Music Server vs. PC vs. Transport vs. ?

Hi -

1. What is the right DAC to get? you can use the one you have. If you don't have one I suggest a USB DAC or a Squeezebox depending on what and where you want your systems

2. What is the right format to import files into iTunes for the best sound?
Apple Lossless with error correction on, all other sound functions off

3. Is there other software out there besides iTunes that should be considered on the Mac?
NO

4. Is the drive on the Mac optimal for importing music to the drive?
Yes but it is probably too small and no matter what you will need a second drive to back up to

5. Does transmitting the music over a wireless Internet (Airport) degrade the music in any way?
WiFi is a radio signal. Line of sight is best, thick walls and floors are generally counter indicated for success.

WiFi can degrade the signal in that the signal can be disrupted by external factors leading to drop outs - if you have trouble with a wireless phone in your location, you will probably have trouble with WiFi.

6. Is Ethernet superior to Wireless for music transfer?
Yes in that it is more robust and can be run wherever you want it

7. Are there any good websites to learn more about this?
Do take a look at the PC Forum on Audio Asylum and also search on this Forum - a lot here - keep in mind that this is changing fast so I would look at the most recent posts first

Do keep in mind that doing this on a PC is a very different problem then doing it on a Mac - for instance EAC, Foobar, Secret Rabbit etc are specific to PC as is the K-mixer and ASIO issue

As far as commercial sites, take a look at the SLIM site - they are the leaders in the WiFi/Ethernet space http://www.slimdevices.com/

This blog is a bit old but has a lot of good info
http://musicserver.blogspot.com/

Rbstehno,
Thanks for your answers. If I could go farther with my questioning:
"1. get the best dac you can afford."
I was thinking about the $2,500 Bel Canto e.One DAC3 D/A processor. It has a volume control, so that a Preamp would be unnecessary.

I was planning on connecting to the DAC via optical output from the Macintosh via a Toslink cable. Is that the highest quality?

"2. do some experimenting."
I would rather hear from an expert about what is the absolute best file format to use for importing into iTunes. I will be putting this in a high end system. There are only five options:
AAC
AIFF
Apple Lossless
MP3
WAV

Which format is identical to the CD bit-for-bit with no compression? I don't care about file size. Optimal sound is everything!

"3. if you want to use the ipod, you are pretty stuck with itunes."
I don't care if I use my iPod and iPhone with this system. This system will be for critical listening. Are there other applications for a Mac that are superior to iTunes for turning a Mac into a high-end Music Server?

"4. a hard drive is a hard drive"
What I meant to say is: Does the CD-Drive that will be used for importing the music make a difference? I have newer Macs with their latest drives. Is that the best? Does anyone ever use external drives for importing?

"5. i use it with good success."
But is anything given up when using wireless transmission? Is the file compressed for transmission then expanded when you get it? Is there any degradation in sound quality that is due to wireless vs. Ethernet.

"6. wired is already better if you can use it."
I have the option of running Ethernet (but it means drilling a hole in a wall and the floor).

" i use wireless to an airport express device with good success. i use 802.11g"
I am using Apple's 802.11n Extreme Base Station with Gigabit Ethernet.

Hi H -

obviously you replied to Rbstehno before reading my reply to your questions.

The absolute best file format to use on a Mac with iTunes is Apple Lossless. Apple Lossless contains exactly the same data as a WAV or AIFF file which are both uncompressed. However Apple Lossless was designed to work well with metadata (tags) which WAV and AIFF being older formats were not.

Metadata is the stuff that tells you everything you want to know about the album or song you want to select and play. It enables all of the sorting and list making that makes iTunes such a versatile and powerful integrated solution.

Trust me, you are not the first person who has come on this board fixated on quality reproduction. We all are, and we have all made the switch because we are enjoying better sound then we had before.

BTW no compression of audio files takes place when they are sent via wireless. Audio files are very small, and so they are very easy for computers to deal with. That is one of the big reasons that computers found their way to recording studios long before they ever came to film and television.

