DAC newbie

[bondjamesbond]

Hi, i am interested in listening to Hi-Rez music files on my analog stereo system.

I will get a DAC, but don't know to display files from a USB stick or SSD.

Would i have to go through a laptop or tablet (usb in) to display and select files and then take tablet USB output to DAC USB inlet? I am not interested in "streaming" or connecting to the internet.

Any information you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[SteveH]

Nov 21, 2023 15:20:14 GMT -5 bondjamesbond said:

Hi, i am interested in listening to Hi-Rez music files on my analog stereo system.

I will get a DAC, but don't know to display files from a USB stick or SSD.

Would i have to go through a laptop or tablet (usb in) to display and select files and then take tablet USB output to DAC USB inlet? I am not interested in "streaming" or connecting to the internet.

Any information you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

I am not quite sure what you are trying to do, but I would suggest a Bluesound Node or if you can find a discontinued preowned Bluesound Node 2i. The Bluesound does Hi-Res and is what I would consider an entry level streamer/DAC at an inexpensive price. Last week I purchased a new Node for $449. I have eight Bluesound products. You say that you are not interested in streaming, but this will give you the option to stream later if you decide to dabble in streaming. The latest Bluesound Node does 32-BIT/384kHz. I really do recommend a new Bluesound Node or  preowned Node 2i as a starter. For $449 you can have yourself a streamer and a DAC and you might find yourself enjoying streaming. I use Roon music server software coupled with Tidal streaming and Qobuz streaming along with my local library and I am discovering music in my genres that I have never heard before. Don't rule out streaming. Rock on!

www.bluesound.com/products/node/

[vcautokid]

You have all manner of options here from the least expensive, to the sky is the limit.

Your computer itself is already to play the music from your SSD, and USB flash drive as they are merely treated as mass storage, and you can simply use Windows Media Player and call it done.

Basically the free way. Adding a DAC is easy. Many to chose from such as the Emotiva XDA-3 here. You most likely need a Driver if it is a Windows computer. MAC and Linux need no additional drivers.

Playback is easy. Just pick from what drive you want. The SSD, or Flash Drive and select the music and play. Couldn't be easier. Your DAC would be connected via USB from your computer usually. The output of the DAC goes to the rest of your system.

You could simply display the files you want to play from file explorer and pick what you want to play. Or use any media playback software like VLC, Foobar, and so many others for download for more organization, and cataloging, and setting up playlists, and so on.

Depends what you really want. Also if you have a CD player or DAT machine you can use the optical, and coaxial and balanced AES EBU input on a DAC so equipped.

And of course you can stream from an external device like a Node as mentioned elsewhere, or any other network streamer if that is your thing later on.

If you have a collection of music you like already, and never venture out on the web, you're fine too.
It is about options.

[bondjamesbond]

Thanks.My thought is to play flac files on a USB stick, but no way to pick files (visually). I won't connect to a computer (for now). USB stick or SSD flac files to "Node" USB input. "Node" USB output to USB input on an external DAC. External DAC RCA output to audio pre-amp RCA input.
Is this feasible?

[DYohn]

Nov 24, 2023 11:01:58 GMT -5 bondjamesbond said:

Thanks.My thought is to play flac files on a USB stick, but no way to pick files (visually). I won't connect to a computer (for now). USB stick or SSD flac files to "Node" USB input. "Node" USB output to USB input on an external DAC. External DAC RCA output to audio pre-amp RCA input.
Is this feasible?

Yes. Just use a laptop or desktop PC that you can sit close enough to your DAC to make a good USB cable reach.

The advantage of setting up a home networking or "streaming" solution is flexibility. You can have your USB stick plugged into a PC somewhere in your network that is not next to your playback system, then use a "streamer" to deliver the information via ethernet or wireless, and "see" and control this using a phone or tablet also connected to the network. But if you don't want to go to the expense of this sort of solution, just using a computer close to yur playback system will work fine.

[geebo]

You could also use something like a Zidoo Z9X. With it you can connect a thumb drive or external hard drive, and output stereo music via USB to your DAC. The Zidoo has it's own music player and when connected via HDMI to a TV you get an interface that lets you create play lists, sort by artist or album and it will also display pictures of the album covers and/or artists. It will also play movies and multi-channel via HDMI if connected to a processor.

[KeithL]

You've got the basic idea entirely correct...

The easiest way to just play hi-res music files... and to get the most options for doing so... at reasonable cost... is to use a computer connected to a USB DAC.
It's also worth mentioning that you don't need a powerful laptop "just to play music files"... so it doesn't have to be an expensive one.
That will get you the most flexibility, and a nice big screen, and your choice of player programs, but will be a little bit more complicated to set up and run (but not much).

