[rlow]

If you want a CD player, nothing. If you want a transport, I'd rather spend the full $500 on the transport rather then on included DAC and other electronics that I don't want nor need.

+1 on this. A barebones, good quality CD transport-only, in a compact case for a good price, is something I would go for from Schiit.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

Absolutely point taken. I wonder, though, (devil's advocate) whether including the DAC increases sales volumes such that the price can be pushed down further than Schiit could do with a more niche product.

 

[mike138]

+1 on this. A barebones, good quality CD transport-only, in a compact case for a good price, is something I would go for from Schiit.

Me too. It would totally fit with their "equipment for the music you already have" philosophy.

 

[Trerit]

I'm seriously considering buying JIL to replace a first generation Apogee Duet firewire ADC. Am I right to expect that JIL will most likely be a sonic improvement over the Duet?
Also, apologies if this is a daft question, but does JIL's input gain knob operate in the analogue or digital domain?

EDIT - I should probably have asked this in @Baldr's thread instead, shouldn't I??!!

Schiit questions about digital wizardry should probably go to the digital wizard(Baldr)

 

[FLTWS]

If you want a CD player, nothing. If you want a transport, I'd rather spend the full $500 on the transport rather then on included DAC and other electronics that I don't want nor need.

YEP!

 

[HirschiAUT]

Since everyone is talking cd-transports, i am using the Cambridge CXC and am very happy with it, although i am not feeding a Schiit DAC with it

https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/products/cx/cxc

I was able to get it from my trusted dealer for 380€ new, and for that price it performs superb imho.

 

[madwolfa]

Makes total sense. I'll likely switch to Spotify as well if they ever launch a hi-fi service option.

They already have it - it's called Spotify Premium. And yes, I know it's not "lossless", but at 320 kbps it's arguably as good as it gets...
Mastering quality is much more important for the sound fidelity, but even Tidal with their "lossless" service doesn't offer a choice of original CD pressings not crushed by the loudness war.
All you see in ALL streaming catalogs are the latest and "greatest" (/sarcasm/) remastered albums. So everything still largely sounds like crap, lossless or not.

 

[Dalgas]

Been following the talk about buying cds and ripping them. I do that too and play the flac-files from a labtop via a USB-spdif converter to the BNC on my Gumby. Why?

Because it sounds good. Better than any cd-player/drive I have owned.

But thinking it over this dont make much sense. Why should ripping a cd with a cheap computerdrive and play it from a noisy laptop with a crappy USB output be better than listening to the cd directly from a good drive??

I have heard a very expensive cd-transport and that was better. But my old PS3 FAT is in fact also a very good cd-transport in spite of the Toslink digital output.

I wish I didnt have to use the crappy USB on my laptop. I wish I had a killer cd-transport. There must be a way to get to a decent digital source for my Gumby

I still think streaming is too user-unfriendly.

I have heard what adding a Sonore MicroRendo can do for my setup - and that is VERY impressing. Best sound I have ever heard from a digital source. But it is NOT at all logical that "streaming" the music from the laptop via a router to MicroRendo - before sending it via the USB-spdif converter to the Gumby should be that much better. But it is!

Only explanation I can think of is that the USB output from a laptop is CRAP!!

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

This is what I use on my Yggdrassil:
http://www.box-designs.com/main.php?prod=cdboxrs&cat=source&lang=en
Transport only, no DAC. Complete with AES/EBU.
And a sound that makes you very happy.
However, with almost 2000 HiRes albums on file I hardly use it.

 

[jseymour]

I did a lot of research before making the dive into PC based music. The recommendations I went with are to use a good external CD\DVD drive with ripping software that incorporates AccurateRip. This will give you data retrieval on par with the best transports. Then don't use any PC. Use a fanless PC with an internal SSD drive for the OS and an external P.S.

Never use straight USB. Originally, I used an ESI juli@ card with SPDIF out, then upgraded to a Yellowtec PUC2 lite powered by an external 5VDC P.S. (USB to AES). Now I use an Eitr.

My typical day involves several hours worth of music. I am never going back to taking care of CDs. Other reasons for PC based music is I have 243 (and growing) hi-res albums and I use free Spotify to check out releases I am interested in buying.

 

[rkw]

I'll likely switch to Spotify as well if they ever launch a hi-fi service option.

They already have it - it's called Spotify Premium.

No they don't, but Spotify has been exploring a lossless tier:
https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/1/14776780/spotify-hi-fi-preparing-launch-lossless-audio-tier
I currently have both Spotify Premium and Tidal HiFi (lossless does make a difference), and I'm ready to drop Tidal if/when Spotify offers lossless.

 

[Dalgas]

I use a regular Audio-optimized laptop with SSD.

I rip with EAC (exact audio copy) - should be as good as AccurateRip.

I use Yellowtec PUC2 lite powered by a 5v powerbank.

Still Sonore made fun of me.....

 

[Dalgas]

I did a lot of research before making the dive into PC based music......Use a fanless PC with an internal SSD drive for the OS and an external P.S.

What kind of PC is that? Who makes Them?

 

[winders]

They already have it - it's called Spotify Premium. And yes, I know it's not "lossless", but at 320 kbps it's arguably as good as it gets...
Mastering quality is much more important for the sound fidelity, but even Tidal with their "lossless" service doesn't offer a choice of original CD pressings not crushed by the loudness war.
All you see in ALL streaming catalogs are the latest and "greatest" (/sarcasm/) remastered albums. So everything still largely sounds like crap, lossless or not.

Arguably, 320Kbps Ogg Vorbis is not as good as lossless formats such as FLAC and ALAC....so Spotify Premium is not arguably as good as it gets.

 

[jseymour]

What kind of PC is that? Who makes Them?

It's a C.A.P.S. PC. Computer Audiophile Pocket Server. When I built my PC they were on version 2, now they are up to version 4.
https://www.computeraudiophile.com/search/?&type=cms_records2&tags=caps&sortby=relevancy