What sources?

[nsherin]

Julian,

The buffer lengths in the Squeezebox 2 sounds impressive - 30 seconds is what portable CD players seem to be offering as a minimum these days. Sounds like the solution to go for if your PC/HiFi is not in the same room. Out of interest, does it decode AAC?

Agree about TCP/IP - it is incredibly robust and a good performing protocol too, over decent network connections. FWIW, I can belt out a 3GB compressed (6GB uncompressed) Ghost image out to 10 PCs at once using Symantec's Ghostcast Server in something like 7 or 8 minutes. That's pretty impressive if you ask me. Average rate on a 100mb/s wired network seems to be nearly 900MB/sec!

 

[Uncle Ants]

Oops. Should have read more of the other thread. Before posting to it

Anyways - its late and its been a long day so I'll post here as well

Its my office PC setup -

Athlon 64 PC (just built it today - well chuffed - leaves my old P3 for dust )
Cambridge DacMagic dac (off the PC's toslink out)
Used for Internet Radio and HD playback

Other sources - Michell Focus One/RB250/NAS Tracer 1 and a Marantz CD63.

Going into a Marantz 66SE KI Sig and a pair of Tannoy DC200s.

I rather like it, but the Marantz gets swapped out next week for my old Sansui AU6500 - cos I love them knobs and there is something quite funny driving a hi tech computer thingy with an old jap amp from 1972

 

[PBirkett]

"hard disk" may now be too loose a term. PCs and other computers have storage devices, typically spinning 'hard disk' storage. For hifi 'replay' purposes, that's noisy, due to both mechanical spinning and fan, and to interference from neighbouring electrics. The solid state storage, such as on an iPod, is also a 'hard disk' but one that has advantages for hifi replay.

A PC with a good quality sound card will sound better than any ipod type player.

 

[ditton]

I can accept that as faithful observation/report of how things are, but I would argue that the future lies with delivery of sound files from storage that has no moving parts and is not surrounded by other electical modules radiating interference. Consider the reasons that some of us consider seperates.

 

[wadia-miester]

I feel you are correct Ditton, but it has a long way to go yet

 

[lAmBoY]

Spinning storage has at least 10 years life (growth) with 'todays' technology before the dreaded super paramagnetic limits are hit.

The question is...Will we need the capacities offered by HDD for red book CDs when solid state becomes cheap at say 10Gb?

Storage needs are always driven by user needs - if red book stays the format of choice, the capacity per CD will stay the same - thus the need for storage will hit critical mass at a point where we simply dont need any more storage (ie 500 CDs worth of storage for a £50 solid state stick will obliterate the need for HDD)!

 

[Saab]

CDs have a long way to go yet.300 channels available on TV and I still watch Naked Darts on Men And Motors.Old habits will be difficult to shake off.Look at the comeback of vinyl.

 

[ditton]

CDs have a long way to go yet. ... Old habits will be difficult to shake off.Look at the comeback of vinyl.

very sympathetic to that thought. In some ways, CDs are surrogates for LPs, similarly shaped and packaged buckets of those new fangled digital thingies. Many of us like the sleeve notes, the browsing/buying and the getting up & selecting & listening thing.

Those digital files offer prospect of delivery in other than CDs, in two respects:
1) as (physical) distribution means
2) as replay device
with some attention to choice of
3) storage device.

On the first, the Internet is the key means of accessing digital files, including music file. This has implication for distribution. We can play/view something from afar; we can download/copy onto local media. However, as observed above, consumers (including our good selves) often want more than just the files - we want the 'metadata', the sleeve notes, the sense of a concept album etc. Independent of sound quality, I'm sure that is part of the appeal of vinyl.

On the second, we want to limit interference to reproduced sound quality: whether 'accuracy/realism' or 'truth/beauty', to overplay those contrasting objectives.

On the third, we want a mix of qualities associated with keep-safe and ease of retrieval.

The cost incurred in using CDs for the first is needlessly high, and so often is the pricing to the consumer. We know only too well about the limitations of CDs for the second. And we trust to CDs for the third.

Do we see a time when the consumer visits a download station in the shopping mall (or in the home for those who don't like to meet other people ;-) ) with their high capacity memory stick, decide to buy a bundle of tracks (and maybe the whole 'album') having listenned to the pre-pay replay, replays back from that stick in/on the car/bike/sneaker on the way home, before transfering the stuff onto the media server (which seamlessly, as they say these days, does the archival thing). The 'album' lives on through the (optional) sale of sleeve notes in the form of an A5 notelet with the tales and photos of the band/composer and the lyrics/score, all of which is also available for download from the Internet - but, hey, its nice to have something quality thing to refer to when listening - and it has the track code you can use with the handset for your media server - and it takes up space and shows visiting friends and family what you are into.

Whether Red Book remains dominant is a bit like the 80 column card and the like.

just a thought ...

