[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

 

Why did you pick WAV over AIFF?
 

I guess this was really my question?   i would have kept the AIFF files and simply transferred them using something like XLD.  

 

[grokit]

I though that I read that WAV doesn't support tags, but this may differ on PCs and Macs.

 

[mikemalter]

Quote:

 

The PureMusic guys recommend to use a firewire or ESATA HDD interface if using a USB connection for your DAC if possible, they only want a USB HDD connection if using optical or coax directly out of the sound card.
 
 

Why did you pick WAV over AIFF?
 

Hey Grokit,
 
It's not going from my usb drive to my dac, but to the BDP-1 which is a digital player that connects to a dac.  Also, there is no firewire input on the back of the BDP, just usb.  I did find an answer on the Bryston board.  It seems that jitter is not an issue until the file is opened and is playing, until then it is just a file.  So it's just a file until it gets to the Juli@ sound card in the BDP which means I don't need anything other than a standard issue usb cable.
 
No reason for picking WAV over AIFF.  Do you think that AIFF is superior to WAV?
 

 

[mikemalter]

Quote:

I though that I read that WAV doesn't support tags, but this may differ on PCs and Macs.

Wav does not support embedded images or tags, but dBpoweramp creates separate files that are read and understood by the BDP.
 

 

[grokit]

So you are using your computer to rip and download music but then transferring to the BDP-1 USB drive for streaming, can you have the drive mounted on both or do you have to unmount from the BDP-1 and mount to your computer etc.?
 
I would have thought that the streamer would be fed by a digital output from the DAC out of your computer. It seems like you are exiting the iTunes universe for something much more specialized with the BDP-1 if dBpoweramp is creating files just for it but I don't know really...
 
I have all of my music in ALAC format, which works great except for the fact that when I try to transfer my library to a Windows formatted HDD most of it won't copy. So I was thinking of re-ripping in Windows and decided on AIFF because of the tag thing. But I never got around to it after a few dozen CDs or so, the whole notion of re-ripping everything kind of faded away into the ether as I don't boot into Windows much on my Mac Pro so that's as far as I got.
 
Your system seems "different" to me, I think I would either stream straight out of my computer or get a DAC/streamer like maybe a Transporter or a Chord all in one unit to do it externally, does your BDP-1 function the same whether you use it with the BDA-1 or the DAC-2?

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

Hey Grokit,
 
It's not going from my usb drive to my dac, but to the BDP-1 which is a digital player that connects to a dac.  Also, there is no firewire input on the back of the BDP, just usb.  I did find an answer on the Bryston board.  It seems that jitter is not an issue until the file is opened and is playing, until then it is just a file.  So it's just a file until it gets to the Juli@ sound card in the BDP which means I don't need anything other than a standard issue usb cable.
 
No reason for picking WAV over AIFF.  Do you think that AIFF is superior to WAV?
 

My thinking is that when it is already in AIFF form on the CD any conversion to another format such as WAV in this case is a conversion that can add error as opposed to a straight transfer of the AIFF but I'm not really sure which is why I'm curious about all this.
 
 

 

[mikemalter]

Quote:

So you are using your computer to rip and download music but then transferring to the BDP-1 USB drive for streaming, can you have the drive mounted on both or do you have to unmount from the BDP-1 and mount to your computer etc.?
 
I would have thought that the streamer would be fed by a digital output from the DAC out of your computer. It seems like you are exiting the iTunes universe for something much more specialized with the BDP-1 if dBpoweramp is creating files just for it but I don't know really...
 
I have all of my music in ALAC format, which works great except for the fact that when I try to transfer my library to a Windows formatted HDD most of it won't copy. So I was thinking of re-ripping in Windows and decided on AIFF because of the tag thing. But I never got around to it after a few dozen CDs or so, the whole notion of re-ripping everything kind of faded away into the ether as I don't boot into Windows much on my Mac Pro so that's as far as I got.
 
