Sensible Configurations for Computer-Based Audio Systems - For Dummies

[Gary.D.Olson]

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

 

 

Eloise,

 

Pardon my ignorance of Apple operating systems. Is your suggestion based entirely on the assumption that you would never use the iPad 1 for anything other than JRemote? The next step up from the iPad 1 in the above CL ad is near triple the price.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Gary

[Cebolla]

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

No worries Gary!

 

Incidentally, since JRiver supports standard UPnP/DLNA, you can use the standard UPnP controllers on it too. So you could try the BubbleUPnP app if you have an Android device, while your still waiting to get the iPad (& presumably JRemote).

[Audio_ELF]

Pardon my ignorance of Apple operating systems. Is your suggestion based entirely on the assumption that you would never use the iPad 1 for anything other than JRemote? The next step up from the iPad 1 in the above CL ad is near triple the price.

After a bit more investigation (well looking at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jremote/id486222633?mt=8 on the iTunes store) the current version of JRemote needs iOS7. The iPad 1 only supports iOS 5.1.1 so its definitely a no-go.

 

Eloise

[Gary.D.Olson]

Eloise,

 

Pardon my ignorance of Apple operating systems. Is your suggestion based entirely on the assumption that you would never use the iPad 1 for anything other than JRemote? The next step up from the iPad 1 in the above CL ad is near triple the price.

 

 

Eloise,

 

Nevermind. I'll stick with your suggestion as I just found this ad: "iPad 2 2nd Gen 16GB WiFi with Accessories $200"

 

Thanks!

 

 

Gary

[Gary.D.Olson]

After a bit more investigation (well looking at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jremote/id486222633?mt=8 on the iTunes store) the current version of JRemote needs iOS7. The iPad 1 only supports iOS 5.1.1 so its definitely a no-go.

 

Eloise

 

 

That seals it. Have a great Wednesday.

 

 

Gary

[Gary.D.Olson]

No worries Gary!

 

Incidentally, since JRiver supports standard UPnP/DLNA, you can use the standard UPnP controllers on it too. So you could try the BubbleUPnP app if you have an Android device, while your still waiting to get the iPad (& presumably JRemote).

 

Thanks for the info.

 

I hope the weather is better in London than here in Southern California. 24 solid hours of rain falling from a dark sky. I'm starting to feel like hibernating.

[Cebolla]

I doubt that it's any better, cold and dank here. Much prefer solid rain to miserable drizzle. No chance of any sunshine for at least a couple of days!

[Paul R]

I would spend a little more and go with an iPad2 or above. I do not think you can load current iOS levels on a 1.

 

-Paul

 

Oops - as Eloise pointed out. I should have read the rest of the thread before replying. A 2 or above is a good bet, and $200 is a fairly reasonable price.

 

-Paul

 

 

Paul,

 

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

 

IPad 1st Generation with SIM entry - $120

 

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]

I doubt that it's any better, cold and dank here. Much prefer solid rain to miserable drizzle. No chance of any sunshine for at least a couple of days!

Come ooop North (well to the Midlands anyway) was sunny though cold here all day today!

[Gary.D.Olson]

Come ooop North (well to the Midlands anyway) was sunny though cold here all day today!

 

Still raining here...

[english210]

I'm reading this thread with interest as well. One of my stumbling blocks is simply the alphabet soup of this side of the audio 'habit'. Viewing the computer as a source, a la CD player/turntable, once that door is opened, I'm inundated with options and my eyes glass over. My receiver and my Oppo 103 both have internal DAC's, and I have played with hooking up my laptop to the network, and had success with both components finding the music on the computer. Yippee, I am really proud of myself for accomplishing that. I've been reading on external storage, and feel reasonably sure I can setup an external hard drive for back up, and a NAS to feed the system my music.

What I'm trying to find info on now is about connections/cables.... does it make any difference if I use USB, optical, coax..., I can't seem to find anything about that, just that XYZ component can use any of them. It seems odd that with all the furor over speaker cables the size of air conditioning ducts that there's no info on the best connections for comouters. I just have an old bit of ethernet cable connecting each piece. I have the AC powerline adapters bringing the internet to my components, and so hooking up the computer to the box where my components hook up effectively hardwires everything together.

So, does it matter what type of connection my computer has to the receiver (RXA3010, 3 years old), or Oppo103? Or does the ethernet cable I'm using now provide sufficient quality?

