PC to HiFi without Airport

[admin_exported]

I've been experimenting with using a server-pc and Promixis Netromte to controls Win Media Player/JRiver via a wifi laptop or PDA. So I have full control of my music in a software system which is more advanced and easier to search, list than on sonos/squeezebox software systems.

So when I select the server music player to play I need to get WAV digital to a local DAQ at my hifi which is > 10m away. WiFi reception at the hifi is poor due to the building structure, so a cable based solution I think is best for me. I could used the ethernet on the Airport but can I use Windows Media Player ?

What are other options for getting digital signal to a DAQ over lengths of 10 - 20 m ? USB extenders, optical/digital repeaters etc....without playing with raw digital ? Is there no device that allows me to send what is playing on the pc as raw digital over ethernet connection to a good DAQ (like DAQmagic), squeezebox doesn't for example. Th

 

[John Duncan]

Well airport express plus airfoil can do that, though you say you have wireless issues in the vicinity of the stereo - doesn't that mean you need a wired solution anyway?

Edit - though AE works wired as well, note.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

USB can safely go 15m, so maybe a DACMagic or Beresford 7520 will do the job...

Or a £50 USB sound card. But hey, if we can recommend a DAC we're going to!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Yes wired solution is best I feel to avoid drop outs, I was thinking as the airport had a ethernet connector it could be connected to a wired network and I could then send data to it for conversion to digital. If this is possible does airport tinker with digital or does it really output wav file to the digital connector ?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks, I have had problems with >5m with USB before, maybe things are better now. I'm definitly going for BACMagic or Beresford, but Beresford thought digital would be best route to go!

USB and optical extenders are available but I'm suspicious as to what they do with signal - do they regenerate (ie introduce errors possibly) or amplify (so add noise/distortion)

 

[John Duncan]

Surfidea:Yes wired solution is best I feel to avoid drop outs, I was thinking as the airport had a ethernet connector it could be connected to a wired network and I could then send data to it for conversion to digital. If this is possible does airport tinker with digital or does it really output wav file to the digital connector ?

It's been suggested elsewhere (stereophile I think) that it's bit-perfect out of its optical. I use one (wirelessly) into a DACMagic and it's truly marvellous. This is from a Mac, mind, which has cleaner audio properties than Windows XP (though Vista doesn't have the same issues) - if you run XP you should do some tinkering (you may have done already) following the gospel according to PJPro

 

[Anonymous]

JohnDuncan: It's been suggested elsewhere (stereophile I think) that it's bit-perfect out of its optical. I use one (wirelessly) into a DACMagic and it's truly marvellous. This is from a Mac, mind, which has cleaner audio properties than Windows XP (though Vista doesn't have the same issues) - if you run XP you should do some tinkering (you may have done already) following the gospel according to PJPro

Thanks, I've been looking at the ASIO / streaming issue and have a pluging for winXP that's supposed to help. It still seems odd to me that we can't just get the raw digital wav data straight from the harddisk and out of the pc rather than going through a software audio process first which is always going to add problems.

 

[cram]

Surfidea: Thanks, I have had problems with >5m with USB before, maybe things are better now. I'm definitly going for BACMagic or Beresford, but Beresford thought digital would be best route to go!

In general USB doesn't go above 5m unless you start daisy chaining hubs or using active repeaters (in effect cables with single port hubs built into them)