[oranowdenda]

Let me know what sound card you end up with Moby, I would like to transfer my all my video and sound onto something a little more practical.

My collection is huge, I have over 1000 DVD's and about the same with CD music. I have moved most of my CD's out of the cases into suitcases but still very cumbersome.

Sounds like a good project to start.

I think I'm going to go with this one unless I find a reason to use something else.
http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Audioengine-D1

I don't really like the idea of an external box but I figure it's probably tuned and tested for my speakers.

Converting everything over to an HTPC is great once it's done. It takes time. I was lucky enough to be working from home during the times that I was converting everything so I could load stuff into the drive when it was time.

I was surprised to find out that all the software that you need is free so that's good but storage is expensive. I have 8 Terabytes in RAID right now and I've had to recode a lot of my Blu Ray to HQ MKV.

[GlarlraTpople]

I think I'm going to go with this one unless I find a reason to use something else.
http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Audioengine-D1

I don't really like the idea of an external box but I figure it's probably tuned and tested for my speakers.

Converting everything over to an HTPC is great once it's done. It takes time. I was lucky enough to be working from home during the times that I was converting everything so I could load stuff into the drive when it was time.

I was surprised to find out that all the software that you need is free so that's good but storage is expensive. I have 8 Terabytes in RAID right now and I've had to recode a lot of my Blu Ray to HQ MKV.

Holy Shit! 8 terabytes in redundant array disks?, youre take this business pretty serious I see.

How many physical drives is that? which RAID protocol are you using?

Thats the right way to do it, but I am going to have to cheap some things, I just dont make this kind of money anymore.

How much money do you think you will have invested in just equipment.

I would love to do this really, I know hardware has dropped in prices so maybe I can.

[accelieda]

Interesting timing.

My most recent hobby has been converting everything to an HTPC. The means that I'm putting over 500 CDs, and about 500 videos on hard drives and replacing my Adcom/B&O components with a single PC and Active Speakers.

Listening to Fattburger FLACs right now on a pair of Audioengine A2s (The reference speakers used in the article about your sound card) These are my new PC speakers.

On Friday I finished my auditioning and decided to go with the Audioengine A5+ for my living room rig. While I tested everything with the S8 subwoofer it's just not needed. The A5s put out plenty of bass although it's a little muddy.

I spent a lot of time listening to:
B&W 685 (my favorites but I need to keep my AMP and Preamp)
Cambridge Sound Works (good for movies but not for music)
Adams A3x (studio monitors so they're nearfield)

I found that what works well for music is not always what I want for TV/Movies. The A5s were the best compromise for the living room.

Now I need to figure out a sound card or DAC.

Great choice IMO Moby on the Audio Engine products... I've been using the mat black Audio Engine A2's at work on the company computer for several years now and my co-workers all agree they are the best sounding speakers in that form factor, and for $200 a pair it is money well spent.

That being said I have gotten spoiled listening to my shoe box sized vintage LS 3/5a's. For acoustic and vocals they are simply goose bump magic! Read the very interesting story linked below of how these legendary little speakers came to be. They are now fetching used what they sold for new in the mid 90's!

http://www.g4dcv.co.uk/ls35a/history.html

On a related note, while researching my recent purchase of an Asus laptop for travel I became aware that many manufacturers have now disabled the stereo mix or record what you hear options in their sound properties drivers. In all previous computers this was a basic offering and is needed to use most sound recording programs such as Sony Sound Forge. These companies have bent over for the RIAA to disable this in their drivers to prevent the 'piracy' of recording streaming audio content. So unless one doesn't need this function or plans on purchasing an expensive outboard sound card, stay away from all laptops made by Dell. Acer, Sony, HP, Toshiba and Gateway.

[Lorionasodi]

That being said I have gotten spoiled listening to my shoe box sized vintage LS 3/5a's. For acoustic and vocals they are simply goose bump magic! Read the very interesting story linked below of how these legendary little speakers came to be. They are now fetching used what they sold for new in the mid 90's!

Very interesting history about those. For something to be around for so long, they have to be doing something right. I've always believed that there's something about the human perception of sound that just can't be measured.

The Audiengine A5+ are really good but as you mention, the A2s are insanely good. They often make me smile

[qp0yfHOf]

Holy Shit! 8 terabytes in redundant array disks?, youre take this business pretty serious I see.

How many physical drives is that? which RAID protocol are you using?

Thats the right way to do it, but I am going to have to cheap some things, I just dont make this kind of money anymore.

How much money do you think you will have invested in just equipment.

I would love to do this really, I know hardware has dropped in prices so maybe I can.

I was lucky and I purchased all my hard drives around September which was before the floods in Asia. I purchased 8 - 2T drives for $80 each using a coupon code and a special sale at Newegg. They're now going for $210 each.

I wanted to purchase a case that could hold all the drives but my lovely wife wanted a smaller media center that wasn't deep enough. So I had to purchase an external RAID enclosure for about $120 on a sale. It's a POS and I need to replace it. The best thing to do is just use a proper case that can hold 6 drives.

My external RAID 5 bay holds for drives (3 for date and 1 for parity) so it's 6T. Than my little case hold 1 2T drive for data and a small drive for the OS. I do all my ripping on my office PC because it just takes a some hands on time. Than I manually move the drive upstairs to HTPC and copy every couple of weeks. That way I have a duplicate of what's on the extra 2T drive making up the 8T total.