 

[dominicT]

I use the internet to sample music so I can decide what the buy. I have a pair of cheap speakers to connect to the PC for this (2nd hand KEF Q15s as these sound good at close range). I am looking for a decent cheap integrated or power amp (£100).

I am stunned at the commercial stupidity of the music companies who want to stop people sharing music on the net as sharing is traditionally the way we find out what we like. People who hear more music, ultimately buy more music. Yesterday's home tapers are today's hifi enthusiasts with large CD collections. Music industry chiefs must be really dim.

So how about we take some of your salary and put it in your companies marketing budget to help recruit more staff? Same argument - do you fancy losing 50% of your income because my clients do not!!!!! radios are a free source of many types of music. Artists often have short clips of songs from current albums on their website. Ligit free music is out there. (Studio owner)

 

[dominicT]

"hard disk" may now be too loose a term. PCs and other computers have storage devices, typically spinning 'hard disk' storage. For hifi 'replay' purposes, that's noisy, due to both mechanical spinning and fan, and to interference from neighbouring electrics. The solid state storage, such as on an iPod, is also a 'hard disk' but one that has advantages for hifi replay.

Need to tease out some terminology for future use.

Would also need to tease out of 'Other' the AV stuff, the PC etc.

There are lots of quiet pro-audio computers out there, especially laptops. Check out Carillon, Millenium, DV247, Phil Rees - these are the main suppliers to the UK music industry. Of course Apples are used big time but the desk tops are not as quiet as the pro PCs. And of course sound cards costing £thousands....

 

[HiFiWigWam]

I just use t'internet for Radio, Sounds pretty good though.

I like listening to Kerrang TV station through the HiFi when in the mood for some rock, there's something about the randomness of it and having the video on too that I enjoy. Also it means I don't listen critcally, I just enjoy the music. Something I am sure many of us can forget when in an upgradey type of mood.

Chuz
James.

 

[rudolph hucker]

vinyl everytime ,cd for background music

 

[ditton]

vinyl everytime ,cd for background music

put another way, vinyl cannot be background music because its convenience rating is low: you have to 'do' vinyl. But I tread on holy ground ...

 

[alexs2]

put another way, vinyl cannot be background music because its convenience rating is low: you have to 'do' vinyl. But I tread on holy ground ...

I'd have to agree with that,plus the kid-proof factor for CD relative to vinyl.

Holy ground indeed,but often domestic sensibilities do take precedence,and CD can be made to work very well....I was very impressed by the Shanling CDT-300 recently,against a very good vinyl system comprising an Origin Live Sovereign,and about £25ks worth of Viva SET amps.

 

[ditton]

I just use t'internet for Radio ... there's something about the randomness of it ... I don't listen critcally, I just enjoy the music [when not] in an upgradey type of mood.

interesting contrast to the reference to vinyl, where listening to an LP is purposeful.

Turn the radio on - and there is a strong element of serrendipity. Internet play has some of this, with potential upgrade to the the tranny and maybe added convenience relative to the tuner (like wot I got attached to the 'best system'). For me Internet radio is possible when sitting at computer, but even then I prefer the Tivoli FM radio, though I clearly limit the stations I could listen to.

 

[mudgey]

My main source was CD, but since returning to vinyl I think I prefer the LP, use both

 

[ditton]

a Sunday-bump to try to get over 100 'votes' on this poll ...

 

[ditton]

another Sunday-bump to get over 100 'votes' on this poll ...

 

[Anex]

TT, only one input on my pre. Very rarely use CD player as it means faffing about with cabling. CDs get ripped to my mp3 player for listening at work

 

[ditton]

101 seems so much better than 98. thanks for the interest.

seems to me that there are four drivers at work:

1. how we buy/acquire recorded music
2. how we store it
3. how we replay/reproduce it
&
4. scope we get for tweaking

but these are not easily separated.

With analogue (eg vinyl), 1/2/3 are closely bundled together. the scope for tweaking is very focussed.

With digital there is more scope for tweaking by separating 1/2/3. And I think I confused the outcome of the poll by conflating 1 & 2: how we acquire and how we store digital prior to reply.

btw, has anyone any views on comparisons between albums/tracks that they have both bought as CDs and also converted into digital from the vinyl?

I wonder how long buying CDs will remain the dominant way of buying/acquiring content (following similar buying habits to LPs/vinyl); and how long before buying off the Internet will become dominant.

And just how long will it take me to get around to copying the content of all my CDs onto some mass digital storage , be that spinnng disk or, preferably IMO, solid state?

... I can see me keeping the Dax Decade, altho one of the good points in my system is the use of propriety AudioSynthesis Ncode from the CD transport to reduce/eliminate jitter and give that 'organic' feel. if I go for digital storage then I'll have to get David Heaton to come up with a suitable mod.