Audio Asylum Thread Printer

Get a view of an entire thread on one page

Computer Audio Asylum

If I Can do It, Anyone Can (long)

64.60.153.172

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Thread: Display Email Next ] [ Computer Audio Asylum ]

This is directed at anyone sitting on the fence about converting to a computer music server. Do it now! I'm just your average computer-at-work, iPod-at the-gym, non-techy type guy. My 11 year-old son can run rings around me in terms of computer knowlege. Nevertheless, I was up and running with my computer music server in less than 20 minutes. Foobar scares me as does the non-english tagging that goes along with it and the thought of wrangling with ASIO puts me into a cold sweat.
So, I bought a Mac Mini, a LaCie external drive and a Freeway USB/SPDIF interface. Nothing could be easier. The Mini immediately found the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, the internal Airport Express recognized the wireless router without me having to do anything, and the Freeway was up and running as soon as I downloaded the drivers (took about 1 minute). The system is Mac Mini > Empirical Audio Freeway > Audio Alchemy DTIv2 anti-jitter device > Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista DAC > Herron VTSPA pre > McIntosh MC275 amp (circa 1964) > Merlin TSM speakers.
I have been using my son's Plextor drive to rip to iTunes using Apple Lossless. With error correction enabled, the ripping speed is usually between 20x and 30x (the internal Mac drive ripping speed is between 10x and 20x), so CDs get ripped in just a couple of minutes, each. Simple as that.
The big news is that you can have your cake and eat it, too. The sound is fantastic. Beats the pants off my old Cal Delta transport. I attribute most of the improvement to going to hard drive and the Freeway interface. The system now has MUCH better low frequency control and articulation, more refined upper frequencies, heightened resolution across the spectrum resulting in a sense of greater *clarity* and ambience. That said, the biggest benefit to me is the phenomenal flexibility I now have to manipulate my digitally stored music without sacrificing sound quality. The wife also appreciates the lack of CD jewel box clutter.
Now if I only had an extra lifetime in which to transfer my 3,000+ LPs to Apple Lossless....

Follow Ups:

Why not a Squeezebox - davehg 20:42:39 02/04/06 (1)
I have a similar system as you (Merlin TSM and Tri-Vista). You can see my setup and details at the link below. I noticed Steve from Empirical Audio recommends using Foobar and a PC playing WAV as his first choice, then iTunes playing WAV as his second choice. Why did you choose Apple Lossless (presumably storage considerations)?
Sometime I'd love to hear a USB DAC; preferably Gordon Rankin's Wavelength products.
- Re: Why not a Squeezebox - OldMc 10:29:47 02/05/06 (0)
  I considered a Squeezebox but I wanted a bigger monitor (makes me feel like I have a LOT of music :)). I went lossless for storage. I accept the mathematical conclusion that it comes out bit perfect, but who really knows if the measurements reflect perceived reality. Anyway, it's good enough for me. USB DACs appeal to me because the system is simpler: fewer boxes, power supplies, chips etc. - complies with Occams Razor. Unfortunately, I'm too cheap to buy another DAC when I have a good one already. I'd go with Gordon's products if I was starting with a clean sheet.
Re: extra lifetime - BobP 19:45:55 02/03/06 (1)
OldMc,
I would wholeheartedly recommend HHB 830 professional CD recorder to you for transcribing your LPs to lossless.
For each LP you will need
real playback time
5 min for finalization
ripping time for freshly recorded CD-R
typing track info.
At 2 LPs a day (I guess it is realistic) you may transcribe 20% of your collection in a year.
Plus you will have a blast while listening.
Beats transcribing via PC hands down.

Just my $0.02
- Re: extra lifetime - OldMc 21:26:00 02/03/06 (0)
  Thanks for doing the math for me. But at 2 LPs a day, real time, I'd have very little time left to enjoy what I just got through putting on my computer. More realisticaly, at least for me, would be to get some kind of A to D computer card and upload only what I want to put on my Ipod.
  Does anybody know of a decent turntable that runs at high speed, say 78 rpm, and a program that converts the resulting chipmunk-like sounds into normal sounding digits? With something like that I could be convinced to start archiving.
Re: If I Can do It, Anyone Can (long) - audioengr 17:37:48 02/03/06 (2)
Does the DTIv2 really help??
- DTIv2 - OldMc 14:52:30 02/04/06 (0)
  Hard to say. Sounds better with the DTI (more focus, clarity and articulation) BUT, to get it out of the chain I had to use a $2.00 BNC-RCA adaptor, so the comparison was not clean. If I didn't have the DTI, I'd seriously consider your Super Clock upgrade. Jitter is the enemy!
- Re: If I Can do It, Anyone Can (long) - OldMc 18:13:39 02/03/06 (0)
  Can't tell. The DTI only accepts BNC and the DAC only accepts RCA. I'm going to get an adaptor and see. I'll post my impressions. Also, I don't think that the DTI will pass 24 bits, so I can't try software upsampling until I get the DTI out of the chain. Stay tuned.
I hear ya... - olddude55 17:20:00 02/03/06 (0)
I got a similar urge last summer. Why buy a clunky stand-along CD recorder for ripping LPs to CD when I could build a PC to do it better?
So I did, and it works like a champ. Learned enough about computers to build the box I'm posting this with, too.
_____________________________
Dulce bellum inexpertis

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Signature Sound [ Signature Sound Lounge ]

You can not post to an archived thread.