John Kugler

A friend of mine just built me a PC based server. He is a computer IT person who used to write for Affordable Audio. What he knows about computer audio is truly staggering. For example, he is presently re-writing some 24/96 upsampling algorithms for final use as freeware (out shortly). The box he put together for me would retail (he says) for about $2,500. It has separate power supplies for everything; everything is shielded; the multiple fans are set to spin at half speed to reduce noise; the box is completely sound-insulated - and on and on. Frankly, it is not as good as my simple Cal Delta transport. At least, not in 44.1. I admit that on some material the 88.2 upsampling is slightly better, but only some. And by "not as good," I mean quite simply that there is a digital smearing of transients and slightly "glue-y" background that is endemic to less than stellar digital playback. The Cal Delta is okay, but really, it's just a transport. This isn't about the Cal - it's about the PC. I really think the problem is the internal noise generated by all those closely packed (and moving) electronic parts in the PC. And I am not alone - if you want to hear more about this subject, you can go on the Pacific Valve site and listen to them talk about it; they have never met a PC server they liked, and they explain why. A separate music server would likely solve this problem, but then you may give up the flexibility the PC gives you. And of course, there is always the "soundcard" issue: if you think that the PC stores perfect bits and that's the end of it, well, it just plain ain't. And once you get into soundcard differences to achieve the sound you want, well, to me, you're sort of back where you started from without the PC. Yes, it gives you easy storage and accessibility, and allows you to download music directly, which is nice. But in terms of sound quality? I can get better sound quality from a decent transport. CDs on the used market are cheap and are still the best source of uncompressed music around. They really don't take up that much room, do they? Hey, to each his own. I will say that the one really great thing I like about the PC server is the ability to do room correction. This costs virtually nothing and can dramatically improve a system's sound. Plus, a lot of this software lets you choose the correction you want (sort of an uber-equalizer) which again, is really neat. But in the end, if I don't have instruments free of digital crud, it's a non-starter for me. After wading into PC audio, I think I will just tip toe back on out. Good luck with your PC pursuits.