No and yes. Sound wise yes probably. You would need a DAC. And the Sonos is so bullet proof. Plus can you sit in your listening room with a remote and control all, volume etc. I now use a CXN and it's not as bullet proof network wise as the Sonos, tonight I had to use it as the CXN was stuttering,ReneTS said:Can a Pc or Mac be as good a music streamer, as dedicated systems like Sonos or Bluesound?
ReneTS said:Can a Pc or Mac be as good a music streamer, as dedicated systems like Sonos or Bluesound?
Leeps said:I would never want a PC as my main music source.
Certainly my own laptop has a noisy fan that I couldn't put up with in my lounge. Sometimes it's quiet, but at times it seems to really work hard and is very loud indeed. If my CD player or AVR did that I wouldn't put up with it.
A laptop/PC is a multi-tool so there would be times when I'd want to use the laptop as a laptop and my main music source at the same time, which wouldn't work in practice particularly well. As it is, I can get away with a relatively cheap computer that fills my needs perfectly adequately, but if I wanted to use it for music, I'd have to spend more on a better processor and something without the aforementioned noisy fan, so for me I'd prefer to spend the money on a dedicated streamer.
Certainly the laptop I have now is too slow for multi-tasking complex stuff without stuttering, and if I even said "hi-res" it would have a panic attack. I'm happy with my bargain basement laptop for what I use it for, but if you endeavour to get the latest hi-spec PC you can throw a huge amount of money at it very quickly.
PC's are such money pits I just don't think it's worth spending lots of money on them. A £2k machine of a few years ago is worthless now. I think a Sonos Connect looks pretty good value in comparison, despite its comparatively limited functionality.
Mike_Schmidt said:But how do you get it from your computer to your dac? I have a desktop and iPhone no lap top. I do have a Apple TV 2 that is hooked up optical to my pre amp. But not fond of the sq so far
Leeps said:I would never want a PC as my main music source.
Certainly my own laptop has a noisy fan that I couldn't put up with in my lounge. Sometimes it's quiet, but at times it seems to really work hard and is very loud indeed. If my CD player or AVR did that I wouldn't put up with it.
A laptop/PC is a multi-tool so there would be times when I'd want to use the laptop as a laptop and my main music source at the same time, which wouldn't work in practice particularly well. As it is, I can get away with a relatively cheap computer that fills my needs perfectly adequately, but if I wanted to use it for music, I'd have to spend more on a better processor and something without the aforementioned noisy fan, so for me I'd prefer to spend the money on a dedicated streamer.
Certainly the laptop I have now is too slow for multi-tasking complex stuff without stuttering, and if I even said "hi-res" it would have a panic attack. I'm happy with my bargain basement laptop for what I use it for, but if you endeavour to get the latest hi-spec PC you can throw a huge amount of money at it very quickly.
PC's are such money pits I just don't think it's worth spending lots of money on them. A £2k machine of a few years ago is worthless now. I think a Sonos Connect looks pretty good value in comparison, despite its comparatively limited functionality.
Jota180 said:Mike_Schmidt said:But how do you get it from your computer to your dac? I have a desktop and iPhone no lap top. I do have a Apple TV 2 that is hooked up optical to my pre amp. But not fond of the sq so far
USB connection into a DAC.
Something like this...
http://www.richersounds.com/product/dacs/cambridge-audio/dacmagic-100/camb-dac-mag-100-blk
Although look around and see what competition there is. Buying second hand will save money and since there's no moving parts in a DAC it wont be worn out!
gowiththeflow said:Sonos is so simple to set up and get running. No lengthy installations or configurations or other p***ing about.
