Computer for music only?

Peter,

As usual: it depends. My server is a fanless black anodized aluminum box that looks like yet another audio component, with no screen (headless, in PC audio jargon). I control it through an iPad/JRemote and works very well. As clean and silent as it gets, I guess.

Plus I don't have the electrically noisy display and all the other processes not needed for audio. But frankly this is a highly optimized computer. Several people at specialized fora have been moving from optimized Mac Minis to this kind of solution with Windows Server 2012 + Optimizer driven by sound, but it is more work than a plug and play Apple solution, for sure. And probably Apple's interfase is more user friendly - that is one of their key capabilities.

So it depends how interested/willing is one to go into these complications. Like setting up a highly optimized vinyl playback system, I guess.

"Using the same computer for ripping and playback is not ideal. You can rip at any other computer, copy the files into a flash drive, and copy them into the audio computer."

I have not read or seen this comment anywhere else. What is the basis for this claim? I'm a member and frequent participant at ComputerAudiophile and this statement is news to me.

Mwheelerk,

Upfront I'll say I don't exactly remember where I saw this. I thought I saw it at computeraudiophile.com, maybe at Chris' guide to ripping CDs? But you frequent the site and don't remember it. Frankly I don't remember where I did.

My take (and I reckon this doesn't offer a whole lot of support!) is we want to keep any un-needed processes outside of the audio computer so these don't run in the background. Additionally, in my case, I just don't have a CD drive (or any spinning motors) connected to my mobo, so in fact I couldn't rip at that computer. Moreover, these days after having applied the Optimizer in WS2012, my audio computer is only useful as a music box...can't use it as a regular computer anymore.

So the bottom line is I started ripping at a different computer 2+ years ago for what I thought was a good reason at the time, but have now forgotten the reason and anyway now I couldn't rip at my audio computer even if I wanted. Sorry I can't offer better support for my statement, but did offer a honest answer :-)

cheers!

Rip them and play them from the same computer if you like. I did that when I was using an optimized MacBook and then MacMini for computer audio. Just use good ripping software. For PC you would want to use dbpoweramp.

I have since graduated to a NAS with server software and run wired Ethernet to my source.

"Dedicating the computer to audio playback only is the preferred route so you can eliminate other processes that cause internal noise. Using the same computer for ripping and playback is not ideal. You can rip at any other computer, copy the files into a flash drive, and copy them into the audio computer."

The most absurd thing I've read on the internet in many months. Seriously folks, if there was ever a device designed to do many things at once, it is a computer. a GENERAL PURPOSE computing device. Internal processes causing audible noise? Oh yeah, you should NEVER run Excel while listening to music. Please.

Sure, mechanical devices inside the chassis can make noise and quieter fans and SSDs can address that, but the primary reason for SSD use should be for performance, not db reduction. If your fans make noise, replace them with Noctua's. Water cooling is for over-clockers.

You can fiddle with DirectSound/ASIO/WASAPI playback settings if your player supports them but if you're so concerned about noise from your PC, get a hifi music streamer.