What are you folks talking about in this forum? 
I need some serious help to get some traction to begin to understand, and even ask sensible questions.
Could some gentle folks here point me to threads or articles that explain these things in noob terms? I searched diyAudio but have not found suitable introductory material. Or is there a book where I could learn about digital music play-back and how to put systems together? Something like a “Digital Music Systems for Dummies” book, that would show me what all the hardware and software parts are and how to put them together into a system that would play music over my stereo system.
I am a long-time tube amp and loudspeaker builder and like to listen to music. Recently I’ve been considering converting my records, CDs, and tapes to digital format to enable better management and accessibility. Somehow I missed the boat on this topic, and now I don’t know where to begin. I read these threads here, but they make little sense to me - way over my head.
Thanks.
Francois
I need some serious help to get some traction to begin to understand, and even ask sensible questions.Could some gentle folks here point me to threads or articles that explain these things in noob terms? I searched diyAudio but have not found suitable introductory material. Or is there a book where I could learn about digital music play-back and how to put systems together? Something like a “Digital Music Systems for Dummies” book, that would show me what all the hardware and software parts are and how to put them together into a system that would play music over my stereo system.
I am a long-time tube amp and loudspeaker builder and like to listen to music. Recently I’ve been considering converting my records, CDs, and tapes to digital format to enable better management and accessibility. Somehow I missed the boat on this topic, and now I don’t know where to begin. I read these threads here, but they make little sense to me - way over my head.
Thanks.
Francois
+1 for me as well. But I want to go the other way----hook up to one o' them "streaming services" and record on my old classic reel-to-reel tape recorder. There seems to be a dizzying array of devices---does one need a "streamer" PLUS a D-to-A converter? And the prices are all over the place. I cain't afford a $2,500 device....what is reasonably priced and still sounds pretty good?
After many years of being CD only, I recently bought a Bluesound Node 2i and have been streaming Tidal. It's got a good built in DAC and also digital out. You can connect an ipad or phone or tablet of your choice and be up and running pretty quickly. Also check out John Darko's youtube channel for some good video on "how to." If you want to rip all your CDs to a hard drive and use Roon or something similar then that get's a little more complex. I've been very impressed with Tidal's catalog so far.
The problem is.. there are many protocols. Airplay, DLNA, Chromecast Bluetooth, Proprietary, Web services etc, and then You have amps that understand it all.
Even if You find a chip & code examples that does what You want, You'll have to pay licences to use them.
If You want to only transmit spdif signals, a video 2.4 or 5.8Ghz sender works fine hooked up to the yellow RCA's. Some of them have switchable channels so You could use the receiver as an input switch. You can also use the analog part of it for analog line level signals.
If You want to store Your whole music on a server and then stream it to Your phones or computers there are cheap Raspberry Pi solutions available. Even a small computer with some streaming software installed will do the job.
Bear in mind if You want to go wireless there is also some sort of compression / loss of fidelity involved. So, Your golden platin wound transformer source playing an lossy mp3 will be overkill, unless the transmitter & receiver uses a proprietary high bandwidth protocol. and that's perhaps makes them expensive... but ... wait ... mp3 is already lossy at the source. Professional audio Ethersound, Dante, etc uses network cables since wireless isn't fast enough.
Play a known record or CD through Your system and then hook up a computer with a good soundcard and play the same Spotify / Apple / Deezer version and You'll hear the difference.
Although the Bass, Treble & the singer is there, something is missing. One thing You won't hear are the scratches & pops.
Some people like music intended for earbuds, I like music intended for headphones...
Even if You find a chip & code examples that does what You want, You'll have to pay licences to use them.
If You want to only transmit spdif signals, a video 2.4 or 5.8Ghz sender works fine hooked up to the yellow RCA's. Some of them have switchable channels so You could use the receiver as an input switch. You can also use the analog part of it for analog line level signals.
If You want to store Your whole music on a server and then stream it to Your phones or computers there are cheap Raspberry Pi solutions available. Even a small computer with some streaming software installed will do the job.
