Need help with new digital set up.

[kininigin]

My pc decided to die on me last week! I have all my music backed up on other hdd's so no issues there thankfully! I will need a new pc though but am unsure how to go about it.Should i build my own or buy a ready made machine?

Requirements are fairly simple,it has to be smaller than a normal pc tower,silent,optimised for audio but also having a graphics card as i don't watch tv and will use it for watching films! A drive to rip cd's from,a coaxial digital output!

Budget is about £400 but can be flexible on that front!

[Ali Tait]

Good selection here to look at-

http://www.engadget.com/reviews/digital-media-players/

[PaulStewart]

Second hand Mac Mini would fall in to both you budget and desired parameters. I use mine either optical or USB into a DAC which I had made in China for under a hundred squids, so all up well within your budget. It spins the digits quite nicely and has a very small footprint

Cheers

[kininigin]

Good selection here to look at-

http://www.engadget.com/reviews/digital-media-players/

I have given the link a look but it's all media players rather than anything with a computer operating system! Still some interesting stuff there though,which may have what i'm looking for on the media playing front.


Second hand Mac Mini would fall in to both you budget and desired parameters. I use mine either optical or USB into a DAC which I had made in China for under a hundred squids, so all up well within your budget. It spins the digits quite nicely and has a very small footprint

Cheers

Yes could be an option! Not sure i want to learn a new os though! Having said that i did have an old mac desktop a number of years ago,so shouldn't be too difficult i guess.Are they quiet? It will have to go in the same room i listen to my hifi in!

I'm really not sure which way to go here,maybe a laptop and a squeezebox touch is all i need? I do quite fancy the idea of building my own,so i get exactly what i want,just not sure how to go about it! I've been on on the same pc for about 4-5 years so i'm a bit lost with todays market.

[.mus]

Take a look at some of the CAPS V3 builds - varying spec and prices. Some of the parts will have been discontinued by now, but you'll be able to find the latest iterations without too much trouble. The first entry at the bottom is a general introduction to the CAPS V3 project, and then the builds run upwards in order of price. Should give you some ideas!

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/category/caps-v3-121/

[Ali Tait]

Have a look here-

http://www.vortexbox.co.uk/

[PaulStewart]

Yes could be an option! Not sure i want to learn a new os though! Having said that i did have an old mac desktop a number of years ago,so shouldn't be too difficult i guess.Are they quiet? It will have to go in the same room i listen to my hifi in!

I have mine in my main rack with a G-Tech 1 Tb Mini drive which is also fan less and silent, spookily the identical kit to the one I use is being offered on this very forum HERE (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?32669-FS-Apple-Mac-Mini-plus-extras&p=554508#post554508)

I use this with as I said, a Chinese upsampling DAC which cost about £100.00, sounds good to me but I would advise JRiver as a player, though I'm experimenting with Audacity which is free and a surprisingly good player. I also use Spotifiy player to play local files which is OK.

Cheers

[kininigin]

I have mine in my main rack with a G-Tech 1 Tb Mini drive which is also fan less and silent, spookily the identical kit to the one I use is being offered on this very forum HERE (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?32669-FS-Apple-Mac-Mini-plus-extras&p=554508#post554508)

I use this with as I said, a Chinese upsampling DAC which cost about £100.00, sounds good to me but I would advise JRiver as a player, though I'm experimenting with Audacity which is free and a surprisingly good player. I also use Spotifiy player to play local files which is OK.

Cheers

Wish i'd seen that ad yesterday! I am leaning towards a mac mini with a ssd into a squeezebox! I was seriously thinking of building my own but on second thoughts i can't be arsed with it to be honest! Not tried J river,have heard it's meant to be good!

[Ali Tait]

+1 for JRiver, best I've used so far.

[.mus]

Not to knock the Apple option, but my experience has been that a PC offers some nice options for tinkering with and improving sound quality, that would not (I think) be available for the Mac - such as the option to add a dedicated USB audio output card (like the SoTM (http://sotm-audio.com/english/products/tx-usbexp.php)), or various options for OS optimising (like Fidelizer (http://www.windowsxlive.net/fidelizer/)).

