Music PC or CD Player

[thevortex]

Thanks everyone for your continued inputs.

The general feeling that I seem to be getting is that
1. If I am only looking at a music PC (not HTPC), then it might be wiser to stay with a good CDP. For critical listening, I will need components that are very quiet (eg fans, etc) and a good quality power supply. While this is not impossible, there is a lot more work involved.
2. For HTPC, the recommendations are mostly that HTPC is the way to go. However, I'm interested only in music, so I'll pass HTPC.

Are there any forum members who are using a PC only for music listening (and nothing else......no browsing, movies, excel or anything). If there is anyone, appreciate it if you can share your thoughts on using PC as a music source.

Anand.

Anand - I use my HTPC (yes that is a misnomer) for critical music listening (at least as I know it). I have no antivirus loaded on the PC (in line with cPlay recommendations) and have very little software loaded which does not have anything to do with music or movies or manipulation thereof.

I use an Antec case with an Antec power suppy (80 plus rated) and I have to put my ear close to the PC to hear the noise of the fans. When in my seating position even with the song paused I am not able to hear anything out of the PC.

 

[thevortex]

i do actually and I have been using my PC for music listening for over 6 months now and the xonar stx over the last 2 months has improved things a lot. And no graphics cards for me but inbuilt graphics of nvidia 8300 is great for h264 playing (12% cpu usage avg) and ripping.

But you will also agree that setting up a music pc is not everyones cup of tea - tinkering is the order of the day here.

Yup. That is true. But then for people such as you, moser or myself, it is the setting up and tinkering part which is so interesting!

As I have mentioned elsewhere as well, for people looking at the ultimate plug and play experience, the PC is out

 

[apk]

moserw,

Thanks for your inputs.

If you are looking for the absolute best in terms of SQ then the PC is the way to go. It will easily trump a CDP any day. However, if you are looking for ease of use and good cosmetics and aesthetics then a CDP would be the way to go. So decide if sound is important or you are more bothered about what people see in your living room.

Yes, sound quality and not aesthetics is more important for me. I can live with a PC in the living room. However, the better half will have an objection to a 15 inch monitor in the living room. Hence the thought of a small size screen.

You will need at least dual-core (preferably more), lots of HDD space (1 TB), an Asus Essence STX SC and you are all set.

So you suggest that I should have atleast an Intel Dual Core and lots of hard disk space. Obvously the Asus Essence STX is a given. Any other sound cards that I should looks at for music only.
What about other components for a music only PC - power supply, any special cooling requirements, CD/DVD burner etc ?


Anm,

Stupid question to ask - but have you experienced the difference a 25k cdp will make to your setup compared to the dvdp? Are you able to hear and quantify the difference?

Have heard a borrowed Marantz CD6002 in my setup, and there was a marked improvement in the sound quality compared to the DVD player I am using now.
Even if the Music PC option does not work out, I'm still upgrading to a CDP!!

Anand.

 

[apk]

Moserw,

You seem to have some confusion (misinformation rather) so let me clarify.

Firstly let me tell you there is no such thing as a HTPC and/or a Music PC. For me a PC is a PC and it will do everything and anything and way better than anything else. In terms of audio it will play any format and way better than anything else and in terms of video too it will again play anything and everything and yes way better than anything else.

A Music PC is a PC that you will use to only play music on and not use it for anything else. I on the other hand use my PC for everything and also for playing music. There is no such a PC that will only play music and do nothing else and neither is there such a HTPC too. So what I'm saying is either you have a PC or you don't. If you want to use it only for music or only for movies and nothing else then that's up to you, but such a PC will not differ from any other PC so there is no such thing as HTPC or a Music PC. In other words if you have the same components as me then your PC is not going to sound better than mine just because you use it only for playing music and I use it for browsing, blogging, chatting, emails, etc. Both will sound the same and do the same functions. I just use mine for everything while others don't.

Thanks for clarifying on the Music PC/HTPC/PC misnomer. I do understand that a PC will always be a PC and nothing else.
What I was trying to say while defining a PC as Music PC is that I do not plan to use the PC for anything else. Thus, all I need is the hardware, sound card, an OS, and the required software to rip CDs and play them. I do not need browsers, firewalls, anti-virus, MS office or any other paraphernalia that could slow down the PC. I have no interest in games so I do not need fancy graphics cards. Thus my "Music PC" is still a PC!! abet a stripped down one.

Thanks everyone for your continued inputs.....

