High End User Interface for PC Audio


In the future, I am sure high end manufactuers will give us the same tweaky, visual and tactile happiness that we enjoy with exotic digital and analogue source devices.

In the meantime, however, one of the things that really disappoints me about PC audio is the cheesey, plasticky feel of surfing through iTunes on a computer, with my Tympanis, ARC and Mark Levinson eyeing me suspiciously from the background.

Indeed, there are times when I almost feel guilty, as if I were pouring cheap wine into a beautiful glass.

So I am wondering: using technology available TODAY, what would you use to upgrade the look and the feel of a hard drive based system, using UNCOMPRESSED files, delivered to the DAC of your choice?

A metal keyboard? laser mouse?

A sexy, HD capable monitor sitting on a coffee table to surf through your digital library?

Wireless technology to increase the - wow this is cool -factor for PC based audio?

Apple Mac G5? (Not a good answer IMO.)

Airport type wireless device? Or USB based device?

Thank you for your ideas.
cwlondon
Curious as to what DAC's you folks have found success with out of the Waveterminal.

Would anyone consider SRC upsampling in Foobar (channeling through a capable device) superior to an upsampling DAC downstream of the U24? Or non OS DAC for that matter?
I'm using a WT U24 with great results with a dCS Purcell/Delius combo. Haven't really messed with SRC, but I know there is one person who would say that its a better upsampler than any hardware out there... Audioengr?
Slothman,

One more scenario to your question: SRC upsampling in Foobar to an upsampling DAC. I use SRC upsampling to 96k and Benchmark DAC1 upsmapling to something like 110k.

This is conceptually hard to accept. But once I tried it, I became addicted to this configuration. Obviously, whether the sound is better or not, it's more a matter of personal preference.