Barriers to Computer Audio

[Sam Lord]

Here are my thoughts so far: I plan to use a PC (perhaps a laptop) with Windows 10 most likely. I will use J Rivers Media Center for playback and file management purposes. I plan to store the downloads and ripped CD's as FLAC files. For storage purposes I plan to buy a 4 to 6 terabyte hard drive and connect to the laptop using an ethernet connection. For ripping CD's I will likely use D.B. Poweramp. In my current system already which is a combination 2 channel stereo and home theater, I have an OPPO BDP-95 CD player and a Marantz 7055 AV Pre-Pro. For the pure stereo mode, I'm using a Parasound JC-2 pre-amp running through 2 McIntosh 501's into Legacy Focus SE speakers.

 

For now I would like to use the OPPO as my DAC until I conduct some additional research and buy a DAC for converting files to audio into the stereo system and for streaming from Pandora, internet radio, etc. Remaining questions include which type of connection should I use from the hard drive to the computer and from the computer to the OPPO or DAC to optimize the sound?

 

I think you have an excellent plan. The Oppo as a DAC is not very flexible, but see if you can make it usable for a while. Read this thread:

 

From: http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f10-music-servers/oppo-bdp-95-player-digital-analogue-converter-play-flac-files-13434/

 

Post #11:

 

>>>

"I own an Oppo BDP-95. I use it with a 2TB drive connected via a Wireworld USB cable to the rear USB port of the 95.

The drive has roughly 1.2TB of music data.The drive has mainly WAV files, and the subsequent FLAC files of my 2K+ of CDs, and, of course, some 24/96(192). The 95's DAC is far more listenable than the DAC found in my Marantz SR9300, so, analogue from the 95 always sounds better than using the digital output from the 95.

 

dBpoweramp ripped CDs to my drive always sound better than the same CD played on the Oppo 95. This is always the case.

 

Some FLAC files can trip up the Oppo, and, the GUI could be much better.

 

The Oppo BDP-95 made my system sound as good as when my Mac MC-20s were driving some Accustats.

My two cents, great site.

SSH"

<<<

 

I like JRiver, it's powerful and sounds good but consider Roon instead.

 

Cheers