[PITTM]

I currently have no cdp and use my microdac as my system source. There are only a few issues:

a) my computer is LOUD. It doesnt really allow complete silence when the music is completely silent. That is kind of annoying.
b) setting up the chaintech to do true bitperfect stuff is kind of a hassle.
c) laying in bed while listening to music is harder with a computer than with a cdp where you can just put a disc in and remote control around in it. an on/off button is better than having to get up and click shut down. Although sometimes I use my macbook in bed and stream to my airport express, which I just connect directly to my amp and lose the qualities of a microdac.

I really want a Cambridge Audio 740c, because optical inputs are a fantastic idea for a cdp, and I feel like adding balanced outputs, as the 840c does, probably causes a price hike that doesn't actually provide extra performance for my setup. Any thoughts?

 

[Tetromino]

Technically, ripping CDs to your PC is illegal in the UK (although no one really cares..)

And CD players are just COOL! Where else can you get such killer features as A-B repeat and view remaining track time all from your remote control!

 

[JohnerH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tetromino /img/forum/go_quote.gif Technically, ripping CDs to your PC is illegal in the UK (although no one really cares..)

For the time being, legislation is due to be changed this year/next...

J

 

[Tetromino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnerH /img/forum/go_quote.gif For the time being, legislation is due to be changed this year/next... J

Are you referring to this?

 

[JohnerH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tetromino /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are you referring to this?

Wow... I didn't know of this development, I just knew of what I read on the daily Metro I get on the bus...

Oh well, at the end of the day it doesn't really surprise me... All I can say is good luck!

(When will companies learn that people will ALWAYS follow they're will no matter how many laws are in place...)

J

 

[Tarkovsky]

Well the benefits of using a pc over a cdp are double edged, what with fan noise, crashes tiresome fiddling with audio settings and whole whoops to jump through.

However using a mac itunes is bit perfect out of the box through the inbuilt digital output, they are quiet and they don't crash (as much lol).

Anyone who tells you that using a properly set-up computer as a transport works better than a cd player is terribly confused. Backup IS an issue however.

 

[grawk]

I will tell you that a properly set up computer as a transport works better than a cd player, and I'm not confused. And backup isn't an issue if you are playing back cds that you ripped yourself and still own.

 

[tomb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I will tell you that a properly set up computer as a transport works better than a cd player, and I'm not confused. And backup isn't an issue if you are playing back cds that you ripped yourself and still own.

Agreed. Sounds like someone has trouble with their PC. There are plenty of people around here who can help.

I carry fubar directly on a portable drive with the music - it and an Alien DAC take only a few minutes to setup - and that's only because it takes that long to read through the file system while generating the play lists. I've done this to several PC's, sight unseen, not to mention the several I own at home and a couple of laptops.

Backup's not an issue even if you own the CD's - a NAS unit (might be a dirty word around here

) or another drive are cheap enough.

 

[nick_charles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarkovsky /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone who tells you that using a properly set-up computer as a transport works better than a cd player is terribly confused.

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I will tell you that a properly set up computer as a transport works better than a cd player, and I'm not confused.

As long as the receiving DAC (internal or external) gets all the correct bits in the right order without excessive timing variations they should be more or less equivalent. My limited personal experience has my PC set-up and CD setup as identical, given a common DAC...once you factor in different DACs all bets are off.

 

[jp11801]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif cd players sound better.

While I normally appreciate your brevity what computer based systems have you heard? Compared to the wadia302, ayre cx7e and exemplar 2900 the mac mini based system stands with these players. I have used the cosecant and apogee dacs without sonic regrets.

 

[orkney]

I'm new to computer audio, but with a newborn in the house I had to relocate my headphone rig. I had an extra MacBook lying around and it took all of ten minutes to set it up with an Apogee Duet. I ripped about 40 gig of lossless music, backed it up to an external drive, and now use it as my main headphone system. I wake up the Mac in the morning and put it to bed at night and it makes beautiful music.

This system lacks the elegance of my old iMod and some of the convenience of a CDP solution but it

a) sounds a whole lot better than the old Oppo 970 I was using
b) eliminates keeping a hundred or so CDs to hand in my tiny office
c) is luggable anywhere I take my laptop

For me, the slightly irritating interface is outweighed by the advantages for my office system. I much prefer using my Rega Saturn in the speaker rig and prefer the sound substantially as well. So I'd say it's a question of horses for courses. Either, carefully set up, will do a good job of music-making.

best,

o

 

[morphsci]

Well I also run a CA840c as my CDP and my DAC. I feed FLAC rips of the CD's from my squeezebox. To me this is the best test of what is better, a CD or a music rip. On my system the ripped FLAC's are indistinguishable from the CDP's. So using the exact same DAC, and either the internal CDP transport or the coaxial input from the SB3, I absolutely cannot distinguish any difference between them. I do not think it is a resolution limitation of either my electrostatic or balanced rig. I really do not see why anyone would expect a difference as long as you did an accurate rip?

Anyway, I am between the era's now. i still enjoy spinning a disk, but the convenience and ability to have my whole music collection available at my fingertips is winning out. Music servers are the way of the future and I'm not even a youngster

.

 

[Asr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif cd players sound better.

Says who? The gods of audio? You might be able to speak for the CDPs you've heard versus the USB DACs you've heard but you can't speak for all CDPs vs all USB/coaxial/optical DACs. I guess Audio Note, bel canto, Electrocompaniet, North Star, Theta Digital, Wavelength Audio, et al, can all go home too if it were true.

Oh wait, and sound is subjective.

 

[fhuang]

because it cost more than a cd player? a decent/good computer with let say over 500gb cost at least 2000 dollars us(or 15000 hk dollars) of course unless you build it your own one but still that will cost you close to 1500(or 10000). for 1500 dollars, you can get a pretty damn good cd player. plus i haven't bought/build a pc for the past five, seven years. a laptop doesn't have that much space.

most cd players look better

 

[22906]

A good computer (good enough for playing music) can be built for ~600. Also, no one needs to buy a whole new computer just for their audio system. You can just use the computer you already have and add an external hard drive to keep extra music.

Cost is definitely not the problem. I think the reason many CD players are better is that reading CD's is an art that has been perfected for over 20 years, whereas using computers as high-fidelity transports for audio is a relatively new thing. There are already effective means for reading CD's very accurately, while asynchronous USB audio connection is a relatively new technology. I for one am considering burning my FLAC collection to CD's and using a middle to high end CD player as my main source just because I am tired of the fatiguing sound that comes from low cost USB DACs. Or just ditching digital audio altogether and starting a vinyl setup.

PS By the way, the only reason you can say "sound is subjective" is that no one can actually go and hear the artists in their recording sessions and then hear the reproduced version on their own gear. If they could, there is definitely an objective standard for ACCURACY to the original sound. Of course when you are talking about what sounds "better", people have differing opinions based on their auditory perception.