Home Computer Audio Asylum

Music servers and other computer based digital audio technologies.

Re: Ripped cd's to HD, now what????

Right now I just want to learn 'how' and 'what I need' to get the best sound from my PC to a SINGLE home stereo system.

Well, "best sound" is impossible to answer. There are as many opinions on this subject as there are people in this forum. But I'll list some alternatives.

1) High quality sound card->analog out->stereo
2) High quality sound card->RCA S/PDIF out->external DAC->stereo
3) High quality sound card->TosLink optical out->external DAC->stereo
4) High quality USB external sound card->analog out->stereo
5) High quality USB external sound card->RCA S/PDIF out->external DAC->stereo
6) High quality USB external sound card->TosLink optical out->external DAC->stereo
7) High quality Firewire external sound card->analog out->stereo
8) High quality Firewire external sound card->RCA S/PDIF out->external DAC->stereo
9) High quality Firewire external sound card->TosLink optical out->external DAC->stereo
10) Squeezebox->analog out->stereo
11) Squeezebox->RCA S/PDIF out->external DAC->stereo
12) Squeezebox->TosLink optical out->external DAC->stereo

That's a lot of alternatives, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if I missed a whole bunch too. This is why the question is difficult to answer.

As an aside, I got my Benchmark DAC1 from sweetwater.com. They cater to a lot of pro audio stuff. I get their catalog in the mail. Because pro audio is becoming more computer-oriented, there is a totally mind boggling array of computer sound devices available. It's as amazing as it is confusing.

I'm sure I will eventually want multi-room audio. Probably two to three rooms. What options if I want to go this route?

This question is easier to answer because there are fewer alternatives. The most commonly used solution is the Squeezebox. At its price point of $300, it's higher quality than cheaper solutions like the Roku, but not nearly as expensive as more elaborate solutions like Sonos. You can start out with a single system with just one Squeezebox. If you want higher sound quality, you can get an external DAC and hook it up to the S/PDIF or TosLink digital outputs. If you want multi-room, you just buy more Squeezeboxes. The SlimServer software can control each one individually, or it can sync them. This is the most scalable solution. I have not tried the Sonos or Roku, so I can't comment on them.


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