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In Reply to: RE: cMP - the open source high-end Memory Player posted by cics on December 30, 2007 at 05:42:01
I have been reading to cMP pages on the website. This looks very interesting. I may want to build one of these.
I do not see the type of digital output listed that this project is using. Is there more than one option for the digital output? Is the digital output coming from the phono plugs on the Juli@ soundcard?
Best Regards,
Tom
Follow Ups:
Hi Tom,
The cMP2 project is "suggesting" the use of the digital output of the ESI Juli@ soundcard.
this device outputs S/PDIF or Toslink in the digital domain.
however, the cMP2 computer can/could also output via USB or FireWire as you wish.
with the right soundcard you may also output AES/EBU.
-with a few soldering tricks some enthusiasts have even made an external link via I2S.....
cMP2 is a digital transport that allows numerous options.
the ability to support real ASIO (not kernel streaming like asio4all) is a core feature of the project, but not all interfaces/ DACs do offer this !
hope this clears your question.
kind regards
cMP2 Computer (XP minlogon) i3-540 Core cPlay039 >Allocator> Lynx Aurora 8 FireWire /192kHz throughout. 2x AcousticReality Ref. 202 & 2x AcousticReality Ref. 601īs ICEpower. Magnepan MG3.3R beechwood frames & custom stands. Miller chokes
Also I am wondering which currently available laptop 2.5" hard drive would be a good choice to use.It seems like 500GB 3.0GB/Second is the most common size currently available. They are available in either 5400 or 7200RPM. Is there a better choice among these for any reason. Any brand or model that would perform better in this application?
Here is the Newegg link with their currently available 500GB drives.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007605+600030594&IsNodeId=1&name=500GB&Page=2
Here is a link to their currently available 1TB drives.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007605%20600030600&IsNodeId=1&name=1TB
Thanks in advance,
Tom
Edits: 03/15/11
Just get a 5400 rpm drive from a reputable manufacturer. I have used seagate and samsung in my cmp2 rig with no issues, but I have never had a hard drive crash (I guess I will now :) )
The 5400 rpm is usually quieter draws less power than the faster drives and well cplay reads into memory before playing so speed is wasted in this app.
For .wav files a 500gb hdd would hold about 1,000 typical cds. 2,000 for a terrabyte so buy accordingly. You could get more if you went with flac. That is a can of worms in general but in this project stick with .wav.
Also on the advance portion of the build, there are was to mod the Juli@ for bnc and even I2s output:
No one here remembers the bending of our minds
Will I be able to use the player itself to "Rip" my cd's onto the internal hard drive?
Or is it better to do the rip using a separate computer?
If this is the case
Is it necessary to use special hardware and software on that computer to get the best possible sound?
Hey T,
YOu CAN set things up to be able to rip from your cmp2 box if you want.
The standard build using the granite psu for the drives probably wont allow for this, but you could use a 2nd granite or use another atx psu. Cics had a link on his site under advanced for doing such a thing but it seems to have disappeared.
For a long time I just used a 2nd computer using eac. The nice thing is that you can get the accurate rip feature on eac if you have a collection that lends itself to that. And then just use a 2gb or larger thumb drive to transfer to your cmp2 box. If you also rip to that 2nd computer you will have an automatic copy which is smart IMHO.
Now I just use my cmp2 box with an external usb drive for the ripping. This means I dont have to use an extra psu since the drive is externally powered. I got the idea from Vincent Sanders whose opinion I really trust on this stuff, and he said that for some reason the external drives produced better rips. I also like the idea of a nice computer environment while ripping that you get from a cmp2 box. You can embed the Freedb database so internet is not needed. The downside is that the Accurate rip feature is not available, but in my case most of my music isnt there anyhow so it doesnt matter.
The nice thing about the 2nd computer approach is that you can be ripping while you listen, and that can come in handy when an audio buddy brings a cd instead of ripped files.
On the 2nd computer just make sure that you have the software configured for the drive. Eac is what I use, but there are others like DBpoweramp which is probably the easiest to use.
No one here remembers the bending of our minds
Hi Dawnrazor,
Thanks for the reply! You are going to have to forgive my ignorance while I ask some questions to help me understand your response.
"For a long time I just used a 2nd computer using eac"
What is eac?
"The nice thing is that you can get the accurate rip feature on eac if you have a collection that lends itself to that."
What is the accurate rip feature? What would lend your collection to make the accurate rip feature beneficial or useful?
If I would choose to use this method can the hardware used in the 2nd computer be critical to the quality of the ripped copies?
"You can embed the Freedb database so internet is not needed."
Does this mean that Freedb is the ripping program and I can install it onto the external hard drive and it will somehow handle the transfer from my original to the hard drive and then to the CMP2 box?
Thanks for your help in understanding how this works!
Tom
Hi Tom,
Sorry for the jargon.
Eac is short for Exact Audio Copy which is a great free ripping program found at www.exactaudiocopy.de.
Accurate rip basically allows your rip to be weighed against an online database. IIRC this can speed up the ripping process while guaranteeing accurate results.
http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/en/index.php/overview/basic-technology/accurate-rip/
I dont know the criterion for being in the database but i am assuming that popularity has alot to do with it. None of what I like is popular and most is not in the database so for me it is not a big deal. Though if you have the kind of collection that IS in the database, then it is great and worth the effort for time savings and piece of mind.
In THEORY the computer hardware shouldnt have an impact on rips if the drive is set up right in the ripper program. In THEORY alot of things shouldnt affect the sound, but often they do. IMHO when ripping the software and what windows is most important after a correctly configured drive. So I try to rip with as many programs not running including antivirus.
Freedb is a free database that has the metadata for cds...you put in your disk and your ripping program like EAC looks at a database to figure out what the disk is. All I was saying is that if you follow the cmp2 recipe, networking will be disabled and to rip and get track names, you will need to put the Freedb database in the cmp2 box's hardrive.
In the 2 computer method you can use a thumb drive or an external usb drive to transfer files from the ripper to the cmp2 box. In that case, the internet will be enabled on the ripping computer and Freedb will be accessed through the internet.
Also here is a nice post to help you with setting up EAC for ripping
No one here remembers the bending of our minds
Dawnrazor,
Thanks for taking the time to answer my NOOB questions. I am sure I will come up with more as my build progresses.
Thanks for your reply. I am going to go ahead and order the parts and begin construction. This sounds like great project.
Best Regards,
Tom
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