Apple v squeezebox touch

[colinB]

Sorry to bring this up again bUt...I've moved to a small pad and feel the need to stick my CDs onto a hard drive and control the music from a screen of some kind.
I'm due for a phone upgrade so could get a iPhone but the squeezebox Is coming down in price and is looking very attractive now. I was looking at the Sony s tablet but it's not clear if it syncs music storage with my ps3.
WWithout stirring a Corey debate can anyone Tell me the pros and cons of both routes? I use a notebook with windows media player and I'm about to buy a toshiba hard drive.

[WAD62]

Regardless of the playback mechanism, the first thing your going to have to do is rip your CD's

I'd suggest FLAC via dBpoweramp, or EAC if you want a free alternative.

Check out this thread for ripping advice, get a decent external CD drive if you want the best results...

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8238

Once you have your 'lossless' library you could start off using your laptop as a player, or as you suggested an SB setup. Anything that handles FLAC would be my suggestion.

If you don't care about multiple rooms then a well sorted laptop with a decent soundcard/digital out into a DAC might be a good option, given you already have a laptop.

The touch is a good option, but is at it's best when used in conjunction with a 'server', although it will run stand alone.

I use a mixture of SB's (controllable from my smartphone) and a couple of PC's all using the same FLAC library on my NAS (&SB server), but that's a bit of overkill unless you want playback in multiple rooms/systems. ;)

[electric beach]

Hi Colin

I'm no expert but I have experience(s) with both PS3 and Squeezebox Touch.

You can play FLAC files with a PS3, using an HD via your laptop and using PS3 Mediaserver, which will convert the files to the WAV which the player needs. I take the optical signal from the PS3 into an external dac.
Negative: control is via my 52" TV screen and the PS3 menu, not the laptop screen. It could be controlled from a PSP. I have had some buffering issues but conclude that's my settings or set up, as others have not. And that bloody fan.
Positive: Best digital sound I've ever achieved.

The Touch needs a powered HD as minimum requirement to stand alone, which is convenient, but sound quality is better with the HD running from a laptop. Either way I use an external dac.
Negative: Screen is too small to read across the room (just how small is your small pad!) and needs work on the power supply to raise the sound quality - I'd recommend the S-Booster from Mark Grant as minimum at £27.50). Still can't get rid of that laptop :doh:
Positive: Much better interface. Including a tablet.

[colinB]

Thanks gents. Got a lot to do.
Steve ,with your ps3 set up do you get the album art and the track listings?

[electric beach]

No Colin, I don't save the album art. Track listings no problem though. Directories and manipulation are somewhat limited but I'm happy to live without the frills for the sonics. I want to explore the PS3 potential a bit more with HD direct and WAV files or recorded directly to the internal memory using ATRAC (although this is compressed I think). This way you can download the album info but the cover art is only icon sized.

[colinB]

PLease keep me posted Steve. apart from the noisy transport I'm pleased with the sound of the ps3 using to slink into my dac. I've put some discs directly to the hard drive and managed to link windows media from the laptop plus I found an app that throws spotify to the ps, just disappointed it doesn't list any info on the x bar. to be honest I had no idea about the ps3 media server app.
I don't mind using the tv while playing music.
Seems as though the potential of the console as a media server Is bigger than I thought. Pity Sony don't give more details as to what it can do.

[electric beach]

http://ps3mediaserver.blogspot.com/

There's been an update since my buffering issues which fixes the problem with FLAC files, you should have no trouble.


Happy days :cool:

[MCRU]

My opinion based on years doing it is:-

Get an HTC Desire or Sensation, download squeezebox commander off the android marketplace which acts as an exceptionally good remote for your SB Touch with album artwork etc, etc, my experiece is tablets get damaged easily and finger prints are a major ball ache, i-pads I HATE because of apple's aggressive sales techniques, buy a SB and use either an old laptop or a NAS to rip and store your CD's using db power amp as already suggested, use if you can wired connections instead of wireless and get a decent DAC and you are away, if that has been suggested before pardon me for butting in.

[colinB]

Thanks forthe ideas :cool: