Lenrick

I understand, yes I mean the optical out from the Airport Express into the TOSLINK optical input on my DAC. I realize that there needs to be a computer somewhere running iTunes. The reason I posted this thread was that I was hoping the communication between the computer running iTunes and the iTunes library (play, pause, volume up/down etc) could be done wireless. And after kicking play on a song, the music file could go its own way (not via computer running iTunes) to the DAC. But it now seems very reasonable the Airport Express "cannot read/play music files direct from a hard disk, it needs to have its music streamed to it by a separate computer". Makes sense. I now imagine the music information going from the NAS, wireless to the computer running iTunes, wireless to the Express, and finally optical out from the Airport Express into the TOSLINK optical on the NAD DAC/amp. Yes that is right. But as far as I know there is no graphical interface and no possibility to use a tablet or smartphone to browse the music.

Hi thanks for quick replies I now see that I was very unclear in my original post. My current setup: I live in a two story house where our only possible Internet connection is awkwardly placed on the top floor. I use a Apple Time Capsule as a router "creating a wireless network" to get Internet assess in the whole house. I also have two (last generation) Airport Express which I only use as Airplay receivers by "connect to an existing wireless network". One Airport Express is for the main speaker system in the living room on the bottom floor, and it is when streaming to this devise I get the dropouts. The iTunes library is on a external hard drive connected via USB to the Time Capsule. I imagine the music information going from the hard drive, to the Time Capsule, then wireless to the Express, and finally from the Express optically (Toslink?) into the NAD C390DD Direct Digital Powered DAC Amplifier. I know that the AEX USB on Airport Express is only for printers. But I have noticed that the new model have both a Ethernet WAN and a LAN port. The old model Airport Express only had a WAN port. Apple write: "AirPort Express includes a 10/100BASE‑T Ethernet LAN port for fast wired connectivity with a...network drive...if you need more than one port, just connect an Ethernet hub." I imagine this "network drive" they write about as a hard drive where I can place the iTunes library. But I dont know for sure. So my first question is. Can I buy a new Airport Express and "connect to an existing wireless network", plug a Ethernet cable between a hard drive and the LAN port (not USB), put my iTunes library on that hard drive, and actually access the music? The second question was, would this solve my dropout problems? In this new set up I still have the Time Capsule as the creator of my wireless network and I still have an Airport Express wired to my NAD DAC/amp. But instead of having the iTunes library on a hard drive wired by USB to the Time Capsule, I now have the iTunes library wired by Ethernet to the Airport Express. I imagine the music information going from the hard drive, then via wire to the Express, and finally via wire (optical) in to the NAD DAC/amp. Are you following? Sorry for the confusing original post.

In my current living conditions I need a simple family solution for music playback. Apple's AirPlay does the trick, but occasionally playback stops for a few seconds (dropouts). This is so annoying that I have to do something about it. I have neighbors with strong WiFi signals, across all channels. This is possibly why it dropsout. I would like to have wired signal pathway from the iTunes library to the DAC/amplifier (if this solves the problem). I don't want to put a computer where I have the speaker system. I have noticed that the latest Airport Express have a Ethernet LAN port, which my current Airport Express does not have. Question 1) Is it possible to connect a hard drive (containing the iTunes library) to this new Airport Express via ethernet, or is this port only for certain things (printers etc)? The Airport Express would be wirelessly connected to my home network. Question 2) If this Airport Express is then connected to the DAC/amp, would this setup be insensitive to noisy WiFi and not have dropouts? This should maybe be posted under another topic, but...I have also looked at other solutions where the hard drive with music files is wired to the DAC/amplifier and you browse the music on an iPad with a nice interface: 1) Bluesound - HiFi for a wireless generation 2 ) https://www.meridian-audio.com/en/collections/products/media-core-200/7/ 3) M52 Digital Music Vault - NAD Electronics + C 446 Digital Media Tuner - NAD Electronics 4) Sonos CONNECT Wireless HiFi Player connected directly to a NAS. Are there more similar solutions out there? That is: browsing the music wirelessly on a iPad/iPhone, and where the hard drive with music files is wired to the DAC/amp, but not a computer to boot or specific applications to start. Thanks

I see, it has been discussed at great length already. Sorry for starting a new thread before checking existing ones first. That was sloppy of me.

Is this article news, or has it been discussed at great length already? 24/192 Music Downloads are Very Silly Indeed What is the general opinion here at CA? There are two interesting videos to: Xiph.org: Video

Thanks, that will get me going.

I'm a new beginner at this, but usually a quick lerner. I'm thinking about trying to build a music server. At the moment I'm just looking for possible (high resolution compatible) hardware. If I start a build, it is important that the music server will have either 'S/PIDF coaxial out' or 'AES/EBU (AES3?) XLR out'. Is there anyone who can point me in the right direction for hardware with 'S/PDIF coaxial out' or 'AES/EBU XLR out'? Or is there a really good reason why most people build music server with USB out? If software is the problem, I think I might have that covered. I just got a friend who is a programing wizard interested in high resolution digital audio. So if there is hardware with 'digital coaxial out' or 'digital XLR out' that could be usable with some coding, that might be even better. Thanks /Filip

Hej She is fine, thank you for asking. But I have had no time to do any proper listening. I will probably go on parental leave soon, and I really hope to find the time then. I'll update as soon as I have something to say. What about you? Any interesting news?