Bear in mind if You want to go wireless there is also some sort of compression / loss of fidelity involved. So, Your golden platin wound transformer source playing an lossy mp3 will be overkill, unless the transmitter & receiver uses a proprietary high bandwidth protocol. and that's perhaps makes them expensive... but ... wait ... mp3 is already lossy at the source. Professional audio Ethersound, Dante, etc uses network cables since wireless isn't fast enough.
Play a known record or CD through Your system and then hook up a computer with a good soundcard and play the same Spotify / Apple / Deezer version and You'll hear the difference.
Although the Bass, Treble & the singer is there, something is missing. One thing You won't hear are the scratches & pops.
Some people like music intended for earbuds, I like music intended for headphones...
Pretty much, you're going to need a computer. Almost anything that boots and runs an OS (Windows, Linux, etc) will do. If you want to convert your CD collection to "files", it should have a CD drive in good operating condition. Most are, due to little if any actual use.
Then you're going to need a storage medium - a USB SSD backup drive - so your music isnt restricted to the computer used to rip the CDs to files. A possible choice may be "Seagate - One Touch SSD 500GB External USB 3.0 Portable Solid State Drive" which will hold a lot of CDs for ~$50. The format of the drive is important, as it may restrict what devices can read the music files later. (I picked the one format out of several that my router couldnt read - and had to spend another day copying all my music files from a backup drive again...) Ended up just using NTFS.
Then you'll need to decide the file format for your music. This will be what the program used to rip the CD content will convert the music to. I use "flac", which is a lossless format meaning the music plays back identically to the original CD track. Based in this choice, you can then look for a CD ripping program. There are many. One possibility, if the PC is running Windows, is the free "EAC" or Exact Audio Copy. It'll rip a CD to flac format. Exact Audio Copy
Once you have your collection stored as digital files in directories for each CD, you can move the collection about for playback on different devices, possibly even in your car. I have mine connected to my router's USB port (something most routers have) which can be setup to "share" the files. I can then access the content via a simple "map network drive" on a Windows computer or a Linux distro. Most Raspberry Pi based players will connect straight away with no issue. You can also listen to your content via your phone, as it should be able to see the router's shared drive when connected to your home network.
Recording an analog source to flac files is a bit more involved. You'll probably want a good ADC - better than what's on the PC motherboard. There are many to choose from. "Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd Gen) USB Audio Interface" is one possibility. You'll need to decide what "bit-rate" you'll want to record the analog source to. Choosing 44.1 will keep all your files the same bit rate as your CDs, which may avoid equipment snafus down the road. Probably OK for lay-persons converting analog records / tapes to digital. The free VLC program will convert resulting "wav" files to flac easily.
That's what I'd do - put everything to a portable SSD and let a modern router host it as a password free shared volume for easy access using any playback device you wish. It's quite a project converting a physical music collection to digital files! But it's all yours, with no one making money off you just to listen to your own music.
Then you're going to need a storage medium - a USB SSD backup drive - so your music isnt restricted to the computer used to rip the CDs to files. A possible choice may be "Seagate - One Touch SSD 500GB External USB 3.0 Portable Solid State Drive" which will hold a lot of CDs for ~$50. The format of the drive is important, as it may restrict what devices can read the music files later. (I picked the one format out of several that my router couldnt read - and had to spend another day copying all my music files from a backup drive again...) Ended up just using NTFS.
Then you'll need to decide the file format for your music. This will be what the program used to rip the CD content will convert the music to. I use "flac", which is a lossless format meaning the music plays back identically to the original CD track. Based in this choice, you can then look for a CD ripping program. There are many. One possibility, if the PC is running Windows, is the free "EAC" or Exact Audio Copy. It'll rip a CD to flac format. Exact Audio Copy
Once you have your collection stored as digital files in directories for each CD, you can move the collection about for playback on different devices, possibly even in your car. I have mine connected to my router's USB port (something most routers have) which can be setup to "share" the files. I can then access the content via a simple "map network drive" on a Windows computer or a Linux distro. Most Raspberry Pi based players will connect straight away with no issue. You can also listen to your content via your phone, as it should be able to see the router's shared drive when connected to your home network.
