I want to store digital music in cd quality and play it back on my stereo with no loss of sound quality

admin_exported

New member
Aug 10, 2019
2,556
4
0
Visit site
I have seen this same question many times, but there seems to be no answers regarding PERFECT sound quality.

I have a pc, with a digital out on the sound card. I have a ps3. I have a new stereo with an older preamp (no digital inputs), a new power amp, and brand new high quality speakers (PSB T8s).

I want to digitize my cds, and be able to play them on my stereo in perfect quality. I can use my pc, ps3 or both...

What is the best way to do this with sound quality being my main concern?

For example, can I use a pc to ps3 via Ethernet (I want to hardwire for no lag in 1080p movies), then use a digital out (HDMI or optical) on my ps3 to a external dac, processor, or receiver?

Note: I dont have a DAC, processor, or receiver with a HDMI input right now but I will soon...
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Firstly the ps3 can't do 'full cd quality' so you should forget about that. So:

Choose a playback device

Option1: A pc or mac connected directly to an external dac via usb or optical out, which is then connected via phono cables to a stereo amp. You will need to encode your music in a lossless format; FLAC is the most widely used and most flexible and is supported by many media players. If you choose to use itunes you will have to use the apple lossless codec. Note you can easily convert between these formats.

Option2: The above system but using an av receiver with an internal dac (no external dac required)

Option3: Use a streaming device to replace the direct connection between the pc/mac and the dac/receiver. A squeezebox, sonos or apple airport express will do this.

Option 4: Use a media box connected to your dac/rreceiver. Apple tv will connect via a wired or wireless connection and sync with your pc/mac. There are many other generic devices that will do similar jobs.

My system:

Mac->Apple tv->CA Dacmagic->Stereo amp
 

The_Lhc

Well-known member
Oct 16, 2008
1,176
1
19,195
Visit site
mibson:I have seen this same question many times, but there seems to be no answers regarding PERFECT sound quality.

That's because there's no such thing as perfect sound quality.
 

idc

Well-known member
So long as you import CDs onto your computer in a lossless format you are getting the whole CD and so you are getting CD quality. The reason why I say that is because the majority of people cannot tell the difference between music that is over a bit rate of 320kbps. (that is based on a large poll on another forum). Lossless start at about 400kbps and go to over 1000kbps. No one has, to my knowledge claimed to be able to hear a difference between lossless tracks, yet there is a difference of about 600kbps possible between tracks. There are numerous bit rate, file format comparisons that you can try on the interent. Have a go yourself and see if you can reliably tell the difference. So you will get perfect CD sound quality using a lossless format, just maybe not the same file size, type or bit rate.

I know that there are some who claim to spot differences easily and say that there is a difference between different lossless formats. But it quite easy to import a CD using Windows Media Player and itunes in their lossless formats and listen yourself. Another easy comparison is to get Spotify and compare it. Spotify, when free streams in 128kbps Ogg Vorbis. I use premium Spotify which streams at 320kbps and prefer the sound of it.

Once you have considered the above, how can there be perfect?

Then, when you decide which format and music manager you will be using, get yourself a DAC and enjoy, knowing that you are listening to just about the best value for money as close to perfect music as it is possible to do. If you don't do that, the hifi has go in the way of the music.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I probably wasn't clear;

I just meant it can't playback FLAC and apple lossless files. I know it can playback uncompressed wav files and you can stream with tversity or even install a linux distro but these solutions are not exactly elegant.

Unless there's another way?
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
GForce1:
I probably wasn't clear;

I just meant it can't playback FLAC and apple lossless files. I know it can playback uncompressed wav files and you can stream with tversity or even install a linux distro but these solutions are not exactly elegant.

Unless there's another way?

Yes you have to use uncompressed PCM for true CD quality. If the OP already has a PS3 and it is located alongside his AV gear and so this might be a good option for him. He hasn't mentioned streaming the music around his house but in that case this another solution might be more suitable.
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts