Discussion
Before I am subjected to 'attack of the nerds', I know that my thread title is a contradiction in terms 
But,...
Curse of the Mental Woman robbed me of my reord collection many years ago, so I am now firmly in the mp3 age. Well over 4,000 albums (carefully co-located!) and my method of delivery for the last ten years or so has been a PC with a good sound card and good (PC) speakers.
I'd rather like to listen to music in the living room though, through an appropriately impressive pair of speakers. Despite the limitations of my choice of file format, what would be the hi-fidelity method of delivery, most suited to a living room setting?
But,...
Curse of the Mental Woman robbed me of my reord collection many years ago, so I am now firmly in the mp3 age. Well over 4,000 albums (carefully co-located!) and my method of delivery for the last ten years or so has been a PC with a good sound card and good (PC) speakers.
I'd rather like to listen to music in the living room though, through an appropriately impressive pair of speakers. Despite the limitations of my choice of file format, what would be the hi-fidelity method of delivery, most suited to a living room setting?
While I do prefer to use FLAC myself I don't necessarily believe that mp3 has to mean lesser sound quality. FLAC has the advantage of being lossless so you can convert to other formats with no loss of quality.
A mate of mine has a mainly Linn based system (I don't remember the details but large stand mounted speakers from Linn, bryston amps I think and a few other bits and bobs including a nice standalone DAC)
While not a scientific test we did do some testing comparing a squeezebox touch playing 320kb mp3, FLAC and his CD player both via the DAC and directly. We found it pretty much impossible to tell any difference from anything going via the dac, whether cd, mp3 or flac.
Now crappy lower bit rate mp3 will always be crap, but IMO mp3 done properly is indistinguishable from FLAC. I've also read several attempts at testing mp3 vs FLAC and the consensus seems to be at a high enough bit rate you can't tell the difference.
Regarding your choice of kit. Sonos would be the obvious choice, especially if you have a suitable iOS or Android device to use as a controller. Personally I prefer my squeezebox system but sadly Logitech have discontinued the range so longer term its probably not a good choice.
A mate of mine has a mainly Linn based system (I don't remember the details but large stand mounted speakers from Linn, bryston amps I think and a few other bits and bobs including a nice standalone DAC)
While not a scientific test we did do some testing comparing a squeezebox touch playing 320kb mp3, FLAC and his CD player both via the DAC and directly. We found it pretty much impossible to tell any difference from anything going via the dac, whether cd, mp3 or flac.
Now crappy lower bit rate mp3 will always be crap, but IMO mp3 done properly is indistinguishable from FLAC. I've also read several attempts at testing mp3 vs FLAC and the consensus seems to be at a high enough bit rate you can't tell the difference.
Regarding your choice of kit. Sonos would be the obvious choice, especially if you have a suitable iOS or Android device to use as a controller. Personally I prefer my squeezebox system but sadly Logitech have discontinued the range so longer term its probably not a good choice.
A mediaplayer such as Boxee, connected either straight to a HDD or a NAS, with a digital signal out to a receiver/amp which feeds the speakers. Connect it to your TV and you have the start of a home cinema as well.
Can be done on the cheap and all the way up to the offensively expensive.
Can be done on the cheap and all the way up to the offensively expensive.
I am not sure what kit you already have, but you may find you are already in possession of something that will stream music to your Hifi.
I bought Sonos for streaming, but my Samsung TV, Sony Blu Ray player, Marantz AV amp, Apple TV, Airport Express, PS3 and xBox 360 can all also be used to route music through my Hifi even though I never use them for that.
The Sonos kit is very nice and the controller is excellent (and is available on Android as well as iOS!), but it is expensive and it's main advantage comes if you want to go multi-room. It also cannot stream Hi-Res music if that is something you are looking to do in the future.
I'd start by investigating your other kit to see if any of them have the ability to stream. If they do, but you are not happy with the level of control, then investigate Sonos.
I bought Sonos for streaming, but my Samsung TV, Sony Blu Ray player, Marantz AV amp, Apple TV, Airport Express, PS3 and xBox 360 can all also be used to route music through my Hifi even though I never use them for that.
The Sonos kit is very nice and the controller is excellent (and is available on Android as well as iOS!), but it is expensive and it's main advantage comes if you want to go multi-room. It also cannot stream Hi-Res music if that is something you are looking to do in the future.
I'd start by investigating your other kit to see if any of them have the ability to stream. If they do, but you are not happy with the level of control, then investigate Sonos.
V8mate said:
Thanks; I do have a new Samsung Smart TV thingy. You're suggesting I just plug the external HDD straight into its USB port?
You can do, but the sound out of a TV won't be that impressive. If the TV has a audio out jack then that can be connected to an amp and speakers for a beefier sound. It won't really be Hi-Fi by that time anymore though.Couple of things:
If I plug my external HDD via USB into a DAC, which is then connected via RCA(?) to an amp, what interface would I use to view and launch the music files?