I will be replacing my laptop, it's on its last legs, and still haven't decided what with, but if the connections matter, I want to know before I buy anything. I am leaning towards a Mac pro, but not locked in yet.

Then there is the question of remote controlling everything.....

 

So yes, this thread has a very valid point...Joe 6pack can buy a cd player, hook it up, and be good to go, but this CA stuff requires a lot more effort......

[Gary.D.Olson]

I'm reading this thread with interest as well. One of my stumbling blocks is simply the alphabet soup of this side of the audio 'habit'. Viewing the computer as a source, a la CD player/turntable, once that door is opened, I'm inundated with options and my eyes glass over. My receiver and my Oppo 103 both have internal DAC's, and I have played with hooking up my laptop to the network, and had success with both components finding the music on the computer. Yippee, I am really proud of myself for accomplishing that. I've been reading on external storage, and feel reasonably sure I can setup an external hard drive for back up, and a NAS to feed the system my music.

What I'm trying to find info on now is about connections/cables.... does it make any difference if I use USB, optical, coax..., I can't seem to find anything about that, just that XYZ component can use any of them. It seems odd that with all the furor over speaker cables the size of air conditioning ducts that there's no info on the best connections for comouters. I just have an old bit of ethernet cable connecting each piece. I have the AC powerline adapters bringing the internet to my components, and so hooking up the computer to the box where my components hook up effectively hardwires everything together.

So, does it matter what type of connection my computer has to the receiver (RXA3010, 3 years old), or Oppo103? Or does the ethernet cable I'm using now provide sufficient quality?

I will be replacing my laptop, it's on its last legs, and still haven't decided what with, but if the connections matter, I want to know before I buy anything. I am leaning towards a Mac pro, but not locked in yet.

Then there is the question of remote controlling everything.....

 

So yes, this thread has a very valid point...Joe 6pack can buy a cd player, hook it up, and be good to go, but this CA stuff requires a lot more effort......

 

 

Welcome.

 

I'm not sure if I understand your question, but I'll take a stab at it. I'm guessing one or both of your components have inputs for digital, but these are typically "Optical" which has a very limited bandwidth. If you want be able to play the highest fidelity music files now or in the future, you'll need an external DAC with a different kind of connection such as USB, which is very popular around here. If you buy a USB DAC, connect it to your computer with a good quality USB cable (a good starting point would be Audioquest's $35 Forest). Try HARD to use a separate USB port from everything else - best if the DAC is the only thing plugged in to the port. Then simply use a good analog audio cable ($35 for an Audioquest Forest RCA) to connect the DAC to an analog input on your receiver. That's all.

 

Good luck.

 

 

Gary

[Gary.D.Olson]

I'm reading this thread with interest as well. One of my stumbling blocks is simply the alphabet soup of this side of the audio 'habit'. Viewing the computer as a source, a la CD player/turntable, once that door is opened, I'm inundated with options and my eyes glass over. My receiver and my Oppo 103 both have internal DAC's, and I have played with hooking up my laptop to the network, and had success with both components finding the music on the computer. Yippee, I am really proud of myself for accomplishing that. I've been reading on external storage, and feel reasonably sure I can setup an external hard drive for back up, and a NAS to feed the system my music.

What I'm trying to find info on now is about connections/cables.... does it make any difference if I use USB, optical, coax..., I can't seem to find anything about that, just that XYZ component can use any of them. It seems odd that with all the furor over speaker cables the size of air conditioning ducts that there's no info on the best connections for comouters. I just have an old bit of ethernet cable connecting each piece. I have the AC powerline adapters bringing the internet to my components, and so hooking up the computer to the box where my components hook up effectively hardwires everything together.

So, does it matter what type of connection my computer has to the receiver (RXA3010, 3 years old), or Oppo103? Or does the ethernet cable I'm using now provide sufficient quality?

I will be replacing my laptop, it's on its last legs, and still haven't decided what with, but if the connections matter, I want to know before I buy anything. I am leaning towards a Mac pro, but not locked in yet.

Then there is the question of remote controlling everything.....

 

So yes, this thread has a very valid point...Joe 6pack can buy a cd player, hook it up, and be good to go, but this CA stuff requires a lot more effort......

