Mirsky

Esau, thanks for the advice. I'll do that. My next computer will probably be another IMac. And the newest IMac no longer comes with a built-in optical drive. Thanks again!

Esau: thanks for more info about Audirvana. I've saved the link and I'll download the demo once I get some stereo equipment hooked up to my Mac. Sounds like, eventually at least, I'll need to re-rip my CDs into my Mac as ALAC files. My Mac's optical drive has become a bit unstable -- it seems to reject 1/5 CDs/DVDS -- so I may wait until I buy a new computer to re-rip everything. Paul: Thanks again as well. I did just look at my NHT speakers and one of them is busted, so I will have to purchase some new speakers. And, in that case, I'll get ones with a subwoofer built in. Anyway, all my questions have been answered. So, thanks everyone. I'm not ready to buy anything yet. But I'm going to save this discussion and then come back to this site once I've purchased some new equipment. It may not be for a while, though. But now I know enough about my options when it comes to equipment to make some decisions.

Ah, okay. That makes sense. First, I'll have to make sure it works. But I wonder if I can bring it into a store and have them give it a look. (This was a quick reply in response to Musicophile's comment about older equipment -- after posting this I realized it wasn't clear what i was referring to.)

Paul, thanks again for all your help! The NAD amp does have soft clipping available. I don't know how powerful the amp is. I have the manual but it didn't list its specs. Maybe there was some additional info that I lost. Also, you're right about my Mac -- it does have optical out. I just checked the instructions that came with it. I had no idea. So, I think Plan A (Plan A1) makes the most sense. I posted my query here mostly out of curiosity as I'm not really ready to spend much money. And Plan A1 sounds like the cheapest way to go. My NHT speakers may be fine as well. This is their model: NHT SuperZero Xu Lifestyle Bookshelf Speaker | Vintage NHT Speakers I just remember that the last time I tried using them I went nuts getting them to work. The problem may have been the wire, not the speakers. And I was trying to get it all to work in the corner of my apartment and it was a real hassle. But if I can hook the NAD up to my Mac, as you're saying, then I will be in a different part of the room and maybe it will be easier for me to fool with the wires. I always seem to have trouble with speaker wires. However, the NHT speakers don't have much bass. The Infinity subwoofer I have is in bad shape and is way too large. So I wonder if I should just get a small subwoofer. I'll have to test the NHT speakers first, though, to see if they are broken. But: if you think my NHT speakers might be fine, can you recommend a small subwoofer? Also: you're saying I can hook up my Mac to the NAD without a DAC? Is the sound going to be a lot poorer than if I buy a DAC? Also, another reason I'm tempted to try Plan A1 is that my wifi network stopped working. I bought an IPod Touch 4G last year and then decided to set up wifi, which I'd never done before. I bought a used, older Airport Express on ebay because I really didn't need the range of the newer Airport Express. But after a few weeks, my wifi network stopped working and I spent a whole day trying to troubleshoot it with no luck. I'm using a cable modem and it's finicky. So, at some point I'm going to spend more time trying to get it working again, but I haven't had the patience lately. So, I'd like to try using an Airport Express for music only if I Plan A1 doesn't work.

Wow, thanks everyone for all the immediate and detailed responses! They are very helpful. You've given me a lot of information to follow-up on. I'm going to respond to everyone in this post. ed71: Thanks for the suggestion of the Audioengine A2s. I will check them out. I'd never even heard of a DAC before -- so I just read about them in the FAQ on this site. So, just learning about the existence of DACs is very helpful! --- Paul.Raulerson: My NAD amp is the C340. I believe it came out in 1998. In terms of where I'd listen to the music: I would do so while at my Mac and also while sitting on a couch -- my Mac is in my living room. I don't know how much I'm willing to spend. It depends on whether I can use my computer as the base for a system that would work to fill a whole room. For instance, can I use my computer as part of a stereo system that is adequate for a large room and even for having parties? I'm in a small apartment now, but that could change. As for plan B: My Mac doesn't have an optical out port, and my NAD amp doesn't either. Does that mean Plan B is not an option? Plan C: That's an interesting set up. The interconnect cables can go directly into an Airport Express? --- Musicophile: In my current apartment, the computer would be close to the amp, although I'm not exactly sure where I'd put it. I might be able to put it on the desk, right next to the computer, or I might put it in my printer stand, which is probably about 6 feet away max. I will go through some of the older posts and read about the DACs. Thanks for listing the models for me. --- maelob: Thanks! Sounds like what Paul recommended in his Plan C Thanks also for the list of powered speakers! I will do some research. --- esimms86: Thanks for the recommendation for Dragonfly! You are right to assume I'll be listening to rips and downloads in ITunes. I'm not familiar with "music servers." Is that software that would replace ITunes? If so, what is the benefit? Thanks also for your thoughts on the Meridian Explorer and the Peachtree DACiT.

Hi everyone. I'm new to this forum and I'm a novice when it comes to audio, including computer audio. I also have a number of questions. I'll try to make this post as short as possible. Back in 1999, I spent about $1000 on some stereo equipment: An NAD amplifier, an NAD CD player, an Infinity subwoofer and some NHT speakers. I knew nothing about stereos back then, but I did some research online before buying-- although, as you can tell, I mixed and matched. I haven’t used the above-mentioned equipment for about six years. My current apartment is very small and I could only put the stereo in a cramped corner. And when I last tried to set up my equipment, I was having some trouble with the speakers -- they would go quiet on a regular basis, so I got frustrated. The subwoofer also has one broken leg and the CD player is broken. So, I decided not to bother with the equipment anymore. I also own an IMac, circa late 2007. Since then, I've been listening to my music via ITunes using the Mac's built-in speakers. But, I recently got, for free, some software called Digital Power Station (DPS Audio Enhancer Software by Bongiovi Acoustics) which improves the sound quality of my Mac's audio. I was just playing around with it today and it got me curious about the hardware that's available these days for listening to a computer's audio. I'm not sure I'm ready to buy anything, but I would like to learn more. So, my questions are: Can anyone recommend some audio components that will allow me to stream music from my Mac? I'm looking for something compact, possibly that will fit on my computer desk -- although I do have some shelves nearby. But I'm interested in more than just speakers, since the IMac doesn't have an amplifier. Is there any kind of equipment that will allow me to stream music from my Mac to my old NAD amp, which is still in good working order? Thanks! M