[NewMexiCat]

I am transitioning from a CD Transport to a PC as my primary source component. Accordingly, I am planning to use my dedicated HTPC already in place in my home theater as my source.

I have historically used J.River Media Center (MC) to play ripped CD files in my home theater. I know Foobar and WinAmp are the popular applications in this forum, but given that I already have MC and am very familiar with its use, is there any known audio-related downside to using it in my headphone setup?

I have all my CDs ripped as lossless APE files and have a bit-perfect digital output via ASIO on my Audiophile 24/96 soundcard, so the software application I use to play my files should be inconsequential, no? I am not worried about overtaxing the CPU as I really don't multitask on my HTPC (no word processing or work related stuff).

Thanks from a "computer-as-source component" newbie!

 

[PFRfan]

Man - it's good to hear somebody bring this product up. I've been using it for a couple of years, and haven't found anything to replace it. I've only just begun using iTunes seriously to test out my iPod, but there are many ways in which I wish I was using MC still.

The output is identical to other players (if going flat and using ASIO), but it's management features are WAY better than anything else. I pretty much can't think of ANYTHING that I want to do with my audio collection that it can't do. The multistage sorting/filtering is like iTunes on steroids, it can convert from any format/bitrate to another, can server as a media server, and can also play different music on seperate sound cards for multiple zones.

It's just an all-around terrific product. All that to say - "no, it won't hurt your setup". Unless it crashes. Which it does once in a while (if you use alpha/beta versions like me).

 

[NewMexiCat]

Thanks for the input. I've never had a crash with MC, but I've always stayed a step or two behind the latest version, waiting for others (like you apparently) to work the bugs out.

I agree with your assessment of MC. I think it's a wonderful program, and very well supported. And from what I can tell, it seems to have most of the great audiophile features a Head-Fi'er would want.