[slow_down]

I just ordered my first real audio system (Odyssey Audio Khartago amp, Etesian preamp, Nightingale speakers) and need to come up with a source for it.  I'm new to high end audio, and especially computer audio, but know I want to play all my music off a computer.  Here's what I have:

-a new thinkpad with 100gb hard drive running windows vista - it has no digital out - just a headphone port that I doubt is very good.  wireless a/b/g

-a desktop I no longer use running xp with a 250gb hard drive - the mobo has integrated sound (realtec I think) with a digital minijack. also, wireless a/b/g

-an external 160gb USB hard drive.  not sure how useful this will be.

Ideally I'd like to run things off my thinkpad, but 100gb ain't enough space onboard.  250gb on my desktop is a better starter.  Could I steal the hard drive from the desktop and put together some sort of NAS solution to use with the thinkpad?  Also, what's my cheapest yet decent way to deliver it to my preamp?  I need to stress this is my first real audio system - everything else in the past has been low, low-end stuff.  Ican't afford right now to spend $300 on a SBIII and then another $600 on a "budget" DAC.  Could I possibly get by with something more like a used airport express and some sort of DAC (possibly used) for less than $200?  Or maybe just use a SBIII by itself with no external DAC?  Must admit, I half-suspect I'd probably be happy using an old dvd player with the $15 RCA cables lying in my closet

So what do you guys think?  Thanks in advance.

[chadh]

Do you need to have a wireless connection?

If not, you can just opt for a USB DAC.  That way, you run a USB cable from your computer (whichever one you use), and connect it straight to the USB DAC.  There are a bunch of them around.  I just bought one:  the Fubar II from Firestone Audio.  If I were more comfortable with DIY (and hadn't got such a good deal on a used Fubar II), I would have tried the USB Monica from DIYparadise.com.  You can buy the board for around $140 (plus shipping), and then need to put it in some sort of enclosure, provide some output jacks and a power supply (an off the shelf wall wart would do, or a SLA battery).  Then you download the Foobar software (free!) and you'd have a very nice source.

There are also inexpensive soundcards that can be used for good sound quality.  A place that might provide some good ideas in this direction is head-fi.  They have very active PC-audio board.

If you do need a wireless connection, then I'd recommend the SB3.  You don't need to use it with a DAC.  The analog output is just fine.  This gives you some flexibility if you wish to upgrade in the future.  You could subsequently invest in a new DAC, or alternatively get the analog output section of your SB3 modified for superior performance.  Or you could upgrade the power supply.  But as a first move, I don't think a stock SB3 (for $300, or less if you find one used) is a bad option (especially if you think you might be happy with your old DVD player).

Chad 

[EchiDna]

your answer really depends on your needs...

if you can live with the laptop being in your listening area, then I'd say forget the squeezbox completely.

so assuming you can live with your laptop sitting in the listening room, in my opinion your best bet would be to use the laptop with the older desktop hard drive in an external USB case and plugged into the laptop to store music ($30?)

buy a USB DAC (eg hagermann, empirical audio or a scott nixon kit if you are a DIYer) - between $100 and $500, depending on your choices. plug this into your laptop and away you go...


then buy another drive to backup your external drive when you can afford it - the amount of time you will spend ripping disks is something nobody wants to have to repeat due to a failed drive!!

[EchiDna]

chad and I were typing at the same time... anyway, we have given similar input... the world's ya oyster -

buy a USB dac and get listening!! 

[slow_down]

Thanks guys!

So just to be clear, you're saying I could buy an enclosure for the hdd currently sitting in my desktop, plug that into a usb port on my thinkpad, then plug a USB-DAC into another USB port on the thinkpad to deliver to the preamp?  Could I do this using itunes as my client?  Can itunes deal with music on external drives?  If not itunes, what other options are there?  WMP?

This certainly sounds like the cheapest solution, which is music to my ears.  I'll look into the USB-DAC's recommended.  I'm still thinking about wireless options, in which case the SB3 and my desktop will probably be the best bet, right?  Still need to do a lot of research about SB3 and what the most inexpensive mods are for it.  And how is the DAC inside the SB3?  Some of these questions are more properly asked (and probably already answered I suspect) in other threads, but thanks for reading and your help so far!

[EchiDna]

you can use ITunes to grab music off an external drive (which the software just sees as a Hard drive, it doesn't care if it is connected via USB or not)... but I'd recommend Foobar2000 as a player, more or less universally regarded as the best sounding music player software around - for ease of use there are many better options including ITunes and WMP, but for a non-mac user, i see little value in using ITunes unless you are buying music from them...

for wireless (no computer in the listening area), SB3 is more or less king of the current hill in the bang for buck stakes. the DAC is no great shakes, but that is something you could save up for...

there are a great list of mods for the SB3 (and SB2) in "the lab" and in the slim devices forums - start simple by changing the power supply and build up from there.

[slow_down]

Thanks for the advice.  After some research on this board and at the slimdevices forums, I've pretty much decided to go with the SB3, and will at least for the time being, stick with stock.  Maybe a few months from I'll start some babysteps toward upgrading/modding.