Building a high quality laptop based audio system

[Marco]

Hi Chuck,

Thanks for your co-operation - much appreciated

Please however see my post #10 on page one of this thread.

It was made at 09:41 AM yesterday after you had posted your initial enquiry, well before the replies to you on page 2, therefore I would've presumed you'd have read that before the subsequent replies on the following page, which you responded to, unless of course you read backwards....

Anyway, no worries. Enjoy the forum and I hope you get all the info you need for your computer audio project

Marco.

[Ian Walker]

stream from your pc via 1000mb wired ethernet to a thin playstation 3 take the analogue output to a suitable amplifer and speakers take the hdmi to a hd tv
this setup will play all your flacs and hd films in very high quality
i have tried a great many dacs including the new arcam rdac last week and none compare to the singled ended capacitorless analogue output of the ps3

joe

ALLEBLOODYLOOLYA!!!At last someone has cotton'd on...this guys is the gospel according to Joe...and me.

Marco...make Joe a moderator

[Marco]

Hehehe... Aye, but you needed a Nicky-boy valvey buffty-poo to be safisfied with yours, shweety!

Marco.

[Rare Bird]

Also,

As Dave pointed out, active speakers are another option, but there are a few considerations

If i were gonna buy Active speakers the ones i'd buy would be an old pair of Meridian Actives...For modern day option, i've use KRK active monitors in an hifi enviroment to great effect..I've actually be toeing with the idea of getting my old Meridian 'M2's speakers back.

[squeezethatbuffalo]

Another option would be to buy a Squeezebox Touch.If the hard drives you have are external ones (or buy a case to put them in) you can connect them directly to the Touch via usb. The Touch has both analogue and digital outs,so intitially you could use the analogue outs straight into an amp,and then buy a dac such as the Beresford Caiman when funds permit. This would the most cost-effective solution IMO as you would not need to buy a laptop. The Touch sounds very good from it's analogue outs,and can he made even better with the addition of a decent dac.

Seconded.

Chuck, if you don't mind running extra wires to the audio system, I'd recommend using the laptop (or any decent computer) as the server. Though obviously not as convenient, I find the efforts well rewarded.

[Ali Tait]

That's my next move Alex. I bought a guruplug for this very purpose but I don't know the first thing about linux,so I think I will sell it and buy a mini pc with windows to network the drives and run squeezecenter on.

[Stratmangler]

I remembered Tony Moore posting about using a Sheeva plug so dug about in the threads for this http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...ght=tony+moore

Tony might be able to help you with setting up your GuruPlug.

[Ali Tait]

Cheers Chris, but it's not knowing linux that's the problem. Assuming I get it set up with Tony's or Nick's help, I still know next to nowt about it,so if I get any problems, I won't know how to fix it. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I'm not so sure. At least with a windows mini pc I've got a chance of sorting any problems myself.

Anyone want to buy a Guruplug??

[Vincent Kars]

It appeals to me.
A small box running Linux with MPD for the audio and a hell of a outboard DAC
But I don’t like the interfaces of almost all MPD clients and getting it right simply takes to much time
http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/L...rs/MPD/MPD.htm

[electric beach]

Another option would be to buy a Squeezebox Touch.If the hard drives you have are external ones (or buy a case to put them in) you can connect them directly to the Touch via usb. The Touch has both analogue and digital outs,so intitially you could use the analogue outs straight into an amp,and then buy a dac such as the Beresford Caiman when funds permit. This would the most cost-effective solution IMO as you would not need to buy a laptop. The Touch sounds very good from it's analogue outs,and can he made even better with the addition of a decent dac.

Oh, what a merry-go-round!

I followed Ian's example and instruction with a laptop/ethernet/chubby PS3 into the killer Dac I bought from him (Williams Audio Brass Boy ).
Sound quality is certainly not an issue but all the laptop-PS3 connection faffing about is winding me right up. Not conducive to a relaxed and receptive state of mind for a listening sesh, keeps dropping the connection. If only the PS3 played Flac natively

Ali, you had me persuaded with your persistence about the Touch, was not convinced by the WD streamer and I think you know a thing ot two about great sound - then you start in with the 'getting a PC' stuff! I really was hoping to adopt computer audio but without the computer.