I would like to seek your help to work out a high level configuration for a PC (music only). From whatever I know, I have listed out the following components. Please let me know if I have missed out anything important

1. CPU - Intel/AMD......am open to both. Any suggestions for a quiet processor?
2. Motherboard: Obviously this depends on the CPU. So will have to shortlist the CPU first
3. RAM - will put in 1 GB. Do you guys recommend more?
4. HDD - will start with a 500 GB one. I have around 400 CDs. I can add one more HDD in a year or so.
5. CD/DVD drive - what are the good quality ones?
6. Case - I am hearing that Antec cases are good. Any other similiar suggestions?
7. Power Supply - Again, Antec has been recommended. Any other brand that i should be looking at
8. Sound Card - Asus Essense STX - no arguments here!!
9. Cooling Fans etc - Are these built into the case or do I need to buy this separately?
10. Monitor - prefer a small screen - need to search out options
11. UPS - is this a necessity?

Appreciate inputs from all........

Anand.

 

[magma]

i

But you will also agree that setting up a music pc is not everyones cup of tea - tinkering is the order of the day here.

Supra moserw
what exactly is this tinkering you guys are talking about?

you make it seem its a task setting up a pC for music

its actaully quite simple the way i see and the way ive done
ive done nothing differnt than how ive setup any regular PC
except for buying a quiet fan and a quiet SMPS, getting ASIO and running Cplay/Foobar


I dont follow the CMP manual to the T
i actaully have done nothin

i just use ASIO4all coupled with Cplay or Foobar
Absolutely no extra setings

i followed the CMP manual with all its settings once, i hardly found much improvement .
why then are you discouraging the OP ?

from where i see it
just get a core2duo , hell even a dual core 1.7Ghz will do
(ive used an six year old P4 1.7Ghz single core with Foobar and Asio with 40-50ms latencey and have faced no probelms!)

Dear OP'
please spend on a case with good ventialtion and cooling.
A 80+ rated smps and a good cooler master or antec silent FAN (use only 2 fans 1 over the CPU and one for exhausting HDD and other heat)
if youve got the budget you can skip the fan over the processor too but get a good large pure Cu heat sink ( about 2-2.5k)
get Foobar/cply and ASIo and youre done.

as moserw said normal guys hardly even hear the fan when they listen to music!

 

[moserw]

@magma - I'm not talking of tinkering with the PC h/w such as nuts and bolts, etc. Nor am I talking of trying out something new everyday. But as internet browsers go (IMHO) Google Chrome is the best right now followed by Opera, Firefox, and anything and everything else except Internet Explorer. Yet 85% of the world's PC users use only Internet Explorer for browsing.

Similarly those who use PCs for music may use just the default Windows Media Player which sucks big time IMHO.

By tinkering I mean finding what works best for you i.e. cPlay, or Foobar, or XMPlay for audio and for video VLC, MPC, etc. Unless a person is willing to check out other great stuff i.e. tinker he will never get the optimum mileage from his PC.

Obviously I will tinker more since I use my PC for a lot of other stuff. Others will have to only tinker with different media players but yet have to do it to find what sounds the best to their ears. Otherwise all said and done if they use Windows Media Player even an Asus Xonar is not really going to help.

Similarly Supra had to tinker to find the best settings and s/w to play HD rips of 720P and 1080P on his PC (HTPC).

That's the only tinkering we are talking about.

 

[suprateep]

moser said it all - most people somehwo use WMP for music which in my opinion plain sucks (not as an integrated piece of SW but for audio and video separately).

And somehow even CPLAY plays on my single core AMD 64 3000 venice core - somehow at highest settings the music does appear patchy.

Many still are averse of putting up a system together....period !!!

PS: What may seem easy to us - may not to others. This is one things I learnt in the corp world

 

[apk]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

Though I have not assembled a PC before, I am fairly confident that I can put one together with some guidance from the experts. If the end results are worth it, I am definitely game to build one, and put in the required efforts.

I still have some concerns around the budget for the PC. From the discussions in this thread, I have realized that I should invest in a good quality case and a good quality power supply. I have put together a list of major components that I know should be part of the setup. Would appreciate inputs on whether I am missing something.
1. CPU - Intel/AMD......am open to both. Any suggestions for a quiet processor?
2. Motherboard: Obviously this depends on the CPU. So will have to shortlist the CPU first
3. RAM - will put in 1 GB. Do you guys recommend more?
4. HDD - will start with a 500 GB one. I have around 400 CDs. I can add one more HDD in a year or so.
5. CD/DVD drive - what are the good quality ones?
6. Case - I am hearing that Antec cases are good. Any other similiar suggestions?
7. Power Supply - Again, Antec has been recommended. Any other brand that i should be looking at
8. Sound Card - Asus Essense STX - no arguments here!!
9. Cooling Fans etc - Are these built into the case or do I need to buy this separately?
10. Monitor - prefer a small screen - need to search out options
11. UPS - is this a necessity?