Item offer a kit to build a dedicated audio PC (with some nice custom parts) for £429, here (http://www.itemaudio.co.uk/prestashop/computer-audio/12-item-t1-computer-transport.html).

[brian2957]

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?24774-Introduction-Korus-computer-audio&highlight=korus+computer+audio
Gary built my server and it sounds fantastic . Contact him and see what he can do for you.

[kininigin]

I was leaning towards the mac as i can't be bothered to find and build the parts i need to make my own! The link you sent me is more what i would be looking for as they can source and build the thing! I also like the option to add different parts as and when needed.Looks like i have some deciding to do!

[kininigin]

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?24774-Introduction-Korus-computer-audio&highlight=korus+computer+audio
Gary built my server and it sounds fantastic . Contact him and see what he can do for you.

Another option! I vaguely remember Gary mentioning building servers ect! I'll give him a shout and see what he can do!

[kininigin]

Does Gary have a website set up for his new business at all?

[brian2957]

I don't think so Darren . He's a very helpful guy and I'm sure he will be able to offer you various options . His server builds are aimed at optimizing the SQ from computer audio and he also has extensive knowledge of the software ( and tweaks ) available to achieve this . Just speak to him and tell him what you would like and I'm sure he'll be able to help :)

[kininigin]

Been in contact with Gary (Korus Computer Audio) and will have an idea of what he has come up with for me sometime next week!

Brian,can i ask what you went for,for your server/pc?

[brian2957]

I've had this server for quite a few years now Darren and it's worked flawlessly all that time . I'm pretty sure that the technology ( and Garys knowlwedge of how to get the best sound per pound ) have advanced in that time. Unfortunately I know very little about computers so mine had to be very simple to use , and it is . I'm using W7 in my server as I've never felt the need to upgrade . However I believe W8 sounds better . I use JRiver media player and Fidelizer in mine and it sounds excellent and is very easy to use . As I said earlier I'm sure Gary will provide you with all the options and let you decide . However , I would take his advice also as he certainly knows what he's talking about . I firmly believe you've gone to the right guy for this and I hope you get what you're looking for Darren :)

[kininigin]

I've had this server for quite a few years now Darren and it's worked flawlessly all that time . I'm pretty sure that the technology ( and Garys knowlwedge of how to get the best sound per pound ) have advanced in that time. Unfortunately I know very little about computers so mine had to be very simple to use , and it is . I'm using W7 in my server as I've never felt the need to upgrade . However I believe W8 sounds better . I use JRiver media player and Fidelizer in mine and it sounds excellent and is very easy to use . As I said earlier I'm sure Gary will provide you with all the options and let you decide . However , I would take his advice also as he certainly knows what he's talking about . I firmly believe you've gone to the right guy for this and I hope you get what you're looking for Darren :)

Sounds good Brian.I've also gone for something simple as possible for what i need! Hopefully should have it within the next couple of weeks.I'm kinda glad my old pc died on me as it's given me the chance to go down this route,which i've been meaning to do for a while now!

[brian2957]

Nice one Darren . I'm sure you won't be disappointed . I've been very happy with mine and use it as my only source of music . My CD player has been relegated to the loft :)

[kininigin]

Cheers Brian,i'm sure i will be happy also! I've not had a cd player for a few years now and to be honest,i don't think i will buy one again! The TT is going no-where though :eyebrows:

Gary is going to use the same case as you have on mine.Do you have a model number or something? Gary is on a diy weekend somewhere,so don't want to pester him.I'm not fussed what it looks like to be honest but would be nice to see what is going to grace my rack.

[brian2957]

This is the one I have Darren http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/cases/cases/nov-vision.html
It actually looks better in the flesh :)

[kininigin]

Looks good,would be the type of thing i would have chosen if doing it myself.Plain,simple and functional.Not sure about the name in big white letters though! I see some form of tape being used to cover that :lol:

[brian2957]

Ah , I'm looking at mine just now and the lettering is brushed silver , I never noticed the difference Darren . Nothing that a little brush and a tin of aircraft paint won't fix :)

[Techno Commander]

Those of you who have music servers, what are you using as a control interface? Do you have a separate monitor & keyboard, or use a tablet?:

[kininigin]

Those of you who have music servers, what are you using as a control interface? Do you have a separate monitor & keyboard, or use a tablet?:

I will be using an ir mouse/keyboard into a monitor/tv.I don't use wifi what so ever!

