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Help me set up new stereo system

Just bought Revel Studio2 speakers and a Hegel h300 integrated amp (has DAC).

I have a pretty big iTunes library and have no CD's at all. Not sure of the format of the music files when I put my CD's into iTunes. I'd really like to get great sound out of my system and would like NOT to re-buy hundreds of CD's.

I'm OK with buying a Mac Mini but not sure how to hook up everything. I'll transfer over my library to the Mac Mini but then I'm a bit lost. Best to hook the Mini up to the Hegel via USB? And then use something like jRiver to manage the music? What about wanting to buy new music that may not be available on a high resolution site, do I buy the CD and just import it to the iTunes library?

Thanks for the help..
seanile
sfar's avatar
sfar
1,756 posts
 
Don't get too caught up into chasing higher resolution files, making you ignore any of the great music you've already accumulated.

I love sitting in front of my Simaudio amp and DAC with Nola Boxer speakers playing CD resolution or higher files but the musical experience is just as satisfying when I'm walking around my neighborhood at 7 a.m. listening to 192k mp3 files from an iPod shuffle with decent earbuds while talking to all the neighborhood cats who are always sitting in their front yards at that time of the day.

It's the music, it's the music. Enjoy what you have.
seanile OP
16 posts
 
And if I buy a few high resolution albums from DSD what format will they download in? Will iTunes be OK or should I use something like Jriver or Amarra?

Thanks again for all the help.
clio09
3,346 posts
 
I highly suggest not relying on iTunes as the playback engine, especially if you will eventually be downloading DSD. Audirvana Plus will interface to the iTunes library nicely. If you want to divorce yourself from iTunes then go with JRiver which is what I did. I stored my music on an Oyen Mini drive and used FireWire to connect it to the Mini. Then I pointed JRiver to that drive and imported my music. These days I am using a network and wired Ethernet solution that relives me of JRiver and the Mini, but that's another story.
seanile OP
16 posts
 
I'm beginning to make sense of things now. Since there are a few absolute things on my listening list, I will purchase them on CD. I'll research on how to put these various recording formats (SACD, DTS, 5.1 mixes, etc) into my harddrive, whatever that may be in the future.

For now I am going to connect my computer via USB and use iTunes for playback. I will also connect my Oppo BDP83 via optical to the Hegel and listen to the CD's I just purchased. That will give me a bit of instant gratification and a few days to listen to the system and figure out what to do.

I'm really thinking of going the Mac Mini and external HD route and connecting via toslink optical to the Hegel. Then I will use Jriver and distance myself from iTunes.

Another questions. I keep reading about the ability to EQ and adjust levels...that is exactly what I do not want. I'd like to listen to the recording as intended, not with some wild personal house mix added. Will all my music be required to be EQ'd and thus changing the sound?
clio09
3,346 posts
 
Some of the software packages like JRiver come with EQ and other DSP capabilities but you do not have to use these features. I did not use them but I occasionally used the up sampling features.
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