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PC Audio Choice: Mac+USB, Transporter, or Squeezbx

Hello all of you who have faced choosing your path for PC audio!

While I have a Mac Ibook G3, 500gb HD and Paradisea USB DAC on my second system, I am wanting to ultimately have PC audio available on all 3 systems in my house, or atleast the two that I listen to most. I am trying to decide what path to take. For the main system, do I:

1) Buy another computer, dublicate my 500gb HD and run itunes seperately from that, using a good USB DAC or a USB converter to a conventional DAC.

2) Buy a network HD and a Transporter, possibly with a Modright Truth mod (this is really more money than I want to spend...)

3) Ditto to the above but use a Squeezebox with various add ons, such as antijitter filter and a good DAC.

I guess what I'm asking is, which of these options presents the best bang for the buck? Also, which is most flexible with respect to listening to content available on the internet (e.g. archives of live Grateful Dead concerts, other streaming and non-streaming content). Finally, are there any limitations to high resolution when using any of these - as I imagine there will be more and more high rez downloads available.

Thanks for your opinions. Please provide the basis for your thoughts! Thanks, Peter
peter_s
wilsynet's avatar
wilsynet
264 posts
 
After thinking about the Airport Express option more, I'd avoid it. iTunes won't be able to provide multiple streams to different AE targets.

So I like the Duet with Duet controller.

If you have a large house and you're worried about coverage, get an Airport Extreme base station and a couple of Airport Express units configured as WDS repeaters and you'll have good 802.11 coverage everywhere.
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peter_s OP
1,340 posts
 
Does the duet handle high resolution stuff, such as 24/96 or 24/88.2? I hope we will be moving into high rez soon enough, and don't want to miss out on that...
wilsynet's avatar
wilsynet
264 posts
 
I don't know for sure that it won't handle multiple AEs, in fact, it probably does. What it is unlikely to do, however, is stream different music from the same iTunes process to different AEs.
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