I had an old mother board, processor and power supply. Even with the $400 on active speakers, I'm under a $1k. Well worth it in my family since now my daughter watches movies that I select and never sees commercials. We don't have cable and I don't see us ever getting it now so we're saving $50 a month and the ability to have all of your movies in music at the touch of button, is worth it.

I figure in 2 years it pays for itself and it's so much nicer. I actually listen to music upstairs now where before I didn't because it was just time consuming to find what I wanted to hear and then I could only do 5 CDs at a time. Now the entire collection is there.

Here's a demo from a guy that builds the units and installs the software for you. I only use the movies, music and the photos.

[Erwtbimp]

I was lucky and I purchased all my hard drives around September which was before the floods in Asia. I purchased 8 - 2T drives for $80 each using a coupon code and a special sale at Newegg. They're now going for $210 each.

I wanted to purchase a case that could hold all the drives but my lovely wife wanted a smaller media center that wasn't deep enough. So I had to purchase an external RAID enclosure for about $120 on a sale. It's a POS and I need to replace it. The best thing to do is just use a proper case that can hold 6 drives.

My external RAID 5 bay holds for drives (3 for date and 1 for parity) so it's 6T. Than my little case hold 1 2T drive for data and a small drive for the OS. I do all my ripping on my office PC because it just takes a some hands on time. Than I manually move the drive upstairs to HTPC and copy every couple of weeks. That way I have a duplicate of what's on the extra 2T drive making up the 8T total.


I had an old mother board, processor and power supply. Even with the $400 on active speakers, I'm under a $1k. Well worth it in my family since now my daughter watches movies that I select and never sees commercials. We don't have cable and I don't see us ever getting it now so we're saving $50 a month and the ability to have all of your movies in music at the touch of button, is worth it.

I figure in 2 years it pays for itself and it's so much nicer. I actually listen to music upstairs now where before I didn't because it was just time consuming to find what I wanted to hear and then I could only do 5 CDs at a time. Now the entire collection is there.

Here's a demo from a guy that builds the units and installs the software for you. I only use the movies, music and the photos.

Thanks Moby for the reply, I think I am going to look into this further, wasnt sure where to start but now i do.

Money these days just isnt what it used to be but this actually looks doable.

[VanDerSmok]

Thanks Moby for the reply, I think I am going to look into this further, wasnt sure where to start but now i do.

Money these days just isnt what it used to be but this actually looks doable.

It's not that bad. Take stock of your videos. There's a massive difference between Blu Ray and regular DVD. This is worth a read
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1335368

[qilmuz6v]

Some sort of two speaker with a subwoofer thingy in one room, I also have stream with wireless router and video adaptor to send it to my home theater and run the audio out of vintage and highly prized British Rogers BBC LS3/5A monitors for my Hulu Plus, Pandora and Netflix family room experience or direct feed from the cable box or analogue stereo. Blue ray goes without saying. I have some basic sony for that. Yamaha receiver. And also some game playing machine, the one with the camera that tracks your body that I never use.

[gdjfhdf]

I also have stream with wireless router and video adaptor to send it to my home theater and run the audio out of vintage and highly prized British Rogers BBC LS3/5A monitors for my Hulu Plus, Pandora and Netflix family room experience or direct feed from the cable box or analogue stereo.

Intelligent minds require great sound also. When one reaches 50 years of age it's the midrange that matters most of which this speaker is magic. This could only have been accomplished with an entity like the BBC who had unlimited funds and enlisted the best electrical and acoustic engineers of the time (1974), to design a speaker with the most accurate vocal reproduction possible within a specific footprint. Even with today's improved technology there are few speakers at any cost with the ability to reproduce vocals and acoustic instruments as realistically as the LS3/5A.

[prearpaccew]

Intelligent minds require great sound also. When one reaches 50 years of age it's the midrange that matters most of which this speaker is magic. This could only have been accomplished with an entity like the BBC who had unlimited funds and enlisted the best electrical and acoustic engineers of the time (1974), to design a speaker with the most accurate vocal reproduction possible within a specific footprint. Even with today's improved technology there are few speakers at any cost with the ability to reproduce vocals and acoustic instruments as realistically as the LS3/5A.

I have to say for a compact set I can drive them really loud without perceptible clipping or distortion. I used to have giant speakers as we all did during the "audiophile" years. There is no need whatsoever. I can take these guys and make the level uncomfortably loud. I could probably get the neighbors to call the cops if I tried. Now, there is no getting around the loss of low end "fat" bass when you have no real woofers though. Thankfully I am not appreciative of hardcore rap music. I am about your age too. they have that weird British impedance Ohm level. It doesn't seem to matter.

I made my own custom media cabinet out of 3/4 inch inch thick Peruvian walnut. It was only partially milled. I had to surface plane it, route the detail, do all the dovetail joinery and put in the barrister door slide. The top lifts like a hope chest and the front panel slides and drops to hide storage. It was a labor of love, but when you make it yourself, you can make everything fit perfectly.

[Saqwnht]

Intelligent minds require great sound also.

Really. No Shit ??
Well, I'll Be Damned


What's DISCO Out Of A Great System ??
disco

[crestorinfo]

Q: What Is Liver & Onions ??
A: A Waste Of Good Onions