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Music Server vs mid to high end CD players


PYRO

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Well I went out this weekend and did a A/B comparision of the Reda Apollo and the Cambridge Azur 840. I decided that the 840 was a better choice. They both sounded outstanding but I am not sure I have the right rack to support a top loading player such as the apollo.

Now the big question. Music Servers? What are your impressions of digital music? Squeezebox or others? Digital formats, FLAC Apple Lossless etc.? Sound quality?

Just wondering if a Music Server with a squeezebox and a good DAC would be better served these days.

Read a couple threads here on Klipsch and some other sites as well.

THXS

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The first time I heard a squeezebox music server was about a month ago side by side with an Eastern Electric tube cdp. Well, I own a Jolida tube cdp and when considering the options of what to buy, the Eastern Electric was well liked by it's owners and critics.

I was very impressed with the sound quality of the squeezebox.........in fact, we all agreed that it sounded better than the Eastern Electric!!

.........My two cents. [:D]

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Interesting you should bring this up. I am in the process of designing a new server targeted at the vinyl loving, computer hating audiophile. The goal is a silent box running Linux from flash memory with an LCD screen on the front to allow selecting playlists and providing similar information as a CD player. Remote controllable, hopefully. The first version should be good to 4 channels of 24/96. If I can make this work I'll try to go for surround up to 24/192. Of course, I am only going to record to 24/176.4 for compatibility purposes, but what the heck.

A monitor, keyboard, and mouse would be needed for ripping and similar tasks, but not for general use. As I am targeting a pico ITX motherboard the whole thing should fit in one hand nicely.

Big job, but this may be the time. I don't expect to make any money off this, but it will be another fun venture. I really got to find an adequate appliance to deliver the recordings I WANT to make. It does not exist, so...

Dave

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Interesting you should bring this up. I am in the process of designing a new server targeted at the vinyl loving, computer hating audiophile. The goal is a silent box running Linux from flash memory with an LCD screen on the front to allow selecting playlists and providing similar information as a CD player. Remote controllable, hopefully. The first version should be good to 4 channels of 24/96. If I can make this work I'll try to go for surround up to 24/192. Of course, I am only going to record to 24/176.4 for compatibility purposes, but what the heck.

A monitor, keyboard, and mouse would be needed for ripping and similar tasks, but not for general use. As I am targeting a pico ITX motherboard the whole thing should fit in one hand nicely.

Big job, but this may be the time. I don't expect to make any money off this, but it will be another fun venture. I really got to find an adequate appliance to deliver the recordings I WANT to make. It does not exist, so...

Dave

Interesting Mallette.

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Looking at your original post, you mentioned "What is your impression of digital music?" In my opinion, few audiophiles have really heard digital music to any significant degree. Most are exposed only to commercial CDs or the occasional SACD or DVD-A. High resolution digital is a different ballgame.

I would just like more audiophiles to experience and I am tired of waiting on the univeral player.

Dave

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A monitor, keyboard, and mouse would be needed for ripping and similar tasks, but not for general use. As I am targeting a pico ITX motherboard the whole thing should fit in one hand nicely.

I am sure I'm only missing it, but where is the high-buck turntable, ditto tonearm, ditto LOMC, 60-db RIAA phono stage pre-preamp, a 4- to 26-db line stage amplifier, AND the link that then puts it into the desired digital form and the super digital/computer file?? IOW, I don't see how you get from the listening experience that we vinyl lovers love to preserve and hear to the server and golden digital playback you know is possible. Just askin' ....

Larry

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Larry, take a look in your listening room. I am sure you will find those items.

Ya know, you're absolutely right! But my computer isn't even on the same floor, let alone close enough to install some link between it and my totally analog system. In other words, my imagination has a big black hole between those items and whatever it is your working up, as I don't have the faintest concept of what kind of thing(s) I would need. Are we talking "server" (whatever that is) instead of a computer, by chance?

I've tried posting this question before, and for me the communications add up to ships passing in the night. I do have a DAC, FWIW, though I think it's limited to redbook CD playback.

Larry

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The machine I am working on will have the ability to record. I am designing it to handle ripping CD's, downloading high res files like I make and are available from a few sources like Linn, as well as to record from analog sources. A CD happy individual will be able to use it just to rip and serve up CD's, as well as for high res digital. The vinyl lover who is willing to follow a screen picture by screen picture tutorial will be able to record vinyl to high res digital. As I mentioned, some of these operations will require a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. But for playback none of the above will be necessary. It is my assumption that those wishing to preserve and have easy access to precious analog sources will be will to bring these items to the listening room to transfer. Maybe we can eliminate them from the MBS-7...but not right now. I am simply pleased that it appears possible to do this with an all solid state unit, no moving parts other than a 2.5" HDD for media storage (the OS will reside on compact flash), and no Windoze!!!!!!

This is not something I expect to have working next month. It is just barely possible and I am not a super nerd. Just an audio freak with a streak of geek. I also don't have a lot of spare coin to throw at it. However, I may have a basic prototype in two or three months.

If I can make the basic unit perform, I'll look into the possibility of super audiphile levels using Card Deluxe or similar extreme quality DACs.

I'll keep you informed. Right now it's just vaporware on a spreadsheet and in my brain...but I am working on it.

Dave

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By the way, while responding this evening I was listening to Pink Floyd from vinyl at 24/88.2 made with the MBS-5, vintage 2003 technology. Still works pretty well, I must say. Sure beats having to clean the record, risk damage, and then put more wear on it. Plus, I am getting it all over the house from the central server. Life is good in century 21.