SteveR750 said:Which really is the major drawback of PC sourced music - it's very much DIY, as good as J River is, if you are totally PC illiterate then you will struggle. Little things like renewing licenses when you re-install (new machine for example) means remembering to keep software license details, figuring out how to configure the output procesor to get the right sampling rates to match the input capabilities of your DAC, remembering which speaker output defaul to set windows to, and checking the right boxes to bypas the K mixer, and so on... PC as a source is a bit of a ball ache, but the results for £30 or so ontop of the price of your PC are well worth it. Spotify is 99% of the time as good to the ear, and always much slicker in use.
SteveR750 said:....Which really is the major drawback of PC sourced music - it's very much DIY, as good as J River is, if you are totally PC illiterate then you will struggle. Little things like renewing licenses when you re-install (new machine for example) means remembering to keep software license details, figuring out how to configure the output procesor to get the right sampling rates to match the input capabilities of your DAC, remembering which speaker output defaul to set windows to, and checking the right boxes to bypas the K mixer, and so on...
cheeseboy said:SteveR750 said:Which really is the major drawback of PC sourced music - it's very much DIY, as good as J River is, if you are totally PC illiterate then you will struggle. Little things like renewing licenses when you re-install (new machine for example) means remembering to keep software license details, figuring out how to configure the output procesor to get the right sampling rates to match the input capabilities of your DAC, remembering which speaker output defaul to set windows to, and checking the right boxes to bypas the K mixer, and so on... PC as a source is a bit of a ball ache, but the results for £30 or so ontop of the price of your PC are well worth it. Spotify is 99% of the time as good to the ear, and always much slicker in use.
or you could just use a dedicated os like daphile for example
I know what you are saying, but it's not that complicated anymore. Providing you are using an ASIO driver (something like coresound in osx iirc) then it will automatically set the correct sample rate. I think foobar and wasapi does this too. Also, the selection of output should be done at the software playback stage, then you don't have to worry about what windows is set to.
Not saying it's 100% plug and play, but I personally think you're either making out to be more complicated then it has to be, or (no offence meant) you haven't got it set up how you want it.
SteveR750 said:cheeseboy said:SteveR750 said:Which really is the major drawback of PC sourced music - it's very much DIY, as good as J River is, if you are totally PC illiterate then you will struggle. Little things like renewing licenses when you re-install (new machine for example) means remembering to keep software license details, figuring out how to configure the output procesor to get the right sampling rates to match the input capabilities of your DAC, remembering which speaker output defaul to set windows to, and checking the right boxes to bypas the K mixer, and so on... PC as a source is a bit of a ball ache, but the results for £30 or so ontop of the price of your PC are well worth it. Spotify is 99% of the time as good to the ear, and always much slicker in use.
or you could just use a dedicated os like daphile for example
I know what you are saying, but it's not that complicated anymore. Providing you are using an ASIO driver (something like coresound in osx iirc) then it will automatically set the correct sample rate. I think foobar and wasapi does this too. Also, the selection of output should be done at the software playback stage, then you don't have to worry about what windows is set to.
Not saying it's 100% plug and play, but I personally think you're either making out to be more complicated then it has to be, or (no offence meant) you haven't got it set up how you want it.
Personally I have no problem setting it up, as I'm reasonably computer literate. It's nothing like as slick as buying a dedicated streamer / system. I'm sure there is a significant number of audiophiles who would have no idea how to install an asio driver and then configure their OS and media player optimally to stream bit perfect. I've met IT techs who wouldn't "know" how to do it!
Jota180 said:SteveR750 said:cheeseboy said:SteveR750 said:Which really is the major drawback of PC sourced music - it's very much DIY, as good as J River is, if you are totally PC illiterate then you will struggle. Little things like renewing licenses when you re-install (new machine for example) means remembering to keep software license details, figuring out how to configure the output procesor to get the right sampling rates to match the input capabilities of your DAC, remembering which speaker output defaul to set windows to, and checking the right boxes to bypas the K mixer, and so on... PC as a source is a bit of a ball ache, but the results for £30 or so ontop of the price of your PC are well worth it. Spotify is 99% of the time as good to the ear, and always much slicker in use.
or you could just use a dedicated os like daphile for example
I know what you are saying, but it's not that complicated anymore. Providing you are using an ASIO driver (something like coresound in osx iirc) then it will automatically set the correct sample rate. I think foobar and wasapi does this too. Also, the selection of output should be done at the software playback stage, then you don't have to worry about what windows is set to.