Today I will borrow a normal 0.5m USB-cable for computers from work, and try it for a while on my C390DD. I'll write as soon as I have listened and compared it to the HiFace. It is nice to know that you hear no apparent difference between USB and optical CD inputs. The link I was trying to share was not to HDtracks, but to another site. A search-site for HD music that searches about 20 different stores in one go(HDtracks included). http://www.findhdmusic.com/high-definition/about/ Maybe HDtracks has the largest range of music, but it might still be worth a try, 20 stores should have larger range than one. Update: I just tried the USB direct. It did not sound good at all, something must have been wrong. There was also a clicking noise, not unlike the 'crackling fire'-sound heard when listening to vinyl records but periodic once every second or so. More precise what I did was: I connected a 0.5m long USB-A to USB-B cable from my MacBook to the C390DD's Computer input. Selected "NAD..." in the Audirvana preferences and Computer input on the C390DD. Then I played one 192kHz/24bit and one 96kHz/24bit track. Both sounded bad and had the clicking noise. I'm not sure what could have gone wrong. Any suggestion what I should do to find the source of the problem? Could it be Audirvana?

There are ways of making iTunes play FLAC (plug-ins, scripts and hacking, those sort of things), but I don't like to go that way. I'm not sure if Amarra or Pure Music is an alternative, but they are quite expensive and I feel Audirvana (free) suits me. So I have never really tried streaming FALC files to the Airport. Once I used the Rogue Amoeba Airfoil program to stream FLAC files played in VLC to my old system, but that sounded awful. I have no idea why. So every time I listen to my FLAC-files I have to use the wired MacBook, for ripped CDs I can use either streaming or wired. I might spend some time in the future to find a better solution, but now I think this is good enough. Have you tried the 'Find HD music' -site (link below), you might find some of the artists and styles you are looking for? I'm going to try the asynchronous clocking and hi-res playback for USB direct as soon as I buy a USB cable (I would like a proper one from a audio store and haven't had the time yet). The only reason I use the USB to SPIDF is that I needed it to make my last system asynchronous. I will loose the ability to play music sampled at 192kHz, but I have very few such tracks so I don't think it will be a major loss. Eloise (Audio_ELF) wrote somewhere that she will try USB direct as well as via the HiFace. So I'm also waiting a while to hear what she has to say. Liks: http://www.amarraaudio.com/ http://www.channld.com/puremusic/ http://rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/ http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ http://www.findhdmusic.com/high-definition/about/

I use two sources and two inputs. For convenience I stream music from my stationary iMac computer via WiFi to an Airport express connected to the C390DD with toslink. This is also the primary way my wife uses the system (but she streams from her computer and her music library). The music is ripped from CDs to Apple lossless audio format. This is extremely convenient since I can control everything with my iPhone. Very nice solution, but it does not deliver high resolution music and iTunes does not easily play FLAC. For proper listening I use a MacBook laptop computer connected to the C390DD's digital coax 1 input. To achieve this have a M2Tech HiFace USB to SPIDF converter. (For info on all these gadgets, I recommend The well tempered computer -site, see link below.) The music is mainly high resolution (88kHz/24bit or higher) FLAC files downloaded from HDtracks or similar store. I use the Audirvana software. This as convenient (or inconvenient) as using CDs I would say, you can change track with a remote control but have to go to the system and manually change album. I also imagine that when I have friends over they would like to put a USB-stick with mp3 music in the front USB port. If you go for the Sonos or Apple solution you will not be able to play high resolution music, at least not straight out of the box. I know there is a company that does something to the Sonos stuff making them play hi res. If you are interested I think I could find the web page again. If you have the money, I think the Meridian Sooloos Media Core 200 seems like a very attractive solution. With an iPad you get what you need for roughly 5000 US$ I think. Too much for me at the moment, but it is what I'm aiming for. Did I answer all your questions? Links: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB321LL/A/AirPort-Express-AirTunes?fnode=MTY1NDA0Mg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toslink http://www.m2tech.biz/hiface.html http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/HW/USB_SPDIF.htm http://audirvana.com/ http://www.meridian-audio.com/sooloos/mc200.php

