Computer Audio - The Basics
It's becoming really common to use your PC, a PC based consumer product or a standalone solution for storing and playing you music. The possibilities in te meantime are endless and it's getting difficult to choose. With this article, I will try to shed some light on this situation.
File Formats and Playback Applications
Read all about WAV, mp3, FLAC and the various applications to make them with or play them back with. Winamp 2, Winamp 5, iTunes, Foobar, Media Jukebox, Media Monkey... Every application sounds different!
External USB-Firewire Audio Interfaces compared
Edirol, Apogee, TC Electronic and Echo. Also background information on usb/firewire.
Digital Cables - AES/EBU versus SP/DIF and USB vs Firewire
Do digital cables really make a diference? And is AES EBU better by definition?
Recording lp's - Analog versus Digital
Analog recordings were made on 2 different Nakamichi cassettedecks, and digital 24/96 recordings on PC both via EMU 1212M soundcard and on Mac via Apogee Duet firewire interface, played back via DCS and Audiomeca dacs in the reference setup.
CD player versus Computer
Some say that Hard Disks are inherently better than optical transports at reading data perfectly. But are PC's as a whole really better than the best CD players available? We put it to the test.
Upsampling - what does it do
This is explained by means of two articles. The first link points to a review of the DCS Delius and Purcell dac and upsampler and describes exactly what upsampling does, bot in a technical manner as well as describing the audible differences. The second link points to an extensive review of the Behringer Ultramatch, basically an affordable upsampler.
Extensive Reviews:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
SSD versus regular spinning hard drives
This may be hard to believe but hard drives also have an influence on the sound and it is not subtle.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
SACD
Is there still life left in the DSD format? The SACD disk may not have been a commercial succes, but if we're really lucky, the format may live on as a high res music download option. (review also published under Audiophile Insights)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kernel streaming
Now that server-based music replay is gaining in popularity, the phrase Kernel Streaming is seen more and more often. But what is it exactly, and why do you need it?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Optimising iTunes for Windows
As it turns out, this popular music playback applications sounds splendid on a Mac but not so hot running under Windows. Here are some tips to make the most of it.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lossless Audio
Lossless formats such as FLAC are technically lossless indeed. But do they sound the same as uncompressed formats such as WAV or AIFF?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mac versus PC, all current popular playback applications, including various add-ons and various (USB) interfaces compared
I've compared all this in what may well be my most elaborate review ever. A Macbook Pro is compared to a full size Windows computer, using many different playback applications, interfaces (USB, Toslink and coaxial digital), cables and add-ons like Virtual Cable, Amarra and Pure Music.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
USB audio transfer - Synchronous versus Asynchronous
Much has been said about Asynchronous USB data transfer. But what does this constitute? And is it really better?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
File Formats Revisited
Followup to the article above. Mac compared to PC using all popular applications, two iTunes sound enhancements and a range of DA-converters and USB interfaces. In this article you can find the results of all my efforts to find the best PC audio playback solution.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
What's what in computer audio terminology?
For music lovers starting their journey in Computer Audio here's a glossary of computer associated components with descriptions of what they do.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Physical Musicfiles Source
By this I mean the physical medium on which your music files are stored. This can be a NAS, a USB-connected hard drive or your internal hard drive. My point: they all sound different.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best PC audio solutions
Some examples of computer based setups that work well, in various price ranges
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best Streaming Audio Solutions
Some examples of Streaming Audio setups that work well, in various price ranges
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best Integrated Solutions
Some examples of All-In-One audioserver solutions that work well, in various price ranges
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Basic Info
Knowledge / Tips
Hardware Comparisons / Controverse
The Best Solutions for all budgets
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Optimising Winamp 5
With default settings Winamp 5 can sound a little constrained and dynamically compressed. Find out how to optimise it!
WAV and tagging
Wav files may appear to have tags when they are accessed through applications such as iTunes and Media Monkey, but in fact the WAV format doesn't allow for any decent tagging functionality. At least not in that it benefits the regular user in the way that it works so well for FLAC and mp3.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
CD ripping
Did you know that iTunes, Audiograbber, dB poweramp and EAC all sound different?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kernel Streaming for Winamp 5 (W7)
There's an obscure Kernel Streaming plugin for Winamp 5, but there are some things you should know...
Loading
Meridian Streaming Audio (formerly Sooloos) sidenotes
There's no doubt that this system is world-class. Operability and functionality are simply best in the industry. But, like all software, it isn't without flaws. This article lists bugs, bug fixes with version history and software improvement suggestions for Control;PC, Control:MAC and Core Control for iPad.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
BitPerfect Mac App review
BitPerfect is a very affordable Mac app that works with iTunes to enable better sound while maintaining the ease of use that iTunes offers. It made for an interesting comparison to PureMusic.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Find out all about classic and current Jeff Rowland equipment
Streaming, USB, Firewire,
Computer Audio
Current and Classic CD players, Cables, Accessories and more
Galleries, timelines & interiors of fascinating classic equipment
Meridian Media Drive 600 placement
This is less of a no brainer than you might think. First: the thing is incredibly noisy so needs to be positioned away from the listening room. Second: the sound is greatly influenced by the powercable and (length of) UTP cable used and even more so by the amount of switches the signal runs through.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bliss
Bliss is a super-handy manually controlled or fully automated Music Library Tagging Program that follows rules you set up in advance.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Info, Tips, Tricks and Insights
How to optimise your system
 DEF.jpg)