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In Reply to: RE: Problem is... posted by genungo on April 27, 2016 at 10:31:48
Too many people lump every variation into one big bucket and call it "computer audio". One does not need to 'stream' to have computer audio. One does not need to be connected to the internet to have computer audio. One does not have to download to have computer audio.
It does not have to be mysterious or fiddly as some here would have you believe. I like to say, it's not rocket science. But if you enjoy rocket science as some here do, then you'll see a lot of leading edge tweaks and experimentation that can be 'fiddly'. But computer audio doesn't have to be that way.
To lump all 'computer audio' into one big nasty bucket of poo is wrong!
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And how many people who are into "PC audio" never download or stream? Darn few, I'd bet.If all I wanted was a ripper and/or a means of compact storage, I'd rather buy a dedicated recorder/player like the Tascam DA-3000. No more expensive than a good *optimized* PC, the $1000 Tascam is "optimized" for the task (although Decware offers a modded version for around $1700) in a way that I find most appealing.
Edits: 04/27/16
OK, maybe TWICE!
Stream?
ALL THE TIME.
TIDAL, QOBUZ and ClassicsOnlineHD.
Have about 1000 CDs but have only ripped 6-8 so far. Too lazy. Dealing with downloaded artwork, etc. on a remotely controlled Mac Mini IS a pain but everything else is EASY.
I think you're a little confused. I never 'stream'. And I'm connected to the internet ONLY if I'm downloading a hi-res album, and then I disconnect. 90% of my content was ripped from CD myself, some from vinyl.
One of the huge benefits of computer audio is the ability to intuitively and rapidly navigate your entire music library and choose albums, artists or songs for instant playback.... either at the computer, or remotely with a tablet like an iPad. Sure there's some up front effort in ripping the CDs but you do it once then you're done. I ripped my favorites first and then the others.
Of course if your library consists of just a couple CDs or records that you play over and over, this may not be viewed as important. But for those of us with hundreds or thousands of albums it's fantastic.
Try that with a Tascam.
Instant access to my entire music library w/o the clutter of CDs or LPs. Local access at the computer, or remote
control with the iPad at my side. And excellent sonics to boot.
If I ever do use the Tascam, I doubt that I'll ever feel as if I have serious access issues. Heck, I don't feel as if I have any "serious access issues" when perusing the rackfuls of CDs and LPs presently employed in the here and now. In any event, a few small boxes full of small soundcards and a corresponding catalog of some type would not be my idea of a seriously inconvenienced lifestyle.Out of the thousands of LPs and hundreds of CDs that I own, I would probably convert no more than 1000 of the best and/or "faves" to upsampled soundcards for use with the Tascam. Each soundcard holds almost six hours of hi-rez conversions. More than enough music, and more than convenient enough for me.
I don't know how some of you guys do what you say you do, but I only have so much time to listen to music every day. I'm pretty sure that having even 1000 albums on soundcard would use up more listening time than is ever going to be available to me.
YMMV, of course...
Edits: 04/27/16 04/27/16 04/27/16
I have about ~75-1000 cds ripped but with Tidal I have 25 million+ CD quality albums with bios and links to similar artists etc. To be honest, I would choise to have Tidal with only 256mp3 vs 1000 Cds ripped. My musical tastes and experience have been greatly expanded by streaming services. I still have about 1000 records (50% jazz, 50 rock) for when I want the fully immersion of playing music and for when I want what I consider the ultimate musical experience.
"Heck, I don't feel as if I have any "serious access issues" when perusing the rackfuls of CDs and LPs presently employed in the here and now."Maybe others feel differently and hence the proliferation of "computer audio". Having everything available at your fingertips for instant access w/o even getting out of one's listening chair to swap a disc or LP is pretty sweet. Browsing album art, track titles, lyrics, and even artist bios right in front of you on an iPad/tablet screen by your side in the listening chair is also very convenient. All of that with sonic performance on par with CDs or better makes for a pretty compelling story. In my specific case, I wouldn't have room for all my CDs and LPs in my office listening room, but they all fit on my "computer audio" system.
If spinning CDs is still your thing, nothing wrong with that but others have moved on.
"In any event, a few small boxes full of small soundcards and a corresponding catalog of some type would not be my idea of a seriously inconvenienced lifestyle. "
I believe you're talking about storing your tunes on SD or CF memory cards. Dave_K already explained many of the disadvantages of going down that path. One that he didn't mention is that SD/CF cards were never meant for reliable long term data storage. They were meant as temporary storage to be used as a transfer medium. SD/CF memory cards are LESS reliable than disk drives or solid-state disks.
Of course you can make duplicate backups of your box full of SD/CF cards and keep them all in another box. But why go through the risk and bother when a single disk (in a computer or elsewhere) will house your ENTIRE music library? Of course you would still make a backup or two but that's nothing compared to making a handful of backups of your handful of not-so-reliable primary SD/CF soundcards. Not a path worth pursuing IMHO.
"I don't know how some of you guys do what you say you do, but I only have so much time to listen to music every day."
We have MORE TIME to listen to music because we're not spending a good chunk of it looking for that album or tune in the CD/LP rack, or in a box full of soundcards. ;-)
Edits: 04/27/16 04/27/16
Yeah well, now you've figured out know why I said "IF' I go down the Tascam route. I really don't mind spinning discs and I actually kinda like physical media.As to the durability of memory cards, I'm told that top quality compact flash (CF) memory cards should last a long time, perhaps longer than I'd care to worry about.
As long as I have the physical space to store most of my records and CDs in house, it's highly possible that I'll never bother with the hassles of ripping things down for the sake of miniaturization and a few extra iotas of resolution.
I do find the idea of being able to convert some of my own standard rez recordings into higher rez ones via a contraption such as the Tascam to be an intriguing idea. To me, it beats having to buy similar hi-rez conversions from someone else.
But do I really NEED another toy in my sandbox? I don't know, I really don't know...
I also have to face the fact that not only am I sort of cheap, I'm also sort of lazy. I would like nothing better than to get on with life with a minimum of fuss and bother, and realizing this splendid ideal might require the changing of little... or even nothing at all.
Edits: 04/28/16
The primary use case for those Tascam recorders is ripping vinyl and tape to digital. It makes no sense to use it to rip CDs.
You would be ripping at real-time speed, so it would take forever.
You would have to manually deal with splitting tracks.
You would have to manually enter all metadata.
You would not benefit from secure ripping.
Transferring the rips off the device via SD/CF cards is inconvenient.
Yes - I would probably use the Tascam mostly for ripping vinyl. Less so for CDs.
Even so, I can fit almost 6 hours of double-DSD up-sampled music on a single soundcard if I want to, enabling better sound and a much more compact storage system.
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