jnscolo

I've chosen to download everything from HDTracks in FLAC, and convert as required. I don't use iTunes as a front-end, but you could by converting using XLD as you mention. If you're in for a little fun, download a free player (Cog or VLC) and play the native FLAC file. My aversion to ALAC is mild, but is predicated on the recommendation from Chris in his ripping strategy document elsewhere on this site.

I'm new around here, but just wanted to share my enthusiasm for the Sonus Faber Toys as a near-field monitor. Because I spend a lot of time at my desk in my home office, I spent a fair bit of my audio budget in our recent remodel on gear to enjoy music here. Anyway, two thumbs up for the Toys in this application. My office setup: *Peachtree Audio Nova with imbedded Sonos ZP90 *B&O turntable (a true relic from the 1980s, but rarely used) *Pro-Ject Phono Box II USB phono preamp *Sonus Faber Toys on Auralex foam stands *Velodyne Optimum-10 Subwoofer *Audioquest interconnects and speaker cable *Transcend 128GB solid-state drive for music storage (Apple Lossless ripped from CDs) which stream through the Sonos *iMac with just one album of 24/96 files - the proverbial toe in the water

I'm not about to pop into the middle of this rather entertaining debate other than to say I just replaced a 3m USB cable of questionable provenance with an Audioquest Cinnamon ($80US) between my iMac and Peachtree Nova. To my ears (note the disclaimer...), it made a huge difference: more detail, broader soundstage, more atmospheric detail in the recording. Now, back to you.