Sensible Configurations for Computer-Based Audio Systems - For Dummies

[wwaldmanfan]

Naw - you can snuggle up side by side on the same couch listening to different music with headphones. Trust me, that one works. My better half likes Yoko Ono's more experimental stuff...

 

-Paul

 

P.S. Yoko is definitely a stress test for any stereo setup!

 

No more insufferable than today's hip hop and rap*. Speaking of which, Kanye West just turned down $4.5 million to perform nine shows in Las Vegas. How much would you have had to pay to attend one of those concerts? LOL

 

*Disclaimer: I apologize in advance to all the folks here that love that stuff.

[Mike Mcsweeney]

Are you sure you were using iTunes? Seriously, you have to search to find the store (it isn't on the main screen, and you must specifically navigate to it), and there are no ads. Also, search only searches your local library unless you specifically go into the store (i.e., navigate away from your local library), then *choose* to search in the store.

 

Almost sounds like you were using some other program

 

It was itunes, and i didnt try to customize at all. I just installed it, pointed to one of my music subdirs and did a search and it showed me tracks i could buy from. Almost makes me want to reinstall it again just so i can tell you step-by-step what i did, but i just read that itunes doesn't support flac without 3rd party plugins...my entire library is flac (or just about...probably 5000 flacs and 100 misc mp3 and dsd files.). Granted a 3rd party may be easy to install and it may be worth another look.

[Mike Mcsweeney]

It was itunes, and i didnt try to customize at all. I just installed it, pointed to one of my music subdirs and did a search and it showed me tracks i could buy from. Almost makes me want to reinstall it again just so i can tell you step-by-step what i did, but i just read that itunes doesn't support flac without 3rd party plugins...my entire library is flac (or just about...probably 5000 flacs and 100 misc mp3 and dsd files.). Granted a 3rd party may be easy to install and it may be worth another look.

 

Ok, so i reinstalled itunes because i was more curious than anything, and this time when i searched it didn't bring up tracks to buy, so I am not sure what i did the first time? Anyway, The thing i like about foobar is that i can create a GUI which is by folders the way i organize them which it doesn't look like other programs can do. I may switch back to Jriver if i can figure out how to do that, but i am not fond of the itunes interface for my purposes, plus it doesn't handle streaming flacs natively, so i am going to pass for now.

[Gary.D.Olson]

No more insufferable than today's hip hop and rap*. Speaking of which, Kanye West just turned down $4.5 million to perform nine shows in Las Vegas. How much would you have had to pay to attend one of those concerts? LOL

 

*Disclaimer: I apologize in advance to all the folks here that love that stuff.

 

 

Grrrr. Rap (biting tongue). At least my wife hates that cr...

[mayhem13]

Hey Gary.......is your quest to get the best so HD quality from a computer based audio system keeping the signal chain simple, functional and inexpensive?

[Gary.D.Olson]

Hey Gary.......is your quest to get the best so HD quality from a computer based audio system keeping the signal chain simple, functional and inexpensive?

 

Great question, to which the answer is "not necessarily". The ultimate goal is very simple: helping technically-challenged music lovers gain entry. Some of these people won't care about the $ cost; some won't care about audiophile SQ.

 

I've been a member here for what, the better part of 2 years? I've read thousands of posts, started several of my own, built a computer-based system, etc - and yet I haven't even scratched the surface, and in fact, I'm contemplating scrapping my existing system and rebuilding from the ground up. This may be considered "normal" around here, but compared to the rest of the world - not so much.

 

Let me put it this way: from the age of 10 (1971), much of my youth was spent at Cal Stereo, Pacific Stereo, Federated, and any other Hi-Fi shop within bike-riding distance. My guess is that lots of folks here have similar stories with different starting points as well as methods of transportation. Not once did I ever see another kid my age in those stores, yet I was surrounded by music lovers at school. Why? Because the vast majority of music lovers prefer record stores over stereo shops. In retrospect, THAT was the place for true music lovers. While I learned about Marantz, Pioneer, & Technics, they learned about Led Zeppelin, Queen, & Steely Dan. While I analyzed frequency response and S/N ratio, they listened to Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, & Deep Purple. These folks didn't care about technology then and don't care about it now.

 

I admire those people, and it is they I wish to serve. They're rich, poor, and everything between. Some might appreciate audiophile SQ while others won't. My goal is to meet these people where they're at; all of them. To help them put their CA systems together while educating them to whatever degree they're comfortable with; to let them choose how far down the rabbit hole to go by offering "CA 101, 102, 103... CA 110".