Recording an analog source to flac files is a bit more involved. You'll probably want a good ADC - better than what's on the PC motherboard. There are many to choose from. "Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd Gen) USB Audio Interface" is one possibility. You'll need to decide what "bit-rate" you'll want to record the analog source to. Choosing 44.1 will keep all your files the same bit rate as your CDs, which may avoid equipment snafus down the road. Probably OK for lay-persons converting analog records / tapes to digital. The free VLC program will convert resulting "wav" files to flac easily.
That's what I'd do - put everything to a portable SSD and let a modern router host it as a password free shared volume for easy access using any playback device you wish. It's quite a project converting a physical music collection to digital files! But it's all yours, with no one making money off you just to listen to your own music.
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Missing the edit window, I've found VLC on my iphone connects to my shared volume containing all my music - and plays successfully.
So with the SSD connected to the router, I can play my music on any of 5 Windows systems in the house, my rPi 3B / HifiBerry AMP2 based bedroom player, or my phone. My phone can then connect to my BT input amplifier (or headphones), so I can use it as a player - as well as the main W10 "entertainment" PC with something like Foobar.
Even my old iPhone 4, when brought back from the dead, can play the music served by my router's share drive. I suspect most any old discard phone could still serve as a "player" for kitchen, garage or yard work - when connected to a suitable amp / speakers.
The next cool trick is to then play your music anywhere there's an internet connection. I dont have the knowledge to outline a tutorial for that, but I'm sure it can be done.
So with the SSD connected to the router, I can play my music on any of 5 Windows systems in the house, my rPi 3B / HifiBerry AMP2 based bedroom player, or my phone. My phone can then connect to my BT input amplifier (or headphones), so I can use it as a player - as well as the main W10 "entertainment" PC with something like Foobar.
Even my old iPhone 4, when brought back from the dead, can play the music served by my router's share drive. I suspect most any old discard phone could still serve as a "player" for kitchen, garage or yard work - when connected to a suitable amp / speakers.
The next cool trick is to then play your music anywhere there's an internet connection. I dont have the knowledge to outline a tutorial for that, but I'm sure it can be done.
Before you undertake to rip all your music, keep in mind that for less than the cost of 1 new LP per month you can have a streaming service that gives you access to an enormous catalog with millions of songs. I never felt I wanted to take the time frankly to copy hundreds or thousands of CDs to a hard drive. By the time you buy the computer, rig it all up, plus the cost/value of your time, I think something like tidal is a bargain.
Tidal has a lot of new stuff (which I don’t listen to much either, frankly). But I can’t think of a time I put an artist in and didn’t find something by them. It’s pretty comprehensive. Does it have EVERY jazz “xyz trio at abc festival, 196x” ever released? No, probably not. But it probably has something by XYZ trio. And it probably has something by some other very similar trio that you may have never heard. I don’t know what the classical library is to be honest though I think there are other services that cater to that genre more. You can also check our Amazon’s hi-fi streaming’s tier which is pretty cheap if you already have Prime. Anyway, any and all of these are available for free trial periods so you can download the app to your phone and explore the catalog before investing in any hardware.
At the end of the day, what I’m saying is I was like you and had never done the “computer audio” thing and I found that a BluOS streamer gave me a simple and easy interface and has opened up a huge library of music at CD quality or better with a single box that I can plug right in to my existing system and since I got it, if I’m honest, I haven’t listened to a single CD.
At the end of the day, what I’m saying is I was like you and had never done the “computer audio” thing and I found that a BluOS streamer gave me a simple and easy interface and has opened up a huge library of music at CD quality or better with a single box that I can plug right in to my existing system and since I got it, if I’m honest, I haven’t listened to a single CD.
Yeah, I guess my idea is "so 2000's" regarding Tidal and all. My assumption is nearly anyone already has, say, a Windows PC. And time!
When I digitized all my CDs, I'd start one when I left / got home from work. Pushing a few daily / whenever I could, I got through them all in a few months. I'd hate to have to do that again...
The ubiquity of internet service is my stumbling block - for example, I naturally cringe at the idea of MS 365 "online" office productivity package. For some reason I'd prefer to edit a Word document even if there's no internet, or it goes away in the middle of what I'm doing for some reason.
Like I said, I'm "so 2000's" - when it's 2020; pay for internet, pay more for services riding on top of a solid internet connection. Which, FAIK, is upwards of 99.9% for most people.