[kininigin]

Ah , I'm looking at mine just now and the lettering is brushed silver , I never noticed the difference Darren . Nothing that a little brush and a tin of aircraft paint won't fix :)

Well i'm getting the silver version,so maybe the lettering will be in black and not stand out as obviously!

[brian2957]

Those of you who have music servers, what are you using as a control interface? Do you have a separate monitor & keyboard, or use a tablet?:
I use one of these plus a wireless mouse http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Logitech-K400r-Wireless-Touch-Keyboard-UK-English-Layout-920-003116-/161318388608?pt=UK_Computing_ComputerComponents_Ke yboardsMice&hash=item258f534380 .
But I can use my Samsung phone and Gizmo . Tablets are also very effective .

[brian2957]

1262312624
Well i'm getting the silver version,so maybe the lettering will be in black and not stand out as obviously!

TBH with you Darren I've seen the silver one in the flesh and preferred it to the black one , however it would have stuck out like a sore thumb in my setup.
My albums ( around 700 ) come up on a 37 inch Panasonic plasma BTW . I can also download films and watch them using JRiver media player , and switch to normal TV when I want . A fantastic all in one entertainment centre :)

[WAD62]

Those of you who have music servers, what are you using as a control interface? Do you have a separate monitor & keyboard, or use a tablet?:

I run LMS on a QNAP TS-119, I can control LMS via a web app on my PC, and via SqueezeCommander app on my Android phone and tablet, along with 4 touch screen SBtouches and also via their remotes. I can also control the QNAP for system configuration and monitoring via a web interface, and again via an android app on my mobile devices

[kininigin]

1262312624

TBH with you Darren I've seen the silver one in the flesh and preferred it to the black one , however it would have stuck out like a sore thumb in my setup.
My albums ( around 700 ) come up on a 37 inch Panasonic plasma BTW . I can also download films and watch them using JRiver media player , and switch to normal TV when I want . A fantastic all in one entertainment centre :)

I'm not really fussed which colour i get,as i have both silver and black equipment but i take your point with your setup,which looks nice and neat by the way! I will use it pretty much the same as you! On a 32" Goodmans plasma that was left outside a skip by my brother because the inbuilt speakers didn't work! Not an issue for me connecting it to a pc :eyebrows: I don't watch normal tv though! I'd rather punch myself in the groin!!

[Gazjam]

Hi Darren,
Your setup will be pretty much identical to Brian's, browsing album on the plasma etc in Jriver.
Its a cool way to enjoy your music. :)

[kininigin]

Hi Darren,
Your setup will be pretty much identical to Brian's, browsing album on the plasma etc in Jriver.
Its a cool way to enjoy your music. :)

Hi Gary,

Yeah it's what i've been doing the last few years,although using foobar! I've got very used to foobar,so i hope jriver is easy enough to use,i'm sure it is! Heard alot of people going on about it and how good it is.

Anyway less talking and more building! I want my Bushmaster back in my system! :ner:

[kininigin]

I now have my server/pc but i'm having trouble with jriver and importing cd's! I have tried importing a mixed cd but the track order is random and i can't for the life of me correct it.

I've tried all the different sort options to no avail.Anyone else have this problem and did you correct it?

[Stratmangler]

I now have my server/pc but i'm having trouble with jriver and importing cd's! I have tried importing a mixed cd but the track order is random and i can't for the life of me correct it.

I've tried all the different sort options to no avail.Anyone else have this problem and did you correct it?

Correct tagging is vital.
Sounds to me like your tags are suspect.
Download Mp3Tag and have a go at correcting the tags.

[kininigin]

Oh right,never have had to do that before! I really hope i don't have to start faffing about with things! The last thing i want is to start using other programs to do something which should be simple! I'll give it a go Chris and see what it does.

[kininigin]

How the hell do you use Mp3Tag? Have the album in there have no idea what to do with it! Is there not a simple one button press solution type thing?

