sputnik

I also tried the application MAX and got it to work perfectly. SetOggs for some reason didnt convert them properly. I will use MAX going forward. Good work on the website by the way, I am a frequent lurker........

I just tried the FLAC 'cause I thought I had a way to port it to iTunes..... may play with the others tonight....

Found this site offering free sample 24 bit 96 khz downloads: http://www.2l.no/2L.htm But, Im having problems making them play properly through iTunes (works fine thru VLC but I would prefer everything in one place). I followed my usual conversion routine, which works like a charm for regular 16 bit 44 khz FLAC files downloaded from places like Linn etc. Link to method below: http://earpick.wordpress.com/2007/06/11/how-to-play-flac-in-itunes-on-mac/ Any brainiacs here who could point me in the right direction? Thanks in advace,

Thanks, the JPEG analogy works nicely in my mind at least.

iTunes gives me an option to convert my apple lossless files to AIFF, which I might try despite the resulting larger file size based on the comments Ive read here. Interestingly if I take a crap 128kbps track and covert it to AIFF, it also expands the file size immensly. Question is, if the source file is heavily compressed, am I right to assume that such a conversion to AIFF would really serve no purpose at all?

thanks, Ill try that brand. Cant hurt and not so expensive.....

Thanks for the quick reply, I guess Ill pop into town this afternoon and splash for a £4 upgrade As for the equipment, sounds great.... at least in my subjective opinion of course. Not that I have that much to compare it to, besides what Ive personally owned before. iMac.... using iTunes, with most of my CD collection ripped into apple lossless format. ps audio DLIII.... never had a chance to compare side by side to the Benchmark DAC1 that is getting a lot of attention on these forums, but it does a great job with the material the Mac sends. Naim Nait.... the "entry level" amp for Naim, love it because it is simple to the max, just a volume knob and input selectors, nothing else. Probably the candidate for the next upgrade, though not anytime soon as its perfectly satisfactory. Neat Momentum 3i speakers... from one of those typical British manufacturers nobody outside England has heard of, spartan in terms of looks, but sounds great, especially at lower to mid volumes appropriate for smaller living spaces common on this side of the pond. Alternatives I considered were the Sonus Faber Concert floorstanders, but it they are too big for my listening area, and B&W 805s, which despite being highly lauded just didnt sound that great to me when I auditioned them. As for the music itself, mainly jazz, classical, and downbeat electro type stuff for chilling out. Bossa Nova tunes from brazil are one of my favourites of all times. When nostalgia for youth strikes, then its the stuff that would have been popular in the late 80's (not proud of that). Anyway, look forward to reading these pages in the future!!! Cheers,

Hi, newbie from London here.... great site by the way! may be a dumb question, but are there discernable differences in usb cable quality? Reason I ask is that system is obviously only as good as the weakest link... otherwise I use: iMac 24in to PS Audio DLIII to Naim Nait 5i amp to Neat Momentum 3i speakers Chord interconnects & speaker cable Running just a regular usb cable bought for £2 at local electronics store.... is there any point in spending a bit more? Thanks,