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Computer Audio Asylum Music servers and other computer based digital audio technologies. |
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In Reply to: CD Sony Jukebox Replacement... posted by timothywas1@comcast.net on December 1, 2006 at 07:30:50:
A few years ago we moved into a new house. The SO wanted a CD changer. I looked hard at the market then, and realized that all of the hardware based solutions were a dead-end. Among the software developers, support was inconsistent model to model. None of the hardware manufacturers (principally Sony) were in any way committed. And solutions like eScient went against the grain - too expensive and why buy into a closed end system when the future was open.My recommendation is that you build a hard drived based system. I can guarantee you that you will be very pleased and that it will almost certainly outperform your changers.
On the software side, the easiest way to do it is to use iTunes and rip (digitize your CDs) to their proprietary Apple Lossless Compression format. This one piece of software allows you to manage the ripping (digitization) of your CDs to the hard drive, then select songs and albums by various criteria, and build playlists. You can use the same library for your iPod, and share it on your network. iTunes runs on both PCs and Macs. It is free. It offers a wireless option through Airport Express (hardware cost involved). It is also compatible with the Slim Devices Squeezebox.
There are a million variants from there - different ripping software (EAC), different compression schemes (FLAC), different library systems - all focused on the Wintel PC user.
The principal issue here is how you get the music data out of the PC/Mac and to the DAC. Sound cards are not the way to go. The goal is to get out of the very nasty electronic environment that is a PC before converting the data.
Basically there are three approaches:
1) A network device. Both the Slim Devices Squeezebox and Transporter are ethernet/802.11g devices. The Squeezebox can be cost effectively modded by Bolder Cable and may replace your DAC as well. Both offer SPDIF and analog out, the Transporter provides balanced outputs. Apple also makes Airport Express which gives you a way to get the data from your PC to a small device with a miniToslink you can run to your DAC.
It is a slight oversimplification but for all intents and purposes, the Olive is a network device which combines a CD, DAC and computer into a dedicated box using proprietary software that is controlled by a PC or PDA.
2) A USB device. The Waveterminal U24 takes USB from your PC and will then provide both a SPDIF and a Toslink output you can take to your DAC. There are a number of USB DACs including those by Hagerman and Scott Nixon. Moving up the food chain take a look at the OffRamp from Empirical Audio. Or consider replacing your DAC as well with a Wavelength Audio Brick. All of these choices come in under $2K. An Opticis fibre optic USB connection will enable you to go beyond the 15' limit of a standard USB cable.
The big decision between the approaches comes down to lifestyle. If you have your computer in the same room you will do your listening in, both solutions are equally workable. If you want to have your computer in another room, you need a way to control it from a distance. This is where the Squeezebox shines, as it does if you want to provide access to your music library from multiple locations in the house.
Regardless of how you decide to implement your system; I recommend you buy a pair of 400Gb drives for about $400 for both. One for the library, one for back-up. If you can, I recommend you use SATA not USB2 or Firewire because it is more robust and costs no more. For simplicity, rip everything to one drive.
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Follow Ups
- Re: CD Sony Jukebox Replacement... - xmasparty@mac.com 10:03:21 12/04/06 (1)
- Re: CD Sony Jukebox Replacement... - timothywas1@comcast.net 15:53:50 12/04/06 (0)
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