Your system seems "different" to me, I think I would either stream straight out of my computer or get a DAC/streamer like maybe a Transporter or a Chord all in one unit to do it externally, does your BDP-1 function the same whether you use it with the BDA-1 or the DAC-2?

 
Here is what is going on.  The Bryston BDP-1 is a digital player, that is it accepts ripped music in any format, bit depth and sample size from an attached usb device like a thumb drive or usb drive and outputs a digital signal that gets sent to a DAC.
 
I settled on the BDP because all streaming media devices I was listening to sounded harsh to me; computers, dedicated streaming devices and even DAC's with streamers built in.  When I tried the BDP-1, I could hear no glare or harshness, and could hear more detail; in effect I was hearing very high quality audio.
 
 

 

[mikemalter]

 
Quote:

My thinking is that when it is already in AIFF form on the CD any conversion to another format such as WAV in this case is a conversion that can add error as opposed to a straight transfer of the AIFF but I'm not really sure which is why I'm curious about all this.
 
 

WA, thanks for mentioning this.  I'll look into it.  It is worth spending the time upfront since I am going to be living with this for a very long time.
 
Hey, I pulled the HDD out of my QNAP and put it in a portable drive enclosure so now I have a really nice 2 terabyte drive to start my media library with.
 
 

 

[mikemalter]

 
Quote:

I guess this was really my question?   i would have kept the AIFF files and simply transferred them using something like XLD.  

WA, I just looked up XLD and it appears that it is for Mac's only.
 

 

[Silent One]

 
Weather Update ~
 
A bit bleary-eyed but, in following this thread this morning (and shedding my own previous impressions), after further review neither AIFF or WAV are native files to the CD. The CD's native file is the 16-bit PCM data file. AIFF/WAV are merely headers with byte-ordering information (Bond: "Shaken, not stirred..."). And neither are superior. In my view, all choices regarding the introduction of a file to be played in one's system is hardware/software dependent.
 
Take the new Bryston BDP-1 or example. This well designed handcrafted Linux based digital player seems secure in its place inside the digital domain. Reports have returned that playback is smooth, refined and docile. The Devil himself could be lurking inside the chassis and you'd never know it by the player's output- a pure unadulterated signal. 

 Decisions regarding input should come much easier with gear like this.
 
With each generation, revamp or reconfiguration of my system, comes the questions anew: uncompressed/compression; which container? What's more, I noticed each time my gear brings new tech to the table, the choices are less relevant thanks to advances. At this point, the only remaining question for me is "Do I own the disc?" (sure, space, tags and other decisions await but nuthin' that would interrupt my serving of tea 

)
 
This Weather Update is brought to you in part by Silent One and the groundbreaking Jazz group Weather Report. Currently playing their hit "125th Street Congress" from the album Sweetnighter - 1973. Between my emerging W4S DAC-1 and my solid WA6SE, the track sounds amazing... especially at this hour!

 

[dminches]

The other item worth noting is that of all the "processes" being discussed, the one which is most prone to errors is CD ripping.  If you can get past that stage with the music unaltered I don't think you will see any appreciable difference between file formats, either compressed or uncompressed.  For me, the ability to tag is huge which eliminates WAV.

 

[Silent One]

Quote:

The other item worth noting is that of all the "processes" being discussed, the one which is most prone to errors is CD ripping.  If you can get past that stage with the music unaltered I don't think you will see any appreciable difference between file formats, either compressed or uncompressed.  For me, the ability to tag is huge which eliminates WAV.

Agreed. The outset is quite the hurdle. When you consider the amount of time many of us put in to our tube gear operations, you'd think we'd also have the patience for 'ripping.' 

 

 

[jamesnz]

Do scratches on discs make a difference to how well a CD can be ripped? If they don't skip or jump, does it make a difference?
My local library CD's look like somebody cleaned them with steel wool.

