regalma1;184943 Wrote: > You wrote that you had an RCA connection between your computer and your > receiver. I am assuming that this is an analog connection, not SPDIF. > Most computer sound cards are pretty poor quality. Why not make a > connection to your receiver from your USB port. You can either buy an > external DAC or you could get a USB to SPDIF convertor (coax or > Toslink, either is dirt cheap compared to a good DAC). > > I would buy the convertor first and see how you like it. And create > some lossless files to do an A/B comparison with your MP3 files. I > don't know what, if any, losseless files Winamp supports, though I have > read that there is a FLAC plug in for it. For the time being try > downloading www.monkeyaudio.com. It is free. I just started using it > and am pretty much impressed so far. Much easier than the other > favorite here, Foobar2000. Be sure to rerip your CD for the lossless > files. Converting MP3 to lossless is pointless, though I am sure you > already know that. > > I am using USB connection to a MP-Audio Transit ($80 on EBay), which > converts it to Toslink, feeding that into my pure digital equalizer > then into my receiver where it it converted to analog. I am pretty darn > happy with this. > > If you are still not happy with this setup buy a DAC with a USB input. > There are lots of audiophile versions available from about $500 on up. > Just do a search in this forum on the subject. Though there are people > who participate in this forum who feel USB is awful there are high end > DAC designers who think USB from a computer with lossless files is the > best possible way of playing digital music, better than any CD player. > > > There are also people who think Toslink is horrible, yet I can't find a > single test to confirm this. These people may very well be happy > listening to their SB or Transporter through WiFi. If they were > familiar with the circuitry involved with electrical to RF and RF to > electrical conversion, and the compromises needed I think they would be > amazed. Electrical to optical and O to E is such much simpler and less > compromised. > > Anyway, my feeling is don't let all our opinions color your listening > experience. Decide for yourself. > > One other thing. I would recommend against the Transporter. I am sure > is very good electronics. But, ater living with the Squeezebox for over > a year I have abondoned it and Slimserver because of the overhead. When > they work they work very well. But I have found Slimserver to not be a > robust program. It seemed everytime I tinkered with my computer I would > lose Slimserver and have to play around till I got it back up. Some > people like doing this, some of us are tired of always working on their > computers just so we can use them. I read a definition of technology > recently that went something like: technology is an idea that doesn't > work well yet.
I haven't heard many say that TOSLINK is horrible. It is however, very, very irritating that a supposedly digital interconnection method gives results that vary depending on cabling, etc, etc. And since this is the audiophile section, after all, I'd question the quality of a USB to TOSLINK converter. But I could be wrong.. Any links to suitable such converters? Rgds -- P Floding No, I didn't ABX it. And I won't even if you ask me. (Especially not if you ask me.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ P Floding's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=2932 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=33197 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
