Computer as Music Server?

[modman]

I've seen info on this in one of the forums here, but for the life of me I can't find the thread. Please forgive....

If your receiver does not have a USB input, what is the preferred method for getting the digital information into the receiver? I know there are somer really high-quality DAC's out there that will output an analogue signal to the receiver...but I want to be able to use my receiver's digital processing capabilities.

Is it simply a USB-to-coax converter?

Thanks

 

[furrycute]

Some soundcards can output optical or coaxial digital outputs. If you have one of those soundcards, you can hook up that digital connection straight to your receiver's digital in, and you'll be in business.


If your computer's built in soundcard does not support digital out, you can purchase an external USB or firewire soundcard that has either an optical or coaxial digital out.



One thing you have to pay attention to is that not all soundcards will output bit perfect digital outputs. To get a bit perfect soundcard, you'll need to read up on some tech savy forums. I know creative's soundcards have a bad rep with audiophiles for resampling everything thrown at them.


This is as much as I know.

 

[ScottMayo]

The other approach is to get a squeezebox (www.slimdevices.com). This is in effect an external sound card, but it connects over your network (which can be wireless). It doesn't use your computer's soundcard. I have one, and like it. It has both analog and digital optical outputs; I have a good pre/pro so I use the digital outs, but the analog outputs are pretty decent.

There are cheaper ways to do this, but the squeezebox is extremely convenient, offering both a usable remote control and a web browser interface.

 

[furrycute]

But if you go with the squeezebox route, you first have to have a wireless network properly setup. I don't have a wireless router, so I never bothered with the squeezebox.

 

[jonnythan]

Just get a soundcard with digital audio out, like:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829111001

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829117108

 

[modman]

The Goal

Thanks for the great replies on this one. My goal is to buy a laptop with a huge hard drive and load my CD's onto it, using one of the available lossless compression programs. Theoretically, a computer should be a superior transport, with regard to error concealing, etc. -- correct? In the end, I can have my CD library on hard drive and have audiophile-quality sound. Right?

Can anyone share their experiences in this area?

Thanks again.

 

[jonnythan]

Right.

The digital output of a CD, whether from a cheap CD player, a $2000 CD player, or a computer's FLAC files, will be identical. Don't worry about it.

 

[NotherNewbie]

CDs on hard drives

I use ximetra external hard drives.. they connect by ethernet cable right into a network switch/hub.. and each one gets a seperate drive letter once you install the software on a computer. with multiple drives, I can assign one for country western, one for classical, one for new age.. etc.. then each computer on the network can access any of the drives for play

easy to take one with you if your'e goin somewhere..
can also connect into a laptop via a usb cable

I convert my cds to mp3 files so I can load em to an mp3 player.. wav files take up more space.

check ebay for the drives

 

[ScottMayo]

But if you go with the squeezebox route, you first have to have a wireless network properly setup. I don't have a wireless router, so I never bothered with the squeezebox.

Well, no, I use mine cabled right to an ethernet drop. You only need to use wireless if you can't get to your network the wired way. The wireless way costs more and has less bandwidth.

 

[jcPanny]

Audio file size

Keep in mind that laptops tend to be more limited in hard disk size and are harder to upgrade. A lossless format like FLAC only has a 50% compression ratio so a 700 MB CD will require about 350 MB of disk space in FLAC.

 

[ZoFo]

JCPanny is spot on!

Laptops are slower, much more difficult to upgrade, more expensive and the HDD's are not as large as what you can get in a desktop. There are some very "small form factor" PC's out there now,small gaming "cubes" to PC's and cases that look like one of your AV components. I think any of these would be a better choice for a Music Server then a laptop.

Here is a link with some info:

http://compreviews.about.com/od/cases/a/SFFPCs.htm