Computer as a music server
“The digital signal from a PC via USB is known to have a large fluctuation. But there are DACs (albeit quite expensive) that work on so-called. asynchronous principle and they themselves control the clock of the source (PC in this case). Why then can’t you use a REGULAR PC as a server? ”
“The question is: is it possible to consider USB as the main type of connection between a PC and a DAC and choose the appropriate DAC? Can a USB connection really compete with traditional options in sound quality with the same transmission parameters? ”
Farid
Many visitors to our site would like to know how to get the best sound from a personal computer. In response to incoming questions and in accordance with our plans, PC Audiophile starts a new project: “Computer as Music Server”. We will discuss the issue raised by Boris and Farid regarding the use of the USB output, and answer some other important questions, including:
Can you get good sound from a PC?
What prevents a computer from being used as a high fidelity digital audio source?
How to completely eliminate or at least partially neutralize high-quality sound reproduction problems from a PC?
What computer and software configuration option should I choose?
We will analyze and test various solutions, determine the positive and negative aspects of each of the options.
The first thing I would like to discuss is, is it possible to get high quality sound from a computer? There is a simple and unequivocal answer to this question: yes, you can. And not only is it possible, but you also need to use a PC as a digital sound source, you just need to get it right.
Ask yourself: what equipment is used to record the vast majority of music phonograms in recording studios today? That’s right, with the help of professional studio complexes or computer technology-based digital sound workstations. What equipment is used in the studios to mix and then listen to the finished recordings in the control rooms? – In teams, whose main element is, again, a computer.
Can we, audiophiles or music lovers, generally music lovers, get closer to the sound heard by sound engineers and musicians in the studio? We are confident that we can. And this has been possible recently due to the development of infocommunication technologies.
From the point of view of the availability of high-quality digital soundtracks, we can say that already now, with the help of the Internet, you can get a lot of good music of various genres with high resolution (HD). These are “bitwise” copies of digital master files or their close variants with oversampling, whether, for example, the original was recorded in professional quality 384 kHz / 32 bit or other digital formats. (Although it should be noted that more consumer digital audio components produce a campsite with the characteristics of professional standards.)
From a technical point of view, there are a lot of music servers and digital players for sale, which in terms of sound and their characteristics are practically not inferior to professional equipment. And if you have knowledge, skills and abilities in the technical field, and not in fantastic (rather modest) quantities, you can make a music server with your own hands.
So we are optimistic about the fundamental possibility of extracting high-quality sound from a computer. And in support of these words, let’s refer to our own developments, featured in the “Music Server” section.
But if we take a normal computer and connect it to a good audio system, we will be disappointed, we will not like the sound. What happens?.
Probably, the main question that needs to be answered in the first place may sound like this: what should be done to make the computer a digital source with the sound quality closest to a high-end music server? We also emphasize that when considering various topics within the framework of this project, we will focus on the highest requirements for the playback of BP music files.