[Stratmangler]

You won't have to faff about if you set the tagging criteria correctly to start with.
Remember that the filename is not necessarily the same as the tags - it's possible to rip material which doesn't have any tags, but does have a filename, and this material is about as much use as a chocolate teapot.
No media player gets on well with such material, which is why ripping to WAV is not recommended - not all media players can cope with untagged material, and WAV tagging, although it exists, is effectively untagged material because there is no accepted standard for WAV tagging.

Once you get into large library territory you have to get your folder structure right, along with the filenames and tagging.
It's a pain in the backside to get right initially, but quickly becomes second nature.

[Stratmangler]

How the hell do you use Mp3Tag? Have the album in there have no idea what to do with it! Is there not a simple one button press solution type thing?

I'm off out Darren - Tour de France starts shortly, and I live quite near to The Dales.
Hopefully someone else can step into the breach while I'm gone.

[kininigin]

You won't have to faff about if you set the tagging criteria correctly to start with.
Remember that the filename is not necessarily the same as the tags - it's possible to rip material which doesn't have any tags, but does have a filename, and this material is about as much use as a chocolate teapot.
No media player gets on well with such material, which is why ripping to WAV is not recommended - not all media players can cope with untagged material, and WAV tagging, although it exists, is effectively untagged material because there is no accepted standard for WAV tagging.

Once you get into large library territory you have to get your folder structure right, along with the filenames and tagging.
It's a pain in the backside to get right initially, but quickly becomes second nature.

Thanks for the response but i don't know how to set the tagging,i've never had to do it! Foobar has never had this issue and i had thousands of tracks on there! I downloaded the program you suggested but there is no clear understanding of how to use it!

[kininigin]

Ok thanks for your help Chris.

[kininigin]

Don't know how i've done it,but it is now ripping correctly! I'm not touching anything else now though :lol:

[Gazjam]

Cool. :)

MP3Tag is an swesome piece of free software, the best you can get to sort out the Tags on your music files.
Jriver indexes its tracjks not by filename but the tags embedded in the file.
Its a database really, which groups items by the tag. If that's not right, good luck finding your music!
Not so bad if you dont have a lot of stuff, but thousands of albums worth of untagged tracks is a nightmare!

For instance a mate who was new to Jriver had multiple copies of his albums after importing them, the problem was not all tracks in the album were tagged with the same ALBUM tag.
Jriver took them as different albums!
Good reading here Darren:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Tags

We sorted them in MP3Tag.
It lets you see the embedded tags and edit them.
What I did was to import a folder for a given album into MP3Tag, then you can multi select all tracks and edit tags all at once for that album.
Same artist, same album name, same genre...etc.
FAQ here: (more reading I'm afraid) :)
http://forums.mp3tag.de/index.php?showtopic=978

As Chris says, you'll get the swing of it in no time!

[kininigin]

I understand what tags are and there function ,but for someone who has never had to change any,it doesn't appear to be easy from my first look at it! How do you know what to change and to what? (a rhetorical question).

Anyway nearly all my music is tagged correctly only a few wav files which are not and i know what they are,so easy to find!

Slowly getting used to J River and the new OS.Very impressed with the speed of it.Sound wise it is very good from the little i have listened to so far.Definitely better sounding than my last pc with foobar! Certainly has a much lower background noise and sounds much smoother while still keeping the details there.

[Stratmangler]

Do you still have the same issue with importing the mixed CD?
Is it a purchased CD, or is it a mix you've done yourself?

In truth I find that the tagging of files often leaves much to be desired, especially when the files have been downloaded from the likes of HD Tracks and similar.

Another thing I frequently find issue with is the atrocious tagging that is pulled in from online databases, usually when ripping CDs, although the issues there usually stem from users who don't give a flying f**k what the files are named and tagged in the first place.
I bought a copy of this album when it was released last year, and found that there were no database matches for it, so I had to fill in the details for it myself, and I made sure it was done properly.
I felt at the time that is was putting something back into the greater community, and still do. Record companies do not put out databases of CDs they have released, it's all entered by Joe Public. Some are less fastidious.

http://www.florencefinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/The-Chic-Organisation-Up-all-night.jpg

[kininigin]

Yes Chris,it now imports correctly and it was a purchased cd.Not exactly sure how i sorted it! I'm only re-ripping cd's which were ripped as mp3's years ago when i never used computer audio! I had a load on a laptop for when i'm travelling and just imported them over to my home pc.Shouldn't have any more issues as far as i can see.

