Is it possible to stream music to a seperate hi-fi?

Fifer

prowla wrote: »

OK, so what did you mean by "well ripped lossless files" - where were they ripped from?

From CD.

prowla wrote: »

Ripping is the act of converting them from a physical media (ie. CD, DVD-A, SACD) into a file (WAV, MP3, AAC, etc.).

I'd argue it's the act of transferring and optionally transcoding a digital file on a CD to a digital file on another storage medium.

prowla wrote: »

You said: "There's not much variable about well ripped lossless files streamed to a proper good quality player.".

So, as I said, how well you rip them isn't going to matter if the original wasn't well mastered or recorded.

And I didn't disagree. My point was that a well ripped lossless file played on a quality streamer should be no more variable than the source CD played on a decent CD player.

googler

prowla wrote: »

Actually if you use iTunes (I have a Mac and a DAC) then you can press the 1st letter of the band to jump to that letter of the alphabet, so press "t" and then scroll down.

Yes, but I was talking about accessing libraries on a Squeezebox Touch and on an iPod, neither of which have keyboards....

but you're missing my point that all that does is get you to the beginning of the T section, and if there's a lot within T, and it doesn't fit on the first screen, and what you want is at the end of the section, you have to scroll for ages to get to what you want...

googler

Fifer wrote: »

As for spending hours tagging files, I'd suggest getting a decent ripper. I've only ever had to tag a handful of CDs in seven years (and my tastes are far from mainstream). 99% of the time, automatic tagging works just fine.

I notice you didn't address my point about the ease (or otherwise) of changing albums several times during a listening session?

You mean this bit;

"Plus I can lie on the sofa and change CD without getting up, walking to the CD player, pressing eject, waiting for the drawer to open, removing the CD, going to the shelf, picking a new CD, walking back to the CD player, loading the CD, waiting for the drawer to close and the disc to spin up, pressing play then going back to the sofa. And going through that process every time I want to hear a new CD."


You make that sound every bit as tedious as I find the scrolling and waiting for the electronic devices to respond to me. All I'm saying is that, with electronics that are supposed to speed things, to make things easier, I still find that I can accomplish everything you describe above (in a slightly different order, and shortcutting some steps) far quicker than I can persuade the electronics to do it, and that's having used, quite extensively, two different types of devices from two different manufacturers, and having two quite distinct libraries - one in iTunes, consisting of imported mp3s, the other a selection of FLAC files. Neither of which, incidentally, are representative of the shelves of official CDs that I refer to.

Someone suggested trying Sonos. Should I buy this, or a raft of other devices to see if they're quicker? I don't have deep enough pockets for that. Will the stores be able to provide a realistic demonstration, of the Sonos accessing the type and size of library I'd want it to work with? I doubt it.

As far as tagging goes, most of what's gone into the FLAC library for the SB, and into the iTunes library for the iPod, isn't officially-released CDs. I record a lot of radio broadcasts and live events, and none of these will be found by a CD ripper looking up a public database. I use EAC. Is that a 'decent ripper'?

Fifer

googler wrote: »

Yes, but I was talking about accessing libraries on a Squeezebox Touch and on an iPod, neither of which have keyboards....

But can be accessed by phones, tablets, laptops and PC's which do.

googler wrote: »

but you're missing my point that all that does is get you to the beginning of the T section, and if there's a lot within T, and it doesn't fit on the first screen, and what you want is at the end of the section, you have to scroll for ages to get to what you want...

Run my finger down a screen or along a shelf. Which is easier?

Fifer

googler wrote: »

You mean this bit;

"Plus I can lie on the sofa and change CD without getting up, walking to the CD player, pressing eject, waiting for the drawer to open, removing the CD, going to the shelf, picking a new CD, walking back to the CD player, loading the CD, waiting for the drawer to close and the disc to spin up, pressing play then going back to the sofa. And going through that process every time I want to hear a new CD."


You make that sound every bit as tedious as I find the scrolling and waiting for the electronic devices to respond to me. All I'm saying is that, with electronics that are supposed to speed things, to make things easier, I still find that I can accomplish everything you describe above (in a slightly different order, and shortcutting some steps) far quicker than I can persuade the electronics to do it, and that's having used, quite extensively, two different types of devices from two different manufacturers, and having two quite distinct libraries - one in iTunes, consisting of imported mp3s, the other a selection of FLAC files. Neither of which, incidentally, are representative of the shelves of official CDs that I refer to.

