The Foolish Fellow
Registered user
SUGGESTIONS AS TO HOW TO CONNECT MY LAPTOP WIRELESSLY TO MY AV AMPLIFIER TO PLAY DOWNLOADED AUDIO .HOOKING UP VIA WIRES IS NO PROBLEM.
WIRELESS MUSIC CONNECTION
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Cheesy Mike
Guest
Search for wireless media server
Examples include
D-Link - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00066VT0I
Pinnacle - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0009YERFQ
Homepod - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0009E3770
Netgear - http://www.netgear.com/products/consumer/prod_multimedia_wireless_hm.php
Or think slightly differently and use a wireless transmitter normally use in-car for connecting an MP3 player to your car radio. Do the same in your house to connect the laptop, playing music, to your home stereo system via FM radio.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000AQFAIQ
Belkin do a similar product.
Examples include
D-Link - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00066VT0I
Pinnacle - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0009YERFQ
Homepod - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0009E3770
Netgear - http://www.netgear.com/products/consumer/prod_multimedia_wireless_hm.php
Or think slightly differently and use a wireless transmitter normally use in-car for connecting an MP3 player to your car radio. Do the same in your house to connect the laptop, playing music, to your home stereo system via FM radio.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000AQFAIQ
Belkin do a similar product.
Apple Airport Express if you're mac user, much more hassle free 
Cheesy Mike
Guest
Of if you're a PC user - it works with iTunes on Windows as well.Tsiklonaut said:Apple Airport Express if you're mac user, much more hassle free
Mike
Yup. I vote for the airport express too. One tucked away in my hifi. I have cat-5 run to there as well so normally I play out from my study via that. I use the airport wirelessly to connect the work xp laptop. Imagine my surprise that the last time I fired up itunes on that, and it found the 'lounge' speakers. Figured that'd be Apple only but it works a treat.
It'll also accept an optical cable too, a sort of fake 3.5mm plug with a fibre tip on one end to toslink on the other, must find me one of them from somewhere.
Also it does wpa2 so you can set up a properly secure network without resorting to mac address lists.
It'll also accept an optical cable too, a sort of fake 3.5mm plug with a fibre tip on one end to toslink on the other, must find me one of them from somewhere.
Also it does wpa2 so you can set up a properly secure network without resorting to mac address lists.
The Foolish Fellow
Registered user
wireless
i have both optical + analogue input connections
i have both optical + analogue input connections
It's got a sort of combo socket, 3.5mm headphone jack which you can take to analogue rca plugs, bonus is the optical part in there too at the end.
Always prefer digital (coxial or optical) if your amp has it. That's another positive thing about Airport Express aside many others.
What's the name of that lead type then? - I'll go out and get one tomorrow and see if it's better than the analogue one.
Glad I ripped all my music at 256kbps AAC/VBR. It'd sound shite on my stereo if it was the default.
One of these I think...
£8
Glad I ripped all my music at 256kbps AAC/VBR. It'd sound shite on my stereo if it was the default.
One of these I think...
£8
Well, you can use analogues as well, but to have similar quality analogue you'll pay about X20 more than optical. The analogue cable is basically a continous line of connected capacity and resistance elements where the signal distorts, depending how long it is. The very high qualtiy cables reduce it considerably, but costing A LOT more! I've even seen bloody outrageous $2000 1 metre stereo cable in the audiophile's shop!
250kpbs is absolute minimum if you prefer quality. MP3 sounds a bit better at those convesion rates than AAC. AAC sounds better on lower 32-160kbps rates for my ears. BUT talking about digital, then i always prefer the pure, non compressed CD sound above any MP3, even the 320kbps ones. If keeping audio files i really like on my HD then Apple Lossless conversion is good option (makes about 50% smaller than non-compressed WAV or AIF, but 1:1 same quality). But mostly writing them on (AUDIO) CD.
With even a bit trained ear if you concentrate your ears hard enough into music, then you notice MP3 vs non-compressed difference first in high frequencies of music listening the same track. Especially you feel it in drums or percussions, because they have very wide spectrum in frequency, but the MP3 and AAC compression algorithm is working based on so called "fork-cutting the EQ band" - it cuts certan small frequency intervals from the spectrum at the same time amplifying the neighbour-intervals, the less from frequencies where human ears are most sensitive and more on parts where human ear isn't very sensitive, thus basically "blinding" your ears. So it just takes away the amount of digital data in a very smart way.
