If I were thinking of computer audio...

[Fran]

Just to make something clear: You can use any playback software you want..... windows media player etc etc. However, the one that seems to sound head and shoulders above the rest is jplay - hence why its recommended here. It costs 99 usually, 79 if you're a jkeny customer. When you think of it, its less dough than any of your interconnects.

Like all this stuff, once you hear the improvement you won't ever go back. If it all works out, I can play the same track with all the various improvements applied incrementally and you will just hear the step up again and again.

The thing about jplay is that it is minimalist. Really minimalist!! You open an explorer window, highlight and Ctrl-C the track(s) you want to play, and click the jplay window and Ctrl-V ... and it plays. No display of album art, or lyrics, or any other crap.

All said with the zeal of the newly converted.


Fran

[tony]

Ken Absolutely no apologises necessary I was just having a laugh. It sayes it all about the jkdac if you are selling your benchmark on foot of getting the jkdac as the benchmark is a seriously well regarded piece of kit. I remember you sold your unison research amp awhile ago.What did you replace it with? You seem to have downsized a lot pardon the pun as I remember a marantz sacd going then as well.
Thanks for the offer of a listen. If I am given the time and it suits I may take you up on it at some stage. Still want to get that Dbrubeck hires recording but can wait until I have the facility to enjoy it. Rgds Tony

[tony]

Sorry for so many posts but Fran if you can consider a product not made by yourself it sayes a lot about the quality.
John couldnt get a better recommendation.

[Ken Moreland]

Tony, I sold the UR amp and bought a MusicFirst preamp/Gamut poweramp from another forum member so it sure wasn't downsizing. I sold the SACD player because I was completely going over to computer based music and it has all been a very rapid rise in sound quality with JK's developing technology (I'm on my third purchase from him now!) and JPlay's improvements in it's program. I'm interested only in sound quality and I don't care about interfaces/album art/sleeve fondling etc.
KM

[tony]

Ken said

[ sold the UR amp and bought a MusicFirst preamp/Gamut poweramp from another forum member so it sure wasn't downsizing.I'm interested only in sound quality and I don't care about interfaces/album art/sleeve fondling etc.

Whoops sorry about that re downsizing didnt realise. I think I am moving in that same direction re sound quality. I considered a turntable but it looks like the road to financial ruin and I am there already. Also storing,fondling,cleaning and replacing cartridges and servicing I just couldnt face it.

[Ken Moreland]

Tony , just downsized the bank account.
KM

[Diapason]

I'm sure I could organise to call to you with my laptop and JKdac32 while I'm up in town for something else. At least it would satisfy your curiosity.

'Tis good value even at 900 blips.

Thanks Fran, I'll definitely take you up on that offer in due course (although it's still at the stage where arranging anything is a bit difficult, so it might be a while. I'll get back to you!)

On the value front, I don't doubt for a moment that it's good at 900 Euro, and if I were starting from scratch that's definitely the approach I'd take. Of course, the "problem" is that I've a really good CD player already (that cost me a damn sight more than €900!), and unless I'm going to get significantly better performance from a laptop, it's hard to justify any expenditure at all. It would be different if it would add convenience or something, but from what I've read that's not really the case, and since I'm not on board with illegal downloading, and reluctant to pay for legal stuff, you can see the inertia. Of course, it's always possible that the performance really will be better than the player, in which case I'll have some thinking to do. Based on auditions at Ciaran's, I'd expect the shoot-out to be interesting at the very least.

The lack of preamp is another wrinkle here and I know it robs me of flexibility. At the moment I use the Wadia's volume which is also performed in the digital domain by dropping bits. I'm not sure how happy I am about that really, but again it all comes back to budget. I think I'd really have to pay up to get a preamp at the level of the rest of the system, and it's just not going to happen. One of the major things I'd be trying to check out with the laptop solution is hi-res files, but that's pointless if I'm going to use digital volume. Hmmm...

We could be brothers only you're so damn handsome.

You'll have to be the skinny one.

Thanks everyone for your comments and views. I'm certainly convinced that computer audio will ultimately be the way forward.

[Ivor]

We could be brothers only you're so damn handsome.

You'll have to be the skinny one.

It's been a while since we met up hasn't it?