DIGITAL HIGH-RES AUDIO SYSTEM -HELP PLEASE


I need your expert advice on building a 24 bit/96Khz, 24/192Khz max, computer based home audio system I'd like to integrate into my home audio/ht system. I'm not totally clueless on what I need but I could definitely use some advice and direction as well as helpful tips. I have a fairly good audio system I currently use for ht and music playback. So, I'm not starting from scratch but want to incorporate computer audio and WAV and FLAC file streaming and storage into my system. Video streaming and storage can wait for a future time.

My current system consists of the following:
Plasma HDTV
Full 5.1 surround setup (5 spkrs and 1 subwoofer with in-ceiling surrounds).
Three separate stereo amps that power the main l/r, subwoofer/ center and l/r surrounds.
Directv satellite source (box has HDMI and digital audio output)
Older DVD/CD player as source used for movies and music.
Surround sound processor (older unit with just coax and optical audio inputs/outputs, no HDMI or USB inputs/outputs).
Separate tube preamp with HT Passthru. I'd run computer analog outputs to this for 2-channel listening.

For computer audio I already have some components:

Newer Laptop with 4 USB2.0 ports, dual core processor, 2 GB RAM and 110 GB internal hard-drive that can be solely devoted to a computer audio system(only 35 GB free on HD, however).
Wireless high-speed LAN with smart HDTV already attached and streaming Netflix, Hulu, Pandora and Amazon Prime to the tv and laptop.
JRiver v19.0 media player installed but no downloads yet and only a handful of cds ripped.
Cambridge Audio DacMagic 24 bit/192khz DAC.

My current budget is only about $1,500 and was thinking my next steps should be to:
A. Buy a new or used Oppo BDP-103 or, preferably a BDP-105 to replace my DacMagic and Sony DVD,CD player and get at least into 21st century technology.
B. Buy a NAS next to connect via USB to my laptop when more funds become available.

So, please let me know the following:

1. Am I thinking correctly and on the right path with buying an Oppo followed by a NAS?
2. Is there a method to connect my laptop, and future NAS wirelessly to the Oppo? I'm currently running a 12ft USB cable from my laptop to my DAC. I know cabled is better than wireless but curious how much better.
3. Any suggestions for a good, affordable NAS?
4. Does the Oppo BDP-105 have internal surround sound decoding capability that would allow me to run analog cables to my 3 HT amps directly from its analog outputs and substitute for my Parasound processor?

Thanks in advance for any advice and guidance.
Tim



128x128noble100
Bill,

Thanks, I'm very pleased with my computer audio system thus far.

It seems like high quality downloads are somewhat of a mixed bag. Purchasing 24/96 files of an album from the major sites appears to be about the cost of good SACDs which is about twice the price of the same titled album in CD format.

Otoh, there seems to be some sites, to those in the know, in which you can download high quality music files for free. A friend was able to download Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue" album as a 24/96 FLAC file for me at no cost. He said it's perfectly legal but I'm somewhat clueless on how these are obtained right now. I think it involves a small group of trusted friends sharing their music files.

So, if I'm able to obtain my music as a 50/50 mixture of free downloads and purchased downloads, I should be able to keep the costs roughly the same as my prior method of buying new CDs. Probably wishful thinking but I'm not too concerned.

I'm just really enjoying finally being able to concentrate solely on the music and listening and I'm willing to pay a bit more for the pleasure.

Thanks for your assistance again,
Tim

Tim - just google "free 24/96 24/192 music"

Odyssey Audio lists a few sites offering free-bees

They are mainly sample tracks but I've picked up about a dozen so far and they are very well recorded

Try this site also http://www.2l.no/hires/index.html
- they change their samples every couple of months

Congrats on the setup - enjoy:-)