Not saying it's 100% plug and play, but I personally think you're either making out to be more complicated then it has to be, or (no offence meant) you haven't got it set up how you want it.
Personally I have no problem setting it up, as I'm reasonably computer literate. It's nothing like as slick as buying a dedicated streamer / system. I'm sure there is a significant number of audiophiles who would have no idea how to install an asio driver and then configure their OS and media player optimally to stream bit perfect. I've met IT techs who wouldn't "know" how to do it!
I find clicking Google helps! I suppose if someone is at the level of not knowing how to switch a PC on or never uses them then they'd be better off with a Sonos box thing but if you've got a PC or laptop already and use the thing then at some point you've learnt to use it and all the features you enjoy. Doing hifi from a PC/MAC whatever is just another branch of the features people have already learnt to use. It's not rocket science or beyond any literate person.
The_Lhc said:Jota180 said:SteveR750 said:cheeseboy said:SteveR750 said:Which really is the major drawback of PC sourced music - it's very much DIY, as good as J River is, if you are totally PC illiterate then you will struggle. Little things like renewing licenses when you re-install (new machine for example) means remembering to keep software license details, figuring out how to configure the output procesor to get the right sampling rates to match the input capabilities of your DAC, remembering which speaker output defaul to set windows to, and checking the right boxes to bypas the K mixer, and so on... PC as a source is a bit of a ball ache, but the results for £30 or so ontop of the price of your PC are well worth it. Spotify is 99% of the time as good to the ear, and always much slicker in use.
or you could just use a dedicated os like daphile for example
I know what you are saying, but it's not that complicated anymore. Providing you are using an ASIO driver (something like coresound in osx iirc) then it will automatically set the correct sample rate. I think foobar and wasapi does this too. Also, the selection of output should be done at the software playback stage, then you don't have to worry about what windows is set to.
Not saying it's 100% plug and play, but I personally think you're either making out to be more complicated then it has to be, or (no offence meant) you haven't got it set up how you want it.
Personally I have no problem setting it up, as I'm reasonably computer literate. It's nothing like as slick as buying a dedicated streamer / system. I'm sure there is a significant number of audiophiles who would have no idea how to install an asio driver and then configure their OS and media player optimally to stream bit perfect. I've met IT techs who wouldn't "know" how to do it!
I find clicking Google helps! I suppose if someone is at the level of not knowing how to switch a PC on or never uses them then they'd be better off with a Sonos box thing but if you've got a PC or laptop already and use the thing then at some point you've learnt to use it and all the features you enjoy. Doing hifi from a PC/MAC whatever is just another branch of the features people have already learnt to use. It's not rocket science or beyond any literate person.
I've worked in IT at the L3 level for 20 years and I bought Sonos precisely because I can't be arsed with all that guff!
Incidentally Major, Sonos will be supporting Apple Music by the end of the year, the first 3rd party vendor to be announced as doing so.
Jota180 said:The_Lhc said:Jota180 said:SteveR750 said:cheeseboy said:SteveR750 said:Which really is the major drawback of PC sourced music - it's very much DIY, as good as J River is, if you are totally PC illiterate then you will struggle. Little things like renewing licenses when you re-install (new machine for example) means remembering to keep software license details, figuring out how to configure the output procesor to get the right sampling rates to match the input capabilities of your DAC, remembering which speaker output defaul to set windows to, and checking the right boxes to bypas the K mixer, and so on... PC as a source is a bit of a ball ache, but the results for £30 or so ontop of the price of your PC are well worth it. Spotify is 99% of the time as good to the ear, and always much slicker in use.
or you could just use a dedicated os like daphile for example
I know what you are saying, but it's not that complicated anymore. Providing you are using an ASIO driver (something like coresound in osx iirc) then it will automatically set the correct sample rate. I think foobar and wasapi does this too. Also, the selection of output should be done at the software playback stage, then you don't have to worry about what windows is set to.