 

I just realized you mentioned using ethernet and noticed your receiver has an ethernet input. Are you using your computer only as a server and your Yamaha receiver as DAC AND player??? If so, I wouldn't recommend this configuration as it requires your Yamaha receiver to not only "play" but also "manage" your entire library. I've yet to see an audio receiver manage this enormous task with any grace. To my knowledge, your computer should do not only the job of "serving" the music files, but also "managing" and "playing" the files. JRiver Media Center is an excellent choice for this task. The next taks is Digital to Analog Conversion and is best performed by a dedicated outboard DAC. This gives you limitless choices of DAC's with any type and number of connection available (such as USB). The next task is amplification (Your Yamaha receiver) and finally (the hardest part) the speakers.

 

Gary

[english210]

ary.D.Olson;371770]I just realized you mentioned using ethernet and noticed your receiver has an ethernet input. Are you using your computer only as a server and your Yamaha receiver as DAC AND player??? If so, I wouldn't recommend this configuration as it requires your Yamaha receiver to not only "play" but also "manage" your entire library. I've yet to see an audio receiver manage this enormous task with any grace. To my knowledge, your computer should do not only the job of "serving" the music files, but also "managing" and "playing" the files. JRiver Media Center is an excellent choice for this task. The next taks is Digital to Analog Conversion and is best performed by a dedicated outboard DAC. This gives you limitless choices of DAC's with any type and number of connection available (such as USB). The next task is amplification (Your Yamaha receiver) and finally (the hardest part) the speakers.

 

Gary

 

 

I have the trial of Jriver media 20 on the computer. My avr finds this on the network, and I can select what to listen to using my avr's remote app on my phone. I can do the same with the Oppo. In each case, I'm using the DAC's in one device or the other.

So you're saying I need to use JRiver as the player 'feeding' the avr, using the remote app for Jriver?

 

I just came home from info-gathering at the apple store....how does this configuration sound:

 

Mac mini connected to the network, and/or a (yet-to-be-determined) outboard DAC per your recommendation here.

A program called Parallels to turn an iPad into the remote to control the Mini and all music files stored on it. IRed transmitter on iPad to make it the 'universal remote' (since my logitech harmony is refusing to work 90% of the time now)

Audirvana or equivalent as the media player on the Mac mini, controlled/accessed from the couch by the iPad.

What about streaming services such as Tidal?

 

The guy at the store said he uses a similar setup for his video work, and saw no reason it wouldn't work for my needs, but obviously this site knows the audio side.

 

Im trying to accomplish the following:

 

Feed my speakers, and thus my ears, with the best quality source without going broke. HDTracks or equivalent.

replace my aging laptop

Keep things as simple to use as possible, but the primary goal being sound quality

Have the ability to upgrade later for SQ purposes without throwing things out. Having said that, I am a buy-once kinda guy. Ill wait a few months to get what I really want rather than get something now knowing I'll need to replace it.

 

 

Any help? Or as clear as mud?

 

Thanks in advance....

[english210]

In case it matters, my system is as follows:

 

Yamaha RXA3010 AVR

Oppo 103

Odyssey Stratos 2-channel amp

Aerial 7t mains

 

For HT, which is in the same room, the avr powers PSB Synchrony 2 center, Synchrony S surrounds, and there's a Hsu ULS15 sub, but none of these are in the loop for my serious listeming.

[Gary.D.Olson]

In case it matters, my system is as follows:

 

Yamaha RXA3010 AVR

Oppo 103

Odyssey Stratos 2-channel amp

Aerial 7t mains

 

For HT, which is in the same room, the avr powers PSB Synchrony 2 center, Synchrony S surrounds, and there's a Hsu ULS15 sub, but none of these are in the loop for my serious listeming.

 

You came to the right place, but really need to start your own thread. That will assure that everyone on the forum here will have the chance to see and respond. There's a ton of really knowledgable folks here, and just about all of them would love to help. But they first need to see your questions, and only a few are reading this old thread.

 

So what are you waiting for, friend?

 

 

Gary

[english210]

Ok, will do, thanks...

[mayhem13]

ary.D.Olson;371770]I just realized you mentioned using ethernet and noticed your receiver has an ethernet input. Are you using your computer only as a server and your Yamaha receiver as DAC AND player??? If so, I wouldn't recommend this configuration as it requires your Yamaha receiver to not only "play" but also "manage" your entire library. I've yet to see an audio receiver manage this enormous task with any grace. To my knowledge, your computer should do not only the job of "serving" the music files, but also "managing" and "playing" the files. JRiver Media Center is an excellent choice for this task. The next taks is Digital to Analog Conversion and is best performed by a dedicated outboard DAC. This gives you limitless choices of DAC's with any type and number of connection available (such as USB). The next task is amplification (Your Yamaha receiver) and finally (the hardest part) the speakers.

