Music server or MP3 player and dock?

ajf

ajf

ajf

Soldato
Joined
30 Oct 2006
Posts
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Location
Worcestershire, UK
What options are there if I wanted to convert my CDs to digital files and play them through my hifi?

Do not want to use a PC. Had thought about MP3 player and docking system but I believe the quality is not that great from most MP3 players when played through hifi?

Do not need huge capacity - maybe enough for 20 to 30 CDs, but want to be able to easily see what tracks/albums are available.

I have seen the Cambridge Audio 640H which seems to do want I want but it is more than I want to spend at £600.

Andrew
 
Pity you don't want to use a PC.

You could have gotten an Apple AirPort Express and streamed them to your Hi Fi via iTunes. Has the advantage of LossLess streaming, and works seemlessly with iTunes so you'll always know what's next, and have access to the album artwork :)

How about those Sonos networking kits?
 
Hmm.
Had a look at that Apple thing and it looks quite good. Just was trying to avoid needing a PC switched on to play music but the Sonos are too expensive for me considering the use it would get.
Couple questions with it though:
Would it work with Vista?
Does the 'Airport Express with AirTunes' come with the audio cables or do I need to buy them seperately? They have some listed on the Apple store but it is not clear whether these are required or just upgrade cables from the basic ones included.
I already have a wireless network. Do I need to integrate it into that or can I use it standalone just with iTunes or would I need to specifically 'connect to a network' on the PC for it to work?
Where is the processing of the audio file happening? On my PC or the Express unit? Just wondering about the DAC? Or am I getting confused?

I get a little lost when technologies start to merge :)
 
ajf said:
Hmm.
Had a look at that Apple thing and it looks quite good. Just was trying to avoid needing a PC switched on to play music but the Sonos are too expensive for me considering the use it would get.
Couple questions with it though:
Would it work with Vista?
Does the 'Airport Express with AirTunes' come with the audio cables or do I need to buy them seperately? They have some listed on the Apple store but it is not clear whether these are required or just upgrade cables from the basic ones included.
I already have a wireless network. Do I need to integrate it into that or can I use it standalone just with iTunes or would I need to specifically 'connect to a network' on the PC for it to work?
Where is the processing of the audio file happening? On my PC or the Express unit? Just wondering about the DAC? Or am I getting confused?

I get a little lost when technologies start to merge :)
Click to expand...

Firstly AFAIK sonos' need yous computer turned on too to access music.

For the airport you just plug a network cable in off your router/switch and it works just like a wireless access point, the speakers will then just pop up in itunes and you can chose them to play to or use computer/airtunes speakers syncronised, itunes streams your music losslessly over the network and out the 3.5mm/optical jack on the unit. You need to buy your own cables for it though.
 
If you're only talking about 20-30 CDs, that might fit on a single DVD-R disk in MP3 form. How about a DVD player that can play MP3s? That would be cheap, and not require any special setup. I know that DVD players typically don't sound as good as a dedicated CD player, but then we are talking about replay of MP3s.
 
Thank you for the replies.
I might think about the MP3 on DVD option as my player is fairly old anyway. Just deciding whether to go HD when I replace it!

Otherwise think for the cost I will try the Apple. Not quite what I was initially looking for but seems to work well from reading around and I guess slightly more flexible than a specific box such as the Cambridge Audio I saw.

The Sonos is too advanced for my needs too I think.



Andrew
 
Hamish said:
Firstly AFAIK sonos' need yous computer turned on too to access music.

For the airport you just plug a network cable in off your router/switch and it works just like a wireless access point, the speakers will then just pop up in itunes and you can chose them to play to or use computer/airtunes speakers syncronised, itunes streams your music losslessly over the network and out the 3.5mm/optical jack on the unit. You need to buy your own cables for it though.
Click to expand...

However, if your music is encoded as MP3 there is still a quality reduction which most half decent stereos will highlight. Apple only supports their own lossless format (aiff) which isn't as widely used as Flac.
 
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