Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Sonos users ?

MNLN44,

The audio portion of my system is setup as follows:

Sources:
596(PCM out to 568.2)
Sonos ZP80(PCM out to 568.2)
Cable TV(PCM out to 518)

Processor:
518 (PCM out to 568.2)
568.2(MHR and analog out to speakers)

Speakers:
DSP8000(front)
M33(rear)

My video setup is as follow:

Sources:
596(SDI out to scaler)
Cable(DVI out to scaler)

Scaler:
DVDO Iscan HD+(DVI out to screen)

Screen:
Pioneer PRO-1410HD Plasma

Currently, music is served through my desktop PC from an external USB2 Western Digital 500GB hard drive (Apple lossless). I recently bought two of these drives at Best Buy for just over $200 each on sale - the second one is for backup.

I've tried the 518 with each source. Since the 596 replaced my 500, I find it doesn't improve any of the sources but the cable TV audio. My assumption is that the ZP80 and 596 jitter is low enough that the 518 doesn't improve it.

John

johnmcelfresh,

Thanks for the write up !

Thanks Mark & Steve,

I'll take a look at the FLAC site. I feel the same about open SW. Aplle could do anything they want in the future wiht their libraries so I'm leaning the FLAC direction. I'm prob going to give SONOS a try as well. I know Rockbox will play FLAC and it is now supported on quite a few players. go to the rockbox.org website for more on that.

As for the talking stuff. I do have some screen reader SW for the PC and it does read most menus. It is possible to get it working with almost anything using a reasonable interface but with things like iTunes and other realy custom GUIs it can take quite a bit of work....so much so that many blind users use other ways of getting file to an iPod or other music player that such as SW that makes the devidce appear as a removable drive.

Brian

Hi guys - just found this forum looking for gen on the DSP3100's but couldn't help see your thread and want to contribute hope your still watching for posts :-)

I use EAC via iTunesencode.exe into iTunes - so I get WAV's with full tag info, although this is stored in the iTunes database not the files themselves. Have been thinking of going over to AIFF - so the tags can be in the files and I can drag album art into iTunes (not possible with WAV) - have listened to FLAC and I can hear a difference via my Squeezbox 3 (the decoding isn't wrongly implemeted or anything, I just think the SB in-built FLAC decoding generates more digital noise than the pure WAV sent over from the PC and it might be interfering in the analogue domain - but might just have had a 'golden ears' night and too much vino :-)

Haven't heard the Sonus little baby, but love the remote - Squeezebox I can confirm is stunning transport and has displaced my 508/24. I run it into a 566/24, 502 pre and 507 power amp. Speakers are weak link at moment (hence looking to cut out all the electronics and feed SB3 straight into DSP3100's!) although Ruark Prologue 1's suited my room better than the Sonus Fabers I had when I moved (way too much bass!)

EAC is a pain to set-up right but worth it in the end - at least I know I have bit perfect file and bit perfect playback right into the SB3 :-)

..sorry - should read 557 power amp - it's been so long since I looked at what they were called...:-)

Timbo, I haven't checked before writing but I think I saw somewhere that in addition to having Squeezebox decode FLAC on the fly, you can set it to decode in the PC and distribute the decompressed file. Have you tried that?

Regards,
Steve