 

Gary

 

 

I have the trial of Jriver media 20 on the computer. My avr finds this on the network, and I can select what to listen to using my avr's remote app on my phone. I can do the same with the Oppo. In each case, I'm using the DAC's in one device or the other.

So you're saying I need to use JRiver as the player 'feeding' the avr, using the remote app for Jriver?

 

I just came home from info-gathering at the apple store....how does this configuration sound:

 

Mac mini connected to the network, and/or a (yet-to-be-determined) outboard DAC per your recommendation here.

A program called Parallels to turn an iPad into the remote to control the Mini and all music files stored on it. IRed transmitter on iPad to make it the 'universal remote' (since my logitech harmony is refusing to work 90% of the time now)

Audirvana or equivalent as the media player on the Mac mini, controlled/accessed from the couch by the iPad.

What about streaming services such as Tidal?

 

The guy at the store said he uses a similar setup for his video work, and saw no reason it wouldn't work for my needs, but obviously this site knows the audio side.

 

Im trying to accomplish the following:

 

Feed my speakers, and thus my ears, with the best quality source without going broke. HDTracks or equivalent.

replace my aging laptop

Keep things as simple to use as possible, but the primary goal being sound quality

Have the ability to upgrade later for SQ purposes without throwing things out. Having said that, I am a buy-once kinda guy. Ill wait a few months to get what I really want rather than get something now knowing I'll need to replace it.

 

 

Any help? Or as clear as mud?

 

Thanks in advance....

 

See my reply in your Direction thread. There's some questions I have before being able to make any sensible recommendations that might help you find a solution.

[DrunkPenguin]

H Folks, new guy here but I wanted to thank you that are contributing to this thread. I am so new to all of this. Never even ripped a CD before! Threads like this give me a bit of comfort.

 

i have a new 2014 Mac Mini that I received last week. I have left in the box while I confirm this is the direction I want to go. Well it is and I am on vacation tomorrow. I plan on spending the day researching this site and getting the Mini set-up. I want to get a few downloads and start ripping my CD collection. New and exciting stuff for me.

 

i also have an iPad I will be using. I do not have any external drives yet to store or for back-up. I will over the next couple of weeks but I imagine it will be fine to use the mini drive and move my music later in the month? I would really like to dive in tomorrow and use what I have.

 

My second question beyond the external drives is connection. I have told by a few folks to just go HDMI into my pre-pro? I have a separate pre/pro as well as an Oppo 105D at my disposal. Just wanting validation about the HDMI suggestions?

 

Thanks very much and I appreciate this thread and site for people like me who are just starting out at the lowest level but hey I'm not too worried. I'll get there thru trial and error I'm sure and some dumb questions I'm sure!

 

Thanks again-

 

Rick

[Gary.D.Olson]

H Folks, new guy here but I wanted to thank you that are contributing to this thread. I am so new to all of this. Never even ripped a CD before! Threads like this give me a bit of comfort.

 

i have a new 2014 Mac Mini that I received last week. I have left in the box while I confirm this is the direction I want to go. Well it is and I am on vacation tomorrow. I plan on spending the day researching this site and getting the Mini set-up. I want to get a few downloads and start ripping my CD collection. New and exciting stuff for me.

 

i also have an iPad I will be using. I do not have any external drives yet to store or for back-up. I will over the next couple of weeks but I imagine it will be fine to use the mini drive and move my music later in the month? I would really like to dive in tomorrow and use what I have.

 

My second question beyond the external drives is connection. I have told by a few folks to just go HDMI into my pre-pro? I have a separate pre/pro as well as an Oppo 105D at my disposal. Just wanting validation about the HDMI suggestions?

 

Thanks very much and I appreciate this thread and site for people like me who are just starting out at the lowest level but hey I'm not too worried. I'll get there thru trial and error I'm sure and some dumb questions I'm sure!

