2. pc-audio
  3. 1417856497

PC audio newbie looking for advice

I'm just throwing this out there and I will greatly appreciate any help, knowledge, or tips I can get regarding the process of recording my vinyl and CDs to a hard drive.

Ultimately what I am looking for is this:

1) A tablet and/or smart phone interface ( I might be OK with small IR hardware for home but hopefully not)
2) Easy, smart, software for this interface (I've read MediaMonkey is good)
3) An easy, software solution for the adc process (I've read that VinylStudio is easy and effective)
4) Since memory is cheap I want to keep WAV, or maybe lossless, files on a standalone hard drive(s) for home audio playback. I might also convert these to mp3 for use on a smart phone to play in the car, etc.
5) I have a nice 17" Toshiba laptop (windows 7) and want to use it for the front end in the adc process if I can. My phone is the only Apple product I've ever had, an iPhone 5s because it's slim and small compared to other phones. I do not own a tablet currently but a dedicated convertable for the sound system is appealing. I am not inclined to go the media player route.

Over time I've put together a decent rig for critical listening and I am thinking that now I would like to convert my vinyl and CD's (about 500 units all told) to hard drive for convenience and portability. Some of the answers to some of my questions are probably on the forums somewhere but they can be difficult to hunt down. I can handle technical if necessary but I prefer easy, elegant and low maintenance solutions. I've got an idea of most of the parts and pieces I will need but I haven't wrapped my head around the process as a whole from end to end. I am not willing to spend forever and a pot of gold to gain a few percent, and basically I am looking to reduce my stumbling around in the dark as much as I can. Thanks in advance for your time and patience.

My home audio rig consists of a primary system in a critical listening / video room which shares some sources with a lesser secondary system that takes sound everywhere else in the house and yard via an effective 12 channel mid fi amp and low tech, hard wired, 12/4 & 14/4 wall rated speaker cable all over the place whole house sound system. I am not inclined to go Sonos or equal because my speakers and sound are superior and the sound is the thing above all.

FWIW

Primary rig
-----------
Cary SLP98p F1
Cary CAD 500 MB (2)
Cerious Technologies React 2
Esoteric P-700
Cary Xciter DAC
ProJect PerspecX
Parasound T-3
Samsung whatever 3D Blueray player
Samsung 58" Plasma 3DHD TV
APC H15
HRT Linestreamer plus
I am considering replacing the Samsung blueray, Esoteric, and Cary Xciter with an Oppo 105. The Esoteric is a great unit though. Yes I like to turn it up a bit at times.

Secondary rig
-------------
Sansui AU-317 (preamp only)
Dayton Audio MA 1240
Yamaha 5 disc CD changer
Sansui TU-317
Cerious Technologies Cerious 7
Quad 12L2 (2)
Asperion Outdoor
DCM Time Windows
Pioneer HPM 100

Power, interconnect, and speakers cables are a combination of Cerious Technologies, SoundSilver, and custom.
silversurfer0116
kennythekey
593 posts
 
Benchmark and other companies have analog to digital converters for ripping vinyl. That's all I know about that part.

One of the best software products for ripping CDs is dBpoweramp. I used an auxillary computer with a fast CD drive to rip all of my CDs (FLAC and/or WAV) to my NAS. I also download hi-res files to the NAS.

My media player is a dedicated atom based Windows 8 computer designed by the Computer Audiophile. This one is called the C.A.P.S. v3 Carbon, but there are different versions. There is no fan, so no noise and it sits on my audio rack.

For the listening room interface, I use an iPad with the JRemote app installed. This handshakes with the J. River Media Center software installed on my Carbon.

I am extremely happy with this setup for both sound, convenience, and flexibility. I have pictures, etc., through my System link.
silversurfer0116 OP
15 posts
 
Thanks for your input Kenny. Jriver is one of the programs on my list. The internet press seems to think it overly complicated and favors mediamonkey. Agon seems to favor jriver though. Do you know if the jremote app only comes with a media player that has jriver software? Or is it something that will work with a PC too? I have an auxillary hard drive that I plan to store all my WAV files on and hopefully access them via a dedicated laptop. I'm just now looking into media players. They're nice but they do seem to be overpriced laptops in a lot of ways.
silversurfer0116 OP
15 posts
 
Zd542. Your idea seems plausible. A turntable has to convert analog data into digital data to burn it onto CD. Are you saying that I can simply hook a CD burner up to the second pair of preamp outputs (which are provided for a powered subwoofer or second amp/speaker set). The CD burner would have to have a built in analog to digital (ADC) to do this or do I need hook an stand alone ADC up in line to the CD burner?
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"A turntable has to convert analog data into digital data to burn it onto CD."

No it doesn't, but something in the chain has to. A stand alone CD burner has its own analog to digital converter. Since its integrated as part of the burner, you really don't see, or interact with it in any way. You can either connect a phono preamp to it directly, or connect it to a preamp.
kennythekey
593 posts
 
Silversurfer,
There's new stuff all the time, so at one time Computer Audiophile favored J. River as a player. It works for me, but I do have a lot of different parts to my digital gear, that can complicate things.
As I remember, I downloaded the JRemote app after I already had the J. River Media Center. There's a setting in J. River, that runs the Media Server when you start up your computer, that the JRemote app syncs with. I think you need the J. River Media Center to use the JRemote app, but the Media Center is on my PC, while JRemote is on my iPad. Look into this, so you know for sure.
I guess I have a number of separates, because I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket. Digital audio technology, turns over like cell phones, computers, and software, because it's the same idea. I don't want to upgrade my all-in-one, because it won't handle a bigger hard drive, for example. But, that's me, and others have their own solutions that work best for them.
More to discover