Appreciate inputs from all......

Anand.

 

[suprateep]

1. CPU - AMD X2 5200/5600 (3k) - only for music,for movies go higher
2. Motherboard: M3n78EM (3.5k) - an all roudn board with integrated graphics
3. RAM - for CPLAY and CMP with Vista recommend 4 gb (with XP 2 GB) - 1 GB with XP and CPLAY - ru crazy:lol: (1.2/2.4k)
4. HDD - start with a 1 TB WD green (4.3k)
5. CD/DVD drive - use a LG with error dtection (do not go for sony) (1.2k)
6. Case - NSK2480 Desktop case Improved NSK2400 (5.2k)
7. Power Supply - Corsair CX400W CMPSU-400CX (3k), Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 460W (3k)
8. Sound Card - Asus Essense STX - 9k (also check maudio 2496) -
9. Cooling Fans etc - NA
10. Monitor -Many geeks use small touchscreens for PC usage in a car - are 12" across - are your best bet if you can procure one but will be expensive
11. UPS - Not necessary in case the power supply is good. Though a good one from APC is suggested.

 

[magma]

i do actually and I have been using my PC for music listening for over 6 months now and the xonar stx over the last 2 months has improved things a lot. And no graphics cards for me but inbuilt graphics of nvidia 8300 is great for h264 playing (12% cpu usage avg) and ripping.

But you will also agree that setting up a music pc is not everyones cup of tea - tinkering is the order of the day here.

1. CPU - AMD X2 5200/5600 (3k) - only for music,for movies go higher
2. Motherboard: M3n78EM (3.5k) - an all roudn board with integrated graphics

.

arre supra at those prices please get for me too
or at least tell mewhere i can bag it

6. Case - NSK2480 Desktop case Improved NSK2400 (5.2k)
.

not availble

 

[spirovious]

Onkyo too makes better SCwith Wolfon WM8740 -

PCI-SE200, the new Onkyo HD sound card : Akihabara News .com

 

[suprateep]

I got the m3n78em for 3.5k and amd 7750 be for 4.5k in march this year. The 5600 was going for 4.2k then and after a month as low as 3.8k in Pune. IMHO prices have dropped - i can check back with my local store in Pune - he quotes low rates so cant bargain.

Also other stuff like the Antec took me to prime in mumbai - they offered the silverstone lc17 for 7.2k - but i did not want to spend that much. CW03 was out of bounds for me.

 

[moserw]

@apk - Supra has already listed what to go for.

My recommendations are:
1. 3 or 4 GB RAM.
2. 1 TB or 1.5 TB HDD (1 TB is the cheapest in terms of cost per GB).
3. SMPS/PSU I have from Frontech and it costs about Rs. 400 and works great.
4. The PC Case I have is a local made one and cost me Rs. 600 or so bought some 5 years ago and works great.

I've seen lots of PC cases and none really justify their expensive price tag IMHO. It might work for some I have no arguments here, but I've not seen any great benefit from them. Ditto for SMPS/PSU too. This again differs from person to person. I personally don't really believe that expensive is always the best. Its like expensive cables for audiophiles. Some swear by them and some think its snake oil. But if you need to cut your budget then cut on these two areas and instead you can invest in a good APC UPS. It will keep your PC safe.

I also personally prefer Intel for the Processor and Mobo, but no complaints with AMD and Asus either. But if you can do invest in a powerful processor and ditto for Mobo with lots of slots in case you want to upgrade later on it will be easier at that time instead of having to change them.

 

[spirovious]

check this too-

Music PC?
Onkyo's HDC-1.0 HD audio PC for audiophiles

SC-
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/onkyo-se-90pci-sound-card-review-119675/
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/simple-review-onkyo-se200-soundcard-217531/

 

[apk]

thanks moserw, suprateep, magma & spiro for your inputs. Let me start checking up on the prices of each of the required components from the local hardware store.

Anand.

 

[kaushik]

Music PC is the preferred thing because of the ease of navigation ,cost and easy diy capabilities

i am adding another pointer for a USB in expensive
DAC , based on Burr brown PCM 2702,the dac is named as
"BantamDAC "

most parts are available in india ,
for the non diy guys ,take the kit (just 33$) listed here
GlassJar-Kit



give to any mobile repair guy, usually they have all tools .done !:yahoo:

itz a very tiny DAC

 

[spirovious]

There is somthing like RSONLINE which too provides all necessary parts for DIY.

 

[kaushik]

There is somthing like RSONLINE which too provides all necessary parts for DIY.

RSONLINE prices are little high,
i am in touch with some component supplier for that DAC chip if i get the chip less will post . Other components are available here at bangalore .