I've had an interesting journey tipping my toe into computer audio, and as usual, wasted a bunch of cash!
My first attempt was to connect my Mac Pro using apple lossless on itunes into a Music Hall 25.2 Dac. Very dissapointing via usb vs my CD player into the same Dac. Then I got the MF V-link from mac pro to dac and this really made a tremendous improvement, I found myself enjoying the lap top over the cd player in this configuration. Really cleaned things up, sounded great.
Then I ruined everthing.
I moved into the new pad and a friend of mine raved about getting a Slim Devices Transporter and a NAS. I chose the vortexbox appliance, ripped a bunch of cd's to flac and set up the Transporter via wireless. Sounded, uh, crappy. Then I did an ethernet connection, no change, still crappy relative to CD player (a 1989 Phillips no less!). Connected the Transporter to the MH Dac via coax digital with moderate improvement but nowhere near my cd player or my macbook pro. Then I cut the Transporter out of the loop and connected my MH dac via V-link directly to the vortex box.
It was all back. Sounded great again.
The Transporter is now retired and will be sold soon. The Vortexbox is interesting but a bit quirky, although the subculture is kind of cool. The sound is great again (BTW, rest of the system is AI L2 preamp, AVA 600 fet valve and salksound H2TL) with the V-link direct from the Vortexbox.
Honestly, I wish that I had just bought a mac mini instead of the Transporter and vortexbox, would of saved a ton of money.
There is a lesson here somewhere, wish that I knew what it was!
