Is this the END of DAYS for the high end CD player

Chadeffect

Can you recommend what modification I need to my computer (Mac Pro, might even get a Mac Mini) besides getting Amarra?

Hi Wayneker,

I think it is fairly simple. A Mac mini, but replace the internal HD with a SSD. I have my mac on a separate isolated electrical spur to my Hifi system and I use a passive mains filter (Audio Magic Stealth XXX) and a nice power cable (VD Master 3.0) on the Mac.

The FW cable is quite a nice one. At the moment I am using the Oyaide FW cable although you can go crazy if you want with the FW cables. I have noticed very slight differences. Not sure its worth going for insanely expensive ones. Better to put the cash in other areas. You can put in extra shielding and damping to go a step further.

Put it on a isolation platform and install whichever software you fancy. I have not experimented with network drives vs USB HDs yet, but I have an external WD 4 TB USB HD. I have this HD and its cables suspended too.

There is a Mac2 Music which is a modified Mac mini and for a sum of money they do most of this and say they modify the operating system and set up.

Have a look around for a DAC that can connect straight to the computer via FW or USB. Most people make one now. If you cant face that then the Weiss int202 is an excellent but expensive interface that plugs into the mac via FW then outputs AES/EBU single/or dual wire and also S/pdif. It can also act as a digital volume control. I used one with my DCS for some time. It was excellent.

I am sure there are others out there that will help. But I have excellent sound and I replaced my DCS transport without any pain apart from the loss of the odd SACD. I put the left over thousands of $ in my bank!

Wayneker - consider a Mach2music.com Mac Mini. It has all the bells and whistles and you dont need to do anything. I used one of these on Sunday at 2010 RMAF. Big improvement over my stock Mini. This is the easy way if you are not a DIYer.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

If you consider the $2000-$5000 budget, computer audio would be a good way to go, but for me and my under-$1000 budget for a head unit, I have to go with a used high-end CDP. I have about 500 CDs in my meager collection, which is growing every week. I would have to buy a laptop and a DAC with the associated cables to get started, even then there is no remote, unless I go with a mac mini, in which case I have to buy an iPod touch. More money. And if you also consider the time investment required to get through all of the potential driver issues, its just not worth it for me.
As for the demise of the CD - if CDs disappeared, I would not be able to grow my collection of old-school Bowie. The advantages if computer-based and hi-res playback are clear, but so little music is available in hi-res, or even lossless format.
I don't think CDs are on the way out anytime soon. The recording industry's entire infrastructure would have to change. The record labels aren't that nimble. Don't take the demise of the brick-and-mortar music store to mean CDs are obsolete, CD sales have just moved to a different venue. I can pretty much find anything I want in 16 bit, 44.1 redbook CD on Amazon. I cannot get everything I want in lossless format online. Not even close. mpeg3, or mpeg4, sure, but who wants that. Ick.

Wayneker2176,

I completely agree; it is very hard to approach the audio quality of a good disc transport with computer audio (Mac or PC). There are so many reasons why.

I went through almost everything you can imagine in order to match the quality of my highly upgraded Esoteric VRDS-NEO transport with computer audio. It wasn't until very recently to get satisfactory results. But as close as I could ever get a computer to sound to the VRDS, it still lacks the naturalness and top-end refinement of the VRDS. The difference is subtle (to a point where not many can hear it on a blind A-B test) but it is still there.

While others change software and hardware hoping to hear improvement, I change software and hardware hoping to get as close to the VRDS-NEO as possible. What I've learned during this journey is how easy one can get confused with computer audio; real is real, artificial is artificial. :-)

Best,
Alex Peychev