 

It really would be a huge undertaking. Perhaps too much. But that's the answer to your question.

 

 

Gary

[Gary.D.Olson]

Hi Gary - do you have an iPhone or iPad? if so, drop $10 on JRemote. It is not only good, it is good enough to convince people to switch from super high quality Mac Players like Amarra to JRMC.

 

It's a game changer, no fooling. My wife and even my daughter can choose and listen to music with ease now, and love it. As a side bonus, you can even listen to uncompressed HD music from the iPhone or iPad, directly from your JRMC system. (It just shows up as another "zone.")

 

I cannot recommend doing this highly enough, it may be that your system is just perfect for you exactly the way it is, but if you are using Gizmo, I think JRemote is going to blow your mind...

 

-Paul

 

 

Paul,

 

I'm intrigued with your suggestion, but know little to nothing about iPhones/Pads except that an extraordinary number of owners upgrade with the release of practically every new model; a theory based literally on the 43,000 iPads for sale on ebay this very moment;) If I buy one of these devices, it will be used for JRemote and nothing else. I already have a computer, cell phone, and camera (Please OH PLEASE let me know if an iPad can replace a Canon 5Dmk2, Canon 580EX flash, Canon 24-105mm f4L, Canon 16-35mm f2.8L, Canon 135mm f2L, etc etc. as the sale of these items would help purchase the iPad - perhaps even a new one;)

 

Assuming use is limited purely to JRemote, which iPad or iPhone would you recommend?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Gary

[Gary.D.Olson]

"...a theory based literally on the 43,000 iPads for sale on ebay this very moment";)

 

Btw, that only includes "Auctions" in the USA. Crazy. Let's all contact our brokers and purchase some Apple stock.

[Paul R]

Paul,

 

I'm intrigued with your suggestion, but know little to nothing about iPhones/Pads except that an extraordinary number of owners upgrade with the release of practically every new model; a theory based literally on the 43,000 iPads for sale on ebay this very moment;) If I buy one of these devices, it will be used for JRemote and nothing else. I already have a computer, cell phone, and camera (Please OH PLEASE let me know if an iPad can replace a Canon 5Dmk2, Canon 580EX flash, Canon 24-105mm f4L, Canon 16-35mm f2.8L, Canon 135mm f2L, etc etc. as the sale of these items would help purchase the iPad - perhaps even a new one;)

 

Assuming use is limited purely to JRemote, which iPad or iPhone would you recommend?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Gary

 

Hi Gary - Unfortunately, no- there is no current iDevice that can relace your Canon. Nice rig by the way.

 

On the other hand, no matter how goos a camera you have, inevitably, you wind up taking shots with the camera you have on you at the time. For me, that means some of the very best shots I take are with my iPhone. Darn thing is always there, sitting in my pocket, powered up and ready for use, and opportunities just seem to show up when I am in places I never thought I would need a camera in...

 

On the other hand, an iPad is just ducky for showing photos on! An iPhone works, but an iPad is a lot more fun. Unless of course, I am throwing the pics up on a 65" screen, then either one works fine.

 

But back to the subject! If you never plan on seriously looking at your photos on the thing, I would recommend a used iPad2 of iPad Air. Plenty of screen real estate there to make browsing your music library a lot of fun. yu can run it n an old iPhone 4 or 5, or even on an iPod Touch. The smaller the screen. I use an iPhone 5 for listening on headphones a lot.

 

On the other hand, if you think you would ever want to look through your photo lib, look for a model that has a retina display on it. Might consider buying a new one, since you can return it for a full refund within 15 or 30 days or so f you don't like it. Some folks are allergic to Apples, God Bless 'em.

[Gary.D.Olson]

If you never plan on seriously looking at your photos on the thing, I would recommend a used iPad2 of iPad Air. Plenty of screen real estate there to make browsing your music library a lot of fun. yu can run it n an old iPhone 4 or 5, or even on an iPod Touch.

 

Would these work without activation? Also, I've seen "locked" versions. Would those still work for my purpose, or would they need unlocking?

 

Thanks!!!

 

 

Gary

[Paul R]

Would these work without activation? Also, I've seen "locked" versions. Would those still work for my purpose, or would they need unlocking?

 

Thanks!!!

 

 

Gary

 

Yes, they will work perfectly with the exception you won't be able to make phone calls or access cellular data. WiFi access is never locked in that sense.

