Is computer audio a bust?

Agear, I have continually wondered about the fundamental question in this thread, which frankly I think is absurd. Now with your new restatement, I can comment more.

Does computer audio that digital over the top relative to vinyl something for which I have an opinion. No! I still greatly prefer vinyl, except for its great inconvenience. I was moving to prepare to put many of my 45 rpm reissues on the hard drive in double DSD, but have stopped as I suspect that I may get them that way directly off master tapes, although SONY is using a device that has many opamps which really are terrible.

Presently, I'm using a Mac Mini running JRiver MC19 out via USB to my dac that can play double DSD. USB and Firewire are the only outputs I have. With JRiver MC19, I can play cds in 44.1/16 on up to double DSD and the differences are striking.

I am told by a friend that single native DSD sounds better than double DSD but I'm not at all convinced that this is true. But double DSD through USB asynchronous is the best digital I've ever heard. High resolution is the wave of the future and I suspect there is no way to get such high definition is other than through downloads off the internet.

"what takes computer audio over the top as a source"

Now that's a more reasonable qustion for sure.

As a source to an existing home stereo system:

CD res or higher lossless files -> Music server->network connection-> network player->good DAC of your choice.

As a source for headphone listening where demand for amplification is much less, player software designed for good sound (I use PLEX) on a computer with just a decent built in DAC to just any decent pair of headphones. Even listening at work via internet connection to my music server at home, using headphone analog out, the sound is over the top in that I enjoy listening for extended periods.

Mapman, that would hardly be "over the top" for me. I guess it is better than MP3.

Remember when CD spinners were a bust? It was not that long ago. They have gotten a LOT better just over the last 5 years. Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Audioengr

Name some, always curious about the better sounding cd players.

Foster_9, I was curious about that also, but I do think the BMC transport and the Oppo drives plus the Esoteric drives are also good; no where near the cds ripped to hard drives, however.