The USB input on a "DAC" is designed to accept a USB audio stream from a host device.
Likewise, digital music files, whether on your computer or on a USB stick, require a host device, running some sort of player software, to play them.
The player device reads the files, decodes them, and sends them to the DAC (which it sees as "an external sound card".)
So, when you connect your DAC to a computer, or any computer-based device, that device becomes the host device. 
That host device could be a computer, or a tablet, or a smart phone, or any of several streaming devices, many of which are actually "a little dedicated computer".

The simplest and cheapest option would be to find a player or streamer device that allows you to play music files from USB sticks.
However you will need to be extremely careful to pick one that actually does what you want.
Not all portable devices allow you to play files from a stick...
And some may or may not play certain file formats - like FLAC, or MP3, or DSD...
Some may include relatively decent internal DACs... but others may not...
And, likewise, some may allow you to connect an external DAC, while others may not...
NOTE that, while SOME of these devices may ALSO be streamers, that doesn't matter for your requirements, as long as they do what you need them to.
And, of course, you can use your current smart phone as your "music player" too (along with streaming you can just download files onto your phone and play them).
(I personally dislike using a phone as a music player... for several reasons... but some people find it very convenient.)

Also note that, depending on how computer literate you are, and how much you LIKE computers, using a computer for the host may be an excellent option.
Someone mentioned the BlueSound Node in another post... which is an excellent streamer... but it is a "mid priced" DAC/streamer...
For the same price you could purchase a mid-grade laptop computer, with a big screen, and internal storage space...
A laptop will allow you to choose between hundreds of different player programs (so you get to pick the interface you prefer)...
And you can then choose different DACs as well...

Any computer you choose will also already include a sound card... which is an internal DAC.
They usually aren't very good... but you do have the option of starting with that and adding a better external DAC later.

Our Ego+ USB DACs offer excellent performance at a very low price (relatively speaking)...
(You can buy a Windows laptop AND an Ego+ DAC for less than the cost of a BlueSound Node.)
And our XDA-3 DAC is a big step up with better sound quality and a lot of extra features and options...
(And there are literally thousands of other DACs to choose from or try later.)

Nov 21, 2023 15:20:14 GMT -5 bondjamesbond said:

Hi, i am interested in listening to Hi-Rez music files on my analog stereo system.

I will get a DAC, but don't know to display files from a USB stick or SSD.

Would i have to go through a laptop or tablet (usb in) to display and select files and then take tablet USB output to DAC USB inlet? I am not interested in "streaming" or connecting to the internet.

Any information you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[KeithL]

The only catch I see there, SPECIFICALLY IN THAT APPLICATION, is the price of the Bluesound Node.

The Bluesound node is a pretty good streamer...
And, from what I've heard, the internal DACs on the models that have them are at least pretty good...
So, if you're going to use some of those capabilities, then it might make sense...
Especially if you actually prefer to have those capabilities in a nondescript little black box...
(And the Bluesound has a few other nice features that recommend it - as a streamer.)

BUT, for a device that you're JUST going to use to play audio from USB sticks, with a separate DAC, it's kind of pricey.
And, yes, since it doesn't have a big screen of its own, you're going to have to RUN it using the screen on your phone.
And, again, it costs significantly more than a decent 15" laptop computer... with that nice big color screen.
Which can do a lot of other stuff too... and better...

I would also be remiss if I didn't point out what is probably the best option for "simply playing FLAC files from a USB stick".

Get yourself a Raspberry Pi...
Install Volumio on it...
Connect a USB stick and/or a USB HDD or SSD to hold your music ...
And connect the USB output to any USB DAC you like ... (you don't want to use the internal sound card).
And you can then control it from ANY WEB BROWSER (including the ones on your computer or your phone).
(It also has an HDMI output you can connect to a TV if you want album art and such stuff.)
The total cost for the Raspberry Pi, a case for it, and the power supply, will be around $120 (depending on the options you want).
Volumio is free...
Although, for a few bucks a month, the deluxe version supports some cool multi-room and streaming options...
And you can choose from hundreds of different, and quite cool, cases for the Raspberry Pi... (look on Amazon)
(In case you didn't know... the Raspberry Pi is a tiny little hobbyist computer... a little bit bigger than a deck of cards.)

Nov 24, 2023 11:01:58 GMT -5 bondjamesbond said:

Thanks.My thought is to play flac files on a USB stick, but no way to pick files (visually). I won't connect to a computer (for now). USB stick or SSD flac files to "Node" USB input. "Node" USB output to USB input on an external DAC. External DAC RCA output to audio pre-amp RCA input.
Is this feasible?