Bearing in mind the sheer volume of albums/tracks, it needs to be something which display and manage the list clearly and rapidly.
And are there DACs with wireless-in? Or will that lead to significant quality degradation?
If I plug my external HDD via USB into a DAC, which is then connected via RCA(?) to an amp, what interface would I use to view and launch the music files?
Bearing in mind the sheer volume of albums/tracks, it needs to be something which display and manage the list clearly and rapidly.
And are there DACs with wireless-in? Or will that lead to significant quality degradation?
I regard my Hi Fi as being pretty decent.
My take on MP3 is that some CDs will sound absolutely fine even when ripped at only 128k.
I too have compared various albums to their MP3 rips, and certainly at 320k the difference (to me at least) is largely indistinguishable. (sp?)
As already stated - even some of the 128k rips sounded no different - I suspect this is due to poor quality, limited dynamic range source material.
It's certainly a good argument for using variable bit rate encoding.
As I'm one of the nerds you refer to in your OP - ultimately I did switch to encoding everything in flac.
Regarding playback devices - if you have a decent enough modern DAC that has jitter reducing circuitry and maybe even reclocking, then practically any "budget" digital source, e.g. Logitech Squeeze(whatever) or Sonos will sound pretty much the same (awaits cries from the audiophiles...).
I would however avoid USB - as IMHO there are still too many issues with regard to that medium - this is only too obvious by the sheer amount of gadgets out there claiming to "perfect" USB.
Right, I have donned my flame retardant clothing, and await a lambasting from the audiophile contingent.
My take on MP3 is that some CDs will sound absolutely fine even when ripped at only 128k.
I too have compared various albums to their MP3 rips, and certainly at 320k the difference (to me at least) is largely indistinguishable. (sp?)
As already stated - even some of the 128k rips sounded no different - I suspect this is due to poor quality, limited dynamic range source material.
It's certainly a good argument for using variable bit rate encoding.
As I'm one of the nerds you refer to in your OP - ultimately I did switch to encoding everything in flac.
Regarding playback devices - if you have a decent enough modern DAC that has jitter reducing circuitry and maybe even reclocking, then practically any "budget" digital source, e.g. Logitech Squeeze(whatever) or Sonos will sound pretty much the same (awaits cries from the audiophiles...).
I would however avoid USB - as IMHO there are still too many issues with regard to that medium - this is only too obvious by the sheer amount of gadgets out there claiming to "perfect" USB.
Right, I have donned my flame retardant clothing, and await a lambasting from the audiophile contingent.
V8mate said:
Couple of things:
If I plug my external HDD via USB into a DAC, which is then connected via RCA(?) to an amp, what interface would I use to view and launch the music files?
Bearing in mind the sheer volume of albums/tracks, it needs to be something which display and manage the list clearly and rapidly.
And are there DACs with wireless-in? Or will that lead to significant quality degradation?
You can't stream via USB directly from a USB hard drive to a DAC.If I plug my external HDD via USB into a DAC, which is then connected via RCA(?) to an amp, what interface would I use to view and launch the music files?
Bearing in mind the sheer volume of albums/tracks, it needs to be something which display and manage the list clearly and rapidly.
And are there DACs with wireless-in? Or will that lead to significant quality degradation?
To do this, you would need some kind of device with a media player interface - whetehr it be a computer or home cinema amp.
The will then in turn send the digital signal (usually) via optical / coaxial connection to your DAC.
I have always found wireless to be a hassle when streaming music - one day it works glitch free, the next it doesn't...
V8mate said:
Well, you're safe from me; I don't have a clue what you're on about 
As for USB concerns - how else would I communicate my mp3 files to a 'hifi' system?
Sorry - I meant using USB for the transportation of the digital signal to the DAC - not the retrieval of mp3 data form a hard disk / usb disk / usb stick (or whatever you choose to store you files on).As for USB concerns - how else would I communicate my mp3 files to a 'hifi' system?
I have some ADM9T speakers with built in amps and DAC. These are fed from an Airport Express and I airplay stuff from Ipad or Macbook. I think these speakers sounds f
king awesome to be honest. Only thing to be aware of is that each needs a power lead and there's a lead linking both speakers. In my case these are hidden in the speaker stands though.
king awesome to be honest. Only thing to be aware of is that each needs a power lead and there's a lead linking both speakers. In my case these are hidden in the speaker stands though.probedb said:
I've had a Squeezebox for years, it's sad that Logitech have dumped it now. You can still pick them up second hand on ebay though 
It does require a NAS or PC which runs the software though. I think there was another version that allowed you to plug a USB HDD into it though.
Just removed mine from the rack, i now use 'Vortexbox' on an old PC with a Xondar soundcard.It does require a NAS or PC which runs the software though. I think there was another version that allowed you to plug a USB HDD into it though.
Vastly better.
Now will be relegated to the bedroom with some cheap active speakers possibly.
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