Basic PC Audio Questions

[serengetiplains]

I recently discovered that PC computer playback sounds better than Mac, so I'll probably convert my Mac iTunes music source to PC Foobar. Being new to PC playback, I have a few basic questions that have surely been answered thousands of times somewhere, but I'd appreciate if someone can give me a quick answer to them:

1. Can my iTunes music files be imported into Foobar using, say, an external hard-drive? A sub-question here is whether I should rip my CDs again using EAC, or if iTunes ripping using error correction is pretty much identical.

2. How does one get CD titles and track names into Foobar? Is this a manual entry job?

3. What PC laptop performance characteristics are important for PC playback (XP/Vista? CPU speed? Simple graphics card for perhaps less power supply noise?)?

4. Can a PC-based laptop system operate, without sonic compromise, from an external hard-drive (I need >500MB for all my CDs, which no laptop drive can accommodate)?

Thanks all!

[peufeu]

>I recently discovered that PC computer playback sounds better than Mac

You mean you discovered that the soundcard in your PC is better than the soundcard in your Mac ? Which ones, by the way ?

> Can my iTunes music files be imported into Foobar using, say, an external hard-drive?

Yeah, unless you ripped them in a format with DRM. You used some lossless format like FLAC, didn't you ?

> How does one get CD titles and track names into Foobar?

Foobar (like all other players) uses the tags in your files that your Ripper should have created (title, artist...).. EAC does this. I don't use iTunes so I don't know.

> What PC laptop performance characteristics are important for PC playback

Mostly, use a GOOD external soundcard (USB maybe) ; internal laptop soundcards are crappy, useless, noisy things only suitable for the OS beep.

> Can a PC-based laptop system operate, without sonic compromise, from an external hard-drive

Sure, unless the external drive makes so much noise (rrzzzzzzzz) that it disturbs you when you listen to the music.

And by the way, before you burn money on a new laptop, buy yourself a decent USB soundcard for your current laptop. It will have a much better spending / reward ratio.

[Daveis]

I echo what peufeu said.

1. If you ripped in AAC I'd say re-rip using wav, FLAC, WMA-lossless.

Some good rippers are EAC. I use Easy CDDA, but realize it's not probably as good as EAC.

3. good quality USB soundcard... maybe something from M-Audio

4. >500MB ? you mean GB? You may prefer to use wifi back to a larger desktop located in another room.