 

Thanks again-

 

Rick

 

 

Welcome, Rick. There are lots of very helpful people here, but you'll get the best results by starting a new thread dedicated to your situation, questions, journey, etc. I'm recently reminded how new I am to it all or I'd jump in and offer help. Instead, I'm dropping it back into Lurk Drive for a while. I encourage you to stick with it and have fun in the process.

 

I'm looking forward to following your progress.

 

Gary

[Audio_ELF]

I have a new 2014 Mac Mini that I received last week. I have left in the box while I confirm this is the direction I want to go. Well it is and I am on vacation tomorrow. I plan on spending the day researching this site and getting the Mini set-up. I want to get a few downloads and start ripping my CD collection. New and exciting stuff for me.

 

i also have an iPad I will be using. I do not have any external drives yet to store or for back-up. I will over the next couple of weeks but I imagine it will be fine to use the mini drive and move my music later in the month? I would really like to dive in tomorrow and use what I have.

 

My second question beyond the external drives is connection. I have told by a few folks to just go HDMI into my pre-pro? I have a separate pre/pro as well as an Oppo 105D at my disposal. Just wanting validation about the HDMI suggestions?

As Gary suggests starting a new thread might be better but a few hints for you.

 

First off; you have some good gear there so ignore anyone who starts telling you you need to spend more money on things - at least until you are happy with what you've got.

 

You comment about starting to rip your CDs - just to check I assume you know the 2014 MacMinis don't have a built in CD drive so you need to buy an external USB one: either the Apple Superdrive or a third party device.

 

For ripping you have a few options for software. First off you can use iTunes - this is usually perfectly suitable software (though make sure in Preferences -- Import settings you check the box to "Use error correction when reading Audio CDs". Alternatively you might want to start straight away using XLD (X Lossless Decoder) which can give confidence the rips are "perfect" by checking against the Accurate Rip database and also reporting any errors in ripping.

 

Once you start ripping you really should get a backup drive - its tedious loosing your work.

 

Once you have (some of) your CDs on the MacMini, with an AVR and the Oppo 105D you have a few options for feeding music to your system.

 

Option 1) connect a HDMI cable from MacMini to the AVR.

Option 2) optical connection from the MacMini to the AVR - the optical connection will require a Mini-TOSLink to TOSLink cable as the optical out it part of the 3.5mm socket on the MacMini.

Option 3) the same optical out but connected to the Oppo 105D.

Option 4) USB out of the MacMini to the Oppo 105D

Option 5) install MinimServer (or another UPnP / DLNA server) on the MacMini, you then stream the music to your Oppo (or possibly the AVR) via Ethernet.

 

There is no obviously best route - it partly depends how you have the Oppo connected to the AVR and what AVR you have? Given some reasonable cost cables, in the medium term you can try all the options for very little expense. In the long run options 4 and 5 will allow you to play DSD files to the Oppo which you may want to experiment with.

 

If you start off using iTunes to play the CD files back, then you can use the Apple Remote application to control it with your iPad.

 

Again in the medium term, you may want to try out some alternative playback software. Options include JRiver Media Center controlled with JRemote; Audirvana Plus; Decibel; Amarra Music Player and BitPerfect (not an exhaustive list).

 

Eloise

[DrunkPenguin]

Gary and Eloise- thanks for the welcome and info.

 

I have had my coffee and time to dig in! Vacation days are awesome! Yeah, I am reading your responses and reading some other threads and will kick it off. I think trial and error will work best here for hook-up.

 

I am going to try HDMI "in" to the Oppo 105D. I have external speakers AND a headphone amp and cans I purchased a week or so ago. I have the headphone amp running into the 105D via XLR/balanced connection and then I am using RCAs to analog out from the Oppo to my Classe SSP-800 pre/pro. I can currently listen to music or my other love blu-ray concerts thru my cans or of course my speakers.

 

I want the mini to run thru my Oppo so that I can use my cans if desired or thru my speakers. I am going to try HDMI "in" first to see if I can get this to work and I may experiment with one of the other digital connections after the fact to see how that compares but I need to start somewhere so I will start with HDMI "in" via Oppo. This is certainly a nice feature of the 105D. I will need to go thru the Oppo for whatever connection I decide as I want the headphone option or speaker option. If I go straight to Classe I will lose my headphone option and I don't want this.

 

Once again I think this will be trial and error as I learn. Yes, I also have the Apple superdrive that I purchased with the mini.

 

So here we go, let's see what I can get done today from scratch!

 

Regards,

Rick