Computer Audio - which software player?

Interested to learn what those using streaming/computer audio use as their player & library management software, and why.

I use iTunes as its easy, intuitive and seems to perform well sonically.

Also, what is your preferred file format?

Most of mine are Apple lossless with the odd MP3 where no lossless version is available.

 

I hate itunes and its library management!

I use a Sonos on my dac and play flac and mp3's, as far as I know once the tracks are alac they cant be changed.

Sonos is very easy to use and having the remote is handy and I also used the fixed volume setting for better results, I use mine wired as it is all by my hifi.

Dont know if u have a dac but I guess u do, so u are probably ok wwith what u have.

I have used various Squeezeboxs and they dont sound as good even when they were put through the same dac and I guess this will cause a row on how digital is digital but I can hear a difference, also squeeze software freezes up from time to time and I found myself doing numerous resets.

A ps3 with a server or pc networked is also pretty good as u have a bluetooth remote and can use it far away but then with iphones and ipods on wifi u can also when using them as control devices.

I guess what ur used to and how easy and well u seem to get on with itunes and the fact that all ur files are alac is probably ur best bet now! A new dac an usb or firewire to spdif converter with a good clock or external clock is another option to put in the chain between mac and dac can help and Kieth from Purite is a good guy to talk to about things like that as he has and has had alot of experience and testing with different bits and bobs.

Asyncronous dacs are also good as they control the digital signal and how it is recieved whereas a normal dac just gets what its given

Dan

 

iTunes, Apple lossless. I'll put up with the few niggles of iTUNES because it works, is painless and no configuration/geekyness is required to get the best from it.

 

I use SqueezeboxServer (?) as it is what the Squeezeboxes like. It is also simple, stable and supported by an active third party development community. I use iTunes to rip CDs and MAX to convert to FLAC.

 

For me, Foobar2000 as player, FLAC as file format and EAC when I need to rip CDs.

All with a spirit that what I prefer now may not be what I prefer in a year's time and will almost certainly be different from what I have to use in five years.

Computer-based audio is a fluid thing and I think it would be a mistake to rush prematurely toward "standardisation".

 

I rip my CDs to WAV using EAC. Pointless in using FLAC as file size isn't much smaller. HD disk space is less than 10p per GB so you're looking at less than 10p to store a CD. Hardly worth quibbling over. Anything can play WAV as well.

I used to use Foobar - great piece of software - plays all formats and supports ASIO

I now use XBMC on a Acer Revo 3610 (£169) - again plays all formats with the ability to output using WASAPI. Plays all video formats as well.

I have a couple of music streamers around the house for the family but they can't play all formats so no good for me.

 

dBPoweramp to rip to flac, Twonky as the media server, running on a ReadyNAS NV+ with 4 x 2Tb drives running in X-raid configuration (I have over 10,000 CDs ripped, thats well over 100,000 songs).

I use either Songbook running on an iPod Touch or, more usually, LinnGUI running on a Samsung Q1 (Songbook still can be a bit flaky).

All that lot feeds my Akurate DS via wired ethernet.

Chris

 

I use Rythmbox to play FLAC files on my Linux PC, iTunes on Windows.

 

I use Spotify. Recently it is able to see all local files and read Apple Lossless, so it gives access to my whole collection as wel as all the Spotify stuff.

One nice feature is that if tunes in your local collection are duplicated in the Spotify online collection, you can still access them without the local source connected.

The thing it lacks is a nice CD cover view to brows the collection, although you do get it when you play the album.

 

JRiver Media Centre: the least wrong player you can actually use.

On a Mac, iTunes + Pure Music sounds less like it's in the way than other solutions, but the interface and functionality is below what Apple users have come to expect.

On Linux, Songbird.

 

I use Itunes, the graphics are unbeatable, and Sonic Studios' Amarra, Twilight and Pure Music, xx hi-end is mean't to be good on PC , I still have to get around to optimise that .
Keith.

 

Itunes and AIFF for me. Itunes is a doddle to use and i don't need to play about with it to get the best from it. It just works. Good for when friends come round as well as most people are familiar with it, even the g.f can use it. Unless there's a player that sounds significantly better itunes will be staying. AIFF as it tags well unlike WAV and is still uncompressed which means its a good back up for my CD's. Also compatible with itunes unlike flac. Simples.

 

I would always use AIFF.
VB Keith.

 

I use Squeezebox and Squeezeserve so my library is in FLAC. If I want to read it without the Squeezebox I use Foobar. I have no use for a portable player so none of my music is in lossy format. I listen to Internet Radio far more often that my FLACS.

 

itunes and ALAC

 

Squeezebox and XP.

Winamp on the PC

Seeing as 1Tb hard discs are about £60, I rip to wav with EAC, no point faffing about with flac.

 

Tagging?

 

Why?

 

Don't the tags give you a more convenient way to index the music?

 

iTunes provides full tagging facilities for wavs, but the original file format, which doesn't provide for tags is not altered. Instead tags are kept in a separate database.

If you export a wav from iTunes, the tags are not carried over, which is correct file handling.

JC.