Listening to Music On Your Computer Through An Audio System

[Sami M]

Hi!

Does anybody use computer in one's hi-fi system, to play audiofiles,such as recordings from vinyl or self saved cd-tracks?

I've now been using my laptop a lot as a digital tape recorder. I find it intriquing that it's possible to have hours of continuous music. The practicality has made me seriously consider on what equipment to invest in near future. I'm also less willing to get new gear and find it hard to make out any heavy reasons to do so. Ok maybe an extra hard-drive and cd-r stations :roll:

What are your thoughts or experience?

[Bernie]

Same here. I began ripping all my CDs into the Apple Lossless format (no MP3s here!) earlier this year and it is truly liberating not to have to break out a CD each time. More importatnly though is the ability to quickly search and play almost any desired track and create a playlist based on certain criteria such as year, genre, BPM...

I play this through Apple's iTunes music program on a Mac running OS-X. The signal goes out via Firewire to an M-Audio Firewire Audiophile Interface, which feeds my home stereo via a digital coax cable.

The music is stored on two Western Digital 250GB w/ 8Mb buffer hard drives striped as a single RAID unit in a dual firewire enclosure. Since I'm storing music in the Apple Lossless format the file sizes are substanially larger than MP3s and I have already maxed out the two drives. Even so, one can fit a great deal of music like this-right now it is at over 15,000 songs.

The sound quality is exceptional and so good that I am now making the Mac my primary music source. The ripping of CDs is time intensive and although I started last Spring, I am nowhere near done yet with the CDs. I still have all the vinyl to transfer and clean up, but that's another story. All in all, it is worth going this route for the convenience and sound.

Anybody else runnng their computer through their home hi-fi system and if so what has been your experience?

[Nano]

I've been considering this for some time... I think there are real probabilities that in 10 or 20 years time all entertainment formats (including TV) will run via the computer directly.
However, I see a problem in that I use my computer mainly for work, but now I'm adding entertainment (music and video files)... I don't like the idea of having the same ambience for both. For example, let's say I'm in my bedroom at night and want to listen some music, would I have to go to my desk and turn on the PC? Or watching a movie in front of my desk with the chair a few steps back of its normal position?
How do you cope with this?

[kaliffen]

Bernie i am basically using the same setup as you do.

1 ghz powerbook with the M audio firewire interface and 250 gb Firewire HD. A Vestax PM17 mixer, Tannoy active speakers and nothing else.

I also use the system when im out DJing playing my tracks from Ableton live 4

The sound is awesome as long as you dont play MP3 files or files converted from MP3.

But i must admit i got many MP3 files in my computer, most of the from the internet as i simply dont have had the time to transfer alot of my records yet. But eventually i will get there because the sound is just sooooooo much better compared to the random coding of other peoples files.

I havent had a "normal" stereo set up in my home for several years. I do have my old trusty SL 1510 mk 2 turntable that i only use to listen to new additions to my collection while i transfer them to the digital domain.

A funny thing is that i recently looked through my Downloaded MP3 files and found that i only got a measly 70ish songs that i DONT already own on vinyl or CD.
And im stilling grapping stuff on ebay i could have found as a file somewhere even though i dont play vinyl anymore. But hey thats whats collecting is all about....

[Sami M]

I also use m-audio audiophile soundcard. But I have Windows as operating system. So the sound files are stored in wma format. They claim that it is a loseless form of packing... I haven't noticed any difference so far comapred to the original signal, but haven't tested really seriously yet - becouse the sound is good :P

Do you fellows know, weather the Apple sound format you use is much better and if it is, why so and what are the main differences? I'm quite puzzled here :-?

I would prefer mac myself, but when I bought the computer I choce pc. The mac laptop wasn't so easily available here at that time, 2002, now it is.

[Bernie]

Sami,
Check here for some basic information on the Apple Lossless format...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=150301
I am very concerned about preserving audio quality and am impressed with this format as it sounds great, but is roughly half the size of raw uncompressed CD files. Whether it's on a home system or an iPod I've found the Apple Lossless format to be excellent.

Even though you have Windows, Apple has now made the original Mac iTunes program available to Windows as well and it is free to download. You can download iTunes here

Nano,
Many Mac users leave their computers running all the time. In effect they are running like servers and you merely access the data wirelessly through items like Apple's Air Tunes or yu can simply connect to your home theatre systems with good old audio/video cables.

[BrunoRepublic]

WMA is lossy, AFAIK. One lossless format which is about 50% the size of uncompressed is called "Monkey's Audio" (I'm serious). I haven't looked into this lately as hard drives have become exponentially larger and cheaper, but I use to make regular use of it.

[judydoggie]

I've found that Creative's SoundBlaster Audigy cards (for Windows; to which I'm hopelessly tied for various reasons) are quite sufficient D/A converters when using 'em for output into a good mixer (e.g., Mackie/Yamaha).

