CD ripping for the lower end.

One of the main challenges to overcome with digital playback is noise (many types including electrical, RFI, EMI, etc.) coming from the digital player (i.e. computer or network steamer/player). This is especially an issue with older devices outputting the digital music to the dac via USB. In the last couple of years manufacturers have greatly improved USB outputs in high end audio purpose built players. OTOH, macs & PCs have USB outputs not optimized for audio sound quality. That's why so many approaches have been utilized to attack the problem including: dual-headed USB cables that separate power from signal)
filter boxes that disengage the power leg of a single USB cable
decrapifiers
upgraded linear power supplies
low power linux players running few proceses

For all these reasons stepping up in SQ at reasonable cost for most of those in the know involves going from a full purpose computer running high power and an O/S running tons of processes that don't involve audio to a single purpose built low power player, regardless of whether the storage is local or in another room and connected via network(NAS).

When you make that change you'll probably change software too, although you might not. Whatever choices you make now should position you to make those changes without having to convert all your files or edit all your metadata. One example is that albumartist is a key metatag field in many software programs and often ripping won't populate it. Do yourself a huge favor and edit your metadata when you rip each disc and populate that field with artist name or soundtrack title or whatever else might be the thing you most want to look up your disc by. Cheers,
Spencer

Thanks guys, a lot of good info here.

One glitch in my plan: The Schiit Modi 2 Uber will not work with the OS on the old iMac according to Schiit's website. I'll try it but doubt that it will interface properly.

So, I may be using the MacBook anyway.

Glupson, you mention $80 for dB-PowerAmp but I see the single license for $39.

Finally, an admission. When I do A/B tests between a CD verses iTunes/MacBook via an RCA patch cable through the headphone jack I do not hear a huge amount of difference. A little thinner, a little less rich, but even then I'm wondering if I'm really hearing that difference since the test is not blinded. I certainly chalk that up to my newbie audiophile ears but the point being that with decent ripping software, BitPerfect and this low end DAC I will probably be fine.

I hear reviews saying that the Modi 2 Multibit sounds noticeably better than the Modi 2 Uber while I have heard other reviews say not so much. I'm trying not to get on the upgrade treadmill.....

n80,

You caught me with $39 as I was writing from memory. However, I am quite sure it was more than $39 in my case and I honestly think it was somewhere close to $80. I did install it on more than one computer so maybe that is the difference. In any case, I think it was worth $80 that, now I know, I might have not even paid.

At the same time, I would like to emphasize the last paragraph in sbank's post above. Metadata gets messy. Album artist is really important one. Put some name you know album as. Let's say, Willie Nelson. As album artist, make sure you put Willie Nelson and check it is on every song. That way, when you look for Willie Nelson, it will show up in Willie Nelson folder regardless of the fact that each song on that album is sang by Willie Nelson and someone else. I am not explaining it that clearly, but listen to sbank and do yourself a huge favor by fixing metadata while ripping. In case you do listen to classical, too, brace for impact. Metadata scavenged from the Internet is a total jungle. Eventually, I rewrote each and every of them in some way that would be later easier to figure out what is what. For example, just getting them from the Internet put two Mozart Requiems (different performances) together as one album, etc. You may not notice it initially, but at the moment you do you will not be happy.

Get an Airport Express to sit with your stereo system.  Or you can have a really, really long optical cable.  Airport Express has a jack on the back that takes a mini-cable, but also takes a slim size optical out in the same slot...not everyone knows that.  Using the mini-jack RCA out, people have said the DAC on the Airport Express isn't too bad...but you can use your own or a new one.  BTW, FLAC is the same as the .WAV at the point you're listening to the files...its lossless.  WAV is big and not losslessly compressed.  You will not notice any lag in decompress time.  Playing what stored on your computer is better because CD's get dust and scratches so you're not listening to the same copy each time...just like vinyl...but there is error correction etc.  Once you've ripped your CD, put it in a closet in a binder.  CD's die in less than 50 years.  Homemade CD's die sooner.

Depending on what apps you use (even itunes), you can DJ your songs from your iphone, ipad or whatever directly to the Airport Express into your stereo.  Ditch the CD player for your stereo unless it has a $2000 DAC with selectable filters built-into it.

Happy listening!

"Once you've ripped your CD, put it in a closet in a binder. CD's die in less than 50 years."

Huh, some of mine are closer to that than I thought. Who would have expected that, I still feel it is a new technology.

On a more practical note, do not forget that hard drives of all kinds die, too. It seems to me much sooner than 50 years. Make multiple back-ups.