Dave

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Pyro,

Those were the two exact players I had in mind when I was shoppong around last year. I went, I listened & I liked but then I started looking into other possibilities. I really liked the idea of something a little more interactive and "fun" so I went with a Mac-Mini, a usb dac & storage. I have to say that it has been a very tedious job in ripping my 5-6,000 cd's but the closer I get the more I like the choice I made. I'll probably get a more high-end dac in the future but I swear this little Fubar II sounds to my ears just as good as the players I auditioned. It's great to be able to use tags to search for music/songs that meet a certain criteria. It's great to look at artwork using Front Row that's as big as LP artwork.I like it when friends come over, grab the remote control and ask about the music and the system. I just like it all.

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It's great to look at artwork using Front Row that's as big as LP artwork.I like it when friends come over, grab the remote control and ask about the music and the system. I just like it all.

Sounds interesting.
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Interesting - very interesting.

Just as an aside the wife and I are building up to buying a couple of new laptops as ours are getting a bit long in the tooth.

I have narrowed it down to either a Toshiba or a Sony - both of which appear capable and offer what we are looking for.

Both also mention supporting "Hi Res" audio - but as yet I cannot find out what that means. I am hoping they will support 96/24 or better on the mother board - although if not I always have my USB Soundblaster Audigy 2 to fall back on - if I can find it.

If anyone happens to know such things the models in question are:

Sony VGN F231 and the Toshiba Sat P200D-120 we may well get one of each.

Anyway - I would really like to avoid having to connect the PC's directly to the system for PLAYBACK as I think it would be a PITA - refcording is another story of course - but there I wonder how important the silent aspect would be?

I have been told there is a device called a Slingbox that will do what I want - although again I do not know if it supports hires audio.

Oh - one other thing - the inputs on these 2 PCs appear to be limited to a Mike in. Is that the equivalent of a Line in - I notice the soundblaster has both.

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Max:
Here is a brief overview of the latest Intel chipset. This is what you want on a laptop:

When AC‘97 was initially developed, users were typically listening to only music and movies with stereo sound. With the success of DVD movies encoded with Dolby* Digital and DTS* multi-channel audio formats, users have become accustomed to listening in full surround sound with anywhere from six to eight speakers. While AC‘97 technology has struggled to keep pace with all these advancements, Intel High Definition Audio is designed specifically for the high-quality multi-channel audio experiences. Newer audio and video encoding/decoding algorithms also enable a higher-quality listening experience.

Intel HD Audio delivers significant improvements over previous generation integrated audio and sound cards. Intel HD Audio hardware is capable of delivering the support and sound quality for up to eight channels at 192 kHz/32-bit quality, while the AC‘97 specification can only support six channels at 48 kHz/20-bit. In addition, Intel HD Audio is architected to prevent the occasional glitches or pops that other audio solutions can have by providing dedicated system bandwidth for critical audio functions.

For a desktop, their are a number of options without dropping big bucks that will provide sound quality as good as a the average audiophile CD player and better since they will also play and record high res digital. Among these are the high end SoundBlaster cards (xtreme music, etc), M-Audio, Asus Zonar.

Then, of course, there are the top of the line Card Deluxe (for near perfect 2 channel up to 24/96) and ESI Pro (for almost as good up to 8 channel at 24/192).

I have not heard the Intel HD chip set, but based on the quite decent performance of the AC 97 chipset I am planning on using a Via board with it in the first iteration of my MBS-6 project.

Hope this helps in your deliberations.

Regards,

Dave

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Pyro,

Those were the two exact players I had in mind when I was shoppong around last year. I went, I listened & I liked but then I started looking into other possibilities. I really liked the idea of something a little more interactive and "fun" so I went with a Mac-Mini, a usb dac & storage. I have to say that it has been a very tedious job in ripping my 5-6,000 cd's but the closer I get the more I like the choice I made. I'll probably get a more high-end dac in the future but I swear this little Fubar II sounds to my ears just as good as the players I auditioned. It's great to be able to use tags to search for music/songs that meet a certain criteria. It's great to look at artwork using Front Row that's as big as LP artwork.I like it when friends come over, grab the remote control and ask about the music and the system. I just like it all.

I read in one of the audiophile magazines that HP will be coming out with something similar to a squeezebox.

I am not in a rush to get this finished. Just hoping that I can find the right system.

I need to read up on the mini-mac.

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Here are a few videos I posted here months ago that kinda shows how this works. It's an overall view of my system with Pt. 2 focusing a little more on the Mac. Nothing special. I just did these one day when I was sick at home. BTW the only thing I would buy that has an HP emblem on it is a printer.

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Here are a few videos I posted here months ago that kinda shows how this works. It's an overall view of my system with Pt. 2 focusing a little more on the Mac. Nothing special. I just did these one day when I was sick at home. BTW the only thing I would buy that has an HP emblem on it is a printer.

Sounds like you need to get busy ripping your CD's.

I aleady use and like itunes but I have heard that FLAC or WAV are better then Apple Lossless.

As for HP, I would have agreed with you about their printers being top notch and only their printers but I have a couple friends who have media pc's that have changed my mind. BTW I build my own computers, been building them since 1989.

I was think of building a system like this:

Music/Document Server in my office. (located on the 1st level)

Send music to receiving device such as the squezebox via wired ethernet. (located on the 2nd level)

Squezebox to DAC via toslink.

DAC to my McIntosh C2200.

As for the particulars of each component that will come in time. I want to keep my listening room as quite as possible. I don't want any fan noise what so ever. How loud is the mac-mini?

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