When I digitized all my CDs, I'd start one when I left / got home from work. Pushing a few daily / whenever I could, I got through them all in a few months. I'd hate to have to do that again...
The ubiquity of internet service is my stumbling block - for example, I naturally cringe at the idea of MS 365 "online" office productivity package. For some reason I'd prefer to edit a Word document even if there's no internet, or it goes away in the middle of what I'm doing for some reason.
Like I said, I'm "so 2000's" - when it's 2020; pay for internet, pay more for services riding on top of a solid internet connection. Which, FAIK, is upwards of 99.9% for most people.
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After yesterday - when I setup my old iPhone 4 in the garage, along with a Sony s-master mini system receiver I have out there - I cant believe how dumb I've been.
For years, the iPhone 4 sat in a box, decaying. All I would have to have done is think about it. I had an IOS version appropriate VLC installed on it already. It streams from internet radio stations and connects to my music collection hosted via my router's USB flawlessly. There's more music available in the garage now than I have time to be out there. Forget the FM tuner and less than perfect reception...
I'm as lazy as anyone. Turns out all the real work for "outside a corporate ecosystem" DIY solutions has already been done by somebody else. Your wireless router plus a phone, or any x86 hardware, or any rPi board - with a DAC - is all you need hardware wise. Free software to run on these platforms is getting better by the day it seems - with the slightest amount of nearly "cement half A to half B" level work, it's easy to put together something quite enjoyable at minimal, if any, expense.
For years, the iPhone 4 sat in a box, decaying. All I would have to have done is think about it. I had an IOS version appropriate VLC installed on it already. It streams from internet radio stations and connects to my music collection hosted via my router's USB flawlessly. There's more music available in the garage now than I have time to be out there. Forget the FM tuner and less than perfect reception...
I'm as lazy as anyone. Turns out all the real work for "outside a corporate ecosystem" DIY solutions has already been done by somebody else. Your wireless router plus a phone, or any x86 hardware, or any rPi board - with a DAC - is all you need hardware wise. Free software to run on these platforms is getting better by the day it seems - with the slightest amount of nearly "cement half A to half B" level work, it's easy to put together something quite enjoyable at minimal, if any, expense.
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OK, so I am a real OLD-school audio nut, with a ton of vintage gear that sounds pretty good to my ear. So please bear with me---I do not understand what the "streaming device" does that my very average Dell desktop computer does not. I can listen to songs on YouTube by connecting my HiFi to the computer's RCA analog outputs and this seems to work reasonably well. I understand that the internal DAC may not be the best, so perhaps I'll look on this site for some DIY opportunities. Does the $550 BlueSound node 2i streamer provide a MUCH MUCH better source for an external DAC than my computer does?
Some people may object heartily.... but ....
My starting recommendation assumes you have either:
- a reasonably current mobile phone with a 3.5mm HP output and/or
- a windows or MAC OS laptop or desktop with a 3.5mm HP output
Before buying any new equipment or taking the time to rip CDs or convert albums, I would consider simply downloading Spotify, Tidal, Pandora, and Qobuz and taking them up on their trial offers.
Run the headphone output into your pre-amp (or amp) of choice with an adapter.
Learn which services have the content you may enjoy at a price you may be willing to pay. Are there huge gaps from your personal collection? You now have a starting point. See if you like any of the services better than the other and see if you can consistently hear a relative difference in the sound quality between the services and your old faithful CD player. Someone to help you with a blind comparison or two may be welcome.
It'll cost you nothing but a bit of time. You'll maybe learn if you can allow someone else (the streaming services) to do 99% of the work for you and whether you need (or just want) additional gear. You may be surprised just how decent an old phone you had stuck in a drawer can sound.
My starting recommendation assumes you have either:
- a reasonably current mobile phone with a 3.5mm HP output and/or
- a windows or MAC OS laptop or desktop with a 3.5mm HP output
Before buying any new equipment or taking the time to rip CDs or convert albums, I would consider simply downloading Spotify, Tidal, Pandora, and Qobuz and taking them up on their trial offers.
Run the headphone output into your pre-amp (or amp) of choice with an adapter.
