[nspindel]

WHOA!!!!!! DUDE!!!!!!! YOU ARE THE MAN!!!!!

That is perfect. Zero gap, zero pop, zero skip. Perfect. Just gave Dark Side the test, wow - I haven't heard it without a gap since I sold the CD! LOL.

Thanks man - time to go uninstall Winamp!!!!


Now why the F*#K can't Apple do that with the iPod????????

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nspindel Now why the F*#K can't Apple do that with the iPod????????

Because they don't need to. Everybody and their brother already wants one.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by asmox i fail to see how the atmosphere surrounding a PC source is any worse than a CDP or a turntable. there may be more things happening ON the actual computer that you may be tempted to do simultaneously with your music.. but if you can't say, 'ok, time to close down all these extra applications and get into some tunes..', then it seems more like a self-discipline problem than anything else.

For me, it's both a 'self discipline problem' and a problem with noise. I could make my PC quieter, but I like HD580s and even if it's nearly silent there's still going to be some audible background. IMO, total dead silence is really best with these cans, at least silence in the listening room itself.

Re: the self-discipline thing... that's a bit of a silly way to look at it. When I'm using my computer, I like to browse Head-Fi and actually 'use' it. Yes, I could kick back and listen to some tunes but then why have the computer on? Convenience? I have no problem burning some compilation CD's from FLACs and using those instead. So anyway... it's a combination of the noise and potential distractions that are turning me off, combined with the fact that convenience is really the least of my considerations.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon L Hey, if you guys are happy with your CD setups, that's great. I used to one of you. It's just that when you have ALL your music in lossless files, instantly accessible from my touch pen, there's no going back.

Yes there is... I have gone back.

P.S. hiya Paul

.

 

[asmox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch Re: the self-discipline thing... that's a bit of a silly way to look at it. When I'm using my computer, I like to browse Head-Fi and actually 'use' it. Yes, I could kick back and listen to some tunes but then why have the computer on? Convenience? I have no problem burning some compilation CD's from FLACs and using those instead. So anyway... it's a combination of the noise and potential distractions that are turning me off, combined with the fact that convenience is really the least of my considerations.

i'm not quite sure what you mean by 'why have the computer on?'. if you're using your PC as a music source, then that's more than enough reason to keep it on. whether you're browsing Head-Fi, listening to music, or doing both at the same time - you're still 'using' it.. both are valid functions.

if convenience is the least of your considerations, well.. i believe the two main reasons for using a computer as a source are convenience and bang for your buck value. if you already have a nice set of dedicated gear (which i'm guessing you do?), and don't care about the convenience of having your entire library at your fingertips.. then yeah, i can definitely see where you're coming from.

..but for somebody like me - i love being able to skip to any track from my entire collection in a matter of seconds, and any noise that my PC generates isn't noticeable once the cans are on and the music starts playing (i generally switch between HD650's and DT770/80's). sure, i usually do other things on the computer along with listening to music.. but quite often i also just shut the monitor off, go lie down with my cans on, and get lost in the music.

in the end, you should do whatever you're more comfortable with.. but i've just never had any problems focusing on my music from the computer.

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch For me, it's both a 'self discipline problem' and a problem with noise. I could make my PC quieter, but I like HD580s and even if it's nearly silent there's still going to be some audible background. IMO, total dead silence is really best with these cans, at least silence in the listening room itself.

I don't have my own house in the middle of the nowhere in the country. So ambient noises from the outside are far far noisier than my computer. So, my favorite time to listen is early in the morning. Just after midnight til 4am.

It's especially important because the K1000's are THE most open cans out there.

My old CD changer is just too noisy compared to my computer. Even higher end ones, I can hear the CD itself spinning. But this is only if the CDP is right next to me.

It's all relative. If you've gone to the extent I have to have a silent PC, it makes many CD players noisy in comparison. But either way, they are for all intents and purposes silent, as you need to have your head next to them and have no music playing through the headphones to hear.

I put as much money into computers as I could've spent on a high end CDP. Of course, it's more than one computer, and they do far more than play music. But oh do they play music well. And to be fair, I have a "hybrid" system, as the computer is a transport, and I use an external DAC.

-Ed

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood It's all relative. If you've gone to the extent I have to have a silent PC, it makes many CD players noisy in comparison.

That is incredible... I assume you have a fan-less PC? Even a large fan spinning at low RPM's would be noisier than a typical CD player, I think. The CDP motor will be running more slowly, and very little movement of air is involved.

I really don't have the funds for truly serious PC quieting... isn't it still fairly expensive? Haven't kept track the last couple years. Anyway, I'm sure it negates at least some of the cost/benefit of a sound card.

P.S. I'm not knocking sound cards, folks... just not really for me anymore, at least not at the present time. The convenience seems to be the major factor for most, but I really don't care... 5 minutes burning a CD comp is not a big deal at all.

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood My old CD changer is just too noisy compared to my computer. Even higher end ones, I can hear the CD itself spinning. But this is only if the CDP is right next to me.

Woah... what kind of CD player is this? I can put my head up to mine and I hear nothing. Is this just a problem with CD changers?

 

[nspindel]

You'd be amazed how quiet an $8 fan can be....

