Conrad

In this thread id like to start a bit of a discussion about what other users "Audio Philosophy" is. I have found a website where this guy states his views which i found quite interesting and very similar to how my Hi-Fi system is set up. Essentially what it is is that to get the best sound from a system is to keep it minimal and provide the "shortest path" for the signal to pass through. The article is a bit of a read and there are some pretty long winded points which i believe are a bit subjective and personal i.e. where he goes on about terminology and what todays audiophile community is all about however his theories on how one should build their system i think is quite valid and from personal experience i find very effective. Anyway have a read and lets have a discussion about what you guys think. Here is the link Audio Philosophy Cheers -Conrad

I have a friend who runs a separate DAC and cd transport and have run a few tests. Otherwise i think i might go to an Audio store and see if i can bring in my CD player and use their computer to run the music through. I some how doubt it is my CD player at fault though

My os is up to date snow leopard but defiantly not a fresh install which i always kind of assumed would be the cause to my issues. The idea of running the music through my computer in the first place was too see the potential of using it as a source and then just buying a dedicated mac mini for my listening room. I've just been a bit thrown off by the complete lack of fidelity however i might just do a fresh install to just see if that makes the difference i require. To be honest i'm not sure on those specifications, i will need to go check the cd players manual, i hope there is that level of detail in there.

To be honest i have no been using any snazzy usb cable. Would such a thing make much of a difference? I assume it is much like a hdmi cable and simply wouldn't work if the connection wasn't 100% (i am running maybe 0.5-1meters length of cable). I am using the usb input on the CD player. Unfortunately the only review i have on it is in Polish but from that review they said that playing through the usb was excellent so i don't think the DAC is at fault here. I have not tried using different usb ports on my computer however i'd assume they are both on the same bus controller as the mouse and keyboard. Can any one confirm this for a 2010 macbook pro? So far i'm finding it hard to believe that getting music playing through my computer can compare to playing it straight from the CD but i am really keen to get it up to scratch.

The connection between the computer and dac is by USB. In terms of the cd rips I have done them only as apple lossless and haven't tried anything else yet. I don't think it could solely be the files that is causing the issues as all the music coming through the computer has the same effect just at varying levels. Tonight I will try re ripping one of my CDs to an appropriate format and see how that goes. Any settings that I could check with pure music or anything computer based I could tweak to get it a little bit better?

I have also tried comparing cd rips with the original cd (by ripping the cd to my computer) so id assume its a complication with my computer playback. The difference between the cd rip and cd was phenomenal it simply couldn't compete. Definite lack of sound sage and just general boxiness, the richness from playback of the cd just wasn't there. I can try the up-sampling trick however that is just a tweak to play with a little later, my cd player has an up-sampling feature built into it anyway. The comparison between the two different sources are still off. How much of a difference will running a dedicated computer for the sole purpose of playing music actually make? As it stands there is a substantial difference between cd and computer. Maybe i should try get hold of some other reference music, are there any suggestions that you guys know that are both good on CD and HD download, i want to find something that sounds better from the computer than CD? I guess the best way of getting the computer up to scratch though would be using a CD rip and the same CD.

Hi guys, Calling upon computer audiophiles again. I am currently playing around with using my computer as a source for my hi-rez music and have come across some interesting discoveries which i'm hoping you wonderful people could help me with. Essentially what i've found is playing music through my computer is very lacklustre compared to playing the same music through CD. I kind of assume it is due to my computer and how it is setup or maybe i need to tweak my software. Anyway here are the facts. CD player/DAC: Ayon CD-1sc USB – 24/192 kHz Computer: MacBook pro 2.4ghz core duo 2 gig ram Software: Channel D pure music. I have only enabled memory play but haven't really fiddled much with it. Source: 24/192 Norah Jones (hd-tracks) Norah Jones CD Is it reasonable to assume that the HD tracks are supposed to sound better as they are in a higher quality than the CD? Simply put although more expensive to purchase downloadable music the convenience is so much better then having to source a particular disc but just not worth it if the sound is not just as good or better. So what do you guys think my next step should be? Cheers Conrad

In regards to the apple MacMini, ideally what should i spec it with in terms of hardware? On the software side of things i think i will use Pure Music but as most of the software can be trailed for few ill have a play with it once i decide on the hardware. Lets say i do buy the mac mini, how should i configure the whole os to run as a server? Will i run into discrepancies by having the music stored on the same hard drive as the OS etc.? Should i simply just have itunes+pure music on there and just leave that running? Are there any tweaks to increase the performance? What is generally better between USB vs S/PDIF? I don't believe the Mac has that output anyway? Cheers

Hi members of computer audiophile. I am in dire need of assistance with setting up a computer based source for my current stereo setup. I have very limited knowledge in terms of what hardware i should be looking at as well as what software. What i am trying to achieve by this extension is to gain an equal if not better sound quality than what i can get by simply playing hi-rez cd's. Im looking for a no frills simple solution. I think it is best that i just mention first what DAC i will be using, that being the CD-1sc : Ayon Audio From the specifications page you can see the digital inputs it has are: 75 Ω S/PDIF (RCA), USB – 24/192 kHz, TosLink Hardware: From a quick google it appears that generally people like to use the mac mini. This is appealing to me as it is a small simple box however sound quality is what takes precedence for me so in saying that i am open to all suggestions in regards to what hardware i should buy. In terms of specifications of said hardware, should i be looking at including SSD's, large amount of ram, cpu performance etc? Software: Making the assumption that picking apple is the best solution for this application what software should i be looking at? From previous readings i have come across features that preloads tracks into the ram and thus reducing jitter? please forgive me if i'm wrong. I assume this isn't as important if i am storing my music on a SSD. Another thing i'd like to take into consideration is how i will manage my library and how i will choose what to listen too. The server itself will be stand alone, meaning no peripherals will be attached thus the use of a remote of sorts will need to be employed. As it stands i already have an Ipad which i hope i can use for this very purpose. Interconnects: What is the best method of connecting the server to the DAC that ensures the best sound quality? At current my router is no where close to my stereo but i assume a simple running of ethernet can fix this problem. Will i be running into any problems by having the server near the rest of my equipment, i.e. WiFi, Bluetooth interference etc.? Extra: In the future i may want to use the server for multimedia storage/streaming. By doing so will i run the risk of loosing sound quality by not maintaining its dedicated purpose? Sorry for the long post, i hope i have been as clear as possible. Hopefully you guys can help me out Cheers Conrad