But indeed it's all matter of taste anyway, i don't mind listening MP3 as a lounge-chillout form - while i'm working, surfing the net etc. But to concentrate myself fully into music, just me and music - no compression please!
Tho, to come into audiophile side, then aside all the digital that is relatively unskippable nowadays, the vinyl is still my ultimate ear-kisser, especially if having tube amplifier, can't beat the feel of mechanical sound through even-harmonic (read: tube) amplifier IMHO, the digital still owns the second place, even if i've got 96kHz and 24bit pro-audio soundcard and sequencer to use it. Tho, again it's all down into a matter of taste for sound, some people still like the 8-bit electro for example, and on many occasions you don't have much alternatives to CD anyway
250kpbs is absolute minimum if you prefer quality. MP3 sounds a bit better at those convesion rates than AAC. AAC sounds better on lower 32-160kbps rates for my ears. BUT talking about digital, then i always prefer the pure, non compressed CD sound above any MP3, even the 320kbps ones. If keeping audio files i really like on my HD then Apple Lossless conversion is good option (makes about 50% smaller than non-compressed WAV or AIF, but 1:1 same quality). But mostly writing them on (AUDIO) CD.
With even a bit trained ear if you concentrate your ears hard enough into music, then you notice MP3 vs non-compressed difference first in high frequencies of music listening the same track. Especially you feel it in drums or percussions, because they have very wide spectrum in frequency, but the MP3 and AAC compression algorithm is working based on so called "fork-cutting the EQ band" - it cuts certan small frequency intervals from the spectrum at the same time amplifying the neighbour-intervals, the less from frequencies where human ears are most sensitive and more on parts where human ear isn't very sensitive, thus basically "blinding" your ears. So it just takes away the amount of digital data in a very smart way.
But indeed it's all matter of taste anyway, i don't mind listening MP3 as a lounge-chillout form - while i'm working, surfing the net etc. But to concentrate myself fully into music, just me and music - no compression please!
Tho, to come into audiophile side, then aside all the digital that is relatively unskippable nowadays, the vinyl is still my ultimate ear-kisser, especially if having tube amplifier, can't beat the feel of mechanical sound through even-harmonic (read: tube) amplifier IMHO, the digital still owns the second place, even if i've got 96kHz and 24bit pro-audio soundcard and sequencer to use it. Tho, again it's all down into a matter of taste for sound, some people still like the 8-bit electro for example, and on many occasions you don't have much alternatives to CD anyway
Yep, if I was being fussy then I'd just put the CD in the stereo in the lounge.
The best thing about all this is the fact I can play podcasts out over the hifi to get some decent radio style material, or just leave itunes shuffling music for background material.
Back to wireless music, there was also this, squeezebox thing I saw at the MacExpo in London which plays out your music with a big VF display on it. - It's about twice as much money as an airport express though. Can be a wireless bridge too, and I suspect it would allow >1 in a house to play different tunes.
The best thing about all this is the fact I can play podcasts out over the hifi to get some decent radio style material, or just leave itunes shuffling music for background material.
Back to wireless music, there was also this, squeezebox thing I saw at the MacExpo in London which plays out your music with a big VF display on it. - It's about twice as much money as an airport express though. Can be a wireless bridge too, and I suspect it would allow >1 in a house to play different tunes.
Cheesy Mike
Guest
Squeezebox is very nice. I have played with one at a colleague's house in the USA. What is really nice about them is the software. It is open source meaning that others are free to modify the code and add extra features. Consequently you can get these devices to do pretty much anything. The device you show is the 2nd generation and well worth investing in.ianf said:
My own player is the Creative Soundblaster Wireless. It is pretty good - having the diplay on the remote - but frankly could be a lot better. It is also quite old now and Creative haven't updated the firmware for a couple of years now so it has some rather annoying bugs. It still works OK though and consequently I can play any piece of music in my collection by just pressing a few buttons on the remote.
But I would definitely recommend the new Squeezebox.
Mike
Larry
Guest
This bit of kit looks fantastic. Read good reviews of it too.
http://www.sonos.com/
Especially the very Gucci remote. About a grand for a basic system though. One for when my numbers come up!
http://www.sonos.com/
Especially the very Gucci remote. About a grand for a basic system though. One for when my numbers come up!
mikeh501
Registered user
Cheesy Mike said:
Had a squeezebox for about 2 years now. Highly recommend.
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