I agree with Bernie that utilizing a "lossless" format is sooo much better in the long run. After all, hard-disk drives are getting faster, bigger, and cheaper. Mackie also manufactures active studio reference speakers that are the best I've ever heard -- I now use them exclusively. The "sweet spot" is an absolute delight; play something like "I Feel Love" and you'll know what I mean; it brings me right back to the Saint and Graebar sound (in a much smaller room, that is!).

One of my software associates is working on a product that's basically a database that also plays the music; and allows the user to select from up to four different "moods." Soon we'll make it practical to select more. We've deployed this equipment in two commercial locations but have yet to get certain bugs out to make it work perfectly (and fool-proof).

For mixing and recording, nothing beats ProTools (don't buy the MBox; it's only a toy; go for the LE rack version at least).

- Paul a.k.a. Judydoggie

[Sami M]

Thanks Bernie! :D I checked the link and downloaded some files. It's now available on Apple's official finnish site to download songs cheapily - so I just have to check out what's in there... no surprises maybe, but something usefull I'm sure.

It just may be, that I won't buy a new cd player at all. :P I have 2 Pioneer dj-players - I guess the computer will be very sufficient for the unofficial home listening - no room and no will to get so many seperate players.

How have you placed your extra hard drives, soundcards etc.? So many seperate boxes, if you have just a laptop...

[Bernie]

Originally Posted by Sami M

Thanks Bernie! :D I checked the link and downloaded some files. It's now available on Apple's official finnish site to download songs cheapily - so I just have to check out what's in there... no surprises maybe, but something usefull I'm sure.

Actually, I've been finding more and more interesting Disco on iTunes as they are adding songs in what seems to be a daily basis. I just saw several tracks from Grace Jone's "Portfolio" album featuring a 7:28 version of "La Vie en Rose so anything is possible. Even so I'm not buying any Disco online as I'd rather have the vinyl or CD since the online sources are capped at 128kbps.

What I have found it useful for are those one-off songs like when Marky mentioned "Suburban Homeboy" by Sparks a few months back. I'd never heard it before so I searched in iTunes and listened to an audio sample, liked it and bought it for .99¢.

It just may be, that I won't buy a new cd player at all. :P I have 2 Pioneer dj-players - I guess the computer will be very sufficient for the unofficial home listening - no room and no will to get so many seperate players.

This is what happened to me. Remember we were all discussing buying new CD players back in the Spring? Well, since using iTunes and the Mac as a music server has worked out so well I'm not buying a new CD player as I have hardly used the one I still have anyway. The computer at home and the iPod in the car gets more use now. I love this stuff!

How have you placed your extra hard drives, soundcards etc.? So many seperate boxes, if you have just a laptop...

It's only two boxes (a dual hard drive enclosure and one firewire audio interface) and one firewire cable as you merely daisy chain them to the Firewire port on your computer. Once the whole thing is setup one really doessn't have to access or even touch the two boxes just unplug the one cable when you want to leave home with your Powerbook.

[Sami M]

Bernie wrote:

What I have found it useful for are those one-off songs like when Marky mentioned "Suburban Homeboy" by Sparks

:o :o :o :o :o

I'm amazaed! I try to find time very soon to check out the songs available. This sounds more interesting every day!

By the way, is there any important points one should know of, when buying an extra hard drive? I mean besides the size matter? Do they fit in all computers with the proper plug ins? Any differences in reliability?

Yes, I think I'll just invest on a nice new amplifier, no need for cd player. :P

Thank you very much for charing your experiences! These sure are interesting times for music lovers!

[judydoggie]

I have two Western Digital devices that are working remarkably well. One, an 80 gig, has been running continuously for four years, day and night, without failure and is nice and fast at accessing data, too. My new Western Digital 120-gigs are for recording and storage, and 'cause they were on sale, I bought the stand-alone models (not installed in a pc slot). They're blazing fast!

However, there's also a company called Buslink. I don't think they make their own drives, but I have a little 40 gig compact device that I bought to use with my laptop five years ago, and it's running strong after being dropped on the floor, operated continuously for years, and lugged around with my laptop all over the place. I find the fact that, after the beating it's taken, it still works, incredible.

- Paul a.k.a. JudyDoggie

[jam master jay]

The computer at home and the iPod in the car gets more use now.

Bernie - what type of iPod setup do you use in your car? I am stuck with the FM transmitter type setups right now, as my current car stereo doesn't have aux inputs. There are some interesting ways to go (like the ICELink) but I haven't heard any real experiences with them.

[Bernie]

My 2000 Toyota Camry has a six disc CD changer and a cassette deck built into the head unit so it has no AUX input on the back (see pic above). I simply use the cassette adaptor. While not great, it is much better than an FM transmitter.

[jam master jay]

Cool - I got a new car a few months ago, and as luck would have it, there is no cassette player (only an in-dash CD changer). Guess I am stuck with the weak FM transmitter unless I replace the head unit. Still, on long trips, I would rather bring along thousands of songs I like with a bit weaker sound quality, versus listening to a few dozen on my CD changer.