Computer as Source

audiobliss

I've been using my computer as a source since I don't have a CD player. To make this easier, I've ripped my CD's to the HD using MusicMatch. However, just about all of my songs have glitches in them. I was told that EAC and foobar2000 make a good team. So, I've downloaded them and have been re-ripping my songs.

Now, my question is this. Do I really need to rip them as WAV files? They are sooo big!!! Will MP3's be ok?

Also, I just have a Compaq computer (SR1050NX) and I've just hooked up my receiver through the audio line-out port. Is there a better way to do this? Would a new sound card be a huge improvement? Should I just scratch the computer idea and buy a Yamaha CD player?

Thanks. Any and every comment (well, at least those on topic) is appreciated.

tecmo04

i run my computer through my amp and mp3 are just fine. it would be a waste of time and spave to convert them to waves, and im pretty sure that it will not improove the sound quality at all.

on the topic of upgrading that is a great idea. the newer computers have optical outputs which would be the most ideal but i dont know the cost or amount of instalation required.

and on buying a cdplayer. you cant go wrong with a good cdplayer. its not realy neccecity if your computer has a good output though.

thats my 2cents, i hope i helped

PolkThug

If you like what you got, then you are ok.

You lose various levels of sound quality depending on the mp3 creation process. Use a minimum of 192, and use 256 on the the songs you really like.

Regards,
PolkThug

jcaut

Should I just scratch the computer idea and buy a Yamaha CD player?

Is sound quality more important to you than convenience? If so, then, yes, you should just get a standalone CD player.


If you want explore ways to make better quality compressed music files to play on your PC, visit the forums at hydrogenaudio.org. There are better lossy compression schemes than mp3. Also, lossless compression is gaining popularity. To make the best quality mp3's, rip with EAC and encode with LAME at bitrates above 192kbps.

audiobliss

Thanks, everyone. Great stuff. I imagine that in time (read as: when I have the money) I'll get a CD player. However, right now I'm gonna use the computer. I've ripped about 8 CD's and have already used over 4 gigs of HD space!! I don't think I want to rip any more in WAV format. Though, I could just buy a(nother) 200 gig HD and dedicate it to music. If I'm calculating correctly, 200 gigs should give approx. 400 cd's. (4 gigs per 8 CDs) I'll check out that forum and see what they say.

What do y'all think about a sound card with digital audio outs? That sound better than what I'm runnin'?

Thanks!!

xsmi

You could try one of the lossless formats. They are about half the size of a .wav file but you dont lose any data. Because I am a Mac fan I don't have any direct links for Windows lossless formats but I am sure that if you use google you will find some.

RuSsMaN

I don't think that bitrate is the be all end all of determining a *listenable* file. I've heard some fairly nasty high bit rate rips.

Notice I said listenable. Anyone who says an MP3 can sound just as good as a CD, has obviously yet to hear how good a cd can sound.

MP3, background music at best, imo.

Cheers,
Russ

I-SIG

Originally posted by RuSsMaN
I don't think that bitrate is the be all end all of determining a *listenable* file. I've heard some fairly nasty high bit rate rips.

Notice I said listenable. Anyone who says an MP3 can sound just as good as a CD, has obviously yet to hear how good a cd can sound.

MP3, background music at best, imo.

Cheers,
Russ

Same here. Some of the "geeks" at work can't believe that I'm into music but not into mp3's. As RuSsMaN obviously agrees, ain't no mp3 gonna sound like a CD, especially on some of the higher end, He-Man (as George likes to call them) rigs floating around the Forums.

Wes

audiobliss

Thanks for all the replies, guys. If I rip everything to .wav files, I can later convert them to whatever I'd like, right?

I'm just goin' to continue with the .wavs and then take it from there.

Thanks!!

Shizelbs

Originally posted by I-SIG
. As RuSsMaN obviously agrees, ain't no mp3 gonna sound like a CD, especially on some of the higher end, He-Man (as George likes to call them) rigs floating around the Forums.