Learn which services have the content you may enjoy at a price you may be willing to pay. Are there huge gaps from your personal collection? You now have a starting point. See if you like any of the services better than the other and see if you can consistently hear a relative difference in the sound quality between the services and your old faithful CD player. Someone to help you with a blind comparison or two may be welcome.
It'll cost you nothing but a bit of time. You'll maybe learn if you can allow someone else (the streaming services) to do 99% of the work for you and whether you need (or just want) additional gear. You may be surprised just how decent an old phone you had stuck in a drawer can sound.
Are there any books on how-to for dummies?
All the discussion and hints above are helping a bit, and ItsAllInMyHead’s suggestion seems a good way to start. Thanks.
However, I still need a how-to book for dummies, or a substantive article, but written in plain language, to understand how everything fits together to get music from somewhere on the internet, or my hard drive, to my preamplifier. My focus is high fidelity, so I’m not sure that an old phone would be the tool to provide the music to my high fidelity system.
I have searched the internet for this kind of article, but have found either highly technical articles on isolated components of the overall process, or jargon-laden techie talk of how to piece it together. Perhaps I don’t use the right search terms. I am behind the times in this topic, but has experience in electronics and computers, so I hope I could catch up with the right kind of step-by-step explanation I’m hoping to find.
All the discussion and hints above are helping a bit, and ItsAllInMyHead’s suggestion seems a good way to start. Thanks.
However, I still need a how-to book for dummies, or a substantive article, but written in plain language, to understand how everything fits together to get music from somewhere on the internet, or my hard drive, to my preamplifier. My focus is high fidelity, so I’m not sure that an old phone would be the tool to provide the music to my high fidelity system.
I have searched the internet for this kind of article, but have found either highly technical articles on isolated components of the overall process, or jargon-laden techie talk of how to piece it together. Perhaps I don’t use the right search terms. I am behind the times in this topic, but has experience in electronics and computers, so I hope I could catch up with the right kind of step-by-step explanation I’m hoping to find.
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The streamer offers the convenience of a small device that easily collocates with your equipment, no monitor, keyboard or mouse required, connects over your Wi-Fi, and you can easily control from a phone or tablet at the listening position. DACs aside, that’s the value proposition (though I think the BluOS DAC is actually pretty good). And for someone like the OP that is looking to get digital files to their system in the easiest and simplest way, I’m saying a stand alone streamer w/ streaming service is a good thing to look at. If you want your primary source to be YouTube I would agree that a streamer would not be a good choice.
Hi Francois
I'm a squeezebox user. There's an illustration in the link below that might help you understand how things fit together.
The laptop (My Music) is also connected to the internet, and runs the LMS Server. It can also contain your iTunes library, ripped cd's, ...
Internet Music would be Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Radio Paradise, ...
The Squeezebox can be various devices. I use the discontinued Squeezebox Touch. I connect it to a preamp (auxiliary input or whatever).
You control the Squeezebox, choosing music from the laptop (My Music) or Internet Music.
Sorry if this doesn't help.
Mike
My Media - Welcome to mysqueezebox.com!
I'm a squeezebox user. There's an illustration in the link below that might help you understand how things fit together.
The laptop (My Music) is also connected to the internet, and runs the LMS Server. It can also contain your iTunes library, ripped cd's, ...
Internet Music would be Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Radio Paradise, ...
The Squeezebox can be various devices. I use the discontinued Squeezebox Touch. I connect it to a preamp (auxiliary input or whatever).
You control the Squeezebox, choosing music from the laptop (My Music) or Internet Music.
Sorry if this doesn't help.
Mike
My Media - Welcome to mysqueezebox.com!
The old phone isn’t the end all. It’s a very good suggestion for a zero cost way to try out the possibility of digital. You asked how to get files from the internet to your system: take the headphone out from the phone to a RCA splitter and plug into your preamp. Download the apps from the major streaming services and play with those. See if you like the catalog and available music and use the free trial periods. Without going out and reading a book or doing a ton of research this approach will get you up and running. If you like the streaming experience, you can then upgrade to paid subscriptions of the lossless files through Tidal/Amazon or others. You can also then explore better hardware solutions than the old phone.