To build a totally silent pc, you need to get into water cooling, rather than fan cooling. That can get fairly expensive. But if you don't want to go crazy like that, look into quiet fans, they're not expensive.

I have a small-form-factor machine on my desk which was extremely noisy. I ripped out one of the fans completely, because it was insanely loud. In it's place, I used one of the antec cyclone things, or whatever they're called, that sit in one of the card slots. Then I swapped out the fan inside the power supply with one much quieter (variable speed), and also got a Zantec heatsink (massive, barely fits inside the SFF case) which has an adjustable speed fan.

The combination of these three fans are EXTREMELY quiet, when the variable speed fans are set to low speed. Low speed on the variables seems to be good enough to keep the inside cool, based on the temperature sensors in the cpu and the hard drive. The only time I need to turn fan speeds higher is when I'm doing something very cpu intensive, like a big music transcode for example.

 

[jhawk22]

Water Cooling

Pc runs about 15-21db now(power supply fan).

 

[Kameleon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox And another thing... am I the only one that listens to whole CD's anymore?

No.

It's something I've been wondering about for a long time, so vote here:

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=141574

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nspindel To build a totally silent pc, you need to get into water cooling, rather than fan cooling. That can get fairly expensive. But if you don't want to go crazy like that, look into quiet fans, they're not expensive.

Ummm... doesn't water cooling usually still have fans on the radiators?

 

[chesebert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch I've noticed when listening on my PC that it's difficult to really get involved in the music, because there's so much else going on. I'm much happier with a PCDP + amp at my bedside with the computer turned off, the room completely silent and my full attention turned to the music. Even if it doesn't sound as good as my sound card (and that's questionable), the atmosphere is so much more conducive to good listening that I get 10x more out of the experience. I have switched amps over to my turntable and am going to get back into analog as well. Computer goes OFF when it's time to listen to music, and the music gets complete attention. My sound card is now without an amp, and I think it'll stay that way... PC listening just isn't working out for me anymore. Anyone else feel at all disillusioned, or are you completely happy with your PC-based rig?

I 2nd that! what's the point of an amp that's completely black while you have all those noises from mouse clicking/fan/PSU/HD/Video Card...etc...

computer listening is really over rated and is not hi-fi no matter how you look at it..

 

[Bleed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox Ummm... doesn't water cooling usually still have fans on the radiators?

yes they still have fans on 'em, mostly 120mm. it really depends on the configuration that you are going for. I have mine on push-pull config right now. I'm using 2 120mm Sanyo Denki fans, and they MOVE some serious air. I have a fan controller, so I barely hear them now, but still move enough air. all my other fans are papst, so my pc is very quiet.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chesebert I 2nd that! what's the point of an amp that's completely black while you have all those noises from mouse clicking/fan/PSU/HD/Video Card...etc... computer listening is really over rated and is not hi-fi no matter how you look at it..

IMO, it is yet again "Convenience > SQ", although the compromises involved are substantially less than in some other areas (like 128k MP3 listening on a portable).

Sorry if saying this pisses anyone off, it's just my opinion. Sound card listening worked for me for a long time, so I'm not knocking it. I may get back into it again, but there's something much more rewarding about listening in a completely quiet room without distractions, my attention turned to the music. I don't believe "music as background" needs a very good SQ -- relatively low fi will do. That's again only a belief of mine and only applies to me, really.

P.S. how did I arrive at these conclusions? Spent some time actually listening, with the computer off. This may not affect everyone the same way (particularly those with quiet PCs) but for me, I realized how much better the sonic experience was. Even with a cheap but decent sounding PCDP. My computing experience also seems better, without music blaring in the background while I'm typing or reading.

 

[nspindel]

See, the way I have my setup configured, it doesn't really matter. I was lucky. The room where I have my home theater had a staircase down to the basement behind the wall where the equipment was. I have another staircase going down in another part of the house, plus a bulkhead in from the outside. I really didn't need (or use) this staircase. So I ripped out the stairs and put in a floor, so I ended up with essentially a long closet behind the wall.

I cut a big hole in the wall, and recessed a 60" lcd rear-projection hdtv, which now looks like a flat panel hanging on the wall. All the audio equipment is behind the wall, as is a computer outputting to the hdtv. All the cd and dvd's are archived (cough cough) to hard drives that are in servers in the basement on the complete opposite side of the house. So there really is no noise in the listening room - the pc is essentially in another room! I also have a Gyration RF keyboard/mouse, which have a 30 foot range and can penetrate the wall. So I don't have to be sitting behind a desk to do my computer listening - I can be sitting on my couch, 15 feet away from a large screen. I have a great htpc front-end (www.xlobby.com) running the dvd and cd library, so simple to use that my wife and child love it.

Now that's the home theater side. For 2 channel music listening, my large Polk SDA's were bannished to another room in the basement, which just wasn't big enough for those baby's to work their imaging magic. So I sold that whole rig, and have moved into the headphone camp

But since I have all the music on servers, I can use my laptop, quiet as can be, in any room of the house and stream the music over the wireless network. I can move the Micro Stack along with the laptop, curl up in a chair, press play on the laptop, and completely forget that a computer is involved.

That's the beauty of this stuff, though. To each his own....