Someone suggested trying Sonos. Should I buy this, or a raft of other devices to see if they're quicker? I don't have deep enough pockets for that. Will the stores be able to provide a realistic demonstration, of the Sonos accessing the type and size of library I'd want it to work with? I doubt it.

As far as tagging goes, most of what's gone into the FLAC library for the SB, and into the iTunes library for the iPod, isn't officially-released CDs. I record a lot of radio broadcasts and live events, and none of these will be found by a CD ripper looking up a public database. I use EAC. Is that a 'decent ripper'?

So how do you label and catalogue your unofficial CDS and recorded radio broadcasts? Isn't doing so for your physical collection just as tedious as tagging files?

esuhl

prowla wrote: »

Ripping is the act of converting them from a physical media (ie. CD, DVD-A, SACD) into a file (WAV, MP3, AAC, etc.).

Fifer wrote: »

I'd argue it's the act of transferring and optionally transcoding a digital file on a CD to a digital file on another storage medium.

I don't think that's correct. There aren't any files on a standard audio CD, just a data stream conforming to the Red Book (or similar) standard. To transfer the audio, the bitstream has to be transcoded into a computer-readable format, e.g. a .WAV or .MP3 file. So I think prowla's definition is more accurate.

almillar

Ripping - I'd call it saving music onto your computer in a compressed (that incudes lossless) file format, possibly including adding to a library and adding metadata.
Anyway you two seem to be arguing over semantics....
OP, how's this? I've never used one, I notice it 'only' does 720p but that shouldn't matter to you since you only want audio - defo better than a bluetooth or FM 'streamer'.
http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/roku-lt-media-streamer-18386105-pdt.html

Fifer

esuhl wrote: »

I don't think that's correct. There aren't any files on a standard audio CD, just a data stream conforming to the Red Book (or similar) standard. To transfer the audio, the bitstream has to be transcoded into a computer-readable format, e.g. a .WAV or .MP3 file. So I think prowla's definition is more accurate.

I take your point, but I'd still say my definition is the more accurate. The conversion is not from a physical media to a file, but from a data stream (stored on the physical medium) to a data file (contained on another physical medium).

Fifer

almillar wrote: »

OP, how's this? I've never used one, I notice it 'only' does 720p but that shouldn't matter to you since you only want audio - defo better than a bluetooth or FM 'streamer'.
http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/roku-lt-media-streamer-18386105-pdt.html

Unfortunately, that appears to be HDMI only and I don't know if the OP's amp will have an HDMI port.

Anselm

Neil49 wrote: »

I recommend you take a look at the Sonos system, particularly the Connect (aka ZP90).

This box connects between your router and amp and allows you to access Spotify, Napster (Rhapsody) and other streaming systems + access to worldwide radio stations and any music you have stored digitally on your pc.

You can link the box to your router either directly, or if too far away, by using a Powerline system or an add-on wireless box available from Sonos. Connection to your amp is via coax cable.

You operate the Sonos box via an app available free on Android or Apple smartphones or tablets. You just sit back and just search for whatever you want.

I have my entire cd collection on a NAS drive in lossless format and access them via a tablet app. My hifi setup is a Musical Fidelity amp connected to Spendor A5 speakers. The cd player is now redundant!

http://www.sonos.com/shop/products/connect

I suggest you visit a local hifi shop for a demo. You won't believe how easy the system is to operate.

Hey thank you thats a really good suggestion, it seems to be a bridge between pap and really high end equipment

Lum wrote: »

Why would you want a high quality piece of kit when your source is Youtube who encode their audio as 96kbps AAC. Spending loads on a hypothetical device from Denon to do this is an exercise in turd polishing.

If you do go down this route however, expect it to be a bit of a project. It is a fun and rewarding project if you're into that sort of thing, however.

As Fifer said it was an example. However the reason I asked the question is because there's drum and bass mixes on YouTube that I can't get in album format (which I would do otherwise) and so I was looking for a way to play a digital library through my system. I don't mind buying off iTunes as long as it'll play to a reasonable quality through my system.

Fifer wrote: »

Unfortunately, that appears to be HDMI only and I don't know if the OP's amp will have an HDMI port.

No it doesn't have HDMI, its a discontinued system so must be reasonably old.

Thanks all.