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Re: help with components for music server...

SRC (=secret rabbit coder or something) is an optional upsampler in foobar that is supposed to be pretty good. Redbook CD format uses a 16/44.1 format--16 bits of information to encode the music, with samples taken 44,100 times per second.

You would have a much more accurate digital rendition of the analog signal if you had better resolution for encoding the music (e.g., 24 bits) and took samples more often (e.g., 192,000 times per second). There are a fair number of pieces of pro gear that run, in fact, at 24/192 or at 24/96.

But, upsampling doesn't get you all the way there, because you are working with the 16/44.1 copy of the original, not the original. Still, good algorithms for upsamplers can (to my humble ears) make a difference. I haven't used SRC in foobar, since I've got a standalone dCS Purcell. An upsampler is going to require a heftier processor, however, since you are doing a lot of real-time data manipulation.

A good DAC will help the sound. I run a number of systems using both soundcard (E-MU 1212m)->digital coax->DAC (Theta) and USB based audio (PC->USB->Waveterminal U24->digital coax->DAC (dCS). The sound is tremendous, and I'm a great believer in buying a good DAC. The goal of PC audio then becomes reducing the amount of jitter on the otherwise bit-perfect output of your computer.

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