CD's Vs IPOD for home stereo

[marcb]

I currently have a Sony 300 CD changer hooked up in my stereo system, and while I have enjoyed it over the years, I'm at the point where it's full and I have to make decisions as to what to keep in it.

So, I was wondering if I couldn't jut hook up an IPOD to my stereo, and get the same quality, thus eliminating the monster CD changer.

Have any of you guys done something like this, and how does it work? Is the quality the same?

Thank you,.....marc

 

[sgtpepper9]

It really depends on the quality of the rip. MP3s off of itunes are usually 192 kbs, nowhere near CD quality. I usually rip my albums at 256 vbr (variable bit rate) to 320 cbr (constant bit rate) and I find little difference between the mp3 and CD. Of course, anytime you rip an mp3 you are compressing the audio file so it depends on how important the SQ is to you. Personally, if I own the CD I will listen to the CD and not the mp3.

 

[john72953]

CD over MP3 each and every time!

 

[rufas2000]

I'd love to figure out how to hook an ipod up to my stereo without losing quality.

First, if your files on the Ipod are encoded in anything other than a lossless format you'll lose quality. I'd do them in .wav myself, thats the CD info downloaded straight into the Ipod, no compression or compromising.

Second I would think a dock is necessary to get a line out. Using the headphone jack probably wouldn't work out too well. Even then the line out is usually RCA jacks or miniplug to RCA jacks (at least when I went "dock shopping") so its analog. The Ipod would be doing the D/A conversion and I'm not sure it'll do a good job of it. I'd much rather send the digital signal to my Denon 987 receiver and let it convert to analog.

Maybe Denon's proprietary Ipod dock would work for me (also allowing me to control the Ipod with the Denon remote). They're fairly expensive. Without knowing what your receiver is, I don't know if it has a proprietary Idock or not.

I'll be awaiting the responses just like you.

 

[highfigh]

I currently have a Sony 300 CD changer hooked up in my stereo system, and while I have enjoyed it over the years, I'm at the point where it's full and I have to make decisions as to what to keep in it.

So, I was wondering if I couldn't jut hook up an IPOD to my stereo, and get the same quality, thus eliminating the monster CD changer.

Have any of you guys done something like this, and how does it work? Is the quality the same?

Thank you,.....marc

If it's a new iPod, it'll do .wav audio, so that will work fine. Low rez MP3 won't make you happy, if you care about the sound quality.

 

[Adam]

In addition to what the others have mentioned, I'll add that the noticeable difference in quality will depend on (a) your system and (b) you. You also have to decide for yourself if any difference that you can tell is important to you.

The difference between 128kbps compressed audio and the original on my computer system is basically not noticeable. In my car, it's barely noticeable. On my main system, it's totally noticeable - to me. I'll bet that my parents wouldn't notice...and/or wouldn't care.

I say give it a shot, assuming that you have an iPod or could borrow one. You just need a cable that goes from a minijack plug to two RCA plugs (like this one) - very cheap, and it lets you check it out. The dock would likely be better quality as mentioned, but that would give you an initial test.

 

[davidtwotrees]

I really don't have an interest in ipods, but do use a music server, which, I guess, is an ipod for your stereo. Mine does up to 320 kbps. I can't tell the diff from the cd. And my rig sounds clear as day.
Are there ipods out that will hold 300 cds in lossless format? My server is 80 gigs and I don't think it would hold 300 cds @320 mbps.
I would look into a server, myself. Mine takes less than 5 minutes to rip the cd to the internal hard drive, as well as finding the artwork and song listings. And, this will all be shown on your television in a nice, neat index. I'm not sure an ipod would offer that video option. Mine can also take music directly off a computer's drive as well, although I don't use that feature.......
If you are computer saavy, you can build your own server, too. Both better options than an ipod, imho........

 

[Rickster71]

I've been using an MP3 player as a jukebox for a few years. Music is at 320br.
I play music out on the patio during BBQ's or for background music when we have friends over.
It really is much more convenient than waiting for a CD carousel to shuffle, or going back inside to swap CDs.
The making of playlists is really something that closed the deal for me. I get to play and buy, only the songs I like.

So using an MP3 player in my situation; convenience trumps SQ, and the dreaded DRM.

I also have an Escient server with Cds saved in FLAC, and really enjoy that too.
The only thing that is better (for me) about an MP3 player over the server, is the ability to buy the one song I like, instead of the whole album.

 

[cfrizz]

As others have said it is very dependent on the quality of the recording. If it is ripped from a well recorded cd, with the exception of not being quite as loud coming through the mp3 player to your speakers it will sound terrific. If the cd was poorly recorded, the cd will sound bad & the mp3 will sound worse.

