New Computer: What Should I Get for Audio?

If you are going the PC route I would look into both JRiver and JPlay. JRiver is a nice program that will manage your music library, let your rip CD's and allows you to convert music formats(among other things). JPlay is (to my ears) the best sounding music player for windows. It can be used as a stand alone version or as a plug in to JRiver. I've tried most of the alternative free versions out there but am happy I invested in these two programs.

Other things I would recommend - Don't skimp on system memory. Minimum of 4G and more if you can. I use a separate 2TB USB drive for all my music. Some folks swear by Solid State Drives with no moving parts. Windows 7 (64 bit) is probably your best bet now until Windows 8 comes along.

Good luck

Steve, have you tried Amarra 2.4 yet?

For the OP, I'd look at getting a Mach2Mini with the battery PSU option. I'm not sure what the guys at M2M do exactly but even with similar specs, I found my friend's AC powered M2M sound better than mine (factory MacMini 2010 with 8GB RAM and 120GB SSD and software tweaks to disable background processes and unneeded peripherals)

Is there a sonic advantage to ripping one's CDs? Or is it a matter of convenience?

Doggie - Yes I've tried Amarra 2.4. Dont like it, and I've given feedback to Jon Reichbach. He fixed the bugs, but nixed the SQ unfortunately.

I am trying 2.3.3 4344 today. I also really like 2.3.2 4319.

Differences in MINI SQ can be easily caused by break-in and even using different USB ports. Also power grounding and ground-loops can have a big influence. If you compare two of them, they need to be in exactly the same system and configuration.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Jfz - sonic improvements of CD ripping depend on the hardware and software that you are using for playback. With the right combination, it can beat even the best CD transports. I personally dont do it for convenience, nor do I design products for this goal. Its all about sound quality.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio