a very short learning curve and is very intuitive. Not too complex but not as flexible as some programs regarding the EQ flexibility but it does work well. Setting up playlists and importing music is very easy as well. Of course, if you need or desire the added features of some other program then of course it will take longer to learn. Re-clocking is referring to re-clocking the signal coming in (especially via USB) from the computer. See Empirical Audio's Circle here and other articles on the web. Empirical's Off Ramp and other re-clockers are available in several price ranges. The reduction in jitter and eliminating the need to use any of the dirty 5v power coming in via the USB cable will go a long way to improving your sound. A good resource for articles regarding all of your computer audio questions can be found at www.computeraudio.com. A new review of JRiver is there as well. There seems to be a pretty high level of competence over there. I include the responses and comments posted in that evaluation. There are always the iconoclasts, cranks, etc. at every site but in general it seems pretty agreeable. AudioAsylum can be a good resource as well. J Kenney's devices can be found here: https://sites.google.com/site/hifacemods/Lot's of stuff out there that is great at around the $500-1,500 price point. I do not know your limits so I will leave it to you but the value out there right now is pretty darn high. A previous post mentioned the Schiit product(s). I do not have direct experience with thier DAC but I can highly recommend thier headphone amps without reservation. I make my own but for the money their stuff is pretty outstanding IMO. You can check out Steve Nugent's Emipirical audio circle here and search for threads having to do with rippping discs and the quality of the rip. The program and the hardware matter. I believe that db Poweramp has a free trial available. Regards, Tony