But I don't sit there and analyze every single song, I simply enjoy having endless music (over 600 songs) going all day long without having to get up to change a cd.

If I want to seriously listen to music, I will play my cds.

 

[jamie2112]

If you are going to use a ipod I would rip everything with Apple lossless encoded as then you will have near cd quality...

 

[murl]

What about the Wadia 170itransport? It supposedly grabs the audio off the ipod, outputs its via a digital coaxial before it ever sees the d/a converter in the ipod.

 

[sholling]

I'm with the others in that while I don't hear any difference between a 320cbr MP3 and a WAV on my MP3 player I hear enough of a difference on my main system to bother me. Of course it also depends on what you listen to. Heavy metal won't sound any different, but with more subtle and intricate music played through good speakers there is a subtle but audible difference in quality.

Let me suggest a middle ground. I built a nice quiet music server and ripped my CD collection to the lossless FLAC format. FLAC files accept tags just like an MP3 but with no loss in quality. I use Winamp to play my music which is then outputed via toslink to my receiver. Note there is a plugin for Windows media player as well. Of course ripping that many CDs took months but I can now queue 20 days of non-stop CD quality music should the mood strike.

I then ran DB Poweramp's optional batch converter against the FLACs and had it create a separate directory tree of high quality MP3s for my portable music player. That way nothing had to be ripped twice. I also use Good Sync to backup/sync my music collection with my main PC. That way I can rip from either location and the loss of a single drive isn't a heart breaker.

BTW, if you live outside of good AM/FM reception a music/media server also allows you to pull in some content via the Internet. I'm in an area where AM is out of the question and unless I put up a 30' antenna FM isn't coming in either.

 

[highfigh]

I've been using an MP3 player as a jukebox for a few years. Music is at 320br.
I play music out on the patio during BBQ's or for background music when we have friends over.
It really is much more convenient than waiting for a CD carousel to shuffle, or going back inside to swap CDs.
The making of playlists is really something that closed the deal for me. I get to play and buy, only the songs I like.

So using an MP3 player in my situation; convenience trumps SQ, and the dreaded DRM.

I also have an Escient server with Cds saved in FLAC, and really enjoy that too.
The only thing that is better (for me) about an MP3 player over the server, is the ability to buy the one song I like, instead of the whole album.

DRM is almost a dead issue. Apple dropped it, IIRC. Sony will, if they haven't.

How much space is saved by using FLAC vs .wav?

 

[sholling]

How much space is saved by using FLAC vs .wav?

I haven't run tests but the number that I keep running across is roughly 40% with zero loss in quality. But the big advantage to FLAC over WAV is file tags. Tags just make track management and playback in the correct order a whole lot easier. Winamp can categorize your tagged files by artist, album, genre, etc all at the same time, which just makes it a whole lot more enjoyable.

The only downside to FLAC is players, but these days many support FLAC directly. In theory even my Onkyo TX-NR906 will play them directly from the server but in reality it works a whole lot better to decode them on my music server and output over toslink to my receiver. I have it setup so my TV acts as the monitor and have a wireless media center keyboard.

Edit: Picking an album that you probably have in your collection Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here is only 266MB

 

[Geno]

Like others here have stated, if I'm going to sit down & do serious critical listening, I grab the original disc (usually SACD, DVD-A multi-channel). If I want casual background listening I use my Ipod (I ripped all my stuff at 256 VBR in Itunes, and it sounds very good, IMHO) There's just nothing like those playlists.

 

[corey]

If you are going to use a ipod I would rip everything with Apple lossless encoded as then you will have near cd quality...

Ahhhh.... now I get it. If I rip with a lossless codec, then the result, which produces output bit for bit equal to the original CD, will be not quite as good as the original, and that's why CD's are necessary for critical listening.

 

[Shock]

Just rip all your music using apples own lossless format, and the Ipod will play it. Personally I'd do anything to get rid of that bulky player.

 

[MidnightSensi]

I don't think many people, if anyone, could hear the difference between a 320 mp3 and a CD.

 

[jamie2112]

I don't think many people, if anyone, could hear the difference between a 320 mp3 and a CD.

I can buudy for sure.......

 

[MidnightSensi]

I can buudy for sure.......

K, then I can't. I wish my hearing was that good. I can hear the difference between a SACD and CD, and the difference between a 192 mp3 and 320 mp3... but not a 320 mp3 versus a CD. I was bored one weekend with a friend and we did listening tests where we swaped stuff out on eachother. Neither one of us could tell the difference, and I've heard the same tracks on vinyl versus 320 mp3 versus CD many times on big soundsystems... and 320 versus CD I can't tell the difference. Originally I thought I could, but, I'm convinced its all in my head.