jaypeecee

Thanks, guys. I'm still relatively new to the world of digital audio having been a dyed-in-the-wool analog enthusiast for many years. So, I really value your feedback. I hadn't realized that the computing horsepower required for digital audio was not an issue with current CPUs. Seems that a few years ago, some people had problems with their setups. OK then. That's one less issue to be concerned about. Thanks again. JPC

Hi Folks, This is a tricky question but I'm wondering if anyone can help. I started a separate thread recently at http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f10-music-servers/music-server-design-comments-please-13119/. In trying to determine the minimum PC requirements (CPU/RAM/etc.) for digital music playback, I approached this empirically. In other words, I looked at what people had tried in the way of CPUs and whether or not they had problems with their chosen setup. In particular, I looked at the spec. for CPU and RAM that had been selected for the CAPS2.0 server. Chris Connaker had chosen the Intel Atom D525 and 4GB DDR2 RAM for his design. For my proposed music server, I simply selected a CPU whose (PassMark) benchmark was equal to, or greater than, the Atom D525. For the RAM, I applied the same logic; it would have to be equal to, or greater than, the number of GB in storage and clock frequency in MHz. My main interest is for stereo playback using FLAC at 24-bit/96kHz. Now for my question. Is it possible to theoretically determine the minimum PC requirements for N channel xx-bit/yykHz playback? According to my calculations, 2 channel 24-bit/96kHz is 2 x 2^24 x 96 x 10^3 bps = 3.2 x 10^12 bps = 3.2 x 10^3 Gbps = 3200 Gbps. Trouble is that I'm an audio guy and not a CPU guy so I don't know where to go from there but feel sure that someone on this forum could guide me. Anyone? Please! JPC

OK, that is an old processor and all the information I can find about it would suggest that the Intel Atom D525 is twice as powerful as the Celeron you tried. FYI, I have a Dell Vostro 1310 laptop on which I can play 24bit/96kHz FLAC files with seemingly no problems. This laptop has an Intel Core 2 Duo T5670 CPU (at 1.8 GHz) with 2GB DDR2 RAM running at 666 MHz. The T5670 has a benchmark score of 993 whereas the D525 is 714 and Celeron 857 is 1135. JPC

Thanks for your reply. Greatly appreciated. I take your point about the CPU. According to Passmark Software's website, the Intel Atom D525 has a benchmark score of 714 whereas the Intel Celeron 857 Dual Core (as used in the Zotac ID81) has a score of 1135. I'm also bolstering that up with 8GB DDR3 RAM so that should be enough horsepower - unless I've overlooked something. It would be interesting to know exactly which Celeron processor resulted in the pops and crackles. Was it by any chance the Celeron M 215? According to PassMark, this scores 349. The ID81 has been tested by Zotac in terms of acoustic noise. With a background noise level of 15dBA and at a distance of 0.5m away, the noise level was measured to be 30.6dBA in what they refer to as 'busy mode'. My listening room has a residual noise level of 30dBA so, provided I'm located over half a metre away from the ID81, I'm hoping that will be OK. As you will see from my spec., I will be using a solid state drive. Thanks again. JPC

Hi Folks, I should have added that the RAM is DDR3-1333 MHz. JPC

Hi Folks, I'm giving serious consideration to the idea of putting together a music server as follows: PC Zotac ID81 barebones Kingston SSD Now V+200 120GB drive Kingston 2x4GB Value RAM Samsung SE-208AB Optical Media Drive Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit J River Media Center (controlled by Gizmo for Android) Musical Fidelity V-DAC II D to A Converter (24bit/96kHz asynchronous USB) The PC would be connected to the V-DAC II via the asynchronous USB connection. Before I go ahead and purchase this gear, is there anything I've overlooked? I want to be able to play 24bit/96kHz FLAC files. The analog output from the DAC will be fed to my integrated pre/power amplifier. Total cost of above items is just under £600 (yes, I'm in the UK). I value any feedback you guys may have. Thanks in advance. JPC

Thanks again for all the replies. I'm now giving serious thought to putting together my own system for which I'll start a new thread. JPC

Once again, thanks guys. J River sounds the right way to go - particularly with the use of Gizmo as this is an Android household and we have Wi-Fi. I'll check it out on Google Play. If I'm right, CAPS 2.0 does not have integral Wi-Fi, so people presumably insert a Wi-Fi dongle into its USB socket? JPC

Thanks, guys. I was confused as the link to the pictures actually shows the display with the words 'Welcome to HTPC' on it. So, now I have a further question - how does a User interface with CAPS 2.0 if there's no display? Thanks. JPC

Yogui, Please ensure that you make an allowance for the listening room itself. Room acoustics are very important if you want to get the best from your investment. For a relatively small outlay and, assuming you have a laptop/notebook, you can use the excellent software REW. It is available from Home Theater Shack (free, I think). JPC

Hello Audiophiles, I'm new to Computer Audiophile and I'm excited by what I have read here already. I am trying to pull together as much information as I can find about C.A.P.S. 2.0. I have found a lot of info from Small Green Computer. I noticed on their web site that the above product is available as a kit but then noticed that the kit version does not appear to have a display so I have sent them an enquiry about this. I noticed also that the display does not appear in the designer's list of modules/components. So, my question is - where can I find more info about this excellent-looking product? Thanks. JPC