Not saying it's 100% plug and play, but I personally think you're either making out to be more complicated then it has to be, or (no offence meant) you haven't got it set up how you want it.
Personally I have no problem setting it up, as I'm reasonably computer literate. It's nothing like as slick as buying a dedicated streamer / system. I'm sure there is a significant number of audiophiles who would have no idea how to install an asio driver and then configure their OS and media player optimally to stream bit perfect. I've met IT techs who wouldn't "know" how to do it!
I find clicking Google helps! I suppose if someone is at the level of not knowing how to switch a PC on or never uses them then they'd be better off with a Sonos box thing but if you've got a PC or laptop already and use the thing then at some point you've learnt to use it and all the features you enjoy. Doing hifi from a PC/MAC whatever is just another branch of the features people have already learnt to use. It's not rocket science or beyond any literate person.
I've worked in IT at the L3 level for 20 years and I bought Sonos precisely because I can't be arsed with all that guff!
Incidentally Major, Sonos will be supporting Apple Music by the end of the year, the first 3rd party vendor to be announced as doing so.
What's the difficulty? It takes minutes. The point is, if you have the gear already why buy something else?
Jota180 said:The_Lhc said:Jota180 said:SteveR750 said:cheeseboy said:SteveR750 said:Which really is the major drawback of PC sourced music - it's very much DIY, as good as J River is, if you are totally PC illiterate then you will struggle. Little things like renewing licenses when you re-install (new machine for example) means remembering to keep software license details, figuring out how to configure the output procesor to get the right sampling rates to match the input capabilities of your DAC, remembering which speaker output defaul to set windows to, and checking the right boxes to bypas the K mixer, and so on... PC as a source is a bit of a ball ache, but the results for £30 or so ontop of the price of your PC are well worth it. Spotify is 99% of the time as good to the ear, and always much slicker in use.
or you could just use a dedicated os like daphile for example
I know what you are saying, but it's not that complicated anymore. Providing you are using an ASIO driver (something like coresound in osx iirc) then it will automatically set the correct sample rate. I think foobar and wasapi does this too. Also, the selection of output should be done at the software playback stage, then you don't have to worry about what windows is set to.
Not saying it's 100% plug and play, but I personally think you're either making out to be more complicated then it has to be, or (no offence meant) you haven't got it set up how you want it.
Personally I have no problem setting it up, as I'm reasonably computer literate. It's nothing like as slick as buying a dedicated streamer / system. I'm sure there is a significant number of audiophiles who would have no idea how to install an asio driver and then configure their OS and media player optimally to stream bit perfect. I've met IT techs who wouldn't "know" how to do it!
I find clicking Google helps! I suppose if someone is at the level of not knowing how to switch a PC on or never uses them then they'd be better off with a Sonos box thing but if you've got a PC or laptop already and use the thing then at some point you've learnt to use it and all the features you enjoy. Doing hifi from a PC/MAC whatever is just another branch of the features people have already learnt to use. It's not rocket science or beyond any literate person.
I've worked in IT at the L3 level for 20 years and I bought Sonos precisely because I can't be arsed with all that guff!
Incidentally Major, Sonos will be supporting Apple Music by the end of the year, the first 3rd party vendor to be announced as doing so.
What's the difficulty? It takes minutes. The point is, if you have the gear already why buy something else?
SteveR750 said:but I can understand pc streaming is for good reasons not for everyone, and unlikely to ever become a mainstream format.
Leeps said:But as my laptop is used for other things too, then what do I do? Get on my knees next to my TV to use MS Office?