 

I am pretty sure you will need to establish an iTunes account to pay for and download JRemote though. That works through WiFi just perfectly of course.

 

Yours,

-Paul

 

P.S. That spelling checker on my iPad, along with my failing eyesight allows embarrassing typos to escape. Sorry! -Paul

[Audio_ELF]

Yes, they will work perfectly with the exception you won't be able to make phone calls or access cellular data. WiFi access is never locked in that sense.

Are you sure about that Paul?

 

My experience (and iPhones in US may be slightly different) is that you need an active SIM in the phone to register it with iTunes. Once you have registered/setup the phone it's fine without a SIM but you need one for setup.

 

Eloise

[Gary.D.Olson]

Yes, they will work perfectly with the exception you won't be able to make phone calls or access cellular data. WiFi access is never locked in that sense.

 

I am pretty sure you will need to establish an iTunes account to pay for and download JRemote though. That works through WiFi just perfectly of course.

 

Yours,

-Paul

 

P.S. That spelling checker on my iPad, along with my failing eyesight allows embarrassing typos to escape. Sorry! -Paul

 

No need for either regarding the typos. You're high level of intelligence is obvious to anyone paying even the slightest attention - even a knuckle-head like me. Besides, texting has all but destroyed the standards for spelling & grammar from our time.

 

Are you saying I can't download JRemote using my PC and then transfer it to the iPad via USB or WiFi? If that's so, I honestly don't know if I'm more upset or impressed for their long reach into my pocket.

[Audio_ELF]

Are you saying I can't download JRemote using my PC and then transfer it to the iPad via USB or WiFi? If that's so, I honestly don't know if I'm more upset or impressed for their long reach into my pocket.

You need an iTunes / Apple account to download any "App" for an iOS device. You then use iTunes to transfer to the iPad.

[Paul R]

Pretty sure Eloise- iPods and a lot of iPads don't have SIM cards to begin with.

-Paul

 

 

Are you sure about that Paul?

 

My experience (and iPhones in US may be slightly different) is that you need an active SIM in the phone to register it with iTunes. Once you have registered/setup the phone it's fine without a SIM but you need one for setup.

 

Eloise

[Paul R]

No need for either regarding the typos. You're high level of intelligence is obvious to anyone paying even the slightest attention - even a knuckle-head like me. Besides, texting has all but destroyed the standards for spelling & grammar from our time.

 

Are you saying I can't download JRemote using my PC and then transfer it to the iPad via USB or WiFi? If that's so, I honestly don't know if I'm more upset or impressed for their long reach into my pocket.

 

I expect you can still buy the app in iTunes and then load it to an iDevice. But you can also buy it directly from the iDevice, and you can still load it on any other iDevice and download the app to iTunes on a PC. Just WiFi and an iTunes account needed. Also, it lets you know when updates are available and you can download and install them right on the device. Easy peasy.

 

It is also way easier to upgrade iOS that way, in case you pick up a device that is running 4.0 and you want to load up 8.1. (No cost for that, and you may want to.)

 

I do understand some folks are a little uneasy about using the cloud that way, but to me the convenience overrides the mild security concern. But in any case, you can download JRemote using iTunes and put in on an iDevice that way as well.

 

P.S. Thanks for the kind words - I can spell, but typing seems to be a lost art....

[Audio_ELF]

Pretty sure Eloise- iPods and a lot of iPads don't have SIM cards to begin with.

With the talk about "locked" devices I assumed the discussion was about old (second hand) iPhones rather than iPods or iPads. As far as I was aware you can't "lock" an iPad with 3/4G to a particular network either.

 

Eloise

[Paul R]

With the talk about "locked" devices I assumed the discussion was about old (second hand) iPhones rather than iPods or iPads. As far as I was aware you can't "lock" an iPad with 3/4G to a particular network either.

 

Eloise

Oh, LTE iPads are definitely locked down to a service provider.

 

But I just went and took the SIM card out of a olf iPhone 3S, and it worked well. It was not able to run iOS 8, but it worked other than that.

 

-Paul

[Jabs1542]

Pretty sure Eloise- iPods and a lot of iPads don't have SIM cards to begin with.

-Paul

 

Depends on the features of the device, we use these at work. If it has a phone it has a sim, if it has 3G capability (like an iPad) it has a sim, if it's a wifi only device (iPad with no 3G capability) it does not have a sim. BTW, my 3G iPad also has a phone number assigned to it - all of the 3G/phones do. When you have a corporate account you use those phone numbers to separate the devices.