If you want to go whole hog out of the gate and digitize your whole music library then that’s a bigger undertaking. Many people that get serious about doing that seem to like Roon software to network a Roon based server holding the files you’ve made to Roon “endpoints” through your Wi-Fi network. Check Roon Labs for details on how to go about that. But as I said above, when you dig in to what’s involved in making that happen, the “old phone” looks pretty attractive.
@Francois G -
I did a bit of searching also. FWIW, I haven't found anything either. So, perhaps I can help a bit more.
This will not be comprehensive, but perhaps it's a good starting point. Others will surely add / contest / discuss. It may also help you to narrow your focus / begin to decide what your immediate and perhaps ultimate goals may be.
Breaking it down into some fundamental chunks:
"What type of digital format?" - We won't go there yet. You can decide later.
"Where is the digital music stored?"
"What gets the digital signal from point A to point B?"
"What converts the digital signal from Digital to Analog?"
"How do you control it all?"
1) Where is it "stored"? - Streaming Sources and Content
a) Local (Somewhere in your home) with all the digital information owned and controlled by you. i.e. your ripped CD collection.
i. Storage directly within or directly connected to "the device" used to decode all those wonderful albums and convert the digital to analog. Think all-in-one boxes or for all intents and purposes a computer (just by a different purpose-given name like "media player") or a phone etc.
ii. Network Addressable Storage - For now, just think of a remote hard drive that's accessed over hardwired connections in your home or over WiFi. It's just where your music is stored.
b) A service over the internet - i.e. Pandora, Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz and on and on.
2) How does the digital music "stream" from point A (storage) to point B (player)
i. Locally the storage can be connected directly or be within the purpose built "box" - see above.
ii. Over hard wires and/or WiFi using various protocols - No need to discuss yet.
iii. Using the internet to access a streaming service.
3) What converts the signal from digital to analog? A DAC, but where does it "sit"?
i. Within a computer (or purpose built box) or phone - using the built in device
ii. As a stand alone unit
4) How do you control it all? Short answer... it depends on the choices you've made above. Some software allows you to control local sources and streaming providers together with a fair amount of sophistication. Some are just for local sources, and some are the "apps" just for the streaming services.
Streaming to multiple "end points" and/or having synchronized music across "zones" adds another level of complexity.
There are certainly "plug and play" solutions and build your own solutions that can be had for what I'd consider very reasonable pricing for the value they offer. There are also options where you can spend 10's of thousands of dollars on a DAC alone.
If we had a bit of an idea of a budget and what your goals may be, we can recommend a narrower set of things to read and/or to try out. Heck, the gnashing of teeth over DACs can take months to read, nevertheless what analog section of the DAC is used for "ultimate fidelity". Then you get into further gnashing of teeth over the digital formats etc. I'd recommend holding off on getting anywhere near the edge of those rabbit holes. Just try out local streaming from a few CDs you've ripped.
If it's just ripping a few CDs to try... If you have a PC or MAC, I'd recommend starting with using iTunes through your computer. It most likely will not be your final solution, but it would be a VERY easy way to rip a few CDs, store them on your hard drive, and use the HP jack out of your computer or laptop into your system to test it out and gain a bit of knowledge. You could delete it all and start from scratch having only invested an hour or two. You'll also learn a bit about how things begin to work. I used an old Mac Mini and iTunes for years... I was pretty darn happy with it.
Again, I think you may be surprised by just how good it can sound. You'll then begin to be able to prioritize: SQ, storage capacity, ease of ripping, album information and artwork, organizing your collection etc. etc.
I did a bit of searching also. FWIW, I haven't found anything either. So, perhaps I can help a bit more.
This will not be comprehensive, but perhaps it's a good starting point. Others will surely add / contest / discuss. It may also help you to narrow your focus / begin to decide what your immediate and perhaps ultimate goals may be.
Breaking it down into some fundamental chunks:
"What type of digital format?" - We won't go there yet. You can decide later.
"Where is the digital music stored?"
"What gets the digital signal from point A to point B?"
"What converts the digital signal from Digital to Analog?"
"How do you control it all?"