Seems a bit of a ball ache re-tagging things to me at least! As long as i have correct track order,artist and album,that is enough for me!

[Stratmangler]

As long as i have correct track order,artist and album,that is enough for me!

Funnily enough it's enough for me too.
Unfortunately tags are frequently full of smelling pistakes, and the grammer could be betterer to!

[kininigin]

I've got better things to do than correct spelling mistakes :lol: You got a bit of ocd there Chris? :ner:

[Stratmangler]

I've got better things to do than correct spelling mistakes :lol: You got a bit of ocd there Chris? :ner:

Not in the slightest.
I was taught properly at school, but then I'm of a certain age from before the rot having really set in ;) :ner:

[kininigin]

Anyone use ground loop isolators and do they compromise audio quality?

[Gazjam]

Back to tagging for a second...

Just to say Darren, if any tags need fixed you can edit them directly in Jriver.
Quicker than using a separate program like MP3 Tag.

Select Album, tracks, Artist whatever in Standard View (The Itunes like one not Theatre View?), right click and select TAG.

Info box will pop up on LHS with text entries for all the Tag fields and you can edit them there.
Changes will be embedded in the file itself.

Clever stuff innit :)

Over time you'll be discovering just how cool Jriver is and all its little tricks.
Big step up from Foobar in sound, features and user experience.

[struth]

Ive a couple of various artist albums that do the wrong tags thing and appear as 20 odd albums..i cured it by deleting the bloody thing :lol:

[Gazjam]

Set ALBUM ARTIST to the same thing ("A Tribute to Des O' Conner" or whatever ;)) and they will show up as one album.

Jobs a good'un.

[Stratmangler]

Set ALBUM ARTIST to the same thing ("A Tribute to Des O' Conner" or whatever ;)) and they will show up as one album.

Jobs a good'un.

Top tip that one Gaz!
I always set the Album Artist tags correctly.
It's very useful when an artist keeps changing the name of his or her working project :)

[Gazjam]

eggsarclay!

Much gnashing and grinding of teeth till I discovered that one. :)

[kininigin]

Back to tagging for a second...

Just to say Darren, if any tags need fixed you can edit them directly in Jriver.
Quicker than using a separate program like MP3 Tag.

Select Album, tracks, Artist whatever in Standard View (The Itunes like one not Theatre View?), right click and select TAG.

Info box will pop up on LHS with text entries for all the Tag fields and you can edit them there.
Changes will be embedded in the file itself.

Clever stuff innit :)

Over time you'll be discovering just how cool Jriver is and all its little tricks.
Big step up from Foobar in sound, features and user experience.

Sounds easy when you put it like that! Haven't had to use it so far but probably will at some point i guess! Still getting used to it and haven't really tried checking out all the features.Still sorting out my music collection and still haven't had a proper listening session.Will do this over the weekend.It does sound very good though.I have been playing alot of new music atm,so need to play some familiar stuff to see how that fairs!

[kininigin]

Now have had a bit more time to do some serious listening and i'm very impressed! In combanation with the Bushmaster MKII (with Anker battery pack) it is easily the best digital set up i have owned.Really enjoying going through my music collection :D

[Gazjam]

Yay! :)
What its all about, enjoying your music.

Glad the Server is doing the business for you Darren.

[struth]

Saw and heard Brian's one Garry and was well impressed...very neat solution.

[brian2957]

Welcome to the ' Korus ' club Darren :D

[kininigin]

Cheers Brian.It sounds great and loving the feel of J River! Added bonus is it doesn't have that nasty huge white writing on it as well :ner:

Out of interest,what psu are you using with yours? I'm thinking of getting a Linear psu.

[Gazjam]

Darren,
how you getting on with Jriver now you've been playing with it a while?
Any issues, questions etc?

Gaz.

[kininigin]

Darren,
how you getting on with Jriver now you've been playing with it a while?
Any issues, questions etc?

Gaz.

Hi Gaz,

Yeah getting on fine with it mate.Don't really mess about with it really,just put my music on it and press play! There is just one minor quibble though! How do you set it so it can play each album without stopping and going to the next album inline?