Please Help!! looking to get into computer audio.

@dtc - I think you gave me what I needed. What I was not understanding was pretty basic..."web player" vs the alternative : "desktop app".  Since I’m using a MacBook, I’m fairly certain TIDAL for Mac will give me the HiFi option in their desktop install. I’m not real worried about portability/web-based access. Thanks for your time.

(btw - I agreed with your response to mensch about "small steps when getting started".)

sbank: "One of the benefits is getting a full PC or Mac computer and its associated noise out of the listening room and galvanically isolated from the dac."

Yes, with microRendu, the computer as server or the NAS, whichever you choose, does not need to be in the same room as the music system -- it just needs to be on the same network, which can be anywhere else in your home.

So isolation has nothing to do with choosing computer or NAS as server.

dtc

Upsampling is no panacea. Its much better to get an outboard asynch USB converter than to rely on upsampling. 

PCs are not real time systems.  synchronous usb is very high in jitter which can be made a little better by Asynch. Sample Rate Conversion, and heavy buffering.  The reviews for the BDA1 and how much better it sounds with the Bryston Player make me worry this is the case.

Asynch Usb however can resolve these issues.

Yes Im aware of the difference between a 103 and 105.  I was just offering options.

Best

Erik

@sun-warrior "So isolation has nothing to do with choosing computer or NAS as server."  

I see your point, but for the benefit of others, let's clarify that if your attach either 1) a computer and any attached hard drives or 2) a NAS to a router(usually in a different room on a different electrical circuit!) thus isolating the device from the DAC you've still got to get the signal to the DAC by ethernet, wifi or a power line adapter solution.
For my money, that's where the microRendu does a superior job vs. anything me and many others have heard.

For those who prefer to keep the PC or Mac located in the listening room, receive the music from on that computer and connect directly to the dac, they are in some ways fighting an uphill struggle regardless of which cable type or USB/SPDIF adapter they use.  Cheers,
Spencer

eric - I fully understand async USB and jitter. However, if the DAC resamples using its own clock, then async vs. sync timing should not be an issue. The DAC controls the final timing, and it is independent of the usb timing. If some people think that DAC sounds better with S/PDIF than USB that is fine. But the issue is probably not jitter in the USB signal, since the DAC reclocks the signal anyway.

My point was simply that the OP should try the USB from his laptop to his DAC before investing in lots of other options.