Hey Eric I too was 'lurking in the CA shadows' for quite some time before I officially joined two weeks ago. It is nice to get to know other people using the same amp. I'd love to hear all your comments. Personally I have not had much time to do any proper listening yet. I quickly went through some of the settings. My listening room is asymmetrical with a opening to another room not far from the left speaker. So I thought that a small change in the balance-settings might 'correct' this room-imbalance. But no, even a small change makes the sound notable worse. I also fiddled some with the treble and bass settings, but with the same results. But I guess you are most interesting in the room correction settings. I have more or less only gone into the menus and seen what it does. Did some very quick tests at 40 Hz, but I concluded that it should not be changed. But I'm planning to give it a more serious attempt with a frequency analyser while playing pink noise. I'm not knowledgeable in any of this, but I plan to have some fun and if I can make is sound better, great. I also tried the "Soft Clipping" function. I haven't looked up what it is suppose to do, but I heard no difference. Now after using it a while I have noticed that some albums sounds really great (better than before) while there is no difference with some other albums. The one album that stood out as an improvement was "The World's Greatest Audiophile Vocal Recordings 96kHz/24bit" downloaded from HDtracks.com. So I guess I can hear the quality of the recording-craftsmanship more than before.

Wonderful Eloise, I'm really looking forward to hear what you have to say. Since almost all my music is sampled at 96kHz it would not be a major loss for me to use a USB cable directly, instead of the HiFace. There are a few benefits with a with USB cable, both practical and maybe (hopefully) sonically. Both the HiFace itself and the digital coaxial cable are impractical, with the HiFace being just between 'small and convenient' and 'big and solid', and the cable being stiff pulling on the HiFace which does not lock into the USB port. It looks and feels messy. The Halide Design Bridge would probably have been a much better choice, now that I think about it. I'm always trying to shorten the signal path as much as possible, skipping the HiFace would do that. If I can get a little bit more out of my 96kHz and tidy up a somewhat messy looking system with a USB cable direct, I'm all for it. If I loose something from my few 192kHz tracks, that's ok. I managed to get some speaker alignment done yesterday. I had to increase the toe-in and pull the speakers further from the wall. Maybe this is expected when you add subwoofers like I have just done. Anyway, it sounds much better compared with NAD355BEE + Hegel HD10. I usually don't use these common labels such as open or laid back, but here I will say that more details come through without it turning brittle and boring. Links: http://www.halidedesign.com/bridge/ http://www.m2tech.biz/hiface.html

Hey skoorb824 I have found it a bit strange that there has been so little talk about the NAD C390DD. It feels like I read the most positive texts about the M2 everywhere I look. The only issue people seem to have with the M2 is that it is made by NAD and that it is expensive (or extremely cheap depending on the author). Therefor it seemed natural to me that there would be a fuzz about a cheaper version of the M2, but it has been very quiet. So it is nice to hear that there are other people auditioning it too. This week, I was going to turn the C390DD inside out (listening-wise that is), but the week starts with my wife being ill in the influenza. Most likely scenario: the first half of this week I won't be able to get much done with the audio gear due to her being ill, the second half of this week I won't be able to get much done with the audio gear due to me being ill. I guess that is life. But I can deliver my initial thoughts. They are not WOW!, but really really positive. But one must take into consideration that I use our living room as my listening room and it is far (very far) from a good listening room. I hope only to stay in this house 5 more years or so, but until then... I compare this setup to the C355BEE with a Hegel HD10 DAC (with and without a Dared DL2000 preamp). Setup and setup by the way, it is now only one box replacing three things. On its own I would probably not have bought the C390DD, it is better but not worth the difference it makes in my room with my main speakers at the moment. But together with two good subwoofers using digital crossover and stereo I love it. I can listen to music using much lower volume than before and still get all I want out of it. What I was hoping to do this week was to align the main speakers and subs to get the best out of the room/audio system. I find it hard to really judge a part in an audio system without aligning the speakers for the best before, but it takes so much time to do so. Links: http://www.hegel.com/DAC.htm http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0110/hegel_hd10_dac.htm http://www.dared.gr/display.php?lang=EN&model=DL-2000

I've got everything connected and it is up and running. First impression: sounds really good, but needs some fine tuning. I have to set the digital crossover between signal going to the main speakers and the subwoofers. The main speakers are the Focal Chorus 826 V with a frequency response of 45Hz - 28kHz, and the subwoofers are the Velodyne MiniVee 8" with a frequency response of 28-120Hz. So I guess it makes scene to have the crossover somewhere in the range 50-120Hz (the settings are discrete in steps of 10Hz, so 45Hz in not an option). Instinctively I would like to use the main speakers as low as possible, meaning a crossover at 50Hz but I just have to try and listen. A very nice feature that I like is that you can 'disable' the inputs you are not using, making the selection faster and simpler. I will use three inputs: the digital coax 1 for the Apple MacBook (with a M2Tech HiFace inbetween), the optical 1 for a Apple Airport Express for streaming, and the front USB for an occasional USB flash drive. The rest of the inputs are disabled so I don't have to browse through them every time I change source. Links: http://www.focal.com/en/home-audio-loudspeakers/hifi-speakers/floorstanding-speakers/chorus-826-v.php http://velodyne.com/subwoofers/shop-by-series/minivee-series/minivee.html