imral3
Enjoy the musics!!
Welcome and enjoy!!
What is your preferred way of connecting your digital files to your hi-fi system?
- Thread starter Sixtoys
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crazy eights
Bad Moon Bopster
thank you! great forum
RTally
Speaker addict
Plex running on a Late 2009 MacBook with optical TOSLink connection to Yamaha RX-V559 to Paradigm 5se speakers for local playback. Remote playback is via Apple Airport Express to garage, Airplay or ChromeCast to living room.
My primary music source is my CD collection ripped to FLAC. I average about 10 CDs a week from the local thrifts. I am running out of hard disc space. I am considering either using an external USB HD or just putting a larger HD in the MacBook.
My primary music source is my CD collection ripped to FLAC. I average about 10 CDs a week from the local thrifts. I am running out of hard disc space. I am considering either using an external USB HD or just putting a larger HD in the MacBook.
I am curious about which mesh networking gear you use. I'm thinking about how to setup a system next summer when I move to a new location and think I will want wireless coverage in a number of locations. I've seen recommendations for Linksys Velop and Netgear Orbi. Do you think it would reach into a detached metal shop building about 25-30 feet from the house? I may have to bury a network cable to the shop.
Thanks,
John
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Bill Ferris
Lunatic Member
nerdorama, IMHO/E, I think a burial grade Cat-5/6 Ethernet would be the most reliable connection to your metal out building.
Though, you could get involved with external WiFi antennas, but depending what the channel density, rain, microwave line of site obstructions, etc. is where your located, and to do so probably wouldn`t be as reliable as a direct hardwired connection, and may cost much more.
Just a thought Sir.
Good luck with whatever method you choose.
Kind regards, OKB
I use Orbi and they work great.
I also wanted to mention that Netgear now makes an Orbi router with the cable modem built in. I should be testing one soon, so I will let you know how it goes with XFinity. I am not sure every service works with it because it uses DOCSIS 3.0.
If it works with my system, I may have an extra Orbi router to sell, but I will be keeping the satellite.
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I forgot to mention that my preferred method depends on the room I am in and the type of setup. However, in my main setup that I listen to most, I use an AppleTV 4 a lot of my listening. That means I can use it for my library if I have iTunes running on my computer (which is typically the case). I can use Apple Music directly on the AppleTV or I can Airplay from my iPhone.
Lately, my preferred method is just telling the HomePod to tell the AppleTV to play whatever I want from Apple Music (which contains my matched files). I launch the receiver and AppleTV with my Amazon Dot using the Simple Control skill. Nice and convenient.
Lately, my preferred method is just telling the HomePod to tell the AppleTV to play whatever I want from Apple Music (which contains my matched files). I launch the receiver and AppleTV with my Amazon Dot using the Simple Control skill. Nice and convenient.
It’s only been mentioned once in this thread so I feel it’s worth repeating: The Sony HAP-Z1ES is the best answer. 1TB of internal storage (expandable), built in Spotify, capable of hi-rez files, and wired directly into your pre using RCA or balanced cables. There’s no wi-fi issues to worry about, no third party playback software to buy, and it’s built like a bank vault. None of that matters if it doesn’t sound fantastic, which it absolutely does.
The proof was before every company started to copy the idea was found at AXPONA a couple of years ago: dozens of non Sony high end rooms were using one to demo their equipment.
The proof was before every company started to copy the idea was found at AXPONA a couple of years ago: dozens of non Sony high end rooms were using one to demo their equipment.
How do you tap your music library for playback in multiple locations? With an iTunes server, you can have multiple simultaneous feeds to output devices ranging from phones to tablets and computers to connected audio gear via network attached adapters (NAA, such as Apple TV). Also, do you know if the song limit at 20k is hard or will additional external storage allow more songs?
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It won’t do multiple rooms and I don’t know if there’s a hard cap on 20k titles or not. If I want music in another room I use an Apple TV, which is good enough for what I’m using in my non-primary system. If 20k individual song titles is somehow not enough I’d start culling my music library. My wife and I have loaded over 4K CDs in full or partial and we still have plenty of room.
The Sony player has two analog outputs. One is balanced and the other is RCA so you could drive two outputs directly.
It has one port for an external hard drive. I don't know of any size limit.
I have 270 albums already of DSD, double DSD, hires FLAC, and Redbook FLAC. I still seem to have plenty of space left. Nothing like the 4000 titles Prisoner claims.
It has one port for an external hard drive. I don't know of any size limit.
I have 270 albums already of DSD, double DSD, hires FLAC, and Redbook FLAC. I still seem to have plenty of space left. Nothing like the 4000 titles Prisoner claims.
Something's not right here. I've only got something less than 1,000 CDs and I'm at almost 9k songs. 4,000 CDs at 5 songs per CD (half my song density as I always load all songs) would put you up against the Sony's 20k song limit. Are you saying you are ALREADY having to "cull your music library" to add any new material? That sounds like a major PITA and would be a deal-killer for me (as if the $2,000 sticker isn't enough of a disincentive!).
And for multi-room (simultaneous audio feeds), it sounds like you're having to use a SECOND system (networked iTunes) just like my ONLY system. With all the duplication and maintenance headaches such a setup implies, it seems to me that the Sony is a temporary stopgap at best. ("Dammit, I only ripped that new Rippingtons CD to the Sony, so we can't listen to it on the patio. Sorry.")
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the discs aren’t loaded directly to the Sony; they’re loaded on an external hard drive through my Mac mini then wirelessly transferred to the Sony. This creates a back up and the data is available through the home network anywhere I have a system with an Airport or Apple TV. The benefits of the Sony are many: hi rez capability, not network dependent once the transfer is complete, no buggy playback software, and it also sounds very good with Spotify.
When you consider the price of a good DAC with DSD and streaming ability, software, and the above advantages of keeping your computer and all the peripherals out of the listening room $2k isn’t unreasonable. I’m not selling them so I don’t have to convince anyone to buy it, but every time I brought mine to an AK gathering people loved it and wanted to play DJ.
When you consider the price of a good DAC with DSD and streaming ability, software, and the above advantages of keeping your computer and all the peripherals out of the listening room $2k isn’t unreasonable. I’m not selling them so I don’t have to convince anyone to buy it, but every time I brought mine to an AK gathering people loved it and wanted to play DJ.
Ah, thanks for the detailed explanation: everything is (dimly) illuminated. You've got an NAA on steroids and are using its DAC and song selection (streaming, CD, and hi-res) capabilities, but not its distribution facilities (since it has none). So your effective song limit is the one established by whatever distribution software (and external storage hardware) is associated with your Mac mini setup. So what are you running on the Mac mini that serves both the secondary music selection and primary network distribution functions?
BTW, sounds like a VERY nice setup. I'm a big fan of horses for courses where you put your bucks where they can be heard.
Sony has developed a remote app for this unit to use on a tablet. It controls song selection, playlists, and Spotify. As far as software on the mini I just use iTunes; it’s good enough for the secondary system and anywhere else I’m not doing critical listening. I bought one of the better options a couple of years ago...might’ve been Audiovarna...but since owning the Sony I never used it and didn’t reinstall.
Excellent! Sorry to be a pest, but could you explain how you manage the hi-res material? I don't believe iTunes handles it at all (let alone play it), so you must be employing some other scheme to store and organize it on the MM (for backup purposes) before (and after) you WiFi it over to the Sony. The more I hear about your cool hybrid system, the more I'm thinking of emptying my piggy bank for one of these Sony gizmos as it would be simple to add to the existing architecture which we share.
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