Is computer audio a bust?

Agree with Electroslacker.

The principles are not hard, but the products and technical choices are many and not always easy to sort through.

Computer audio is hardest for audiophiles who will sweat every detail in order to get the "best sound".

I am an old time music and audio lover plus I make my professional living getting computers to do what is needed. So computer audio comes as a natural thing to me.

Like most things computer, it will only continue to grow. Not the only kid on the block today, but I would love to take up a bet with anyone who thinks the future of computer audio is anything but grand.

Andrew, the Lessloss streamer had a lot of promise when I heard the first prototype a few years ago or so at RMAF. I do think the DAC 2004 is one of the best I have heard and why I keep it around. I would love to leverage it somehow and the Lampizator or Sonore Rendu could be solutions for me to consider. As for the new streamer, given the proposed price it is unfortunately not something I would budget for. As you mentioned, it still remains to be seen what formats it will support as well.

As for Ethernet cables a good source is Blue Jeans Cable. They verify the cables to be true CAT6 or 5 and they do not break the bank. Given the data is sent in packets and there is no clock to recover I would think if all else is designed properly jitter should not be an issue. With the Cantata I can play a song from a CD and stream the same song doing a fairly close A/B comparison. To me I do not hear an appreciable difference either way. So the convenience factor won out.

07-16-14: Pkoegz
Kr4 same set up as you at least with fan-less, closet, USB and hard wired. The rest of you for the most part most have found it very difficult to go from incandescent bulb to CFLs to LEDs. "So confusing which to chose? Each works differently. It depends on the implementation". Hog wash. I am a 58yr old. Not in any type of hight tech or tech at all industry. 1.5yrs of college. No issues. Minor hiccups. But I have a brain. I am able to think and process thought and ask questions. Stop crying about change and embrace it you will be the better for it. Nothing wrong with the old ways darth vaders, but the technologies can exist together. My turntable has no issues. Live long and prosper.
Pkoegz (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

What a GREAT attitude. Too bad you're in the SMALL minority. Can't believe people are complaining too many options.

07-15-14: Bcgator
Computer audio is a passing fad, just like sex and marijuana (not necessarily together, but not necessarily not together). You wait - in 5 years, nobody will want any of the three. You heard it here first.

Hate to break it to you, DACs are computers. It's not a general purpose computer like Mac, Windows ... but I guess you can classify as embedded system.

You still need to load data in memory before it works so basically the discussion boils down to how. CD transport reading a CD in real time, computer from HDD, computer from USB Drive ...

If you're tech/computer/software savvy, you would never choose off a CD in real time.

Nice post by JC.

I really think traditional audiophiles have more issues with computer audio than most in that it requires a fresh mindset and a lot of openness to try new things.

True there are a lot of options, many incompatible with each other and that can be daunting.

After all, all phonos, amps, speakers, even CD players all pretty much work the same way, though not all devices are equally "compatible" with each other still.

GEtting things that are compatible with each other to work together well has always been what its about.

THe thing is that standards for computer audio are not fully mature yet, so that does make the task somewhat more daunting perhaps, expecially for the less computer savvy.

Foster_9 wrote
"...many of the posts in this thread clearly demonstrate
the convoluted nature of computer audio, the lack of consensus
on best practices....".

Is that to say consensus is the norm for playback of other audio media, like for instance, vinyl?

Let me think...
Direct drive, belt drive or rim drive? Moving coil (high or low output?), Moving magnet, Moving iron? Stylus configuration?...spherical, elliptical, Geiger, Stereohedron? etc. etc.. Tubed or SS phono-pre? Probably lots of other variables I'm leaving out. But I think the point is made.

I'm really not trying to convince anyone to think otherwise about computer audio. Your opinion does not affect my enjoyment. But the "lack of consensus comment" did make me chuckle.