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[Bodoni47]

Just getting started with digital library management and computer based playback. I would like to use my current laptop (Pavilion dv6 - 215us) to run JRiver for audio ripping and playback for CD and vinyl source material.

Currently, the laptop feeds a 70s receiver (Pioneer SX 1010) using the laptop's headphone output and the tape line input on the SX1010.

The goal is to improve the quality of reproduction and expand the storage. There is no requirement to distribute music throughout the house. We do have the mandatory ATT UVerse wireless router which provides 4 ethernet ports. But in general I cannot say that I have been impressed by the router compared to other routers we had before the advent of UVerse.
 
My original thought was to buy an external disk and a USB DAC. My question is, given the recommendation NOT to run a USB DAC and a USB external drive off the same USB bus, what is the best approach to upgrade storage and sound quality? The laptop is  not blessed with a multitude of ports. But it does have ethernet and HDMI. The SATA port I am told piggybacks off the USB.

Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks.

[fooze]

That's a sweet amp, just look at it:



So futuristic

How are you ripping your vinyl? You may need an audio interface to do the job well.

There are two issues (well, three) with running storage and DAC off the same controller.
1) Power. A single USB2 controller can provide 500mA of current. USB3 controllers can provide 900mA. If your devices exceed this, things will go wrong.
2) Data. USB2 is capable of moving 480mbit/s. In practice, this limit is somewhat less, but it won't be an issue for two channel audio (CD audio takes up about 1.4mbit/s). It may become a problem when you're using audio in the tens of channels.
The third issue is 2 devices may conflict on the same bus, but this is so rare it's not really worth considering.

Now, your laptop may have more than one controller. If it has both USB3 and USB2 ports (USB3 ports are blue inside) then you know there are two controllers. Plug your DAC into one and your storage into the other. Problem solved.

If all your ports are black, there may still be more than one controller, but this is unlikely. To find out, hold down the windows key and press pausebreak. Go to device manager, then USB Controllers and report back what is listed. We can tell you how many controllers there are.

If your computer only has one controller, the power limitation can be gotten around by using a powered USB hub, or a powered external drive.

If you want to store your music on the Ethernetwork, you will need another computer to host the files, or use a device called a NAS.

[fooze]

So I just did my due diligence and researched your computer. It doesn't have USB3 and very likely only has one USB2 controller, but you'd need to confim this for us.

Your amp though, has pre-outs and power-ins, meaning with the right audio interface, you could use MC on your computer as a live DSP for all your other audio sources, but this is a discussion for another day!

[Bodoni47]

Fooze,
Many thanks for your speedy responses.

Multiple USB Ports
I have looked into the possible existence of multiple USB controllers, and have attached to this post the Device Manager info regarding USB controllers. My interpetation is that there are two USB 2.0 (the listing shows minor difference between the two). You may be able to confirm from the attached snip. If so it would appear that I am in good shape to go with a DAC and disk drive based on USB ports.

Vinyl Conversion
From my reading of on-line resources I am considering using the Audacity software with perhaps some additional software to edit out crakles and pops. The turntable is an old Dual with a not-very-good cartridge. In this experimental stage I am inclined to see what it can do, and then later look at a better turntable/cartridge. I have a phono pre-am which I used with a Marantz SR-!8 (unfortunately the SR-18 unit proved to be unreliable and too expensive to repair multiple times). So I am left needing an A/D converter. If You have a recommendation I would be interested to hear it.

Regarding older equiment vs. new it is hard to figure out at what price point the newer equipment starts to yield better results. I am very happy with the SX-1010 which to my inexperienced ear produces a better result than the Marantz. Of course it remains firmly locked in the analog camp!

Thanks again, Roger

[fooze]

Hey Roger,

Nice USB detective work. There's a little bit more for us to do here though. I believe your laptop has three usb ports on it. Which ports go to which controller? Plug some usb sticks, mice or keyboards into the ports, and then run this program: http://www.ftdichip.com/Support/Utilities.htm#MicrosoftUSBView

From the way you've responded to my posts so far, I am quite confident you'll have no trouble interpreting the results.

I've used Audacity in the past to rip vinyl. I followed this guide and got pretty good results: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/sample_workflow_for_lp_digitization.html

The SX-1010 has pretty good RIAA equalisation (what a phono preamp does) too, if internet reports are anything to go by.

Often it is much easier, especially when starting out, to get an audio interface (aka soundcard). These are a combination of a DAC and ADC in one box. Without knowing your budget, I will recommend the absolute minimum to help you get started: http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UFO202-BEHRINGER-U-PHONO/dp/B002GHBYZ0

It's 2016, so some people might (rightly) scoff at a 16 bit soundcard recommendation, but really, at $30 it's a great way to start getting ASIO-driven, better-than-laptop DVD quality audio in and out of your computer. Here are it's specs:

If you're after something better/have more to spend:
Total Harmonic Distortion: lower is better
Signal to Noise Ratio: Higher is better
Bit dept and Sample Rate: Higher is better. (The UFO202 is 16bit, 48kHz)

The benefit to using an audio interface instead of a separate DAC and ADC is that they share the same clock, which just make a whole pile of things much easier in the future.

Now, how to get the best sound out of all this? Once you've got your soundcard or DAC, removing elements from your signal chain will yield measurable results. For instance, running a 24 bit soundcard directly into your amplifier's power-ins will bypass it's preamplifier. It's a bit risky, as a full volume signal from your soundcard could damage your amplifier or speakers (I've gotten away with this kind of scheme for about 5 years now without trouble. It just takes care and attention.) Maybe get a 24 bit ADC and do your RIAA equalisation inside J River! From there, the things you can do with MC's DSP functions should keep you entertained for decades.

[Bodoni47]

Fooze,

Many thanks for the recommendation of the Behringer card, and the urls for the MS USB analyzer and the Audacity manual. With the Behringer card I can now try out the whole sequence of processing for vinyl.

I am certainly a believer in eliminating as many processing steps as possible to ensure the best possible results given the facilities available. In due course I shall try using just the amplifier capabilities of the SX-1010.

Meanwhile, I have plenty to do understanding what can be accomplished with the tagging and views capabilities of the Media Center!

Regards, Roger