1) Where is it "stored"? - Streaming Sources and Content
a) Local (Somewhere in your home) with all the digital information owned and controlled by you. i.e. your ripped CD collection.
i. Storage directly within or directly connected to "the device" used to decode all those wonderful albums and convert the digital to analog. Think all-in-one boxes or for all intents and purposes a computer (just by a different purpose-given name like "media player") or a phone etc.
ii. Network Addressable Storage - For now, just think of a remote hard drive that's accessed over hardwired connections in your home or over WiFi. It's just where your music is stored.
b) A service over the internet - i.e. Pandora, Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz and on and on.
2) How does the digital music "stream" from point A (storage) to point B (player)
i. Locally the storage can be connected directly or be within the purpose built "box" - see above.
ii. Over hard wires and/or WiFi using various protocols - No need to discuss yet.
iii. Using the internet to access a streaming service.
3) What converts the signal from digital to analog? A DAC, but where does it "sit"?
i. Within a computer (or purpose built box) or phone - using the built in device
ii. As a stand alone unit
4) How do you control it all? Short answer... it depends on the choices you've made above. Some software allows you to control local sources and streaming providers together with a fair amount of sophistication. Some are just for local sources, and some are the "apps" just for the streaming services.
Streaming to multiple "end points" and/or having synchronized music across "zones" adds another level of complexity.
There are certainly "plug and play" solutions and build your own solutions that can be had for what I'd consider very reasonable pricing for the value they offer. There are also options where you can spend 10's of thousands of dollars on a DAC alone.
If we had a bit of an idea of a budget and what your goals may be, we can recommend a narrower set of things to read and/or to try out. Heck, the gnashing of teeth over DACs can take months to read, nevertheless what analog section of the DAC is used for "ultimate fidelity". Then you get into further gnashing of teeth over the digital formats etc. I'd recommend holding off on getting anywhere near the edge of those rabbit holes. Just try out local streaming from a few CDs you've ripped.
If it's just ripping a few CDs to try... If you have a PC or MAC, I'd recommend starting with using iTunes through your computer. It most likely will not be your final solution, but it would be a VERY easy way to rip a few CDs, store them on your hard drive, and use the HP jack out of your computer or laptop into your system to test it out and gain a bit of knowledge. You could delete it all and start from scratch having only invested an hour or two. You'll also learn a bit about how things begin to work. I used an old Mac Mini and iTunes for years... I was pretty darn happy with it.
Again, I think you may be surprised by just how good it can sound. You'll then begin to be able to prioritize: SQ, storage capacity, ease of ripping, album information and artwork, organizing your collection etc. etc.
Have a look at your router. If it has a USB port on it, plug in a USB stick with some files on it - pictures, any music file you happen to have, anything. Work with the router's UI to get this setup as a shared drive, where any device connected to the router can see and access these files. Really understand how this is done, so you could confidently replace the USB stick with any USB connected music-containing "drive" at a later time.
Why this way? Because it allows multiple "players" to access you music, should you one day want to expand beyond a single Living Room playback system; Bedroom, Garage, Back Porch / Deck, Kitchen...
To connect to your analog stereo system, I'd recommend a Raspberry Pi based system; computer / DAC - which can be had for ~$100. "Raspberry Pi audio" is popular enough that a search should turn up all kinds of how-to information to get started. Pick a player software that many users like (Moode, PiCorePlayer, etc) download and flash to a micro SD. I'm sure you know how to do that with the computer skills you already have.
Go through the setup process - part of which is establishing a connection to your router (hint, hint) and the internet. You should be able to stream audio from any number of already provided station links in 1/2 hour. With that in place...
...You can begin building your music collection on an external, USB connected disk. Carefully choose disk type (SSD), capacity (500+GB), format (NTFS), music format (flac) and let the ripping process begin, using a free app as previously suggested, using a Windows PC. Once built to a usable variety of content, connect it to your router - to share in the same way as before. Verify the content can be seen by other connected devices, such as your Windows PC. Then "mount" the share to your Raspberry Pi player system - and you're good to go!
This particular sequence builds confidence along the way that it's going to ultimately work. Using a rPi based hardware system, there's a variety of working free software systems to choose from - and the sky's the limit regarding all the available DACs and resulting listening SQ, given an old phone may not be good enough for your main system.
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