PC

A Pc is a excellent platform for multi media.
In case of audio, you don't need much power for play back.

There are many different strategies to obtain best sound quality.

You can choose between a sound card or a outboard DAC

 

Probably the PC is located close to your audio. Silent operation is required.

Laptop or desktop

In general laptops make less noise but there are exceptions to this rule.
You lack the space to add a soundcard of your choice to a laptop.
You probably have to go for a outboard DAC if you want to improve on sound quality.

Storage

HD's in laptops are 2.5”,quiet but limited in capacity compared with the 3.5” models.
SSD (Solid State Disk) is the ideal choice, no moving parts at all but 1Tb in SSD is a bit expensive. OS on the SSD, music on a HD (if on a NAS, you don't have to worry about noise) might be a affordable solution.

HTPC

There are Home Theatre PCs build with silence in mind.
Fanless PSU (power supply), heat sinks to cool the processor, silent kits for HD's, etc.

Performance

For play back you don't need much power. Any MP3 player or cellular phone proves this point. There are claims that it is even better to go for low power.

Less electrical noise is generated and this might be beneficial for the sound quality.

 

fit-PC2 Win7 Pro $499
1.6 GHz, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, WiFi, Windows 7 Professional
Marvell SheevaPlug $99

ARM-based 1.2GHz Sheeva embedded processor, 512MB of DDR2 memory, 512MB of flash storage, gigabit ethernet and USB 2.0.

Big enough to run SqueezeCenter.

See Sheevaplug SBS Server for dummies

VortexBox 500GB Micro NAS $399

  • Draws only 6 watts of power when fully on. Costs about $5 a year to run all the time.
  • Automatically rip CDs using external USB DVD (Not Included).
  • Automatically tags all files from online music database.
  • Automatically downloads the cover art.
  • Automatic sharing of file to SMB (Microsoft) file shares.
  • Sqeezebox Server pre-loaded for use with Logitech SqueezeBox media players.
  • Automatic reindexing of Squeezebox Server after every CD is ripped.
  • AppleTalk - for OSX or Bonjour for Windows.
  • DAAP - Automatically shares all MP3s for streaming to iTunes and Roku Soundbridge.
  • NFS - For Linux boxes and almost anything else, Solaris etc.
  • Easy installation of mplayer for AlianBBC support.
  • Works well as a backend server for XBMC (XBOX Media Center) running on XBOX, Widnows, OSX, AppleTV, or Linux.
  • Good support for Sonos music players.
  • Auto select 120v or 240v power. Works in any country.

More on low power PC.

 

Dedicated audio pc

Slowly audio industry realize the potential of a dedicated audio PC.

Isolating the digital audio from the PC is becoming an important design criteria.

 

Auraliti Player KIT $899

  • Linux
  • Pre configured MPD music player
  • Headless
  • No moving parts (memory player)
  • Analog output: RCA  
  • Digital Output:  SPDIF 75 ohm BNC  
  • Up to 24 bits/192 kHz
  • Interface: MPoD over customer supplied iPOD and several MPD free-ware clients on PC and Mac
  • Audio on customer supplied external USB HD

Bryston BDP-1: USD 2,100

 

Operating system Linux
Resolution 16/24 bit 44.1 - 192 kHz
Output AES-EBU (balanced digital, needs external DAC)
Source USB / Ethernet
Architecture Electronic isolation of audio components from computer components and galvanic isolation to isolate and avoid charge-carrying particles moving from one section to another

Chord Cordette Mogul £2195

Operating system Windows 7 Home premium
PC

1.2 GHz VIA Nano
  1 x Gigabit Ethernet
1 x 320Gb Internal Hard Disk Drive
Support for SATA hard/optical drive via external connector
6 x USB 2.0 ports
Supports HD audio
1 x HDMI port
Preinstalled with Windows™ 7 Home Premium 32bit
Wireless keyboard with touchpad
802.11g WiFi Wireless USB adapter

Qsonic Q205 USD 7,450

Digital audi (S/PDIF)
  • 2 x Coaxial S/PDIF (RCA + BNC)
  • 1 x Balanced XLR for AES/EBU
  • 1 x Optical Toslink
    *(all simultaneous and up to 24 bit, 192Khz)
USB audio 1 x USB digital output (up to 24 bit, 192Khz)
Analog audio

none
Control
  • 15” or 17" TFT Active Matrix Touch Screen 15/17/19
  • iPhone™, iPod Touch™ or iPad™
HD 1 / 2 TB
Design
  • Complete output stage circuit design and performance optimization by Wadia Digital
Input
  • Isolated signal input featuring opto-coupling technology for complete isolation of signal and ground-plane noises.
  • Opto-coupling provides 100% electrical isolation between main proccessing board and the digital output signal. This means the digital signal output will never carry or transmit signal / grounds noise from the main digital signal processing board.
Output Stage
  • Fully balanced digital output signal for AES/EBU and SPDIF Coax (BNC, RCA); extremely robust digital output stage capable of driving long digital cables.
  • Ultra-High Speed Output Transmitters (up to 10 megabit)
Transformer isolated outputs
  • Very Wide bandwidth transformers offer very complete CMR (common mode rejection), as well as extremely low capacitive coupling due to customized additional shield winding.
  • Benefit – Transformer coupling eliminates out of band noise while maintaining extremely accurate digital signal integrity; eliminates potential for ground noise in the digital signal path.
EMI Filter
  • Eliminates ringing or signal reflections (ensuring low jitter), ESD protection without degrading signal integrity.
Power Supply

Three stage, fully regulated power supply dedicated exclusively to the digital output stage.

  • Common mode Choke
  • Filter Inductor
  • Bulk Capacitor Filters

 

Squeezebox Touch USD 299.99

  • Linux
  • 500MHz Arm processor
  • Audio formats:
    -MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, Apple Lossless
    -WMA Lossless, APE, MPC and WavPack supported through transcoding
    -Some formats may require additional software installation
  • Internet radio
    -Support for MP3, Ogg Vorbis, and WMA formatted Internet Radio streams
  • Wireless interface
    -True 802.11g wireless networking
    -Support for 802.11b and 802.11g routers and access points
    -One-touch setup (with compatible WPS-supporting routers)
    -Supports WPA Personal, WPA-2AES, and 64/128-bit WEP encryption
  • Ethernet interface
    -Connects to any 100 Mbps or 10 Mbps network (with Auto MDX)
  • General:
    -USB host connector for accessing music and photos via USB drive or USB key
    -SD card slot for music and photos
    -Supports sampling rates up to 24 bit / 96 kHz
    -Stereo analog (RCA), headphone jack, digital optical, and digital coax output
    -4.3-inch 24-bit color LCD with capacitive touch screen
    -Ambient light sensor to adjust display brightness according to environment
    -Infrared proximity sensor to detect presence

Parts

You can get all kind of parts to reduce noise level.

Big, low speed fans make less noise.

 

CPU cooler HD silencer

Forum

From practical to esoteric, all possible tweaks can be found on this PC audio forum

©Vincent Kars