 

[mikemalter]

Quote:

 
Weather Update ~
 
A bit bleary-eyed but, in following this thread this morning (and shedding my own previous impressions), after further review neither AIFF or WAV are native files to the CD. The CD's native file is the 16-bit PCM data file. AIFF/WAV are merely headers with byte-ordering information (Bond: "Shaken, not stirred..."). And neither are superior. In my view, all choices regarding the introduction of a file to be played in one's system is hardware/software dependent.
 
Take the new Bryston BDP-1 or example. This well designed handcrafted Linux based digital player seems secure in its place inside the digital domain. Reports have returned that playback is smooth, refined and docile. The Devil himself could be lurking inside the chassis and you'd never know it by the player's output- a pure unadulterated signal. 

 Decisions regarding input should come much easier with gear like this.
 
With each generation, revamp or reconfiguration of my system, comes the questions anew: uncompressed/compression; which container? What's more, I noticed each time my gear brings new tech to the table, the choices are less relevant thanks to advances. At this point, the only remaining question for me is "Do I own the disc?" (sure, space, tags and other decisions await but nuthin' that would interrupt my serving of tea 

)
 
This Weather Update is brought to you in part by Silent One and the groundbreaking Jazz group Weather Report. Currently playing their hit "125th Street Congress" from the album Sweetnighter - 1973. Between my emerging W4S DAC-1 and my solid WA6SE, the track sounds amazing... especially at this hour!

SilentOne, yes; a balanced perspective is the most helpful to enjoying the most life has to offer, I like it.  I think like anything when something new comes into the mix, each fact or piece of information or theory hasn't been balanced out with a practical result yet so one does not know how to value it yet.  Where does it go, how much weight does it have and how does it factor in.  I think the end result of it all is your last sentence.
 
 


Quote:

The other item worth noting is that of all the "processes" being discussed, the one which is most prone to errors is CD ripping.  If you can get past that stage with the music unaltered I don't think you will see any appreciable difference between file formats, either compressed or uncompressed.  For me, the ability to tag is huge which eliminates WAV.

Errors are big, see answer below.  What do tags bring to the party?
 


Quote:

Agreed. The outset is quite the hurdle. When you consider the amount of time many of us put in to our tube gear operations, you'd think we'd also have the patience for 'ripping.' 

 

Ripping was never high on my priority list while living in the Apple Walled Garden.  iTunes (which can't even start a sentence properly) was my gateway to my iPod and whatever it did was enought for me.  But now there are more choices, and it does take time and effort to understand what ripping options are out there and then more effort to think it through so that it produces a result that works best for ourselves not to even speak of the time required to create the library.  But ahhhhh, as one who is scratching the surface (maybe I can make that my new name OneWhoIsScratchingTheSurface; kind of like DancesWithWolves), I can see that the payoff will be huge down the road.
 
 


Quote:

Do scratches on discs make a difference to how well a CD can be ripped? If they don't skip or jump, does it make a difference?
My local library CD's look like somebody cleaned them with steel wool.

Yes, scratches on disks make a difference, but as you say if they don't skip or jump and as long as they sound alright, IMHO it doesn't make a difference.  Having said that, my current ripping software, dBpoweramp (among others) has an error strategy they call AccuRate.  Basically after you rip your track, your rip is compared to a database and then a confidence level is created that indicates how many others successfully ripped that track.  While it does not correct anything, it does let you know that there may have been errors and you can take appropriate action.  I'm about to start using my local library and will face what you face.

 
 

 

[Silent One]

Quote:

Do scratches on discs make a difference to how well a CD can be ripped? If they don't skip or jump, does it make a difference?
My local library CD's look like somebody cleaned them with steel wool.

Perhaps. As can foreign matter (dirty discs). I've seen some of the very CDs you mentioned - the horror. 

  Also, not all 'drives' are created equal. My internal drive gets tripped up easier and returns errors than an external drive  when challenged by discs in poor condition. Make sure you select 'Error correction' in your ripper.