Computer audio

I spend most of my time collecting and listening to records but there are times when putting a record on the turntable is neither convenient nor prudent.

For example, when I’m running around the house doing chores or simply distracted with other activities I’d prefer not to have to flip and change records. I use a belt-drive table so the stylus is not lifted out of the run-out grooves and the tonearm is not returned to its cradle automatically (as happens with direct drive tables). For that reason alone, I must always be ready to go to the table and flip or change a record lest I contribute to needless wear and possibly damage to my stylus.

Or, when I’m intoxicated, I run the risk of damaging my cartridge and/or records due to sloppiness around the table.

Under these circumstances a digital alternative can be particularly useful.

As I haven’t bought CDs for many years and have, instead, built up a large collection of music on my computer, I decided to improve my computer audio system.

Rest assured, such an endeavour is not for the faint of heart. Building a hi-fi computer audio system requires a lot of research and careful consideration of a number of issues.

 

Quality of your digital files

A computer audio system that is even capable of high fidelity playback must have, at its source, files that are, at the very least, in some kind of lossless format (e.g., FLAC or Apple lossless/ALAC). That is, files that have not been digitally compressed in a manner that reduces musical fidelity. This will make your computer capable of audio playback that is CD quality or better.

In my case, I re-ripped all of the CDs I do have stored away in Apple lossless format, as I am a Mac user (I have a first generation Intel Core Duo iMac) who has an iPod and an iPhone and relies on iTunes (regrettably, Apple products are not compatible with FLAC) for my music library. Then, I tried to source whatever else I could in FLAC format and converted these files into Apple lossless via the easy-to-use XLD program. Eventually, I hope to try out some “needle drops” (i.e. directly converting my records to lossless digital files) by connecting my turntable/phono stage to my computer.

 

Storage of music

As you quickly learn, lossless files take up considerably more space on a hard drive than mp3s. The average CD/album can take up anywhere from 250 to 350 megabytes. If you have an extensive music collection, it is easy to run out of real estate on your computer in very short order.

Rather than sacrifice fidelity, it is best to invest in an external hard drive to store your music. Fortunately, external drives are dirt cheap these days. I bought a LaCie d2 Quadra 1 terabyte drive (i.e. 1000 megabytes) with two FireWire 800 ports, a FireWire 400 port and a USB 2.0 port for $169.

Transferring old files from your computer to an external hard drive via FireWire is a piece of cake and can be done very quickly.

 

Connecting the computer to a stereo

If you want to achieve high fidelity with computer audio, you’ll need to connect your computer to your amplifier and speakers. This requires, first and foremost, a digital-to-analogue converter (DAC).

All digital playback, whether it be directly through a computer’s sound card, through an iPod or other portable device, or even through a CD player requires a DAC. Digital files alone are unintelligible to the human ear, as they are merely data in ones and zeroes. A DAC converts this data to analogue sound that we can hear.

Unfortunately, the standard DAC in a computer’s sound card is not of sufficient quality to play back files at the resolution of, say, a CD. Thus, an external DAC is critical.

The DAC you choose will also dictate the possible methods of connecting a computer to the stereo. Most on the market today (whether made by hi-fi audio companies or recording software/hardware manufacturers) offer connections via USB 2.0, FireWire, Optical/Toslink/SPIDF or some combination thereof.

After doing some research, I decided to go with a DAC called the Apogee Duet. It was recommended to me by a number of audiophiles as a giant killer (it only costs $499) that is specifically designed to work only with Macs.

As you can see above, its only input connection is via FireWire 400. The Duet comes with a 15-pin VGA connection and is supplied with a “breakout cable” that includes a variety of connectors to accommodate standard RCA cables (e.g., for stereo amplifiers) and assorted musical equipment (the Duet, interestingly enough is primarily targeted at and marketed toward musicians who want to record and listen to their recordings at home).

In my system, the Duet is temporarily connected to my Naim Nait 5i’s A/V input via the breakout cable and RCA-RCA cables. However, I’ve ordered a special VGA-RCA customized connector cable from Blue Jeans Cable and will use this when it arrives.

From the Duet, I run a 15 foot FireWire 400 cable from the input to my external hard drive, which is on the other side of the room. The cable runs along the underside of the edge of my area rug, safely out of view and out of the path of footsteps. (It is important to note that 15 feet is the maximum length of FireWire cable that is certified to perform according to industry/technical specifications.)

The LaCie hard drive is then connected to my iMac via a short FireWire 800 to 400 cable (the LaCie only has one FireWire 400 port and my iMac only supports FireWire 400).

This method of connecting the Duet to the computer through an external hard drive via FireWire on each side is called “daisychaining”.

While I don’t pretend to be an expert, my research indicates that FireWire is an especially reliable method of transmitting audio.

If you’re a Mac user, the Duet is certainly an option worth considering as a DAC.

 

Playing music from the computer

If you’ve come this far, you’re ready to play music from your computer through your hi-fi stereo system that should begin to satisfy an audiophile’s ear.

There are myriad programs out there that offer enthusiastic claims about superior audio playback. To start out with, I’m using iTunes as it’s the easiest/cheapest option to get started with. Once you get accustomed to everything, you can begin to experiment with various software. (For Mac users, the most common are Pure Music and Amarra. PM offers a 15-day free trial.)

One word of caution/warning. If you are going to use iTunes, it is essential that you go into the settings and turn off all default EQ and audio settings. Once you’ve done this, you need to set the iTunes volume to full/max. Your amplifier should be used to regulate volume and should be fed a clean signal without any of the distortion that the various iTunes audio settings can introduce. If your DAC has volume settings (the Duet’s volume is controlled manually through a volume pot on the device as well as through the Maestro software that accompanies it) it should also be set at full volume.

With all that taken care of, you should be in a position to begin enjoying hi-fi audio through your computer system. Obviously there is a lot more you can do to improve it (e.g., high-resolution digital files, more sophisticated DACs and better playback software) but this is a great start.

If nothing else, setting up a computer audio system as I’ve described will provide a sonically satisfying alternative in circumstances where playing records is best avoided.