The best way to get music from my PC in to my DAC?

[Gazzip]

Hi everybody,

I have a fairly basic question for you guys, but here goes:

I have a computer, (Mac), upstaits in a bedroom. It has a Cat 5 cable running downstairs where it plugs in to my 02 ISP rouiter/box thingy. The box is N+ wireless but I prefer to go "hard wired" 'cos it's quicker and more reliable. It has 3 spare Cat 5 inputs available. Approx 1 metre away from the router thingy is my DAC, a Cyrus Dac X. It has no ethernet or USB inputs on the back panel, so how do I connect it to my PC so that I can play music through I-Tunes to my Hifi? I would like to go wired rather than wireless. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks! GazziP

 

[CustomCable]

I think the couple of options for you would be to hard wire a Sonos ZP90 to it and control it with your computer or Android/iDevice in the house? This or the Squeezebox Touch would do the trick.

Phil

 

[iMark]

The Airport Express can be hardwired by ethernet. Works very well.

You can connect the Airport Express by Toslink cable to you DAC (I presume it has optical in). You need the famous little adapter to fit a standard optical cable to the Airport Express.

 

[John Duncan]

The Airport Express can be hardwired by ethernet. Works very well.

+1

S'what I do into the back of my Uniti. Note that it's limited to 16/44, if higher res is important to you.

 

[Anonymous]

There's also this (I haven't tried it but WHF have): http://www.whathifi.com/review/audio-pro-wf100

"It’s bulkier than Apple’s AirPlay or Airport Express but more versatile and offering a smaller, and minimal, quality drop."

Am I right in reading that as saying it is better quality than AirPlay? Bit of a poorly written sentence TBH.

 

[Gazzip]

The Airport Express can be hardwired by ethernet. Works very well.

+1

S'what I do into the back of my Uniti. Note that it's limited to 16/44, if higher res is important to you.

So what does this mean? Does it mean that my lossless audio files will lose quality on their journey between ITunes on my computer and when it is input in to my DAC?

 

[John Duncan]

The Airport Express can be hardwired by ethernet. Works very well.

+1

S'what I do into the back of my Uniti. Note that it's limited to 16/44, if higher res is important to you.

So what does this mean? Does it mean that my lossless audio files will lose quality on their journey between ITunes on my computer and when it is input in to my DAC?

Not if your lossless files have been ripped from CD, no; these are limited to 16/44 as well so there is no quality loss. If you had some higher resolution FLAC files from specialist websites like B&W, Linn, HDTracks etc, these would be downsampled (and couldn't be played in iTunes anyway, generalising). If all you have is CDs ripped to iTunes, there's no problem.

 

[chebby]

There's also this (I haven't tried it but WHF have): http://www.whathifi.com/review/audio-pro-wf100

"It’s bulkier than Apple’s AirPlay or Airport Express but more versatile and offering a smaller, and minimal, quality drop."

Am I right in reading that as saying it is better quality than AirPlay? Bit of a poorly written sentence TBH.

I looked at that too (when thinking about a Geneva Lab Model M) but it looks expensive and messy.

An Aiport Express is much less faff and provides AirPlay.

 

[John Duncan]

I could see how the audio pro might have a better analogue output than an AEX, but once you use the Airport's digital output it's all moot as far as i'm concerned.

 

[Gazzip]

Thanks to everybody for the advice. I will probably go for an airport express with a Toslink. Any advice on what cable to go for? Thanks, GazziP

 

[noogle]

I'd buy the cheapest Toslink you can get on eBay.

 

[Gazzip]

I'd buy the cheapest Toslink you can get on eBay.

Does it need to be 3.5mm jack to Toslink or just a normal Toslink to Toslink cable?

 

[noogle]

You'll need a mini-Toslink to Toslink cable or a Toslink to Toslink cable with a mini-Toslink adapter.

 

[Gazzip]

Thanks for all of the advice guys and gals. Very much appreciated.