CMP DIY transport - ultimate computer based transport ?

[forbigger]

Hi folks, some of my local head caser point me to this site [url=http://cplay.sourceforge.net/pmwiki.php]cMP

[manaox2]

That is interesting. I'd want to put an Intel 40Gb X25-V SSD for very fast read/boot speeds and silence at an affordable price and two 1Tb spinpoint F3Eg drive with two platters in RAID0 to store music and remain idle at low power for less PSU noise and silence. It'll need a BD-Rom for the BD-A. I'd probably load it with enough ram to properly have a ramdisk buffer inserted cds, store temp files, and albums before playback. I'd also be more likely to put more money into an 850W or higher PSU to decrease instead of modding with a regulated PSU for the Juliet to get about the same performance for less money. Lots of XP tweaks and stripping down of services could be done to make this very optimized. Honestly, I would want to add in a cheap passively cooled video card with HDMI that would be disabled when not in use to make this an HTPC as well, it just makes sense if your already spending the money.

It should be able to play and stream almost any format, the only thing that makes me sad about this a bit is that it won't support DSD. That should still make a pretty fucking sweet digital rig that is upgradeable. Prices are getting about right to build one this summer if funds were available.

[forbigger]

u serious on building it ? If so then good luck......you sounded pretty excited ......or otherwise. I will take queue few peoples behind you

[manaox2]

u serious on building it ? If so then good luck......you sounded pretty excited ......or otherwise. I will take queue few peoples behind you

Heh, not serious about building at all yet. Maybe someday, but I just barely purchased the minimum parts so far for my new computer and have a bit farther to go on it before its how I want it.

[forbigger]

but u think the whole idea is logical/feasible and serve the purposes ?

[manaox2]

but u think the whole idea is logical/feasible and serve the purposes ?

Yeah, it makes some sense and will probably make a difference. I don't think its going to knock out all $1500 transports. I've seen other guides that were similar that I didn't think much of. I think it might be a little over the top in some places for sure. Its a little expensive as a HTPC as it is, I'd probably just mod something like this first: Denon Model DVD-1930 CI Universal CD/DVD/SACD Player - eBay (item 270524200106 end time Feb-07-10 12:51:21 PST) .

Plenty of computer digital adapters already buffer and reclock the data, so I bet you may be able to get better results for much much cheaper. You could modify a USB port to use a separate regulated power supply fairly easily and with some memory management, probably get a similar result using a nice external digital adapter. I compare this to the M2Tech HiFace i2s to Buffalo mod which is something I would probably want over the Juliet at the same price. I do want a fanless HTPC one day, so some of those tips are useful.

[forbigger]

thanks manaox......thats why i would prefer to see u guys or someone build it and post some impressions. being pioneer sometimes too risky

[Girardian]

thanks manaox......thats why i would prefer to see u guys or someone build it and post some impressions. being pioneer sometimes too risky

+1

[grawk]

+1

In case you were wondering, this is why.

[valesina]

Have you seen the Computer Audiophile CAPS music server? http://www.computeraudiophile.com

[manaox2]

Have you seen the Computer Audiophile CAPS music server? http://www.computeraudiophile.com

That thing costs more then the $1500 goal price (notice he doesn't include the price of Windows 7, at least another $120 for just the OEM) which isn't fairly inexpensive to me for a transport/source. It doesn't seem to be all too great either, I thought the power supply choice of a switch brick to be fairly horrid. I wouldn't have gone with a USB CD-Rom either. Good choices on keeping it silent and support all those bit rates, but I can't imagine it sounds much better then most other HTPCs if you were to add in the sound card alone.

Actually, I wouldn't use a computer as a source like this. With that kind of loot, I'd probably reach a little further and try to buy a used Cary 306 SACD with digital input and m2tech hiface with my computer and feel more secure.

[morphsci]

You can save a bit using an Asus Xonar sound card and if you know someone at a University you can get Windows 7 for peanuts ($15 here). I don't see a problem with the PSU as I can see some advantages to having it external. Nevertheless there are many, many ways to skin this cat and things change so fast these guides quickly become dated.

[valesina]

You can save a bit using an Asus Xonar sound card and if you know someone at a University you can get Windows 7 for peanuts ($15 here). I don't see a problem with the PSU as I can see some advantages to having it external. Nevertheless there are many, many ways to skin this cat and things change so fast these guides quickly become dated.

He does mention the Xonar card as a much cheaper option, but if you're only using the card as digital pass-through, it seems a bit of a waste. Surely, you also need an optical drive with that, too?

The same thread also links to a much cheaper alternative 'recipe' that uses a linear regulated power supply and a much cheaper board/card setup: Building a Media Server as a Digital Audio Transport. That one is really K.I.S.S stuff . . . and about one third the price.

[manaox2]

I get it being external, but it is going to be a switching supply with fairly high ripple the way its spec'd it would seem. I just don't find it very impressive. He seems focused on doing more with less but fails in every way except small and silent, he still doesn't seem to attempt to work on the typical problems of using a PC for high-end audio that actually may affect audio quality. Kind of like he built a really nice desktop equivalent of a netbook with a desktop audio card inside.

If he was attempting only at digital pass through, he could have used some tips from the link in the OP's post and probably taken this to another level for very little extra (perhaps only the cost of a TPA LCDPS and transformer).