The compact file size is why WiFi works and why you can use USB1.1 - small amounts of data, even smaller when compressed.

Think of it this way. The data starts life as a AIFF on your CD. Using iTunes, the data is "ripped" from the CD and stored on a hard drive along with any metadata you may want. When you want to play a song one of two things happens.

If you are using Toslink or a USB DAC, you select the song in iTunes and push Play. The hard drive spins and begins sending data up the USB cable (or Toslink cable) to the DAC. It is the DAC that converts the data back to an analog signal. Incidentally this is the big benefit over sound cards which do the conversion in the electrically noisy computer environment.

If you are using WiFi you may or may not control play from iTunes - this depends if you are using AirExpress (iTunes control) or a Squeezebox on WiFi or Ethernet in which case you will no longer control play from iTunes.

Instead, you will control it at the computer from the SLIM web based browser which looks and works a lot like iTunes, and uses the iTune data library. (SLIM has no capability for ripping but it can read iTunes and iTunes playlists) But having a Squeezebox (SB) gives you a second choice which is to access the hard drive through the SB using the remote.

In short its two way which means you don't have to run back to your computer to change the song. Can be very handy! Also, if you are thinking about doing your whole house an Ethernet network enables you to add a NAS server and eliminate your personal computer from the equation entirely.

Anyhow once again via iTunes, the remote or the web browser, the hard drive spins and sends the data out via WiFi or Ethernet. The data is received and converted at the remote location.

If you want to cable, you have three choices.

If you want to run Toslink and are concerned about mazimum quality you will want/have to use a one of the premium Wireworld SuperNova 5+ glass cable. I ran this from my G5 to my TriVista for a long time with excellent results. The longest length available is 5 meters.

If you want to use Ethernet you will have to go with one (or a mix) of the SLIM products - the Transporter with the Modwright analog mods is supposed to be pretty rocking and will cost about the same as the BelCanto. Note that volume can be controlled through SLIM and iTunes (true digital volume control).

If you want to run USB you can use the Opticis USB fiber optic cable. For about the same money as the long Toslink you can go 100 feet. Note that an Ethernet cable is more compact and requires smaller holes in your house...

What is good about all four of the solutions you are considering is that in each case you are physically decoupling the computer from the DAC. This will help eliminate ground loops and sometimes weird static.

Hope that this is helpful.

Hdomke-

You can use a iTouch as a remote to control iTunes on your
Mac, see:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/node/71

Instead of buying a DAC, you should look at upgrading your amp with a TacT S2150. Less boxes and cables.

Ckorody,
Thanks for your ideas!
It is helping to clear some of the confusion I have about turning my Mac into an Audiophile quality music server. I guess the complicated nature of it is why people would want to use a proprietary system. If I bought a Sooloos or Qsonix music server then I would not have to worry about all the different parts because they come in the box. Otherwise a Sooloos or Qsonix would sound no different than a Mac set up properly, right?

“The absolute best file format to use on a Mac with iTunes is Apple Lossless. “
Thanks. Does anyone disagree with that? I had always assumed I would use AIFF.

“…no compression of audio files takes place when they are sent via wireless. “
That is great news. That means there is no role for Ethernet. No reasons to drill holes in the floor.

“If you are using Toslink or a USB DAC…”
Are those my two best options for getting the digital signal out of my Mac? I had a dealer tell me today that coaxial S/PDIF (which would require an inexpensive converter) is the absolute best.

“If you are using WiFi you may or may not control play from iTunes” I will be using an Airport (Apple’s brand of WiFi configured for 802.11n). Should I consider any other software?

“ if you are thinking about doing your whole house an Ethernet network enables you to add a NAS”
I do have a whole house Ethernet Network (but not to this room yet).
I plan to store the music on my Apple Xserve RAID which is hidden in the basement. It holds 5.6 Terabytes of data.