Downloading,wireless routing, FLAC and confusion

[Bruxner]

Hi,

I need help, being in what you may call an older generation. I am a classical music buff which involves striving for the maximum sound quality from my hifi. This consists of medium budget kit, a Quad 66 pre-amp, 606 power amp and Quad CDP-2 CD player ending up in recently acquired (and wonderful) Spendor A6 speakers. All this is in a room some way away from my PC. Now I have tinkered with downloads of FLAC files from particularly Passionato as well as Linn but I have no idea how to play these through my system. Ideally I would like to put the files onto discs (which the PC will cheerfully do) but of course the CD player won't accept FLAC. It does say it will accept digital signals as PCM to a maximum resolution of 24 bit/96 khz. The PC does have a wireless router already (Netgear Rangemax ADSL modem). If I buy the new Cambridge Blu-ray player 650BD and put the FLAC files onto a Blu-ray disc, will it play that?

Or do I abandon the idea of making discs and take to playing the downloads over the wireless system directly into the hifi from the PC? If so, what kit do I need? I cannot puzzle out from the manufacturers' descriptions exactly what Squeezeboxes etc. do. Any advice will be extremely welcome!

As an aside, I don't know what DACs do either. Surely there is one inside the CD player which seems to me to reproduce music to a very high standard, especially when connected directly to the power amp. So why do people buy separate ones?

Any help extremely welcome!

James

 

[Anonymous]

The CD player you have has digital inputs to allow you to use it's DACs for digital sources other than CD. This means you won't need another DAC.

I wouldn't bother burning the FLAC files to disc. You could get a wireless music streaming device such as the Logitech Squeezebox Duet (or the new Touch). This will stream FLAC files natively from your PC to a receiver connected by a digital interconnect to your CD player.

There are other streaming devices such as Sonos etc, I only mention the Squeezbox because I have one.

Good luck.

 

[AL13N]

Bruxner:Ideally I would like to put the files onto discs (which the PC will cheerfully do) but of course the CD player won't accept FLAC. It does say it will accept digital signals as PCM to a maximum resolution of 24 bit/96 khz.
The 24/96 specification refers to the DAC inputs (toslink/coaxial) not the CD drive.

Bruxner:The PC does have a wireless router already (Netgear Rangemax ADSL modem). If I buy the new Cambridge Blu-ray player 650BD and put the FLAC files onto a Blu-ray disc, will it play that?
For wireless you can simply connect a streaming device capable of handling 24bit/96khz files to your CDP-2 via its digital inputs.

The answer to your question is no. It can play back your FLAC files but you need to burn them onto DVD as DVD-A using the appropiate software. The Linn website has more info on this.

 

[AL13N]

iain22:You could get a wireless music streaming device such as the Logitech Squeezebox Duet (or the new Touch). This will stream FLAC files natively from your PC to a receiver connected by a digital interconnect to your CD player.

There are other streaming devices such as Sonos etc,
Neither of these can handle 24bit/96kHz files. The Squeezebox is 24bit/48kHz max and the Sonos 16bit/48kHz max.

The CA 650BD can play back 24bit/192kHz. The cheapest streamer I know that can do this is the Linn Sneaky DS (£900). Besides, the SACD version of albums on the Linn Store are cheaper than the Studio Master Downloads! So you'd have a hard copy, booklet etc. for less money and hassle.

 

[Anonymous]

I didn't get from his post that he wanted to take advantage of hi-res audio, just that he wanted to play FLAC files from his PC on his existing system.

In any case the new Touch supports 24/96 (either using the internal DAC or pass through)

http://www.logitechsqueezebox.com/products/squeezebox-touch.html#tab2

 

[Anonymous]

The OP should certainly consider a Squeezebox Touch, which Logitech are currently offering on 30 day trial. As well as playing downloads, this opens up many classical radio streams from France, Switzerland etc.

 

[AL13N]

iain22:In any case the new Touch supports 24/96 (either using the internal DAC or pass through)
Thanks for the correction and link.

The Touch would work (and look) great sitting atop the Quad CDP-2, plugged into its digital input.
Then again, even though it does have a remote, the Duet seems more of a better interface for
'couch control' than the Touch

.