Wes

Shoot, I can pick out an MP3 playing through my R40s. MP3s are garbage.

nadams

This is an interesting topic, as I just stopped using MP3s as my primary source. For years I’ve used mp3s to make backups of every single CD I buy. In my very first year or two, I encoded them all at 128kbit from WAVs. Then I started doing everything in 256kbit from WAVs. Then I just happened upon a program called CDEX. You can download it from http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/

This program will rip and entire CD straight to MP3. It also does WAVs, partial tracks, and converting WAVs to MP3s. I use the built-in LAME encoder and encode the tracks at 320kbit. However, this is, at best, a backup. After a discussion with RuSsMaN, I decided to dust off an old CD player that I have. I picked it up for free because the LCD screen backlights are burnt out… anyway, the difference is amazing! With the computer as a source, I would always have a hiss while playing a track, no matter what I did to the output levels of the soundcard. It would become very apparent if I had it turned way up.

Now that I’ve switched to a straight CD player as my source, that hiss is TOTALLY gone. The music just sounds better. However, I can understand if you want to stick with mp3s for now. I used them for years, and they worked. But now that I tried the CD player, I’m going through my entire CD collection just to see how good they all sound. If you are going to continue with MP3s, I’d suggest two things- One, that you use CDEX with the LAME encoder, and two, that you encode at 320kbit. I have 248 cds, and they take up 17.1 GB of space. However, I still haven’t converted them all from 256kbit to 320kbit.

Also, just as a side note- once you compress a file, you cannot return it to it’s original quality. I’ve seen utilities that convert MP3s to WAVs… I have no idea why you would want to do that. MP3 is a lossy format, so it’ll never sound as good as the original. If you want to reencode your 256kbit mp3s to 320kbit ones, you’ll have to start over with a fresh rip of the CD.

That is all.

audiobliss

Thanks a bunch. Depending on how much HDs are, I think I might just grab one and put all my CD's on it .wav format. Then, I could get a CD player later on.

Thanks!!

audiobliss

How do y'all think this HD will do for music?
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=302473&pfp=BROWSE

Thanks!!

nadams

First off, if you have $200 to blow on a 250gb hard drive, how can you not afford to buy a simple CD player?

Secondly, if you really have your heart set on those WAV files, I would at least get the drive from newegg. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-309&depa=1

That's a bare drive, no retail packaging, but it still carries the 3 year warranty.

xsmi

Flac is the most widely used lossles codec for windows. Google it. I really think it will answer your prayers. Small file sizes and indistinguishable from a .wav file.

jcaut

audiobliss:

What OS is your computer running? I might have something that could save you some time.

audiobliss

nadams: Ya know, I was thinkin' about that, too. I'd rather spend the money on a CD player than a HD. I just didn't expect the HD to cost so much.

xsmi: thanks for the info; I'll look it up

jcaut: I'm runnin' Window XP Home with an Athlon XP 3200+ processor with 512 MB ram and a CD/DVD writer and a 200 GB HD

Thanks!!

audiobliss

Well, I just found, downloaded, installed, and tried FLAC. The original .wav file was 38.2 MB, and the new FLAC file was 26 MB. Is that all the compression I'm going to be able to get??

THanks.

jcaut

Sorry. My idea won't work on XP.

There's a trick that allows the computer to see the tracks on a CD as .wav files: no ripping. Just copy the files from the CD and convert or compress to the format of your choice. Only works on 98, ME, etc., however. I can't remember where I found it, but I thought it was pretty slick. I'm not sure if I can attach the required info here. Anyone interested can PM me for details.

Jason

Shizelbs

If you want to read more, and a lot more, check out the forums at head-fi.org. They have a dedicated section to using computers as a source. There is tons of info there on various sound cards and formats there.

xsmi

Originally posted by audiobliss
Well, I just found, downloaded, installed, and tried FLAC. The original .wav file was 38.2 MB, and the new FLAC file was 26 MB. Is that all the compression I'm going to be able to get??

THanks.

No you should be getting more. Check to see if there are any settings you can play around with.

Mjr7531

Originally posted by Shizelbs
Shoot, I can pick out an MP3 playing through my R40s. MP3s are garbage.

With my headphones, I can pick out a CD that hasn't been factory burned. (IE: CDs burned off your PC will have hints of compression that you won't hear with CDs bought at the store.) There is a difference, despite what many may think.
EDITED: The difference between burned CDs and non-burned CDs. Just avoiding confusion