Author Topic: stolen question from the asylum: Digital/PC systems survey  (Read 10746 times)

biglou

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stolen question from the asylum: Digital/PC systems survey
« on: July 01, 2007, 12:51:07 PM »
Computer/Streaming setups. Post yours:

Computer type: (PC or Mac)
Stand alone PC system or front end for primary system (SA or FE):
Playback software (if more then one list pluses and minuses):
Ripping software:
Drive you use to rip:
Sound card:
Storage device (internal/external/brand):
DAC:
Connection to DAC:
File storage system:
File type:


Offline richidoo

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Re: stolen question from the asylum: Digital/PC systems survey
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2007, 01:35:21 PM »
This should be a fun topic!

Computer type: PC and NAS host
Stand alone PC system or front end for primary system:  FE
Playback software (if more then one list pluses and minuses): Slimserver, Soundforge
Ripping software: EAC, Windows Media player, Soundforge
Drive you use to rip: Generic DVD-R 52x, or Plextor
Sound card: Presonus Firepod for recording and mixing, SB3 for general playback
Storage device (internal/external/brand): Infrant ReadyNAS NV with Seagate 250GB drives
DAC:  SB or Firepod, maybe Altmann DAC coming soon?
Connection to DAC: wired ethernet for SB, firewire for Firepod
File storage system: Infrant's "Raid5" on NAS
File type: WAV for critical, flac for general hifi, mp3 for portables

Offline Carlman

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Re: stolen question from the asylum: Digital/PC systems survey
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2007, 02:10:47 PM »
Everything I have is ripped to FLAC via EAC and stored on a music server.  I play it on another PC in my soundroom using the latest version of Foobar.

1. Music server in my office:
Pentium 4 2.0G, 500M RAM, 3 300G Seagate HD's, and a Plextor CD burner  (not DVD).  It's in a Nexus case, Zallman fans, fairly quiet, large, with big fans and nice power supply... Very nice machine.
2. HP Slimline in my sound room:
Pentium dual core, brand new, 1G RAM, 160G HD, spdif out, USB, etc.  I use this kind of like a dumb terminal to get music from the server in the office.
3. Scott Nixon's USB Tube DAC
Cryo'd and treated Sovtek tube in it now.
3/'future'... Will be Scott Nixon's multi-input DAC which has a lot of new features... will talk about it when it arrives.
I really enjoy listening to music.

biglou

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Re: stolen question from the asylum: Digital/PC systems survey
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2007, 04:42:59 PM »
Computer type: iMac
Playback software (if more then one list pluses and minuses): iTunes
Ripping software: not ripping these days
Sound card: n/a
Storage device (internal/external/brand): external 7200rm SeaGate
DAC: iMac
Connection to DAC: n/a
File storage system: apple lossless/iTunes
File type: lossless

getting a Squeezebox soon and it will go to my second system with Rega R1 monitors and amp to be determined...

inguz

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Re: stolen question from the asylum: Digital/PC systems survey
« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2007, 07:20:14 PM »
Computer type: PC (XP)
Playback software (if more then one list pluses and minuses): SlimServer (and foobar occasionally)
Ripping software: EAC
Drive you use to rip: the PC's built-in (LITE-ON DVDRW)
Sound card: none
Storage device (internal/external/brand): internal 400GB Seagate drives, RAID mirrored
DAC: Transporter
Connection to DAC: Ethernet, wireless
File type: FLAC

Offline bpape

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Re: stolen question from the asylum: Digital/PC systems survey
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2007, 07:25:50 PM »
Replacing mine right now.

To be soon:

SB3 (boulder statement analog mod)
Burson Buffer (boulder mod)
Boulder PS
 (replacing Boulder digital mod, boulder PS feeding MHDT Paradesia with Red Bank 2C51/WE 396A)

x2 amd 4000 cpu
2Gig ram
Pioneer drive
EAC for ripping - all FLAC
1.5 TB in RAID 5 for storage
Nokia 700 Palm PC for remote control via wireless LAN
SlimServer for playback using Nokia graphical skin

Bryan
« Last Edit: August 17, 2007, 06:38:05 AM by bpape »
I am serious... and don't call me Shirley

Bigfish8

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Re: stolen question from the asylum: Digital/PC systems survey
« Reply #6 on: August 17, 2007, 04:36:30 AM »
Computer type: (PC or Mac)-- PC
Stand alone PC system or front end for primary system (SA or FE):  FE
Playback software (if more then one list pluses and minuses): Slimserver
Ripping software:  NCH Express Rip
Drive you use to rip: Seagate
Storage device (internal/external/brand): External 330GB - Western Digital
DAC:
Connection to DAC:
File storage system:  Categorized by artist, album, song, year, type, etc.
File type: .wav

Ken

Offline spudco

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Re: stolen question from the asylum: Digital/PC systems survey
« Reply #7 on: August 17, 2007, 05:07:57 AM »
Computer type: Mac Mini with 2G memory
Stand alone PC system or front end for primary system (SA or FE): Front end to 2 systems
Playback software (if more then one list pluses and minuses): Slimserver
Ripping software: Itunes
Drive you use to rip: Mac Mini drive
Sound card:
Storage device (internal/external/brand): Western Digital 500G My Book Pro II (two currently, probably add several more)
DAC: Audiomeca Ecanthus
Connection to DAC: Wireless Airport network to Squeezebox/coax to Dac
File storage system:  Itunes default
File type: Apple lossless

I will probably replace the DAC soon. 

I also use a second squeezebox on a second system that connects in analog mode.

I love having access to my music.  I have rediscovered tons of tunes that had gotten lost in the clutter of my CD collection.  I use random play quite a bit.  My wife and I think its like having our personal radio station.  Sometimes, its like listening to a weird soundtrack of my life.

I like being able to control the music from my laptops.  I believe that the future for all types of remote controls will be wireless systems with digital interfaces.  I can't wait to replace my Pronto.

The sound quality is not quite as good as from my Audiomeca transport.

On the downside... 

Itunes art sucks - lots not available.  Coversout has corrupted my database more that once.  Itunes tags suck as well.

The Slimserver interface just isn't that nice.  Basic web based display skins leave lots to be desired, search is not that great - a shame with all the great indexing software available now, art displays are slow, no way to link to Itunes art - must load into tags on music files, no fast/easy links to web info...

The display on the squeezebox is not good enougth for my old eyes.  I have the Mac connected to a plasma, but still have trouble reading from a distance.

I have a high end wireless keyboard/mouse and it often sends out "random" changes in volume to the mac. 

All that and I wouldn't go back to disks for anything! 

miklorsmith

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Re: stolen question from the asylum: Digital/PC systems survey
« Reply #8 on: August 17, 2007, 07:18:33 AM »
Welcome spudco, nice post!