[Audio_ELF]

But I just went and took the SIM card out of a olf iPhone 3S, and it worked well. It was not able to run iOS 8, but it worked other than that.

Was that an iPhone 3S which was still "active"?

 

Sorry to belabour the point (and this is based on phones purchased in the UK); if you reset the phone either using "Reset All Content and Settings" on the phone itself or "Restore iPhone" on iTunes you then need an active / compatible SIM in the phone before you can set it up for a new user.

 

Eloise

[Cebolla]

Deleted. Cross post, sorry!

[Gary.D.Olson]

...I would recommend a used iPad2 of iPad Air. Plenty of screen real estate there to make browsing your music library a lot of fun. yu can run it n an old iPhone 4 or 5, or even on an iPod Touch. The smaller the screen.

 

 

Paul,

 

What about an iPad 1 such as this one from a local CL listing:

 

[h=2]IPad 1st Generation with SIM entry - $120[/h]I am currently selling my 1st Generation IPad for $120 I don't really have any use for it anymore. It's in excellent condition and has no scratches at all. This IPad has a SIM card entry so you can use it on your network 16GB, Wi-Fi + 3G.

 

Enjoy the fastest Wi-Fi networks with this Apple Wi-Fi iPad as it automatically locates the available networks; while the Bluetooth connectivity cuts the clutter with Bluetooth headphones and wireless Apple keypads. The 1024-by-768 pixel resolution displays crystal clear images on the 9.7-inch screen of the Apple iPad -- watch your movies, videos, and TV shows crisper than before. The reengineered Multi-Touch screen of this 16 GB iPad makes the operation more precise than your iPhone or iPod. Customize your Apple Wi-Fi iPad with nearly 140,000 applications - be it for social networking, games, music or even serious business. The Apple iPad, with a perfect blend of looks and performance is probably the only gadget you will ever need again -- except of course, to make calls.

[Audio_ELF]

Paul,

 

What about an iPad 1 such as this one from a local CL listing

Personally I would avoid the iPad 1 as it is no longer supported with the latest version of iOS.

[Cebolla]

Are you saying I can't download JRemote using my PC and then transfer it to the iPad via USB or WiFi? If that's so, I honestly don't know if I'm more upset or impressed for their long reach into my pocket.

Hi Gary,

 

Seeing as you've previously mentioned testing out a Foobar2000 set up, I hope you know that you can't use the JRemote app with it. JRemote is a remote control app for JRiver only.

 

There are remote control apps for Foobar2000 available for both iDevices and Android tablets & phones, but are very reliant on Fb2k being configured in a way to suit them to work properly. You are really much better off installing the UPnP/DLNA support on Foobar2000, via the foo_UPnP plugin component, to turn it into a UPnP renderer and using a UPnP control point app to control its music playback on the remote handheld device instead:

foobar2000: Components Repository - UPnP/DLNA Renderer, Server, Control Point

 

An excellent UPnP controller for Android devices is the BubbleUPnP app (free version available).

There are decent controller apps available for the iPad, but are mostly intended for Openhome Media (ohMedia) players/renderer, aka UPnP with Linn extensions, rather than standard UPnP ones. This will require you to install helper software for Fb2k on your Windows computer, to get it to emulate an ohMedia renderer. The free BubbleUPnP Server (not to be confused with the similarly named BubbleUPnP controller for Android) can do this, see:

BubbleUPnP Server

 

Some ohMedia controllers to try on the iPad (all free): Lumin, Lightning DS, Linn Kazoo & Kinsky. The Lightning DS app can be used with standard UPnP players as well as ohMedia ones, but the current version doesn't behave itself so well in that mode.

 

BTW, the Android BubbleUPnP controller Android app supports ohMedia too (and works well in both modes). It may also be worth your while having a look at this recent thread on the Networking & Streamers section:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f22-networking-networked-audio-and-streaming/truly-gapless-digital-living-network-alliance-controllers-22398/

 

John

[Gary.D.Olson]

Hi Gary,

 

Seeing as you've previously mentioned testing out a Foobar2000 set up, I hope you know that you can't use the JRemote app with it. JRemote is a remote control app for JRiver only.

 

John

 

 

John,

 

I've been a huge FB fan & user for a very long time, but now use JRiver Media Center for our audio system. Thank you for taking the time to offer some very good information. I hope others might find your post and be helped by it.

 

Have a great day.

 

 

Gary