PC streamer.

[Mike H]

Ah right.

[The Stratmangler]

My aim was to use the FLAC files on my PC direct to a DAC and see if this was a good way to play music.

Or I could just burn my FLAC to a CD (after converting to WAV) and keep playing CDs.

CD Burner XP doesn't require that you convert flac to wav - it does the conversion automatically before commensing with the burn.
I'm sure that there are other burning tools that do it too.
If you've got Nero then there's a plugin to do the same.

[Ray P]

My aim was to use the FLAC files on my PC direct to a DAC and see if this was a good way to play music.

Or I could just burn my FLAC to a CD (after converting to WAV) and keep playing CDs.

Phil, previously you've talked about streaming; if your FLAC files are on your PC you don't need to stream anything, just have a good media player on the PC, of which Foobar is one.

Using a PC to feed a DAC has potential to play good quality music but there are some things to look out for.

The obvious one is noise from fans, disks and the like, which is often made worse by the resonant cases many PCs are built in. You can minimise any noise with some judicious damping of the case but to eliminate it completely you need to use CPUs with passive cooling (i.e. a whacking great heatsink stuck to the top of the CPU) and Solid state disks.

A second is the potential modification of your digital music by the PC, for example, Windows typically won't pass your bits through unmolested unless you specifically configure it to do so; as standard the sounds will be processed through the Windows mixer. I'm sure Foobar can make use of ASIO or WASAPI, which address this issue. Also, check out JPlay, which uses kernel streaming to maximise sound quality and is available as a Foobar add-on (JPlay is a bit pricey though at 99Euros so download an eval version to start with to see if it helps).

Another thing to consider is that your PC won't be solely dedicated to playing your music but will be doing loads of other things too, all of which will compete for processor time. The trick is to turn off as many of these processes as you can. JPlay helps with this to as, unlike other players, it operates as a Windows service so gets higher priority for processor resource but also has a hibernate mode, which shuts down processes to a bare minimum.

Just some thoughts based on my digging and current project. There's some good information on the Computer Audiophile website.

Ray

[Max N]

I found iTunes a PIA on XP but its perfectly fine on my Mac with Snow Leopard

Same here

Actually I just realised that this post was unintentionally misleading. I meant same here (iTunes is perfectly fine on my Mac) not that I found it a PIA on XP. I actually use iTunes on both OSX and XP and am happy with both.

I think we are all making this much more complicated than it needs to be. If I am reading this correctly, Phil just wants to hook a DAC up to his PC.

Phil, I think you have two options - SPDIF or USB. Does your computer have SPDIF out (either on the motherboard or on a soundcard)? A lot of motherboards do have SPDIF out. Quite often it is implemented as a 3.5mm jack socket to save space, but it is still SPDIF. You just need an adapter cable. If you let us know the motherboard model we can have a look. If not then it might be easier to get a USB DAC rather than spending money on a soundcard. A USB DAC should be plug & play, I think windows will automatically recognize it as something you can send music files to.

Regarding software, you just need a player, preferably with support for playlists etc. iTunes is really nice to use but you would have to convert your FLACs to Apple lossless. This can be done as a batch process, involves no loss of quality, and you could always keep the original FLAC files as well.

Otherwise Fubar, but don't worry about all the tweak options initially, just get it up and running. Then later if you decide you like Fubar you can have a fiddle and make sure that your files are being played bit-for-bit etc.

[pre65]

If I leave the main computer where it is, something like a Squeezebox might be the most cost effective solution.

I already have an ethernet cable from the router to the TV, so a wired connection to a Squeezebox could utilise that.

I'm looking to buy another motorcycle (for the road) at the moment so will see how the coffers are when (or if ) I decide.

Top of the list is a Triumph Sprint RS (2003) in black.

[cressy]

just a little more re using itunes on xp, yesterday i downloaded itunes onto my mother in laws laptop for her which runs xp pro, and it functions fine so you could still look at it as an option, and run it into a usb dac. that way i suppose you could also avoid the possible noise problems associated with using the pc. the issue for me is going back to the pc to change what you want to play.

tbh thats why im so happy with the apple tv as it gives me a remote interface to actually do the playing of whatevers in the itunes library, and i just dump the laptop out of the way. the only pita ive found so far is that the laptop has to be left open or it goes to sleep and the apple tv loses its connection with itunes. however if running it from a dedicated desktop pc/mac, whatever that wouldnt be a problem.

and ive been very impressed with the sound quality of the apple tv/beresford dac combination. sorry to keep banging on about it but after the complete failure of the squeezebox to stream anything bigger than an mp3, and the simplicity of setup and lovely interface of the apple tv i still reckon it is a brilliant introduction to streaming technology. certainly not the last word in sound quality if the prices of the linn, naim meridian offerings are anything to go by, but its not far off the quality of my katana cd player.

[pre65]

Ant, have you disposed of your Squeezebox ?

[cressy]

nope its mi old mans old one, sb3 i think, im sure he'd be happy to lend it if you want to try it

[The Stratmangler]

...after the complete failure of the squeezebox to stream anything bigger than an mp3...

This doesn't sound right - I've had no trouble getting a SB3 to play anything I have in my library, and that includes 24/192 files.
And the player has been used both wired and wirelessly (it's currently working wirelessly in my son's bedroom).

How were things set up?

[Mike H]

just a little more re using itunes on xp, yesterday i downloaded itunes onto my mother in laws laptop for her which runs xp pro, and it functions fine so you could still look at it as an option, and run it into a usb dac. that way i suppose you could also avoid the possible noise problems associated with using the pc. the issue for me is going back to the pc to change what you want to play.

So that's 2 of us ~ another reason I like notebooks/laptops, much quieter than desktop units.

If you followed (say) the USB DAC with a buffer and good quality audio leads, then the PC could be far away enough not to intrude.

[Neal]

Squeezebox touch £135 on Amazon...NOW!

Be quick price will go up....

[andrew Ivimey]

Squeezebox now £233 on Amazon or has the price already gone up - that's no bargain I'm afraid.

And my LampyDAC has conked out - too much alteration and repaired damage to the PCB tracks I suppose.

Right now my Squeezebox is refusing to play 192kHz files - its odd because in the past it has done this and jolly nice they sounded too. (I'm using the AK3936 DAC)

[pre65]

Squeezebox now £233 on Amazon or has the price already gone up - that's no bargain I'm afraid.

It was £135 when I looked, I was almost tempted.

[The Stratmangler]

Right now my Squeezebox is refusing to play 192kHz files - its odd because in the past it has done this and jolly nice they sounded too. (I'm using the AK3936 DAC)

Where is the Touch connected to?

[andrew Ivimey]

to the DAC...